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1162 



The Weekly Rorists* Review. 



Mabch 7, 1907. 



DONLAN ON EXHIBITIONS. 



In an address before tlie Tarrytown 

 Horti(?iiltural Society, Tarrytown, N. Y., 

 f'ebruary 26, J. 1. Donlan spoke in part 

 as follows: 



To our mind the vast majority of 

 public^ flower shows display mostly, and 

 merely, the egot^m or conceit of the 

 flower grower. To be suie, the very 

 highest cultural art is shown at these 

 exhibitions, but that is all ; and, as a 

 climax io this self-satisfactory suffi- 

 ciency, no attempt whatever is made to 

 satisfy the hungry ambitions of the great 

 multitude. The grower naturally stands 

 exhultingly,. admiring his symmetrically 

 arranged rows of vases of flowers or 

 mounds of plants over which he has 

 labored day and night all the year to 

 have them reach their perfection; but 

 his extreme monotony in arranging these 

 pets compels the average visitor to sniff 

 with a casual glance, pass along to see 

 all that is of interest to them in a few 

 moments and go out to spread the news 

 that, "It is just the same or not even 

 as good as last year." There is some- 

 thing radically wrong in all this and we 

 are glad of this opportunity of submit- 

 ting it to the attention of schedule com- 

 pilers and the society in general. 



Every plant or flower has attractive 

 beauty about it. The aim of every 

 grower or dealer in them should be to 

 show that attractiveness to best advan- 

 tage, and in doing so he accomplishes an 

 inestimable benefit, for he not only edu- 

 cates, but creates a desire. If the grow- 

 ers must have their crudely formal dis- 

 plays, in order to satisfy a mistaken 

 idea of the best methods of showing su- 



periority of culture, then a day should 

 be set apart where the whole, or as much 

 as possible, of the exhibits should be re- 

 arranged, in competition, from a utility 

 or artistic standpoint. We contend that 

 inasmuch as the majority of stock is 

 grown and exhibited with a view to its 

 adaptability to certain decorative pur- 

 poses, that that adaptability should be 

 exemplified or portrayed. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Petunias. 



If you are propagating petunias from 

 cuttings be careful not to leave them in 

 the sand too long or until they become 

 hard. Place in 2Vi-inch pots in light, 

 rather sandy compost and give them a 

 .light bench. In the case of seedlings, a 

 portion may be put in pots for special 

 orders, but they do equally as well in 

 tints and grow like weeds when trans- 

 planted from them. It saves a great 

 amount of labor and watering to use the 

 flats. They may also be pricked out in 

 frames with a gentle bottom heat after 

 the middle of April. Many other plants 

 may be treated in the same way, in- 

 cluding asters, stocks, verbenas. Phlox 

 Drummondi, salvias and many others. 

 The flats have the advantage of being 

 more readily handled, more especially 

 if plants are needed for store trade. 



Cannas. 



While there is still good time in which 

 to start the roots of cannas, if you want 

 good, stocky stuff they can be taken 

 from under the benches, or wherever they 

 have been stored, and brought into heat. 

 Some growers lay the whole clumps on 

 the benches and divide them after they 

 start to grow. A much better plan is 

 to divide them, leaving one sound eye 



and a few roots for each plant. These 

 can be potted at once into 4-inch pots 

 and if treated carefully only a small 

 proportion will fail to start. They must 

 be kept somewhat on the dry side at the 

 start or many will rot. 



A better plan is to lay the individual 

 pieces on a bench, closely together, where 

 there is some bottom heat and where a 

 top heat of 60 degrees at night is main- 

 tained. Cover the bench with moss and 

 scatter a little leaf-mold or moss over 

 the roots. Keep them syringed twice a 

 day, but do not soak them with the hose. 

 In about three weeks growth and roots 

 will be startiag freely and they can be 

 potted up. Treated in this way excel- 

 lent stock can be had with less trouble 

 and expense than by any other method 

 we have tried. 



Giladium Esculentum. 



Roots of that popular subtropical 

 plant, Caladium esculentum, can be 

 started any time during the month of 

 March. The largest roots are not the 

 most desirable. A brisk, moist heat is 

 needed to make them break well. Set 

 them on a bench in the same way as 

 cannas, but if possible give them more 

 bottom heat. Pack closely between the 

 roots with moss, leaf-mold or sand. They 



will be ready for potting in about half 

 the time cannas are if kept rather more 

 moist at the root. If space on benches 

 is valuable, you can delay starting them 

 until after Easter this year and still get 

 first-class plants. 



Genistas. 



Plants of genista intended for Easter 

 which have been kept well clipped and 

 bushy should show color by the middle 

 of the month, in which case they will be 

 along in good season. While these plants 

 are quite attractive and sell well, they 

 do not keep so well in the dwelling house 

 as azaleas and some other plants. They 

 should never be grown warm, for if 

 forced the flowers will simply not keep 

 at all. 



If a supply of cuttings has not been 

 put in of these, a batch should now be 

 placed in the sand. Do not place them 

 in a warm house. A bench which suits 

 carnation cuttings will root them well. 

 If potted and grown along they will 

 make nice 4-inch plants for next fall. 

 Genistas need frequent pinching to keep 

 them bushy. In the case of larger 

 plants the simplest method is to clip 

 them with a pair of shears several times 

 during the summer months. Do not at- 

 tempt to plant them outdoors in sum- 

 mer. They are hard things to lift and 

 will lose about all their foliage, even if 

 carefully treated. 



Azaleas. 



If the buds of azaleas are beginning 

 to show color now they will come along 

 in time for Easter in a cool house. Later 

 plants should be kept in a warm, moist 

 house and freely syringed until they 

 show color, after which they are to be 

 kept dry overhead and rather cooler. 



If you have any plants unsold from 

 the earlier batches, pick off the seeds 

 and give them a warm house to make 

 some growth in. They can be planted 

 outdoors in a sunny spot, where you can 

 reach them with the hose, and they will 

 make fine stock for potting up in the 

 fall. V 



Ferns. 



The majority of florists grow, or ought 

 to grow, some ferns. A large variety is 

 neither necessary nor desirable, for the 



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