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MAI 2, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



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dill' 



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to 



ly fragrant corymbs are not only 



useful, but, if advantageously 



,1 may become highly attractive 



,,ient8 in any private conservatory. 

 !ie choice in flowering pot plants 

 <r December and January is not 

 farge, I recommend this eupatorium 

 i.iUy to the private gardeners, and, 



;. count of its easy culture, it also 

 ^rood thing for the florist to offer 

 "buyers of house plants. 



KiCHARD EOTHE. 



BEGONIA CAROLUS. 



T ;,'onia Carolus is a new and im- 

 pp ;(l form of the well-known Begonia 

 jV;: ,ii, introduced by John Feast, of 

 B,t: more, some thirty years ago. Caro- 

 lus ;. looms profusely during the late win- 

 tci ; nd early spring months, with large 

 trii'^^fts of handsome, daybreak pink 

 flo'.frs, and can always be had at its 

 prine for Easter, be it early or late. 

 Til'' leaves are undulated, showing the 

 bri;,'lit red of the under side of the leaf 

 ill i)leasing contrast to the vivid green 

 of the upper surface. The plants are 

 attractive, not only when in flower but 

 vvlion out of bloom because of the 

 foliage. The plant is tolerant of varying 

 eoiiilitions, but does best in a tempera- 

 ture of 56 degrees to 60 degrees. The 

 illustration is from a photograph of a 

 plant in an 8-inch pot made the latter 

 part of March at the establishment of 

 Michler Bros., at Lexington, Ky., where 

 the variety originated and was named. 

 Michler Bros, say that of all begonias 

 they find this the easiest to propagate. 

 Every leaf rooted in the spring makes 

 a salable plant for the following au- 

 tumn. They are working up a large 

 stock. 



FERTILIZERS. 



With the florist and market gardener 

 of today there is no longer any question 

 as to the advisability of using a com- 

 mercial fertilizer in addition to ordinary 

 manure. The question is, what kind of a 

 fertilizer is the best and most economical 

 to uset 



The varied forms of plant life culti- 

 vated by the up-to-date grower make 

 the need of a well balanced general fer- 

 tilizer more and more apparent. The 

 constant research of our chemists has 

 brought to light in our generation many 

 sources of the elements of nitrogen, pot- 

 ash and phosphoric acid hitherto un- 

 known or disregarded. These "fertil- 

 izer element vehicles" are at the dis- 

 posal of the consumer in countless num- 

 bers, and the grower finds himself 

 scratching his head at the problem pre- 

 sented. 



A very common and thoughtless course 

 i>i often adopted by the inexperienced 

 grower in selecting a suitable fertilizer. 

 Too often the flaring and loudly de- 

 c'vimed analysis is considered only as to 

 li'^rcentages of nitrogen, potash or phos- 

 )'''Oric acid and no investigation is made 

 ii to the ingredients contained. 



This question of what a fertilizer is 

 < ' nposed of is of vital importance to 

 *• - grower. For instance, organic forms 

 ^y'- nitrogen, such as leather meal, etc., 

 ''■ay analyze a high percentage of nitro- 

 P' n, but their slow decomposition makes 

 I' em nearly worthless to the grower who 

 ' ■ after immediate results. 



Nitrate of soda and sulphate of am- 

 ' onia remain unequaled as a source of 

 •' ailable nitrogen, and fertilizers in 

 ^•aich the nitrogen is derived from these 



Begonia Carolus. 



sources, may always be depended upon 

 and will always stand above par in the 

 mind of the modern grower. 



Sources of potash are more infrequent. 

 The importation of potash salts has 

 grown to such proportions that other 

 sources of potash are seldom given con- 

 sideration. Sulphate of potash is gener- 

 ally conceded to be superior to muriate 

 of potash on account of the presence in 

 muriate of potash of chlorides, which are 

 injurious to some plants. 



Sources of phosphoric acid are always 

 at hand. Perhaps the use of bones as a 

 source is the most common. Pure bone 

 meal is a favorite with many growers, as 

 besides its large percentage of phos- 

 phoric acid it also contains a fair quan- 

 tity of organic nitrogen, which is grad- 

 ually assimilated by the soil, thus adding 

 to its value in preference to phosphate 

 rock. 



Of late years the large importations of 

 guano have placed a very valuable gen- 

 eral utility fertilizer before the grower. 

 Guano, besides containing generous pro- 

 portions of all three of the fertilizer ele- 

 ments, possesses some peculiar chemical 

 conditions not found elsewhere. The dif- 

 ferent grades of guano are all found to 

 not only advance quickly to a complete 

 resolution to the fertilizer elements, but 

 seem to impart a mellowness and bal- 

 ance to the soil. 



We would, therefore, conclude that 

 with these the best of the fertilizer ele- 

 ment sources at hand as standards, 

 the true value of a fertilizer may be de- 



termined by comparison in price and its 

 percentage of available elements in the 

 best form, with the market price and 

 form of those fertilizer sources which are 

 standard. 



We also would conclude that a fer- 

 tilizer composed solely of these standard 

 fertilizer sources, without the addition 

 of anything else (unless it be a little 

 gypsum or land plaster to act as a chem- 

 icsd reagent), would be the best possi- 

 ble general forcing fertilizer for the 

 many and diversified needs of the mod- 

 ern grower. 



When all is said and done, by far the 

 most important factor in a fertilizer is 

 that it shall, as far as possible, build 

 up all parts of the plant. Florists or 

 others that build up one part of the 

 plant at the expense of the others soon 

 have a lopsided plant; that is, not 

 healthy and perfect, more liable to dis- 

 ease and never of any permanent vigor; 

 whereas, by building up all parts of the 

 plant, the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, 

 fruit and seeds, a symmetrical and 

 thoroughly healthy plant, full of life and 

 vigor, is obtained. 



TROUBLE WITH GERANIUMS. 



I have a fine lot of Geranium John 

 Doyle, but there are a good many of 

 them that are dying off. The foliage 

 looks healthy, but the lower leaves have 

 begun to get yellow. The roots are 

 healthy-looking and the soil is not too 

 wet or too dry. On the bottom of the 



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