Decbmbeb 12, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



V 



The Inexpensive Things Sell Well, Even in the Most Fashionable Store. 



used for terrace decoration were being 

 housed at the time of our visit. Con- 

 siderable changes are in progress in the 

 way of terrace extensions and avenue 

 improvements, which will add to the at- 

 tractiveness of this fine estate. 



At Mr. Duckham's. 



At the Mrs. D. Willis James estate, 

 where W. Duckham presides, most of the 

 finest single-stem chrysanthemums had 

 been cut, but the quality of those re- 

 maining was first-class. A nice collec- 

 tion of singles were noted in pots. Th6 

 carnation house contained some really 

 magnificent flowers. Beacon, Robert 

 Craig, Enchantress, Patton, White Per- 

 fection and Britannia, the champion new 

 English scarlet, being the varieties 

 grown. Britannia showed up finely. So 

 far it is of dwarfer habit than Beacon 

 and Bobert Craig, but it carries an 

 immense scarlet flower and will be heard 

 from. Cosmos Lady Lenox, being ex- 

 tensively shown in the east just now, 

 originated here and is a fine thing. In 

 the orchid house a bank of Dendrobium 

 Phalaenopsis was attractive. The cattle- 

 yas looked well, some specially good C. 

 gigas being in baskets near the ridge. 

 Other divisions were occupied by roses 

 and various decorative plants. 



W. N. Cbaig. 



WATERING AND VENTILATING. 



Prom this time onward we usually ex- 

 perience a good deal of dark, sunless 

 weather, often accompanied by fogs and 

 rain. Greater care is now needed in wa- 

 tering all classes of plants, no matter 

 whether in benches, flats or pots. There 

 are still not a few growers who imagine 

 that a daily dose of aqua pura is needed 

 by every plant. These men are never 

 successful florists. Watering is a good 

 deal of a science and the man who has 

 mastered it can be relied upon to produce 

 good stock. At this season plants dry 

 out much more slowly and the hose in 

 careless hands speedily produces soggi- 

 ness at the roots, with the inevitable 

 sickly plants as testimony to its abuse. 

 It 13 much better now, with all plants, 

 to give too little water rather than too 

 much. Little harm will be done by al- 

 lowing pot plants to become fairiy dry 

 before watering them. Hard-wooded 

 stock will not stand absolute dryness, and 

 more careful watering is needed in the 



case of ericas, acacias, azaleas and oth- 

 ers of this class, than with soft-wooded 

 subjects, such as calceolarias, cinerarias, 

 primulas and cyclamens. 



We are not advocating anything ap- 

 proaching dusty dryness at the roots, but 

 experience will teach anyone that the 

 plants thrive the best in pots which are 

 never allowed to become wet and slimy 

 on the surface. Overwatering causes 

 sourness and this in turn ruins root ac- 

 tion. 



In benches, as with pots, too much root 

 moisture must now be avoided. When 

 you water let it not be in driblets, but 

 thoroughly, and until you can see it run- 

 ning through the bottoms of the benches. 

 Do not water again until the surface 



looks a little dry. If the soil has become 

 baked, give a scratching over before wa- 

 tering again. In syringing choose the 

 mornings of bright days, in order to have 

 the foliage dry before nightfall. Keep 

 some ventilation on the houses on every 

 possible occasion. Avoid anything in the 

 nature of coddling. Do not for one mo- 

 ment imagine that any of your plants 

 will long grow and thrive without some 

 fresh, pure air. As well expect human 

 beings to flourish in a house in which the 

 windows are never opened. In mild 

 weather a little night air should be left 

 on the houses. If you keep a night fire- 

 man of ordinary intelligence, ne will 

 speedily learn your wishes in this respect. 



C.W. 



CARNATION NOTES -EAST. 



Cutting the Blooms. 



Cutting the blooms may appear to 

 some as a matter easily disposed of or 

 not worthy of much thought, when in 

 reality a great deal depends on its be- 

 ing properly done. It is the starting 

 point of the divine flower's career as a 

 messenger of expression, and as it is a 

 well known fact that many people hesi- 

 tate to send cut flowers to the sick or 

 convalescent for fear of their fading all 

 too soon, it is decidedly in our interest 

 to spare no effort to send the messenger 

 on its journey equipped to carry the 

 semtiment to be expressed. 



We must not only use care in bring- 

 ing the blooms to the highest quality 

 possible, but so handle them at harvest 

 time that, whatever their mission, it 

 may not be in vain. 



As stated in last week's notes, cutting 

 is best done in early morning, before 

 the sun is high enough to affect the in- 

 side temperature to any great extent, 

 or late in the afternoon, when similar 

 conditions exist. 



In no case should blooms be taken 

 from plants suffering for water. You 

 may reason it out that such will revive 

 after standing in water for a time, and 

 perhaps they will, to a certain extent, 

 but the question is, how will they stand 

 up against the real thing! 



While good results may be obtained 

 by breaking in place of cutting the 

 stems, it does not necessarily follow that 

 it is the better method. 



At some seasons, under certain condi- 

 tions, the stems will break like glass 

 and it will be noticed that quite fre- 

 quently the break comes at a joint, just 

 above the leaves, furnishing a pocket 

 for the lodgment of moisture, but there 

 is no certainty about these matters. By 

 using a sharp knife — be sure it is sharp 

 — you are able to jnake a smooth, slant- 

 ing cut at any point, with absolute cer- 

 tainty, and with the assurance, too, that 

 the stem is in better shape to conduct 

 water and the stump to shed it and heal 

 than in the case of its having been 

 broken. 



It is advisable to remove the two 

 lower pairs of leaves from the stems, 

 but before doing this, allow them to 

 stand in water for a time, as under no 



