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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



October 3, 1007. 



SEASONABLE REMINDERS. 



Watchfulness Essential Now. 



With the changeable conditions which 

 we may now expect, greater watchful- 

 ness and care are required. Especially 

 is this so when we commence firing. The 

 transition from natural to artificial heat 

 requires a keen and prompt adaptation 

 to the altered conditions, which cannot 

 be neglected witiiout incurring great 

 risks. In natural heat the drying out 

 or evaporation largely takes place from 

 the surface downwards, but just as soon 

 as we apply the artificial heat evapora- 

 tion takes "place at those points nearest 

 our radiators. These in many cases are 

 yet placed under the benches and where 

 this is the case the greatest care is nec- 

 essary to j)r event the roots from becom- 

 ing dry. A careful daily examination 

 of the condition of the soil should be 

 one of tiie first duties of the grower. 



With the longer nights and lessened 

 sunshine, and also the natural inclina- 

 tion of stock to take a rest, great care 

 must be used in watering and ventila- 

 tion. The natural tendency of all plants 

 to go to rest at this season gives a deal 

 of trouble to the grower to get them 

 past this stage. Any sudden check, such 

 as an abrupt lowering of temperature, 

 withholding of water, or even the re- 

 verse, giving too much, will certainly 

 encourage this tendency. 



Ventilatioa and Mulching. 



The importance of proper ventilation 

 at this season cannot be overestimated, 

 ii8 the health of the stock entirely de- 

 pends on the way it is carried from 

 summer to winter conditions'. Shutting 

 down the ventilators to save a load or so 

 of coal results in an accumulation of 

 moisture in the house which will show in 

 the morning in the form of small glob- 

 ules of water on the leaves. If this is 

 permitted to occur frequently it will so 

 aflfect the leaves that they will become 

 so soft as to be susceptible to the first 

 trouble that strikes them, and these 

 troubles are many and frequent. 



By firing when there is danger of the 

 temperature falling below 55 degrees 

 outside, and keeping the ventilators 

 open, many of these troubles can in a 

 great measure be avoided. 



Mulching, to be of any use in helping 

 the early winter or holiday crops^ 

 should be applied soon. While spealc^g 

 of mulching, I have found it profitable 

 to give the surface of the soil a light 

 sprinkling of wood ashes before apply- 

 ing the muich at this season. TTiis helps 



to stiffen the stem and will most cer- 

 tainly give better color to the petals. 



If the soil is deficient in calcareous 

 matter, and most of our soils are, a gen- 

 erous sprinkling of air-slaked lime will 

 also greatly benefit the plants during 

 the dark weather. 



It should be remembered not to use 

 bone and lime in cerabination, as this 

 will release more ammonia than the 

 plants can use, so it is hot safe to use- 

 bone on limed benches for at least a 

 week, or until the gases from the lime 

 have been dissipated. Ribes. 



HARDY GARDEN ROSES. 



Will you please tell me the names of 

 the best pink and red hardy garden 

 roses, to grow here in Rhode Island? 



W. B. 



To name the best varieties of roses 

 for any locality is rather a hard task, 

 so many attending conditions, such as 

 climate, quality of soil, etc., having to 

 be taken into consideration. This que- 

 rist also failed to state what class of 

 roses he intended to grow. 



In ramblers there are no safer varie- 

 ties than Crimson Rambler for red and 

 Uorothj Perkins for pink. In hybrid 

 perpetual roses, General Jacqueminot is a 

 good red and Captain Christy a good 

 pink. In teas, hybrid teas and hybrid 

 China roses, the best for outdoor pur- 

 poses are Bridesmaid, pink; Gruss an 

 Teplitz, red. Helen Gould is also a good 

 red in some localities. 



There are many varieties which, ow- 

 ing to local conditions, may do as well 

 or even better than these. It is only 

 after years of experimenting that one 

 can reach the best results. 



RlBES. 



LIQUID MANURE. 



