June HO, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



used in masse-s in the herbaceous gar- 

 den, or in shrubberies. On the edge of 

 woodland in irregular lines, th6y are also 

 effective. While the natural habitat is 

 in woods in partial shade, they do well 

 in full sunshine, especially in rich, deep 

 soil. The seed is small and should be 

 sown thinly. It will germinate in a 

 few days and requires transplanting be- 

 fore the seedlings crowd each other. 

 Digitalis gloxiniaiflora, or gloxinia-flow- 

 ered, and Ivery's spotted, are especially 

 fine strains. D. monstrosa bears one 

 solitary flower of large size. D. pur- 

 purea and a white form are good for 

 naturalizing in woods. 



Delphiaiums. 



The hardy larkspurs are alike splen- 

 did for either cutting or making an 

 effective display in the garden borders. 

 The present is a good time to sow a 

 batch of seed. Probably quite a few of 

 these may flower before fall, but all will 

 make fine flowering plants for next year. 

 Sow the seed in a frame, shade well, 

 and keep moist. The seedlings will ap- 

 pear within ten days and will be ready 

 to transplant within a month. Allow six 

 to eiglit inches between the plants and 



two feet between the rows. They can 

 be' planted out where they are to flower 

 during October. D, formosum, dark 

 blue, and D. formosum ccelestinum, light 

 blue, are splendid varieties. Grow a 

 mixed packet of hybrids; a wonderful 

 variety of shades may be had. 



D. C^inensis (grandiflorum) in shades 

 of blue and white, growing eighteen 

 inches high, is a grand .florists' flower 

 for cutting. Sown now most of the 

 plants will bloom before frost and the 

 second year they will yield a grand lot 

 of bloom. For massing eflects this is 

 a valuable perennial. There are other 

 delphiniums of value, including D. sul- 

 phureum, yellow; Cashmirianuni, dark 

 blue ; nudicaule, scarlet, and speciosum, 

 bright blue, but those first named are 

 the most valuable commercially. 



Brief Reminders. 



Lorraine begonias should have a light 

 shade now that the sun is much stronger. 

 Do not allow the plants to become pot- 

 bound. 



Cut double and single peonies twenty- 

 four hours before you , want to use them 

 aud stand in large tubs of cold water in 

 a cool room. 



A late sowing of Primula Sinensis 

 made now will give plants in 4-inch or 

 5-inch pots for Christmas. 



Put in a batch of hydrangea cuttings. 

 They will make nice plants for next sea- 

 son. 



Look out for black aphis on chrysan- 

 themums; sprinkle with tobacco dust; 

 syringe freely, allowing the plants to 

 dry before nightfall. 



Primulas and cyclamens should now 

 he in a frame, where they will grow 

 faster than in the greenhouse. 



Get any late bedding completed as 

 quickly as possible. Get benches cleared 

 of plants too poor to sell and stack 

 away empty pots. 



Do not sow calceolaria seed before 

 August. It germinates poorly in mid- 

 summer and the seedlings soon die off. 



Do not put off repairs to benches and 

 houses, or to the boilers and piping, un- 

 til frost threatens. Attend to it now. 



Plan to attend the S. A. F. conven- 

 tion in Philadelphia. You will find it 

 money well spent. 



If you are planning a European trip, 

 secure your berth at once and don't for- 

 get to buy a return ticket when you 

 reach the other side. 



THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 



Its Past, Present and Future. 



The chrysanthemum in its various 

 forms, as grown today, is essentially 

 modern in its varieties and it is a far 

 cry from the first Japanese introductions 

 of R. Fortune, in 1862, to the large-flow- 

 ered Japanese sorts of today. No flower 

 has proved so responsive to the efforts 

 of the hybridist, and the present day 

 types of Europe and America are far 

 ahead of the kinds grown at this time 

 in Japan, so far as my knowledge of 

 Japanese varieties goes. When we stop 

 to reflect on the progress made in a 

 period of some fifty years with this 

 flower one hesitates to hazard a guess 

 as to what the future has in store. 



