342 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



December 20, 1906. 



and one-third of the latter. Ample 

 drainage should be provided, with an 

 abundance of water during the growing 

 season, keeping them fairly moist dur- 

 ing winter. A shady corner in the cool- 

 house, where an abundance of moisture 

 can be obtained, should be provided for 

 the successful cultivation of these plants. 

 Repotting should be accomplished after 

 the flowering period, when the new 

 growths have started. 



The most popular species are C. 

 Lowianum, giganteum, eburneum, Tracy- 

 anum, and Hookerianum. 



Dendrobiums. 



This large and most interesting genus 

 of epiphytal orchids has a very large dis- 

 tribution over ihe old world, found chiefly 

 in India, Burma, Assam and the islands 

 of the Malayan archipelago. The richest 

 districts are the Himalayas. The dendro- 

 biums indigenous to these districts are 

 enveloped in a humid atmosphere, during 

 their growing period, owing to the enor- 

 mous amount of vapor which ascends 

 from the Bay of Bengal, which is eventu- 

 ally precipitated as rain. After this 

 comes the dry season, which generally 

 lasts about two or three months, thus 

 enabling them to have complete repose. 



For successful cultivation these plants 

 require a special house, where approxi- 

 mately the natural conditions can be 

 given. The compost should consist of 

 peat and moss in equal parts, with an 

 addition of crushed crocks. During the 

 growing period a plentiful supply of 

 water should be applied to their roots, 

 and an occasional spraying overhead. 

 "When the growths are mature the water 

 supply should be diminished considerably, 

 just enough being given to prevent the 

 growths becoming too shriveled. The 

 temperature during their resting period 

 should be about 50 degrees to 55 degrees. 

 During summer the minimum should be 

 60 degrees. Repotting should be accom- 

 plished after the flowering period, when 

 the new growths have started. Shading 

 should consist of some thin material, 

 just enough to prevent harm to the 

 young growths. 



The chief commercial species are D. 

 nobile, Wardianum, Phalaenopsis and 

 formosum giganteum. 



GLADIOLI FOR EASTER. 



When is the right time to start 

 Gladiolus Colvillei for Easter? H. W. 



The species Colvillei is entirely dis- 

 tinct from the hybrids of Gandavensis, 

 being much smaller in bulb, leaf and 

 flower. There is a form or variety of 

 this species known as The Bride which 

 is possibly meant in the above inquiry. 

 Our experience is that it is not easy to 

 force. Two years ago we planted them 

 on a portion of bench where some 

 variety of carnations had turned out 

 unsatisfactorily and a certain percentage 

 flowered in early April. It has a most 

 beautiful, delicate spike of flowers and 

 when we better understand the wants 

 Mill rank high among our choice cut 

 flowers. Will not some one who has 

 flowered this gladiolus please write it 

 up and oblige' H. W. and W. S. and 

 many others? W. S. 



NOTES FROM ENGLAND. 



Chrysanthemums are everywhere just 

 now, and from the commercial aspect 

 the cut bloom has been greatly over- 

 done; no market throughout the country 

 has escaped being more or less glutted. 



Single mums are in great favor this 

 season. Each year they become more 

 popular, and when a good sort is grown 

 there is probably nothing to equal them 

 as a pot plant. W. Wells & Co., of Merst- 

 ham, are giving us a couple of fine new 

 single varieties, which will probably be 

 in the near future standard florists' va- 

 rieties both on account of the color and 

 also the ease with which they may be 

 grown. Edith Harling is a fine yellow. 

 Merstham White is pure and the center 

 a very distinct golden, a very useful com- 

 mercial variety. 



One of the oldest nurseries in London 

 has been compelled to move out into the 

 country in search of purer air. Messrs. 

 Wimsett have lately carried on a high- 

 class decorating business and have exe- 

 cuted many important and extensive 

 floral decorations at Buckingham Palace. 

 The firm is also one of the leaders for 

 distinctive landscape work and summer 

 bedding. 



W. Poupart, of Tweekenham, was the 

 recipient of a handsome silver tea and 

 cofifee service, valued at over $1,000, on 

 the occasion of the annual dinner of 

 the Market Gardeners' Association, of 

 which Mr. Poupart has been president 

 for many years. J. B. 



