■ts- 



16 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



AcousT 15, 1907. 



lumbia river while canoeing with a com- 

 panion some days ago. The companion 

 Bucceeded in getting safely ashore, but 

 young Heacock has not been heard from. 

 The sympathy of all florists will go out 

 to Mr. Heacock and his family in their 

 distress. 



Myersi& Samtman are increasing their 

 shipments of Beauties to the Leo N les- 

 sen Co. The addition of these new crop 

 flowers is a great help at this season. 



Howard M. Earle, of W. Atlee Burpee 

 & Co., reports favorably so far on the 

 crops, excepting corn. Mr. Earfe says 

 that the trial grounds at Fordhook are 

 open to visitors at all times. 



The S. S. Pennock-Meehan Co. is com- 

 pleting the changes which give them 500 

 additional square feet of space in their 

 salesroom, an improved cold storage plant 

 more economically run than the old one, 

 an additional cellar for galax and fern 

 leaves, and more office space. The use of 

 Indurine, the cold water paint on the 

 walls, has pleased Mr. Pennock. 



Fred J. Miehell, the geniil treasurer 

 of the Henry F, Miehell Co., has gotten 

 up an attractive convent 'on souvenir in 

 the shape of a score-card, whi-h assures 



poned until some time in September, ow- 

 ing to the delay in the completion of 

 their new building. 



J. K. Allen, of New York, was here a 

 few days. He visited Hillside and North 

 Wales. ) 



A local daily states that H. ,M. 

 Hughes, gardener at the Norristown In- 

 sane Asylum, has an Agave Victoria re- 

 gina (sic) in bloom, the flower stalk 

 being of great length. Among the dis- 

 tinguished people who saw this rarity 

 were Edwin Lonsdale, of Girard Col- 

 lege, and William Kleinheinz, of Lynn- 

 wood Hall. 



A letter from Ocean City, N. J., says 

 that many Philadelphia florists were de- 

 tained there last week. ITie wind died 

 out during a yacht race Saturday after- 

 noon, August 3, and the boats were in 

 danger of drifting; out to sea. Rescuers 

 hauled the J. Liddon Pennock, last 

 year's champion, to safety. Among its 

 crew was Samuel S. Pennock, president 

 of tjie Philadelphia Florists' Club. 



Answen to G>rr<spondents. - 



Rpvlew I'cailei's nre luvlted to send any ques- 

 tltn'i relntiiiK to ciiltiiie or luarkPtliti; of plants 

 iinJ Ouwt'rs In riiUi.dt>l|ihin. tu riill, In (are of 



The Ribbon Department of tfae S. S. Pennock-Meehan Co., PhiladelphiA. 



you that you will get the winning score 

 by using Miehell seeds. 



J. and I. F. Leonard, of lona, N. J., 

 have fifteen acres planted in gladioli. 

 Their stock is. handled by Berger Bros. 



Early shipments of Lilium Harrisii are 

 already in and out. These bulbs are said 

 to be the finest Bermuda-grown lilies 

 which have been received for some sea- 

 sons. Early Roman hyacinths. Paper 

 White narcissi, freesias, and callas, have 

 also arrived. This information comes 

 through J. A. Smith, of the Henry F. 

 Miehell Co. 



Alex B. Scott is enjoying an outing at 

 Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. 



The date of removal for the Philadel- 

 phia Cut Flower Co., which was given in 

 this column as August 21, has been post- 



any of tlie leading seed or commission bouses. 

 Each questioQ will be submitted to a competent 

 pemon and answered under number. Correct 

 name and address must always accompany In- 

 quiry, but will not be published. 



No. 82. — How should Roman hyacinths 

 and Paper White narcissi be treated for 

 early forcing f 



Ans. — Place the bulbs in shallow boxes 

 of soil that are from three to five inches 

 deep. The former will do for Romans, 

 the latter is better for Paper Whites. 

 Use rich soil, covering the bulbs lightly. 

 Place the boxes outside, preferably on 

 slats. Water thoroughly and cover with 

 light litter, after the second or third 

 watering. The early bulbs may be 

 brought into the greenhouse about Octo- 

 ber 25, provided they are well rooted. 

 They can be forced easily in a temper- 



ature of 60 degrees under the benches, 

 being placed on the table and given more 

 air when the flower spikes are well drawn 

 up. 



No. 83. — Should later forced bulbs of 

 the same varieties be treated in the same 

 way? 



Ans.-— Yes, excepting that where left 

 outside after severe frost they require 

 more protection. It is better to place 

 the boxes in a frost-proof shed, using 

 slfljts between the layers. Phil. 



PEAT AS A POTTING SOIL. 



I have a lot of peat that seems to be' 

 good. What proportion should I use with 

 good loam of rather heavy clay for pot- 



m^i^^y' 



Xi. c. p. 



ting soil? 



P^at is excellent for many plants, but 

 is not suitable at all for some. I can- 

 not jecommend its use for bedding 

 plants or soft-wooded plants, loam and 

 leaf-mold being preferable. For ferns, 

 palms and many ornamental greenhouse 

 plants it can be used in the proportion 

 of two parts loam to one of peat. In 

 the case of ferns, many sorts will grow 

 spleijdidly in peat, leaf mold and sand. 

 Hard-wooded plants, such as azaleas, rho- 

 dodendrons, ericas, acacias, etc.,^ do well 

 in a peaty soil. Many growers use noth- 

 ing else but peat and sand, but I would 

 suggest equal mixtures of loam and peat, 

 which will give you a nice compost. 

 Much depends on the character of the 

 peat. If soft and crumbly, a small pro- 

 portion of it could be used for nearly 

 any plant. If rough and fibrous, it will 

 be especially good for hard-wooded 

 plants, and, with the finer particles 

 screened out, will do for orchids. Peat 

 is not so rich a soil as fibrous loam for 

 the general run of pot plants. A little 

 experimenting will teach you what plants 

 thrive best in it. C. W. 



HEN MANURE AND ITS VALUE. 



A bushel of grain fed to a hen would 

 give no more nitrogen, phosphoric acid, 

 and potash in the shape of manure than 

 a bushel of grain fed to a pig, says a 

 writer in a European gardeners' magazine. 

 The manure from the pig, however, taking 

 the liquid and solid excrement together, 

 contains eighty-two per cent water, while 

 that from the hen contains only fifty-six 

 per cent water. Moreover, hens pick up 

 worms and insects, and their food in such 

 case would contain more nitrogen than 

 the usual food of pigs, and the manure 

 would be correspondingly richer in nitro- 

 gen. Hence it happens that 100 pounds 

 of dry hen manure would usually be 

 richer in plant food than 100 pounds of 

 dry pig manure. But feed pigs on peas, 

 and hens on grain, and the dry pig 

 manure would then be much richer in 

 nitrogen, and hence in plant food, than 

 the dry hen manure. 



The value of the manure, other things 

 being equal, depends on the food, and 

 not on the animal. One hundred pounds 

 of dry hen manure is equal in value of 

 {)lant food to J»dlf.»'to« of cow dung 

 with straw, but the hen manure would 

 act much more rapidly than the cow 

 manure. The nitrogen being obtained 

 from richer and more digestible food is 

 in a much more active and available con- 

 dition than the nitrogen in the cow 

 manure. 



A ton of horse manure contains about 

 nine pounds of nitrogen, a ton of cow 

 manure about six pounds, a ton of sheep 

 manure eleven pounds, n ton of pig 