The history of the chrysanthemum is 

 interesting. A chrysanthemum show was 

 held in Birmingham, England, as far 

 back as 1836, but no record of it is left 

 saving the mere detail of time and place. 

 The organization that was to be the real 

 factor in developing the chrysanthemum 

 was formed in Stoke Newington, Eng- 

 land, in 1846, at an old-fashioned hos- 

 telry where a company of congenial 

 spirits used to congregate evenings and 

 over their pipes and beer discussed their 

 favorite flower. That little society pros- 

 pered in its chrysalis state and eventual- 

 ly evolved into the National Chrysanthe- 

 mum Society, and this society, by its sys- 

 tem of historical records, classifications 



A paper b.v Chnrles H. Totty. Madlwin. N. .T. 

 read before tbe Gardeners' and Florists' Clnb of 

 Boston, June 18, 1907. 



and nomenclature, put the chrysanthe- 

 mum v.here it is today. 



The first seedling raised in cultivation 

 was flowered in France about 1827, and 

 I have no doubt the raiser was just as 

 proud of his achievement as we would 

 be today to produce a Beatrice May or 

 William Duekham. 



The pompon section was produced 

 from a small semi-double variety sent 

 home by Robert Fortune, from China, in 

 1842. We are indebted to the French 

 raisers for this type, who christened it 

 pompon from the real or fancied re- 

 semblance to the tuft or pompon on the 

 French soldiers ' hats of that period. The 

 Fortune introductions of 1862 gave the 

 greatest impetus to the cultivation of 

 the chrysanthemum and they were the 

 ancestors of our present large-flowering 

 kinds. 



American History. 



(ilancing hurriedlj through the Amer- 

 ican history of the chrysanthemum we 

 find that the first seedlings were exhi- 

 bited before the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society in 1879 by Dr. H. P. 

 Walcot, so that Boston, in this, as in 

 so many other matters historical, may 

 rightly claim first honors. Peter Hen- 

 derson previous to this had imported 

 from Japan, in 1863, some fine varieties, 

 one of which at least, Grandiflorum, was 

 grown until very recently. The Amer- 

 ican Chrysanthemum Society was not or- 

 ganized until 1889, but shows had been 

 held for some time previous to that in 

 the larger eastern cities. Possibly the 

 greatest enthusiast this country ever had 



is the veteran, John Thorpe. I had a 

 short talk with him in Chicago last fall 

 and I know he is a mine of information 

 on the early struggles to popularize the 

 mum in this country. Another gentle- 

 man who, while his name does not figure 

 ?o much in print, did a great work in 

 the early days, is William Barr, of 

 Orange. He, too, is brimful of early 

 history, and, furthermore, is just as 

 keen today in testing new kinds as he 

 ever was. What wonderful iwwer of 

 fascination does the mum possess that it 

 can hold a man's interest for a lifetime, 

 compelling him, willy nilly, to remain its 

 slave and worshiper! 



In the early eighties several Pennsyl- 

 vania growers came to the front. W. K. 

 Harris and H. Waterer left their im- 

 print on the mum by raising some fine 

 varieties. New Jersey was represented 

 by T. H. Spaulding and the late la- 

 mented firm of Pitcher & Manda. It is 

 impossible in a paper of this description 

 to enumerate all of the men who did 

 yeoman service in the past, but at least 

 two others, Fewkes and Hallock, are de- 

 serving of special mention. 



The Australian Novelties. 



Getting down to the present time, we 

 find that the Australian varieties in the 

 last few years have swept our exhibition 

 tables clear of the older varieties, giv- 

 ing us flowers of such splendid size and 

 color, combined with ideal habit, that 

 there would almost seem to be an in- 

 fusion of new blood into the race. 



The English and French seedlings are 

 in too many cases disappointing to us, 