WINTERING BOX TREES. 



I have a few box trees to winter. 

 How should they be cared for? Will 

 they stand freezing? Should they be 

 kept in a light or dark cellar? 



G. P. G. 



Keep them in a cool house or cool, 

 light shed. Keep the roots moist and a 

 few degrees of frost will not hurt. The 

 same place that you winter your sweet 

 bays will do for the box trees. It would 

 be a mistake to put them in a dark room 

 or cellar. Give them light and keep the 

 roots moist and not over 5 degrees of 

 frost and you will be all right. W. S. 



SINGLE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



Single chrysanthemums are having a 

 strong run in popular favor in England 

 just now and, indeed, along the eastern 

 coast of the United States they have 

 made some progress in public esteem. 

 The best of the newer singles is said to 

 be Crown of Gold, illustrated herewith. 

 It is described as a beautiful and very 

 large variety with flowers fully five 

 inches across, and of a delightful and 

 rather bright shade of old gold. It is 

 one of the best that Mr. Pagram, of the 

 Whim Gardens, Weybridge, has raised. 

 It gained a first-class certificate from 

 the National Chrysanthemum Society, 

 and has now, according to the Gardeners' 

 Magazine, passed into the hands of 

 Cragg, Harrison & Cragg, of Heston, for 

 distribution. 



MR. GODFREY'S VIEWS. 



In the last issue I note W. J. God- 

 frey rather questions the commendatory 

 remarks I made anent Mrs. Henry Barnes 

 as an exhibition variety. He does not 

 take into account the difference that cli- 

 matic conditions make, perhaps. From 

 what I have seen I do not think that 

 many of the Australians show up so 

 well in England as they do here, notable 

 cases in point being W. Duckham and 

 Nellie Pockett with its sport, Cheltoiii, 

 likewise the wonderful showing Beatrice 

 May has made all over this country. 



On the other hand many splendid Eng- 

 lish seedlings do not amount to anything 

 here. One of Mr. Godfrey's own, Mary 

 Godfrey, was very nice with me this 

 year as an early yellow, but if he could 

 see his Bessie Godfrey, Godfrey's King, 

 Sensation and some others of his seed- 

 lings as they show up here, he would feel 

 like disowning them. Yet these varieties 

 are splendid in England, as any one who 

 reads a British horticultural periodical 

 knows, Bessie Godfrey perhaps having 

 stood longer as the premier yellow in 

 England than any other variety. 



Mr. Godfrey shows a correct knowl- 

 edge of what we need here in the com- 

 mercial line of flower and while his new 

 Mary Donrfellan, if it 'is a Japanese, is 

 hardly the proper form for us, if it iS 

 the color he states we must certainly 

 try it. Charles H. Totty. 



MUMS AND VEGETABLES. 



I find that after taking off the last 

 crop in the spring from my greenhouse 

 I can bring on a fall crop of mums, 

 providing I can put off planting in the 

 benches until the last week in July, 

 with the exception of a few early varie- 

 ties which I can plant in June. To 

 grow mums for the wholesale market, 

 could I bring on the late varieties in 

 pots and plant in the benches when I 

 have them cleared the latter part of 

 July? Can I grow a good crop of mums 

 in solid benches in soil that has been 

 used for lettuce and cucumbers during 

 the winter and spring, and would you 

 advise much additional manure where 

 the soil has been well enriched for the 

 previous crops? What one color and 

 varieties of that color, earlies and lates, 

 would you consider best for wholesale 

 market, sacrificing quantity for quality? 

 How many good cuttings ought I to 

 expect from 100 stock plants? What do 

 you consider the neatfst and best method 

 of packing blooms for shipping, size 

 and kind of boxes, paper, and the plac- 

 ing of blooms in the box? 



Could you suggest any other crop than 

 mums, or use to which I could put the 

 benches frtoi the last of July to the 

 first of December? W. K. 



It is entirely possible for W. K. to 

 grow late kinds by planting the last 

 week in July if he has struck them in 

 June and has them in nice shape in 2^2- 

 inch pots. Lots of plants intended to 

 flower by Thanksgiving are planted 

 around that time. Chrysanthemums can 

 be grown in soil that has grown a pre- 