How much chicken manure should we 

 use to the barrel of water for liquid 

 manure to be used on roses and carna- 

 tions, and how much cow manure should 

 we use for the same purpose? Should 

 we use fresh cow manure or should we 

 use manure that has lain in a pile for 

 some time, and why? G. B. 



The quantity of chicken manure re- 

 quired to a barrel of water is one-half 

 peck, and this should be allowed to stand 

 until fermentation has commenced. For 

 a first application it should be even 

 weaker than this. For cow manure one- 

 half bushel to a barrel of water is suf- 

 ficient and, as before mentioned, first ap- 

 plications should always be a little 

 weaker, until the plants become accus- 

 tomed to this class of food. 



The quality of the manure has also a 

 good deal to do with the experiment, as 

 the droppings from young stock possess 

 only about one-half the nutriment con- 



tained in that from mature stpck, and 

 that procured from cattle fed on hay, 

 grain and straw is much superior to that 

 from grass-fed or brewery-fed stock. 



Fresh cow manure is always prefer- 

 able when used for liquid feeding, but 

 the "why" would occupy more space in 

 these columns than could be allowed. 

 Expert growers, after long experience 

 and with all scientific aids, have found 

 this the most perfect of manures for 

 the purpose, and from a commercial 

 point of view it is safer to follow in 

 their footsteps than to branch off into 

 unknown paths. Bibes. 



jL • 



THE DEATH ROLL. 



Edgar Sanders. 



Edgar Sanders, the dean of the Chi- 

 cago florists, passed away early on the 

 jnorning of Sunday, September 29, after 

 an illness covering five years but whicli 

 had confined him to the house only dur- 

 ing the last few months. He was widely 

 known in the trade and esteemed as it 

 was given to but few men to be held in 

 the regard of their associates. 



The funeral was held at 2 p. m. 

 Wednesday, October 2, from the home of 

 Mrs. H. P. Victor, 1639 Belmont avenye, 

 with whom Mr. Sanders had made his 

 the chapter chose as pall-bearers florists 

 which Mr. Sanders was treasurer, at- 

 tended in a body. The services were con- 

 ducted by Lincoln Park Chapter, of 

 which Mr, Sanders was a member, but 

 the Chapter chose as pall-bearers florists 

 who also are members of the Masonic 

 order, as follows: Andrew McAdams, 

 Sam Pearce, Anton Then, George Asmus, 

 John T, Muir and H. N. Bruns. Among 

 the twelve honorary pall-bearers were 

 four of the oldest florists, George Witt- 

 bold, J. C. Vaughan, F. F, Benthey and 

 E. Wienhoeber. The funeral was one of 

 the largest seen on the north side in 

 many a day, for Mr. Sanders was as 

 widely known in other walks of life, and 

 as highly esteemed, as he was in the 

 trade. Interment was at Graceland. 



Edgar Sanders was born near East 

 Grinstead, in the northern part of Sus- 

 sex county, England, October 10, 1827. 

 His father was gardener on a neighbor- 

 ing estate, known as Felbridge Park. 

 Later his father became gardener at Til- 

 gate House, near the town of Crawley, 

 where Edgar attended school until he 

 was 1 2 years ohJ. At that age, being the 

 eldest of a family which eventually con- 

 tained fourteen children, Edgar found 

 it necessary to begin earning his own 

 living. t 



His first regular work was in a nur- 

 sery, where he remained till 1841. Then 

 he obtained a position as under gar- 

 dener on a private estate at Lower Til- 

 gate, and attended to business so dili- 

 gently that he soon became foreman of 

 the establishment. In 1845, when he was 

 18 years of age, he went to London. 

 After some experience as a journeyman 

 gardener there, he held the position of 

 head gardener in two private places near 

 Egham, Surrey. 



In 1853 Mr. Sanders decided to come 

 to America, and landed at New York 

 April 29 of that year. He immediately 

 proceeded to Albany, where his first 

 labor was performed in James Wilson's 

 nursery. Subsequently he obtained a 

 month's work laying out the grounds of 

 Luther Tucker, who was the original 

 publisher of Downing 's Horticulturist, 

 but at the time mentioned had started 

 the Country Gentleman. For this paper 



