Shptbmbbr 27, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



un 



Mis:nonette Grown by William Scott. 



lowing the divisions to grow into form 

 during the summer. 



It is a good plan to wash out the roots 

 of the plants that are to be divided, as 

 the stems may then be separated with 

 less injury to the roots. In dividing 

 old and long-established plants, there 

 will frequently be found old pieces of 

 the underground stems with no leaves 

 attached, and these also have some value, 

 from the fact that they may be cut into 

 short sections (about one inch will do), 

 and these pieces planted in flats of sandy 

 soil, then covered with a layer of sand, 

 given a good watering and placed in a 

 warm greenhouse. In the course of a 

 few weeks many of these sections of 

 stem will start away from long dormant 

 eyes, ultimately producing useful young 

 stock. 



Hardiness and Length of Life. 



The aspidistras are nearly hardy, 

 bearing a temperature several degrees 

 below freezing without injury, if the 

 plants have been grown cool, while ex- 

 posure to dust, draughts, and other dis- 

 advantages of a furnace-heated dwelling 

 have but little effect upon them. 



As an example of their longevity as 

 house plants, a specimen in the posses- 

 sion of a neighbor of the writer may be 

 cited, this plant being grown in an iron 

 vase, used as a lawn ornament in sum- 

 mer, and standing near a sitting-room 

 window during the winter. After about 

 twenty years of such treatment it is 

 more flourishing than ever, and is a per- 

 fect mass of healthy leaves. It is a 

 plant of similar build, but much larger 

 than the attractive specimen pictured 

 upon the opposite page, and also a plant 

 of A. elatior. 



The flowers of the aspidistras seldom 

 attract much attention. Their dull pur- 

 ple color, and the fact that they 

 scarcely protrude above the soil, hides 

 them from the less observant, but they 

 are decidedly singular in appearance and 

 quite worthy of closer examination. 



W. H. Taplin. 



WINDOW GLASS. 



Although Saturday, September 15, 

 officially marked the opening of the 

 season of 1906-07 in the window glass 

 making industry, there was no general 

 resumption. It is generally admitted 

 that the window glass industry is in a 

 most critical condition. The trouble 

 appears to be that the manufacturers 



and the jobbers are distrustful of each 

 other. It is apparently certain that no 

 new glass will be put on the market 

 before next month, and perhaps not be- 

 fore October 15 or November 1. 



MIGNONETTE IN POTS. 



The accompanying illustration is from 

 a photograph of three pots of mignon- 

 ette made just before Easter a few years 

 ago. You might merely say that when 

 you meet with success why deviate from 

 the method that gained success, but 

 these migYionettes were not the all-round 

 success that we expected. The whole 

 batch of about 200 was fine. The 2- 

 foot rule suspended over the center one 

 will give the size better than any de- 

 scription. They were not tied out in 

 the least. The string that encircled them 

 was merely cut, allowing them to fall 

 loosely apart. 



They were handsome, but they did 

 not appeal to the many, as we had to ask 

 $1.50 to $2.50 each. The people of most 

 refined taste wanted them, but that 

 class is far outnumbered by those who 

 want a showy plant, and we had about 

 fifty left. These are not a total loss, 

 as there is a dollar's worth of flowers 

 or more on each. 



Why I do not call them an unquali- 

 fied success is because they were too 

 large. The plants pictured were sown in 

 a 5-ineh pot early in August and several 

 plants thinned out to the three strong- 

 est. We intended to flower them in 

 that pot, but they grew so strongly 

 that we had to shift them in November 

 into 7 and 8-inch. The foliage became 

 too ripe. It was not yellow, but lacked 

 that fresh, green appearance, which is 

 the beauty of any plant. The reason 

 for this was that the seed was sown too 

 early, and the roots had become ex- 

 hausted, and, promising to be too early, 

 we removed them to a house where they 

 were exposed almost to a frost. 



We have since improved on that. In- 

 stead of early in August, sow the seeds 

 at the end of October. The soil should 

 be a slightly heavy loam enriched with 

 a fourth of animal manure, and should 

 be quite firmly packed into a 5-inch pot. 

 Two inches of rather fresh cow manure 

 in the bottom of the pot will help to 

 give vigor to the plants at flowering 

 time. 



Sow a pinch of seeds near the edge 

 of the pot at three equally divided dis- 



tances. Let the plants become two 

 inches high before you select the strong- 

 est and most vigorous plant of each lit- 

 tle group and pull out the others. For 

 the next three months a night tempera- 

 ture of 40 degrees will be sufficient. 

 With this temperature and the fullest 

 light the plants will be stout and ro- 

 bust. 



When three inches above the soil the 

 little plants should be pinched or stopped. 

 You will then have three or four shoots 

 to make flower spikes, in place of one. 

 After the turn of the year, with in- 

 creased sunlight the plants will grow 

 faster and the bloom will begin to de- 

 velop, but don't increase the night tem- 

 perature, or at least not more than 5 

 degrees. If there is any sign of ex- 

 haustion, use weak liquid manure. But 

 there won 't be any exhaustion if the 

 plants have been kept cool, making a 

 slow growth during winter. 



Stakes to support the flowering stems 

 of any plant are always a detriment 

 to its attractiveness. So three slender 

 wooden stakes encircled by a strand of 

 silkaline is all that is required. Mig- 

 nonette is not an important Easter plant, 

 but plants of moderate size appeal to 

 many customers of refined taste as a 

 dainty remembrance. These plants have 

 cost little for feed, yet they have occu- 

 pied the benches at least six months, 

 and should not be sold for less than a 

 dollar each. The principal thing to ob- 

 serve is a cool house, the fullest light 

 and plenty of fresh air. W. S. 



SOCIETY OF AMERICAN FLORISTS. 



Department of Plant Registration. 



Central Park Nursery, Topeka, Kan., 

 submits for registration the following 

 cannas: 



Sunburst, a seedling of Souvenir de 

 Antoine Crozy, identical in foliage and 

 habit with its parent; bloom differs in 

 that there is no yellow edging, but large 

 yellow blotches on the under side; the 

 flower is large, bright crimson in color, 

 and trues is rigidly upright. 



Topeka, a seedling of Charles Hender- 

 son, foliage very heavy and glaucous, 

 habit extremely sturdy, compact and 

 robust; bloom larger than Henderson, 

 color rich crimson with distinct bright 

 yellow shading along the lower edge of 

 staminodia. 



Wm. .T. Stewart, Sec'y. 



