

NOVBMBEB 7, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



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ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENTS. 



Pussy Willows. 



The pussy mllow has a peculiar charm 

 to the flower lover, being the first har- 

 binger of spring. This design is exqui- 

 site in its simplicity. An additional 

 touch of life has been added in the 

 shape of the live .J)ussy, the mascot of 

 the Sign of the Rose, Philadelphia, 

 where this was considered one of the 

 most tasteful ba^et« made by Charles 

 Henry Pox. 



i-J, 



TEACHING HORTICULTURE. 



The Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 

 lege at Amherst has just isstied an illus- 

 trated booklet on the Division of Horti- 

 culture. In a letter to the alumni Presi- 

 dent Kenyon L. Butterfield sayiS: 



"It is my opinion that M. A. C. now 

 has the best equipment for teaching hor- 

 ticulture — in buildings, apparatus and 

 men — of any institution in the United 

 States, and probably in the world. I 

 say this advisedly. And why should not 

 this be sof Massachusetts agriculture 

 must necessarily concern itself to a very 

 large degree with friiit-growing, market 

 gardening, greenhousie work-, landscape 

 gardening and related linet 



"I hope you will take pains to make 

 these facts known among your friends 

 everywhere. We are able to offer special 

 facilities to young men going into prac- 

 tical work, as well as to those preparing 

 for investigational service; in fact, we 

 ought to have here a large number of 

 graduate students in horticulture." 



FERNS. 



What is the most satisfactory way for 

 a florist with a small place, where bench 

 room is scarce, to grow ferns, beginning 

 after the bedding season is over, say the 

 middle of Junet Would you buy 2%- 

 inch or 3-inch stock, plant them out in 

 a bench or grow in potst I will need 

 between 200 and 300 plants in 5-inch 

 and 6-inch, ready to sell by October 1. 

 I should like suggestions in regard to 

 watering, shading, etc. If the pot plan 

 is advised, what size would you start 

 with! O. T. 



If you use your benches for any other 

 crop after bedding stock is gone and 

 have some coldframe sash at disposal, 

 you can grow splendid ferns in them. 

 The sashes will need shading and the 

 pots should be stood in a bed of coal 

 ashes, not allowing the tops of the ferns 

 to quite touch the glass. Ferns will 

 make just as good and in some varieties 

 better growth in frames than in green- 

 houses from June to the end of Sep- 

 tember. As you do not say what par- 

 ticular ferns are needed, I presume 

 that nephrolepis, the most salable sort 

 commercially, are specially in mind. If 

 you do not .need your benches after bed- 

 ding stock is gone, you can plant your 

 nephrolepis right in the benchefl, using 

 four to five inches of loam and leaf -mold, 



and if your young stock is in 2% -inch 

 pots you will have excellent stuff ready 

 for potting up for winter sales in Sep- 

 teml^r. The Boston fern still leads all 

 others as a seller. Probably N. Whit- 

 mani is the best of the spoirts and with 

 least signs of reversion. N. Scottii has 

 many admirers. It has narrower fronds 

 than the Boston and makeib a nice, com-' 

 pact plant. N. Elegantisgima is similar 

 to N. Whitmani. > 



Adiantums are always in demand. ^. 

 cuneatum still leads all others in popu- 

 larity. It should be grown in pots, not 

 benched. The same applies to any of 

 the pteris, such as Wimsetti, Cretica, 



be unwise to shift from the smaller size 

 to 6-inch. Try your adiantums and 

 pteris in A frame and plant put the 

 nephrolepis. You will find this wtill give 

 good results. . '^;; Cf. W. • 



ENGLISH IVY. 



English ivy needs ^soox^^ kind of winter 

 protection almb'Sf " everywhere In this 

 country. Small and medium sized plants 

 may, perhaps, be as cheaply and con- 

 veniently preserved for futuM use by be- 

 ing lifted and pptted and wintered over 

 in a cool greerihdntjipjei^ asi^^ an;^ otheir 

 way, but such a niethod is altogether 

 out of the question when it comei to the 

 work of protecting large plants on trel- 

 lises or walls, or even those of like size 

 trailing on the ground. The safeft man- 

 ner of r^rotecting ivy on walls 6r ti^\- 

 lises is VCi9,^. of covering them with cheap 

 burlap, ■^•^ruce or hemlock bijanches, 

 however, make a much ^cheaper covering 

 than burlap, and, if care is taken that 

 they arej|5?roperly put on, they will 

 answer tha||)urpose nearly as well as the 

 more expensive material. 



It mustdnot be forgotten that during 



/^^O^y.- 



Pussy Willowsi 



cristata, Mayii and others, and Cyrto- 

 mium falcatum and other ferns useful 

 as pot plants. 



Nephrolepis need less shade than the 

 other sorts named. All the ferns enjoy 

 a moist atmosphere, but do not need 

 spraying overhead; in fact, it is hurtful 

 to some. Plants in 2 V^ -inch pots will 

 be all right to start with. If kept in 

 pots these will soon need a shift to 

 4-inch and later to 6-inch pots. It would 



winter ivy suffers fully as much from 

 the effect of freezing and thawing at 

 the roots of the plants as from the ef- 

 fect the same have on the wood and 

 foliage. For that reason, then, it will 

 be well to put a good covering of manure 

 or leaves over the roots. Manure is pref- 

 erable to leaves, because of the moisture 

 it helps to retain in the soil. 



No plant likes a soil frozen dry; con- 

 serve moisture by mulch. M. 



