154 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



December 6, 1906. 



white, but that I believe was due to my 

 own fault in using a strong solution of 

 ammonia to feed the plants after the 

 flowers showed color. I feel safe in 

 saying that this variety will be absolute- 

 ly pure white with the majority of grow- 

 ers. The flower seems to finish better 

 than the pink variety, the ones set up in 

 Chicago being especially noticeable in 

 this respect. 



Mrs. D. V. West was late this year 

 and was missed from some of the earlier 

 shows, but when it did come it made up 

 for itself. If "West only had an Eaton 

 stem, it would be a splendid thing. 



Nellie Pockett still holds on. I saw 

 it particularly fine at Eedbank, and when 

 set up as it was there it is a hard one 

 to beat. 



Mrs. F. F. Thompson has a long, bare 

 neck and fits in best in the short-vase 

 classes, or where artificial supports are 

 permitted. Some growers do not like it 

 on this account, but the flower itself, 

 when well done, is so strikingly distinct 

 and beautiful that it is well worth a 

 place. 



May Seddon has appeared as the larg- 

 est flower in the show at several places, 

 and will be more largely grown next year. 

 It is a slow grower and should be got 

 under way early in the season. Cuttings 

 rooted in January and grown right along 

 were not over three feet high at flower- 

 ing time. It will on this account stand 

 more nitrogenous food than most other 

 varieties. 



President Loubet, if we can all grow 

 it as it was staged before the New York 

 committee, will be a cracker-jack. Once 

 in a great while we get a. French vari- 

 ety that comes to stay like M. Carnot or 

 Chr. Montigny, but they are not numer- 

 ous. 



W. Wells has been fine in several places 

 and seems to have established itself. It 

 is a grand, strong grower, but seems 

 prone to red spider in most localities, 

 and needs close watching during the sum- 

 mer. 



Odd Colors. 



In the odd colors, perhaps the finest is 

 Mrs. John E. Dunne. This variety has 

 done well all over the country — better 

 possibly in the vicinity of New York 

 than elsewhere. The color is peculiar, 

 being old-rose streaked with bronze. It 

 is a most effective variety and does not 

 have a single fault. 



Mrs. A. J. Miller was fine everywhere. 

 The color is variable and it has won 

 prizes as a red, bronze and several other 

 colors this year, but whatever color it 

 was shown in, it seemed to capture the 

 money. Miller is a first-class variety. 



E. J. Brooks has done well also. It 

 is a purple crimson variety. Here and 

 there it has shown an eye, but not when 

 properly grown and the crown bud caught 

 right. It is hard to see any faults in 

 Brooks. 



Mrs. George Heaume has found many 

 admirers. The color is unique, being a 

 salmon overlaid with bronze, and the 

 effect is really very beautiful. Not the 

 least of Heaume 's virtues is the fact 

 that every bud makes a perfect flower. 

 There is no loss with it whatever. It 

 will produce more high grade flowers 

 than any other variety I ever grew. 



Mme. G. Rivol came a deep yellow with 

 me last year, and I sent it out as a yel- 

 low. This year it is all colors, from 

 bronze to cherry red. It has been said 

 that the chief charm of the mum is " its 

 infinite variety." This being the case, 

 Rivol is a variety show in itself, for 

 hardly any two flowers are exactly alike. 



Donald McLeod comes pure yellow on 

 an early crown, but is a beautifully 

 striped flower on a late crown. McLeod 

 must be caught on a crown, as the ter- 

 minal bud produces a flower that is al- 

 most useless. 



Inglis and Fitzroy are well known and 

 need little comment. The last named is 

 the finest bronze we have, but the stem 

 is brittle and it needs careful handling. 



The Oimsons. 



In the crimsons, I place Mrs. H. Par- 

 tridge as first. It never damps and is 

 an all-round good thing. I have not 

 heard one grower run it down. Any bud 

 is good and growth and other essentials 

 leave nothing to be desired. 



Mrs. A. H. Lee is somewhat the same 

 in this respect, but a shade deeper in 

 color than Partridge. Lee does not have 

 so wide a petal, but is more refiexing. 



Merstham Crimson is the deepest in 

 color, shading sometimes almost to black, 

 but any variety that shades to this color 

 will burn, and one can oiot feed but very 

 little; consequently the flower is smaller. 



S. T. Wright is still fine, but it must 

 be struck late, and does best grown in 



small pots. Any attempt to get it big 

 only ends in failure. 



Merstham Bed shades more to red than 

 crimson and may be relied on every year 

 to come to time. 



There are other varieties, of course, but 

 this list will hold its own in any com-' 

 pany. Charles H, Totty. 



LARGEST BLOOMS. 



Will you please tell me, through your 

 columns, which are the largest mums, in 

 the different colors, that will bloom by 

 November 15? Also tell me if Minnie 

 Wanamaker can be brought in by October 

 20. What is the best time to make mum 

 cuttings? I. M. P. 



A list of just the largest flowers would 

 run about as follows: 



Yellow— F. S. Vallis, Mrs. E. Thir- 

 kell, Mrs. Geo. Hunt and General Hut- 

 ton. 



White — Beatrice May, Mrs. D. V. 

 West, May Seddon and Mrs. F. F. 

 Thompson. 



Pink — Valerie Greenham, Morton F. 

 Plant, Lady Hopetoun and Wm. Duck- 

 ham. 



Crimson — Mrs. H. Partridge, Mrs. A. 

 H. Lee and S. T. Wright. 

 I Odd Colors — Mrs. John E. Dunne, Mrs. 

 A. J. Miller, Mrs. Geo. Heaume and Mary 

 Inglis. 



Size alone is not the only desirable 

 thing for exhibition. Color, form, stem 

 and other points all count. I. M. P. 

 will find good, information on this point 

 in my list of varieties given in this issue. 

 Many fine exhibition varieties are not 

 suitable for commercial growing. 



Cuttings may be rooted in February, 

 March or April, or even as late as June 

 for ordinary commercial cultivation. 



Exhibitors who try to get their flowers 

 as large as possible propagate mostly in 

 February or March. 



Minnie Wanamaker used to be classed 

 as a late with us, though we discarded 

 it years ago. It is possible to bring it 

 in, I have no doubt, by planting early 

 and getting a good crown bud. 



C. H. T. 



Wellsvillk, N. Y.— W. F. Yewdall 

 has a variegated sport from Enchantress 

 which he thinks is the finest variegated 

 carnation he has yet seen. 



Table Decoration by John H.iDunlop^ Toronto^ Ont 



