550 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Januabt 10, 1907. 



shall take in not only Detroit and near- 

 by towns but the whole territory tribu- 

 tary to Detroit. H. S. 



GLADIOLUS THE BRIDE. 



In your issue of December 20 W. S. 

 asks some one to give information about 

 forcing Gladiolus The Bride. The fol- 

 lowing remarks will, I hope, furnish the 

 clue to success: 



The conns of this gladiolus are small 

 and it is customary to plant them some- 

 what thickly, usually in flats, with three 

 to four inches of soil, usually light, 

 sandy loam. Treated in this manner the 

 growths push up thickly and all goes 

 well till March. Then we notice that the 

 leaves begin to get yellow at the tips 

 and whole growths turn yellow, and we 

 further notice that every time we look 

 at them the flats are dry. It seems al- 

 most impossible to keep them wet. 

 Things go from bad to worse; red spider 

 finishes the job and a few measly, sickly 

 spikes reward us for our trouble. This 

 has been my experience and that of 

 many others. 



Of course we blame the bulbs. I have 

 planteu them in carnation benches, one 

 bulb only between plants, and the result 

 has been fine, strong spikes and plenty 

 of them; but my respect for the carna- 

 tion has increased to such a degree that 

 I would never again be guilty of such 

 sacrilege. 



I have noticed, in growing them out- 

 side, that corms planted in heavy loam 

 do better than those in light soil, and 

 bulbs planted in the fall are much su- 

 perior to those put in during March. 

 Try them, W. S., in eight inches of soil, 

 rose soil, in boxes. Plant them at least 

 three inches apart, and don't forget a 

 little liquid manure when the spikes are 

 forming. Plant three inches deep. When 

 flowering is over put under the benches 

 until the foliage is dry. By removing 

 the top two inches of soil and renewing 

 with rich compost you can get a large 

 crop the second season, but don't try it 

 a third time. The corms increase so 

 rapidly that starvation is sure to occur. 



If you want early flowers, plant in 

 September. There is no need to put 

 them outside like Dutch bulbs. As long 

 as the temperature of your house does 

 not exceed 55 degrees at night you will 

 be all right. Don't attempt to grow 

 them under the benches. Just as soon 

 as the young growth appears they need 

 the full light. 



I have often thought of writing a per- 

 sonal letter of thanks to W. S. for his 

 many useful suggestions and timely re- 

 minders — reminders which save me a 

 great deal of hard thinking, and I take 

 this opportunity of expressing my sense 

 of gratitude. I also feel delighted at 

 being able to impart a few small items 

 of information to one who is never back- 

 ward in distributing to his brother flo- 

 rists the results of his many years, of 

 study. Edw. Alex. Wallace. 



Enclosed find $1 for another year's 

 subscription to the Review, which so 

 long as I am in the business I will never 

 be without. — Louis H. Seaman, Danbury, 

 Conn, 



Columbia City, Ind. — Albert W^agon- 

 er has moved his greenhouse to his 

 twenty-five-acre farm just west of the 

 city. The new house is 21x100 and a 

 steam heating plant with a forty horse- 

 power boiler is being installed. He will 

 make a specialty of carnations. 



BOSTON. 



The Market 



There is no special change to be 

 noted from a week ago. On occasional 

 days there is a brisk market, but on the 

 whole it has been slow, with plenty of 

 material to go around. 



American Beauty continues to bring 



Buildinc: of Johnson Seed G)., Philadelphia. 



good prices, as do the best grades of 

 Richmond or Bride, Maid and other teas. 

 From $4 to $12 are ruling prices. Some 

 good Killarney are seen and this rose 

 maintains its popularity with the buy- 

 ing public. Wellesley is also seen, of 

 excellent quality on long stems. Carna- 

 tions are not in heavy supply and as a 

 consequence prices have kept up well. 



Violets are quite abundant, single aver- 

 age rather more than double and bring 

 about $1 per hundred. 



Callas are not plentiful at $1.50 a 

 dozen. Lilium Harrisii sells at similar 

 prices. Some good freesia sells at $3 

 and upwards. In bulbous stock Paper 

 Whites and Roflians are abundant. Tu- 

 lips are improving. La Reine being most- 

 ly in evidence. Some double as well as 

 single daffodils are coming in. Mignon- 

 ette is good and so are anthericums; the 

 latter, however, do not sell very well. 

 A few white chrysanthemums still ar- 

 rive, but they are getting small. There 

 is no special change in green stock. 



Massachusetts Horticultural Society. 



At a meeting of the board of direct- 

 ors of the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society, January 5, announcement was 

 made of a legacy of $3,000 from the 

 late Charles E. French, the income to 

 be devoted to prizes for meritorious va- 

 rieties of fruits and vegetables; also 

 one of $5,000, the income of which will 

 be for premiums for flowers, A com- 

 mittee of five was appointed to secure 

 a list of special prizes for the November 

 show. It was stated that several had 

 already been secured. 



Charles E. Richardson, for over fif- 

 teen years treasurer of the society, re- 

 signed and his resignation was accepted. 

 Walter Hunnewell was appointed treas- 

 urer and William P. Rich secretary, 

 librarian and general hall superintend- 

 ent. The annual inaugural meeting of 

 the society attracted a large number of 

 members. General Stephen M. Weld, the 

 newly elected president, in his address 

 stated that the running expenses of the 

 society continued to exceed the income 

 and either expenses must be reduced or 

 income increased, the latter the better 

 remedy. The average expenses for the 

 last four years was $22,042.32. The 

 sums received from rentals of the hall 

 in 1906 exceeded that of 1905 by $3,000 

 and this will probably be materially in- 

 creased in succeeding years, as the hall 

 becomes more and more in the center of 

 the city. 



The treasurer's report showed an ex- 

 cess of assets over all Liabilities of $788,- 

 280. The membership of the society is 

 852. The reports of the chairmen of 

 the several committees were read and 

 adopted. It was stated that there had 

 been some demand to have the library 

 open evenings and oft Sunday afternoons 

 and a committee was appointed to con- 

 sider and report on this matter at a suc- 

 ceeding meeting. 



The lecture course opens January 12, 

 with a talk from J. Woodward Manning 

 on "The Iris and Its Culture." The 

 remaining lectures are as follows: 



January 19, "Peach Growing Possibilities in 

 New England," by A. A. Hlxon. 



.lannary 26, "The Collecting of Orchids." by 

 John E. Lager, Summit, N. J. 



February 2. "The Renovation of an Old Or- 

 chard," by Geo. T. Powell, New York. 



February 9. "The Home Vegetable Garden," 

 by John W. Duncan. Jamaica Plains. 



February 16, "Certain Uses of the School 

 Garden," by Miss Anna Withlngton, Boston. 



February 23, "Forestry from a Commercial 

 Standpoint." by Prof. F. W. Rave, Boston. 



March 2, "Planting for Streets and Way- 

 sides." by John A. Pettigrew. Boston. 



March 9, "Some Bacterial Diseases of Plants: 

 Their Nature and Treatment," by Prof. H. H. 

 Wetzel, Ithaca, N. Y. 



March 30, "Gardens of Italy," with stereop- 

 ticon illustrations, by J. K. M. L. Farquhar, 

 Boston. 



Various Notes. 



The meeting of the Gardeners' and 

 Florists' Club January 15, will be an 

 especially attractive one. The newly 

 elected officers will be installed and 

 will each make addresses. J. K. M. L. 



