At'«iU8T 1, 1D07. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



the retail florist should be particular 

 about it is that his store is scrupulously 

 clean. 



SCOTCH HEATHER BLOOM. 



There have been a number of in- 

 stances when cut flowers have been 

 shipped from New York to London for 

 various reasons, but the first attempt 

 to put transatlantic business in cut 

 flowers upon a commercial basis is be- 

 ing made this season by James Smith 

 & Sons, of the Darley Dale Nurseries, 

 near Matlock, England. 



This firm is said to be the largest 

 grower of hardy heaths in the United 

 Kingdom, having upwards of 500,000 

 plants in stock. They do a large busi- 

 ness in supplying quantities of cut white 

 heather bloom to England and conti- 

 nental florists during the months of Au- 

 gust, September and October. This year 

 they propose to extend the field of their 

 operations to include America, both Can- 

 ada and the United States. The heather 

 bloom carries well and they feel that 

 there is no question that the stock can 

 be shipped to arrive in good order. They 

 will pack it in boxes containing one to 

 three pounds and ship by parcels post 

 to the nearest port of entry. As prac- 

 tically every city where there are lead- 

 ing retail florists is a port of entry, ad- 

 mission through the customs houses 

 should be accomplished without delay. 

 August is not the season of largest de- 

 mand except in a few of the summer re- 

 sort communities in this country, but 

 there is always a demand for novelties, 

 and the success of Smith & Sons will be 

 watched with interest. 



In a recent issue of a British trade 

 paper there is the following account of 

 the Smiths' heather industry, which will 

 be of special interest on account of their 

 present undertaking: 



' ' There are about a dozen establish- 

 ments around Matlock, the proprietors 

 in nearly all cases belonging to the Smith 

 family, the prevalence of this surname 

 being somewhat bewildering to the 

 stranger, but our notes on the present 

 occasion relate only to the historic nur- 

 series of Messrs. James Smith & Sons, 

 at Darley Dale. As the ground actually 

 under nursery stock covers some 230 

 acres, it is of course impossible to give 

 a detailed - description of the enormous 

 stock, and we shall therefore merely 

 mention a few of the salient points 

 which struck us particularly in the course 

 of our tour around the various depart- 

 ments. 



"First and foremost of these is, with-' 

 out^ doubt, the magnificent stocks of 

 hardy heaths which flourish here in a 

 way which shows that the soil and 

 climate suit them to perfection. The 

 white varieties now so popular for cut- 

 ting purposes are seen in broad flats, 

 running into tens of thousands, the 

 stocks of the E. albinos being, we be- 

 lieve, unequaled in the kingdom. Bi- 

 color especially took our fancy, as it 

 carries white, purple and pink flowers 

 on the same plant, so that a flat had the 

 effect of a very harmonious mixture of 

 bedding plants. The rare Erica Mawe- 

 ana, with rich purple blooms, also made 

 a good display, as did the golden Ling, 

 while Mediterranea and other varieties 

 are only just in bud, and will, weather 

 permitting, be making a brave show in 

 December. The collection is a fine one, 

 and the proprietors may be excused a 

 little pardonable pride in this branch. 



' ' A feature which strikes all strangers 



The Retailer't Diiplay Case. 



is the grand stock of Gentiana acaulis, 

 but this must be seen earlier in the year, 

 when bands of blue running up the hill- 

 side remind one of Alpine glories. A 

 nice batch has now been worked up of 

 the new white variety, which, though it 

 did not appeal to us like the glorious 

 blue of the type, will no doubt find a 

 demand with the specialist. Two other 

 plants not often seen in first-rate condi- 

 tion are Lithospermum prostratum, a 

 rival to the gentians in color, and Daphne 

 cneorum, with its unrivaled perfume; 

 both looked perfectly at home and 

 happy, with apparently no special care 

 or trouble. Another flowering plant 

 grown in immense quantity is the ordi- 

 nary tritoma, or torch-flower, as it is 

 sometimes called." 



BUGHT ON DELPHINIUMS. 



Does anyone know a cure for a blight 

 that attacks the blooms of the hybrid 

 delphiniums? The petals become black 

 and somewhat curled. Sometimes the 

 entire spike is affected, crippling it en- 

 tirely, and in other instances only a por- 

 tion seems troubled. W. C. E. 



Tlie choice named hybrid delphiniums 

 sent out by such noted hybridists as Kel- 

 way and Lemoine seem to be peculiarly 

 susceptible to the attacks of the blight 

 spoken of. With American raised seed- 

 lings there is little trouble, unless the 

 plants have been allowed to remain in 

 one location without transplanting for a 

 number of years. Beautiful as are these 



European hybrids, we find extreme dif- 

 ficulty in keeping them longer than three 

 or four years. It is otherwise with home 

 saved seedlings, which seem to possess 

 far greater vigor. I have tried spraying 

 with Bordeaux mixture for the disease, 

 with only partial success. I ' do not 

 know of any collection where these hy- 

 brids are successfully grown for more 

 than four or five years before they run 

 out. Transplanting into fresh soil every 

 third season is good for all delphiniums 

 and careful division of the roots in Sep- 

 tember may help to keep them clean, but 

 we have had but indifferent success in 

 retaining the choice double sorts. 



W. N. C. . 



DRACAENAS. 



Dracaena Godseffiana is at first, or 

 when it is young, a rather slow 

 grower, but when it gets large enough 

 for a 6-inch pot it goes ahead with 

 amazing rapidity, considering its pre- 

 vious stubbornness. This dracsna makes 

 a splendid specimen for the decoration 

 of conservatories or even for dwellings. 

 Its spotted green foliage is in striking 

 contrast to all other dracsenas. 



Dracaena Sanderiana is another va- 

 riety with characteristics so distinct as 

 to mark it from all other draceenas. 

 This variety is much used by florists in 

 made-up pans for decorative work. It 

 is easily rooted from cuttings made of 

 the tops of old or useless plants. I mean 

 useless for any other purpose. Pans of 

 this dracjpna sell readilv at anv time. 



D. M. 



