SsPXiiiUBBB 26, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



J 3 



A View of the Dahlia Farm of "W, W. Rawsoa & Co., at Marblehead, Mass. 



clothe the bare base with foliage or flow- 

 ers. And yet, according to a note in an 

 English gardeners' magazine, this is 

 readily done during the growing season, 

 and the return obtained is so altogether 

 disproportionate to the trouble involved 

 that few gardening operations can pay 

 better for *he doing. All that is neces- 

 sary is to divert a few of the strongest 

 shoots in their upward career and twine 

 thom downward around the bare stems 

 at the base of the plant. They grow just 

 as well downward as upward, and soon 

 effect a most desirable transformation. 



BOSTON. 



The Market 



The market is not at all in a good con- 

 dition at present and business is not at 

 all what it ought to be. The weather has 

 continued warm and a good many asters 

 and other outdoor flowers still arrive. A 

 killing frost is needed to tone up busi- 

 ness. Boses are arriving in large num- 

 bers, but nieet with only a moderate sale ; 

 the quality leaves much to be desired. 

 Carnations are steadily increasing in 

 numbers, but do not yet cut much of a 

 figure in the market, owing to the con- 

 tinued abundance of asters, which have 

 proved a fine crop in spite of the late 

 drought of summer. Violets are still 

 small and of poor color. A few Fitz- 

 wygram chrysanthemums are seen, but 

 are not superior to best quality asters. 

 Gladioli are nearing the end, also Lilium 

 speciosum. There is a fair supply of 

 Lilium longiflorum, also cosmos, trito- 

 nias and other outdoor flowers. 



Club Jottings. 



R. G. Leavitt, in his talk on hybridi- 

 zation at the last club meeting, referred 

 to the close similarity in pollen masses. 

 When placed in water these pollen grains 

 grew and formed pollen tubes. Some 

 plants were naturally self sterile, never 

 mutually fertile. In the case of peren- 

 nials, such as daphne, some were self 

 sterile, others fertile in the same spe- 

 cies. Speaking of the probable results of 

 using two varieties of pollen on one 

 stigma, he said it was remotely possible 

 that all three might be represented in 



the offspring. He personally, however, 

 did not believe it. It was impossible for 

 two pollen tubes to get into one ovule. 

 A separate grain of pollen was needed to 

 produce each individual seed. 



In the case of orchid pods, which con- 

 tained many thousands of minute seeds, 

 it was necessary for an equal number 

 of pollen grains to effect the work of 

 cross fertilization. In the case of citrus 

 fruit it had been proved that if three 

 seedlings were produced in one ovule, 

 never more than one of these would be 

 a hybrid. Messrs. F. E. Palmer, D. Fin- 

 layson, K. Finlayson, M. A. Patten, F. 

 W. Fletcher and G. Butterworth were 

 among those joining in the subsequent 

 discussion. 



The club field day at the dahlia farm 

 of W. W. Rawson & Co. at Marblehead, 

 September 21, was a grand success. Two 

 special coaches were attached to the 

 12:40 train from the North station. 

 These were well filled, about 125 attend- 

 ing. An excellent lunch was served on 

 arrival at the grounds, after which the 

 large and representative collection of 

 dahlias was inspected. These were in 

 fine condition and blooming freely. The 

 following varieties were particularly good 

 in their classes: 



Cactus — Alexander Immer, dark ma- 

 roon; Ambassador das Marchen, cerise 

 pink; Ignea, Les AUiees, Nil Desperan- 

 dum, Orion, pink, very good ; Perfect, 

 J. H. Jackson, dark maroon; Volker and 

 F, M. Stredwick. 



Decorative — Alphonse Isore, red ; 

 Katherine Duer, Jeannie Charmet, Kais- 

 erin Augusta Victoria, very fine white; 

 Mrs. Roosevelt, W. W. Rawson and Fire- 

 burst. 



A few good show varieties were A. D. 

 Livoni, Edward LeFavour, Governor 

 Guild, white; Le Colosse, Dr. Kirtland, 

 Mrs. Gordon Abbot, Rev. J. B. M. Camm 

 and Storm King. There was also a good 

 selection of fancy, single, peony and 

 other types. 



During the day a baseball game was 

 played between the married and single 

 men, the former winning after the latter 

 had lost two balls. Before dispersing 

 President Westwood proposed a vote of 

 thanks to Mr. Rawson, which was re- 

 sponded to by Maurice Fuld, his man- 



ager, Mr. Rawson being absent at the 

 Jamestown exposition. The 6:11 train 

 was taken for Boston, aU voting the day 

 a most enjoyable one. 



Various Notes. 



The Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety has issued a preliminary list of 

 prizes to be offered at the January, 

 March and May shows in 1908. A num- 

 ber of new classes are provided and con- 

 siderably more money offered. 



W. W. Edgar & Co. have an extra fine 

 house of Bonnaffon chrysanthemums 30a 

 200 at their new establishment. They 

 are building a 50-foot addition to their 

 storage and packing shed. 



J. K. M. L. Farquhar and Warren W. 

 Rawson are among the speakers at 

 Jamestown this week, under the auspices 

 of the National Council of Horticulture. 



The H. E. Fiske Co. has had some at- 

 tractive window displays of dahlias and 

 hardy perennials of late. The company 

 has just celebrated its first anniversary 

 and the oflBcers are well pleased with 

 patronage accorded. George C. Thom- 

 son, late of Rennie & Thomson, of Prov- 

 idence, is now with them. 



The Gardeners' and Florists' Club 

 loses a good member in William Allen, 

 gardener at Mount Auburn cemetery for 

 a number of years, who left September 

 23 to assume the superintendency of 

 Homewood cemetery, Pittsburg. The 

 club at its last meeting voted to send a 

 congratulatory letter to ilr. Allen on 

 his appointment. 



J. T. Butterworth and daughter were 

 in Holland when last heard from and 

 will return about the middle of October. 

 He has a grand lot of Cattleya labiata 

 at his establishment in South Framing- 

 ham just coming in season. 



Peter Fisher is marketing some nice 

 blooms of his new scarlet carnation. Bea- 

 con, which promises to be the leader in 

 its color this season. 



William Nicholson has a fine house of 

 Carnation Afterglow, for which he is 

 eastern agent and which looks like a 

 winner. 



John McFarland will force lilacs, not 

 lilies, as stated in last issue of the Re- 

 view, w. X. Craic. 



.1 



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