1260 



The Weekly Florists' Rcvkw. 



OCTOBBB 4, 1906. 



inches wide a convenient size, which 

 we make out of new lumber, ^/{.-inch 

 for the bottom and sides and 1-inch for 

 the end pieces. These flats are useful 



^ for delivering bedding plants in the 



' spring. 



I once believed that any old soil was 

 good enough for forcing tulips and nar- 

 cissi. No special preparation is needed, 

 bnt I want it no poorer than the old 

 ■oil of a carnation or rose bed you 

 thlrew out at midsummer. Fill the flat 

 full of soil but not firmly. Press the 

 bulb into the loose soil until its tip 

 is about even with the top edge of the 

 flat; scatter a few handfuls of soil 

 among the bulbs, and that's all there is 

 to the operation. If a man is sup- 

 plied with the flats filled with soil and 

 they are carted away after the bulbs 

 are squeezed in, he can plant a good 

 many thousand in a day. When your 

 soil and flats are in readiness, the plant- 

 ing is a light job and an easy one, but 

 not if left until the cold, wet days of 

 November. 



Place the flats outdoors within reach 

 of the hose and cover with three or four 



fore, in the absence of heavy rain you 

 must take the hose and soak the bed 

 sufficiently to go through, not only the 

 three inches of covering, but down 

 through the soil in the flats. A neglect 

 of this has been the cause of many fail- 

 ures with early tulips and narcissi. 



Talip Beds. 



If a customer asks you to plant a bed 

 of tulips or hyacinths give them this 

 answer, which is gardening gospel: 

 "Yes, madam, much obliged. I will not 

 neglect it and will save our best bulbs 

 for your garden, but I will not plant 

 them until the last of October or early 

 November, because the later the bulbs 

 are planted in the fall the finer and 

 more lasting are the flowers in the 

 spring." "All right, Mr. Potts, you 

 know best." William Scott. 



GEORGE E. McCLURE. 



A Gardener Born, Not Made. 



Most of our young gardeners and flo- 

 rists — and, for that matter, the old ones, 



George E. McCIure. 



inches of soil or tanbark, refuse hops, 

 or sawdust, whichever is the handiest to 

 procure. We always use a light soil 

 dug from the side of the beds where the 

 flats are placed. I may as well cau- 

 tion you here that the bottom of the flat 

 prevents any moisture reaching the 

 bulbs and the soil in the flats dries out. 

 Unless you get a heavy rain at least 

 once a week the soil in the flats will be 

 dry and few roots will be made. There- 



too, — have drifted into the profession, 

 not so much from their own choice as 

 from accident. In many cases because 

 it was the calling of the father, who 

 perhaps asked for help in the houses or 

 garden. Soon it was the only earning 

 power the son possessed, and so he 

 drifted on. Where there is no real fond- 

 ness for the cultivation of plants and 

 (lowers, the progress will be slow. Where 

 a boy evinces a love of plants almost 



from infancy a phenomenon in gardening 

 will be the result. 



Such a one we have in George E. Mc- 

 CIure, son of the well-known George W. 

 McClure. Youthful George showed a love 

 of plants and their care before he was 

 10 years of age, and before he was 12 

 years old he could tell you the names of 

 a hundred leading varieties of chrysan- 

 themums by the leaf alone. But mums 

 did not occupy all his boyhood fancy 

 for flowers. He liked to study orchids, 

 and the more rare plants found in pri- 

 vate collections. For several years he 

 had charge of the modest collection of 

 orchids in possession of the writer. Then 

 he took charge of the rather extensive 

 collection at the private garden of G. H. 

 Lewis, of Buffalo. Some five or six years 

 ago he was invited by Prof. Wm. Tre- 

 lease, of the Missouri Botanic Gardens, 

 to work under that estimable gentleman, 

 where he has had principal charge of the 

 extensive and comprehensive collection of 

 orchids, which not only includes all the 

 familar commercial species, but hundreds 

 of species and varieties little known out- 

 side of a botanical collection. This young 

 man lately has returned to his home, duti- 

 fully to help his father in his extensive 

 landscape business, and had the good 

 sense to bring a St. Louis bride with 

 him. 



The writer requested George E. Mc- 

 Clure, a few days ago, to write some 

 seasonable hints on commercial orchids. 

 He has kinuiy handed to me more than 

 I expected, and I think it is so well 

 prepared that I would ask you, Mr. Edi- 

 tor, to print it in full, as I know we can 

 all get some valuable points from it. 



William Scsott. 



PROPAGATING. 



How late in spring can I pinch gera- 

 niums not to interfere with blooming for 

 May 30 f 



How late in spring can I take cuttings 

 from geraniums to be in bloom for 

 May 30 f 



What time shall I plant lobelia seeds 

 to have blooming plants for May If 



What time shaU I plant phlox seeds 

 to have blooming plants for May If 

 J. C. 



The middle of February is as late as 

 zonal geraniums should be pinched. 



The same time is late enough to take 

 cuttings from old or young plants, and 

 expect the cuttings to make good bed- 

 ding plants by the middle of May. 



Lobelia seed should be sown at the 

 end of January. Seedlings do not make 

 good plants for vases or veranda-boxes. 

 Old plants lifted in the fall and cat 

 back are the thing for this purpose. 



Phlox Drummondii should be sown at 

 the middle or end of March. Sow in 

 flats and transplant to other flats two 

 inches apart. W. S. 



NOTES FROM ENGLAND. 



Some flne lots of named pyrethrums 

 are just now seen on the English mar- 

 kets which are useful for decorative pur- 

 poses. The blooms are selling at 

 high flgures and meeting a very quick 

 sale. These cuts, of course, are the sec- 

 ond crop of bloom, the usual time for 

 the full crop being during May and 

 June, after which if the plants are treat- 

 ed right they will continue to bloom 

 right up to frost. When the first blooms 

 are cleared off in May or June, the 

 plants should be well hoed and cleared 

 of weeds, dead leaves and all flower 



