March 29, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



1285 



The American Beauties at the Boston Exhibition of the Rose Society. 



the soil is of a loamy nature, most vari- 

 eties at present in cultivation under 

 glass succeed equally as well, if not bet- 

 ter, than grafted stock. Where tlie soil 

 is of a poor quality, requiring large sup- 

 plies of liquid or other food, it stands 

 to reason that plants grafted on Manetti 

 or other stocks possessing an abundance 

 of fine feeding roots, can absorb and use 

 it to more advantage than own root 

 stock. 



Propagating By Grafting. 



Propagatijig by grafting being prac- 

 tically new in this country as applied 

 to stock under glass, there is a better 

 field for advance and improvement, both 

 as regards the variety and class of stock 

 to be used, the style of graft, quality, 

 size of scion and after treatment. 



Within the past few years I have seen 

 many improvements in this method of 

 propagation, because, instead of being 

 only copyists, we are doing our own 

 thinking, and when we have to think for 

 ourselves we are just as certain to im- 

 prove as that the sun will rise in the 

 east. 



Most of the establishments which prac- 

 tice grafting in quantities are equipped 

 with neat and sensible cases in which to 

 care for the young stock until it is 

 fit to be placed on the bench and this I 

 consider the most essential element to 

 success. That grafted stock is being 

 used more freely year by year is certain 

 and this very fact proves that we are 

 moving along the right lines, but be- 

 fore we drop our root stock entirely, 

 we should first satisfy ourselves by ex- 

 periment that our soil and varieties are 

 best adapted to grafted stock, as indis- 

 criminate jilanting of grafted stock ir- 

 respective of quality of soil iuu\ other 

 oonditif>ns uiny not alwtiys Vic n success. 



Best Bench for Roses. 



The most suitalilo kind of a licnch for 

 rose culture has also been a much dis- 

 cussed ijuestion and this discussion has 

 led to many real and economic improve- 

 ments. There is a wide difference be- 

 tween the old lumber bench of twenty 

 years ayo. with the everlasting repairs 

 which kept it company, and the neat and 

 indestructible iron and tile benches of 

 the ]ire«ent day. Even in the matter of 

 solid licnches for those Avho still have a 

 favor for them there is a decided im- 

 provement. Bringing as we do our ex- 



perience of the i)ast and our scientific 

 knowledge regarding aeration and drain- 

 ago of. soil into our service, we are able 

 to build benches better suited to the re- 

 (juirements of the stock. 



In respect to planting we cannot say 

 we have made any great advances in re- 

 cent years, the same general principles 

 applying as formerly. Some few years 

 ago we imagined we were on the verge 

 of discovering something new regarding 

 watering and the theory of sub-irriga- 

 tion was given an impartial trial by 

 many of our expert growers, only to be 

 relegated after a time to "the realms 

 of innocuous desuetude. ' ' Other schemes, 

 automatic and otherwise, have been ad- 

 vocated and tried, but so far as the rose 

 is concerned we have to depend on the 

 accurate judgment of the man with the 

 quick eye and the deft hand for our suc- 

 cess. 



Soil Chemistry. 



Our studies in plant and soil chemistry 

 are every year bringing us nearer per- 

 fection in cultural methods, particularly 

 as regards the quality of food required 

 by the plants in confinement under our 

 care, where we have to attend to their 

 every want and supply it at the proper 

 time. It is encouraging and a gratifying 

 augury to find so many of our young 

 brethren devoting themselves to the at- 

 tainment of knowledge on a scientific 

 basis. They are sure of their reward. 



In our battles with our insect and 

 parasitic enemies we have been ably sup- 

 ported and advised by some of the best 

 entomologists and professors of horti- 

 culture who have supplied us with the 

 life histories of nearly all insects and 

 parasites injurious to our crops and the 

 most effective means of exterminating 

 them or keeping them in check. Our 

 thanks are especially due to Prof. Byron 

 D. Halstead for the much needed advice 

 and information he has given us on these 

 subjects. 



Most Radical Advancement. 



During the past decade our most radi- 

 cal advancement has been in horticul- 

 tural construction and heating systems as 

 applied to the same. Not so many years 

 ago when we thought of building we 

 had ourselves to be architect and builder, 

 plan and lay down our own heating .sys- 

 tem and be general utility man. We 

 have now jirofessional arcliitects vying 



with each other as to who will produce 

 the most economic, shadelass and hand- 

 some buildings, suited to our wants, with 

 heating systems and ventilating appara- 

 tus, which are simply perfection when 

 compared to our buildings and appliances 

 of twenty years ago. When we compare 

 the handsome, lofty, almost shadeless 

 :'.iid well ventilated structures of the pres- 

 ent with the low-walled, heavy-raftered, 

 hand-ventilated building of twenty or 

 twenty-five years ago we must wonder 

 how it was possible for the growers of 

 those days to produce such excellent 

 stock as they did. We also have the ad- 

 vantage of high-class educational trade 

 papers, in the columns of which we can 

 in a friendly way discuss questions per- 

 taining to the ])rofession and which I 

 consider can with justice, lay claim to 

 the credit of aiding us very materially in 

 our progress. 



Much Done By Society. 



Last but not least we have the society 

 which through the energetic efforts of 

 its officers has done much to make the 

 rose popular, to gather and disseminate 

 knowledge as to cultural methods, con- 

 trol of pests, etc., and to foster that 

 Itrotherly feeling among the craft, where 

 friendly discussions of our many inter- 

 ests must of necessity be of the greatest 

 importance and lead to advancement. 



So that with the advanced methods 

 and our past experience to guide us and 

 the knowledge science has placed at our 

 command and the faculties we enjoy in 

 improved construction, perfect ventilating 

 machinery, excellent heating systems and 

 our advanced scientific knowledge, the 

 outlook for the rose grower is of a rosier 

 hue than it has ever been in the history 

 of American floriculture. 



I Haverhill. ^Iass. — The A. W. Merrow 

 i To. has been incorjioratod. with .$."), 000 

 , capital stock, to conduct the business of 

 florist and undertaker. 



CJuK?:xsBURr., Pa. — Joseph Thomas says 

 that the only trouble this year is to keep 

 stock cool enough. Many of his Easter 

 i)lants waTit to bloom too oarlv. 



Stuatkop.d, Coxx. — (\ Mills has near- 

 ly completed the l)uilding of a green- 

 house which is Tuuch larger than his old 



' one. He ships considerable .stock to the 



' Bridgeport traile. 



