■ -'T ".'" 



1450 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



Mabch 28, 1907. 



sixty pounds would be carried between 

 these two points for $1.74. 



It must be said, in justice to the ex- 

 press companies, that all their em- 

 ployes are instructed to observe the tar- 

 iff on general specials, but the trouble 

 is that few bill clerks ever study these 

 regulations. Especially agents in small 

 towns, where general specials are an ex- 

 ception, are liable to overcharge on 

 plant shipments, and the receiver, who 

 may not be familiar with the correct 

 charges, gets disgusted with the high ex- 

 press rates. Thousands of customers are 

 annually lost in this manner, and it be- 

 comes the duty of the shipper to call 



the express agent's attention to the class 

 of matter to which his shipment belongs. 

 This may be done by having on your 

 shipping tags the remark, printed in 

 bold type : ' * Live Plants — Special 

 Bate," or by attaching a special card, 

 stating weight and correct express 

 charges to destination. This requires a 

 complete knowledge of rates between the 

 different points, which may be obtained 

 at any express oflS.ce. 



It is advisable for a receiver of a plant 

 shipment, before paying charges, to ask 

 the agent whether the shipment is billed 

 at special rate, and in most cases mis- 

 takes will be avoided. 



CARNATION NOTES.— VEST. 



Hot Weather Notes. 



During the last week we have passed 

 through the hottest weather the writer 

 has ever seen in March, and if it had 

 been a few weeks later it would have 

 made one think seriously of getting the 

 young stock out in the field. Even as 

 it was, in looking around one could see 

 preparations going on which will not 

 be seasonable for another month. While 

 it is a good plan to get the young stock 

 out just as quickly as possible after the 

 weather is safe, we have never consid- 

 ered it wise to put them out when there 

 is yet danger of frosts and snow. We 

 have seen some fine stock ruined by such 

 a policy. We do not consider it safe 

 anywhere, above Mason and Dixon's 

 line, before April 15 to set out tender 

 stock, and frequently the weather is such 

 in our locality as to prevent a start 

 before May 1. A young plant, if it is 

 not too pot-bound, is better off indoors 

 if good growing weather does not prevail 

 outdoors. So don 't get anxious, but 

 keep your young plants in good growing 

 condition and wait for safe weather. 

 You cannot afford to run any risks with 

 your next season's stock for the sake 

 of a few extra days in the field, lou 

 can make all your preparations, however, 

 and I will speak of them in due time. It 

 pays to get an early start in all opera- 

 tions connected with carnation growing. 



Such hot weather as we have been hav- 

 ing is hard on the blooming stock. With 

 the ventilators wide open to keep the 

 temperature down and a drying wind 

 blowing, the buds hang over the sup- 

 ports. The color bleaches out of the 

 pink varieties enough to make the blooms 

 unsalable, unless they are handled skill- 

 fully. The most natural impulse would 

 be to apply a little shade on the glass, 

 and, except for the tear of what might 

 happen to the Easter cut in case of a 

 cool, cioudy spell this week, we would 

 be tempted to resort to it. Better lose 

 a few blooms than run the chance of 

 reducing your Easter cut to any extent. 

 "iou can overcome the effects of the hot 

 sun on the color, to a marked degree, 

 by cutting the blooms quite close every 

 morning. Cut them just as soon as they 

 are far enough along to develop in 



water. In that way you can put off 

 shading as long as the houses do not 

 become too hot for the plants. The 

 plants like the bright sunshine and, as 

 long as the temperature can be kept 

 down by ventilation to a reasonable de- 

 gree, no shading should be done. 



Until the plants become accustomed 

 to the hot sun it will pay to spray them 

 lightly right after noon, in addition to 

 the regular morning's watering. In- 

 stead of shooting it on the plants, like 

 when you syringe, shoot it up high 

 through the air in a fine spray. This 

 will cool off the house, as well as spray 

 the plants. A. F. J. Baur. 



CARNATION MAY. 



Carnation May, illustrated in this is- 

 sue, is a seedling raised by Baur & 

 Smith, of Indianapolis. Its parents (it 

 has only two!) were seedlings originat- 

 ing on the place. The size is moderate, 

 two and one-half to three and one-half 

 inches. The firm says of it: 



* ' May is a strictly commercial va- 

 riety. . We do not expect it to displace 

 Enchantress in the fancy class, but it is 

 just what the *rade has been looking 

 for in a light pink to grade with stand- 

 ard sorts. The -color is much deeper 

 than in Enchantress. The bloom is not 

 so crowded in the center, which allows 

 it to open up perfectly right away. The 

 form is round and well built up in the 

 center. The calyx never splits and the 

 stem always is strong. Growth is strong 

 and healthy and it grows in height about 

 the same as Bountiful. It comes into 

 bloom early and is extremely free." 



TOPPING CARNATION PLANTS. 



Will you kindly inform me how to top 

 young carnation plants? Mine are in 2- 

 inch and 3-inch pots and are sending up 

 one straight shoot and I would like to 

 know where and how to top them. 



E. H. O. 



The proper time to top young carna- 

 tion plants is when they begin to run 

 up to bud and as soon as you can see 

 the stem between the leaves. It will do 

 the plant no damage to progress as far 

 as forming the bud, but we consider 

 that to allow them to progress that far 

 is to waste a coupie of weeks of time 

 during which they might as well be 

 making new breaks. 



As to the place to top them, I would 



Carnation May. 



