346 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Decbmbeb 20, 1906. 



THE READERS' CORNER. 



Mr. O'Mara's Comment. 



On page 305 of the issue for December 

 13 one of your correspondents states 

 that "none of the poinsettias is white." 

 That is a mistake; there is a white form 

 but it is rarely heard of now. It never 

 attracted much attention. There is also 

 a double form which is equally obscure. 



On page 248 Brother Scott makes the 

 statement that The Bride rose is a sport 

 from Bridesmaid. I think he is mis- 

 taken. It originated with the late James 

 Tajplin, at Maywood, N. J., as a sport 

 from Catherine Mermet, 



Patrick O 'Mara. 



White Poinsettias. 



AH poinsettias are euphorbias, but all 

 euphorbias are not poinsettias by any 

 means. Yes, there are white poinsettias; 

 exact counterparts of the red except in 

 color. The white color is somewhat 

 creamy^ Between twenty and thirty or 

 more years ago white ones were a good 

 deal grown in private gardens, more as 

 a variety than /or effect, however, for 

 they have nothing of the 'decorative and 

 striking value of the scarlet poinsettia, 

 I have seen them in bloom in gardens 

 in southern California, where, in com- 

 pany with the scarlet form, they are as 

 hardy, vigorous and thrifty. My dear 

 old friend. Dr. Tranceschi, of Santa 

 Barbara, can put you on the track of 

 them. In southern Florida I have also 

 seen them as open-air garden plants. 

 Here try the Eeasoner Bros., Oneco, Fla. 

 But if I remember aright the biggest 

 masses of them I ever saw iil bloom were 

 in the West Indies, in the Hope Botan- 

 ical Gardens, Jamaica. Indeed, so fine 

 were they in these gardens that I pro- 

 cured a lot of cuttings from the superin- 

 tendeAt to bring home with me to the 

 Phipps Conservatories. 



For outdoor planting, however, the 

 * ' double-flowered ' ' scarlet form com- 

 pletely eclipses th^ single one. It is the 

 latter, that is usually grown in our green- 

 houses. The double is as easy to grow 

 and as vigorous and floriferous as the 

 other and vastly more vivid and showy, 

 and it lasts i^ bloom much longer. A 

 great bank of poinsettias, eight or ten 

 feet high and in full bloom in the open 

 air in the tropics, is the most brilliant 

 floral effect on earth. Bougainvilleas 

 may run up twenty feet, one solid mass 

 of bloom for many yards, striking in the 

 extreme, but it lacks the fire of the poin- 

 settia. \Vm. Falconer. 



BOSTON. 



The Market. 



Conditions are about as reported a 

 week ago, there being little overplus of 

 anything. The usual holding back for 

 Christmas is now in full progress, 

 Koses are stiffening and few are obtain- 

 able, even on short stems, below $4 per 

 hundred. Brides and Maids are none 

 too plentiful at present. Chatenay and 

 Wellesley are good, while some nice Kil- 

 larney, Mrs. Oliver Ames and Mrs. Mor- 

 gan are seen. Killarney still remains 

 popular. Bichmond is extra fine, al- 

 though some good Liberty also are seen. 

 Beauties of the best grades are marked 



Lebaxox. Pa. — C. C. Yost was a busi- 

 ness visitor in Philadelphia December 11. 



/Tii9 Kdltor Is pleased 

 wlien a Reader 

 presents his Ideas 

 on any subject treated 



tV/Cf^ 



As experience is the best 

 teacher, so do 'we 

 learn fastest by an 

 exchange ot experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are broucht out 

 by discussion. 



Good penmanship, spellin? and gram- 

 mar, though desirable, are not neces- 

 sary. Write as you would talk when 

 doing your best. 



WE SHAIX BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM TOU. 



up to $60 and will be higher later in 

 the week. 



Carnations vary from $2.50 to $6. 

 These promise to be in heavy demand 

 for Christmas and colored sorts will 

 bring fancy prices. Violets are no more 

 than enough for the demand, but we ex- 

 pect a liberal showing for the holidays. 

 Prices are about the same on these. A 

 fair supply of chrysanthemums still ar- 

 rive, Eaton being most abundant. P&per 

 Whites and Eoman hyacinths are in good 

 supply and rather more Lilium Harrisii 

 and callas are coming in. Poinsettias 

 are bringing up to $6 per dozen bracts. 

 Marguerites, both yellow and white, sell 



extremely well, averaging $1.50 per hun- 

 dred and will bring much higher prices 

 later in the week. There is a fair sup- 

 ply of bouvardia, mignonette, antir- 

 rhinum and lily of the valley. A 

 stronger call is noted for Asparagus 

 plumosus nanus. Other green stock re- 

 mains about the same. 



In pot plants Firefly azalea is again 

 much in evidence and sells better than 

 the larger-flowered sorts. Ardisias, 

 solanums, cyclamens, primulas, poinset- 

 tias, Cypripedium insigne and a variety 

 of other flowering plants are seen. 



Club Meeting. 



The attendance at the closing meeting 

 of the year on December 18 was again 

 a splendid one and brim full of enthu- 

 siasm, W. H, Wyman's interesting 

 paper on "Craft and the Craftsman" 

 was well received and freely discussed. 

 It was announced that the landscape 

 classes were successfully under way with 

 an enrollment of about sixty. Twelve 

 new members were voted in. The secre- 

 tary gave some statistics as to attend- 

 ance and applications received during 

 the year. Average attendance 120, com- 

 pared with eighty-fiveu ^ 1905.' Total 

 number of new members received in the 

 year 125. Some discussion arose over an 

 amendment to the by-laws relative to 

 ' the nomination of officers from the floor 

 instead of through a nor^inating com- 

 mittee, as at present. The amendment 

 was moved by F. E. Palmer, but was not 

 adopted. 



Eetiring President "Wheeler gave no- 

 tice that the January meeting will be 

 ladies '' night. The newly elected officers ' 

 will be installed and J, K, M. L. Far- 

 quhar will give a stereopticon lecture 

 on "Italian Gardens" as seen in Italy 

 during his recent trip. Owing to the 

 near approach of Christmas exhibits 

 were hardly so numerous as usual, but 

 some interesting things were shown. H. 

 A, Stevens Co. showed splendid vases of 

 variegated and light pink sports of Law- 

 son and some seedlings. S. J. Goddard 

 showed Princess of Wales violets and 

 Downs had nice Lorraine begonias. The 

 question box and refreshments occupied 

 some time and the last meeting of 1906 

 proved one of the best in the club's his- 

 tory. 



Various Notes. 



F. W. Fletcher, of Auburndale, has 

 had several tempting offers for his stock 

 of Ficus altissima. This promises to be 

 an excellent commercial plant and is 

 much more graceful than the better 

 known F. pandurata. It makes an ex- 

 cellent house plant, 



William H. Elliott took a large party 

 of growers ahd retailers to his Madbury, 



Greenhouses of Robert Crawford, Jr., at Secane, Pa. 



