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OCTOBEK 3, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



IS 



flowers were then an unknown quantity. 

 These short-stemmed flowers were sup- 

 plemented by wooden stems and wires, 

 and made up into baskets, bouquets, etc., 

 in the most formal and artificial arrange- 

 ment; in fact, the inferior quality of 

 the flowers permitted nothing better. 

 The best flowers then produced would 

 simply be unsalable today, on account 

 of their small size and short stems. At 

 that time so few roses and carnations 

 were grown that they were necessarily 

 supplemented by French and Dutch 

 bulbs, which in those days were forced 

 in comparatively large quantities. 



In the earlier days of the cut flower in- 

 dustry, European methods of culture were 

 in vogue. The few roses and carnations 

 that were grown were mostly in pots, 

 the greenhouses of those days being very 

 primitive. Up to that time, the build- 

 ings erected for the production of cut 

 flowers were very small and insignificant 

 and comparatively crude affairs. With 

 the introduction of some of the finer 

 roses, like Perle, Cornelia Cook, Cath- 

 erine Mermet, Bride, and Bridesmaid, 

 a great impetus was given the cut flower 

 industry, and then came the queen of 

 all roses, American Beauty. 



Beginning of Present Methods. 



I believe that the present up-to-date 

 methods of rose growing had their be- 

 ginning in the vicinity of Madison, N. J. 

 The old pot method was discarded, and 

 roses were grown on shallow benches in 

 light, sunny, airy houses, and the re- 

 sults obtained were exceedingly satis- 

 factory and profitable. Large ranges of 

 rose houses were constantly erected in 

 that section, along the line of the Dela- 

 ware, Lackawanna & Western railroad, 

 and at that time Madison, Summit, and 

 other towns in that vicinity were known 

 as the rose belt of America; but since 

 then immense ranges of glass for the cul- 

 tivation of roses have been erected in 

 so many different localities around New 

 York, Chicago, Boston, and other large 

 cities that no one place in the country 

 can boast of any particular supremacy. 



The same development that occurred 

 in the rose took place in the carnation, 

 but at a considerably later period, and 

 the present fine varieties of carnations 

 that are now grown have all been pro- 

 duced within the last decade. First 

 came Mrs. Thomas W. Lawson, which 

 marked an epoch in carnation growing. 

 This variety was the forerunner of such 

 fine varieties as Enchantress, Mrs. M. A. 

 Patten, Beacon, White Perfection, Win- 

 sor, etc. Tlie trade was quick to dis- 

 cern that while these improved carna- 

 tions could be grown in the old-time 

 houses, they could be grown much bet- 

 ter in the improved houses that were de- 

 voted to rose culture. 



Progress in Violet Growing, 



Another flower which has become one 

 of the most important is the violet. In 

 the earlier days violets were grown in 

 coldframes, covered with sashes and 

 straw mats; and, of course, with our 

 severe winters, the supply was small and 

 uncertain. The same improved methods 

 of culture that have taken place with 

 the rose and carnation followed with the 

 violet; and today violets are grown in 

 large quantities in light, airy houses, en- 

 tirely under glass — a method of culture 

 that fifteen or twenty years ago was un- 

 heard of and unthought of. The violet 

 business has been largely centralized for 

 many years in the Hudson river valley, 

 especially in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie 



Boiler- shed at George M. Kellogg's After the Explosion. 



and Rhinebeck, which has become fa- 

 mous as a violet-growing section, where 

 the variety called Marie Louise is prin- 

 cipally grown. Princess of Wales, the 

 large single violet, which is not so dif- 

 ficult to grow, has been -grown in other 

 sections where Marie Louise has not been 

 grown sucessfully or profitably. Im- 

 mense quantities of Princess are grown, 

 especially in the vicinity of Boston, and 

 also in some of the large Canadian cen- 

 ters. 



One of the most phenomenal improve- 

 ments that have been made in any flower 

 has been in the chrysanthemum, which 

 has been developed to such an extent 

 that one who knew it twenty-five or 

 thirty years ago would not recognize 

 the immense blooms grown today. 



The Bermuda Easter Lily. 



Another very important flower tor tlie 

 florist is the Easter lily, which was 

 grown only in very small quantities un- 

 til the introduction of the Bermuda 

 Easter lily twenty-five years ago. Prior 

 to that time, lily bulbs were obtainable 

 only from Japan and Holland, and the 

 sources of supply were very uncertain, 

 besides which, the bulbs often reached 

 this market too late to force for Easter. 

 I'Uder these circumstances, the advan- 

 tages of the Bermuda Easter lily were 

 immediately recognized, as the bulbs 

 could be brought here in July and Au- 

 gust, so that it was possible not only to 

 force them for Easter, but they could 

 even be brought into flower by the holi- 

 days, so that the Bermuda Easter lily 

 has become one of the most important 

 flowers, especially for the Easter sea- 

 son, and is now grown in immense quan- 

 tities. 



I introduced the commercial culture of 

 the Bermuda Easter lily in Bermuda 

 about twenty-five years ago, and I be- 

 lieve that for many years one-third of 

 the revenue of the Bermuda Islands was 

 derived from the culture and sale of 

 this bulb. It has been grown there in 

 immense quantities; the normal output 

 for many years has been two million 

 bulbs and up, and one year it reached 

 as high as four million. Unfortunately, 

 with bad cultural methods, the quality 

 of the bulb has deteriorated; still, the 

 Bermuda-grown lily is an important fac- 

 tor. But the Japanese bulbs have made 



great inroads into the demand for the 

 Bermuda bulbs, on account of the lower 

 price for which the former can be sup- 

 plied, and the fact that, by reason of 

 more rapid steamers and transcontinental 

 railroads, it is possible to bring the bulbs 

 here as early as September; so that the 

 Bermuda lily does not occupy the impor- 

 tant position today that it did fifteen 

 years ago. 



The Lily of the Valley. 



Among other bulbous flowers, the lily 

 of the valley is one that has held its 

 supremacy. This always has been,_and 

 probably always will be, in great' de- 

 mand, while other bulbous stock, like 

 tulips, narcissi, and especially hyacinths, 

 do not occupy the prominent place today 

 that they did in former years. In the 

 larger cities, especially in the east, they 

 are not very profitable. They are more 

 largely grown in the west and in interior" 

 towns, where the supply of roses, car- 

 nations and the other finer flowers is 

 more or less limited. Bulbous stock is 

 more largely grown in Europe than in 

 this country, because, owing to the lack 

 of sunlight there, roses and carnations 

 cannot be produced so easily as they are 

 here, so that the Europeans are more 

 dependent on bulbous stock. Recently, 

 however, English growers have found 

 that by following the American method 

 of using shallow benches and building 

 very light houses, very good results can 

 be obtained. This is especially so with 

 carnations, English growers having- 

 learned tliat they can do much better 

 with our improved American varieties 

 than with the varieties that they have 

 grown heretofore; and there is begin- 

 nijig to bo a large demand for our new- 

 est and l)est sorts. 



[To be continued.] 



LAUREL IN CAR LOTS. 



How many pounds or tons of moun- 

 tain laurel, loose, for festooning, will an 

 average railway ear hold ? H. L. L. 



Laurel is not commonly shipped in car 

 lots, but we think a car would hold from 

 3.50 to 400 sacks, and as there are fifty 

 pounds in each sack the total weight of 

 a carload would thus be from ITj.'jOG to 

 20,000 pounds. 



Henry M. Robixsox & Co. 



