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Januabt 23, 1008. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



USE OF MIXED POLLEN. 



There has been a wide divergence of 

 opinion among botanists and hybridizers 

 as to whether, bj using mixed pollen, the 

 influence of more than one of the pollen 

 parents will be transmitted to. the re- 

 sultant seedlings. Some botanists claim 

 that it is all but impossible to fertilize 

 with double pollen, but a short article in 

 the December number of the English 

 Orchid Review would seem to upset this 

 idea. The paragraph, i|hich I will quote 

 in full, 'is as follows: 



"A year ago we recorded an experi- 

 ment made in the collection of R. G. 

 Thwaites, Esq., of Streatham, by cross- 

 ing Laelia xanthina with mixed pollen 

 from Cattleya Warscewiczii and C. 

 Dowiana aurea, and how one of the seed- 

 lings flowered as Laelio-cattleya Phryne, 

 a hybrid from the first mentioned cat- 

 tleya. Another which subsequently 

 bloomed was believed to be Laelio-cat- 

 tleya Ophir, a hybrid from C. Dowiana 

 aurea. We have recently seen the batch 

 of seedlings, some of which show clearly 

 the Warscewiczii and others the Dowiana 

 habit, and one which was in flower was 

 clearly a richly colored form of Ophir, 

 having deep yellow sepals and petals and 

 traces of the rich Dowiana color and 

 markings in the top. It is now clear 

 that both hybrids have appeared out of 

 the same cross and we hope to be able 

 to report further next year when other 

 seedlings bloom." 



Mr. Thwaites is one of the best known 

 of English orchid specialists and an en- 

 thusiastic hybridist. The result of his 

 cross is most interesting. It settles one 

 point on which differences of opinion ex- 

 isted. The other point on which we 

 need further light is, can the character- 

 istics of two pollen parents be trans- 

 mitted to one seedling? It will be in- 

 teresting to learn whether any of Mr. 

 Thwaites' seedlings develop in this way 

 and thus settle what has been a knotty 

 problem. W. N. Ceaiq. 



BENCHES OVER.CEMENT FLOORS. 



Will plants on benches over cement 

 floors do as well as the ones over earth 

 floors! M. E. 



There is no reason whatever why plants 

 will not grow as well in benches 

 over cement floors as over earth or cin- 

 ders, such as are usually found in com- 

 mercial establishments. From the stand- 

 point of neatness, the cement floors have 

 an advantage, the only trouble being 

 that they do not hold the moisture as 

 well as those made of cinders or stone, 

 and it is necessary to damp them more 

 frequently. I would certainly not advise 

 any florist to put in cement floors unless 

 it might be in some show house attached 

 to the store or salesroom. C. W. 



FIBROTTA PLANT TUBS. 



Cordley & Hayes, New York, who make 

 Fibrotta ware, as the indurated fiber re- 

 ceptacles are known in the trade, say 

 that many florists have adopted tubs 

 made of indurated fiber as the most ac- 

 ceptable for large plants. The great 

 strength and durability of this material 

 make it especially suitable for this 

 service, as it is absolutely water-proof 

 and of handsome appearance. 



Wooden tubs are all right for a time, 

 but as soon as moisture from the soil 

 penetrates the coating of paint decay be- 

 gins, and there is no way of stopping it. 

 The metal hoops, too, are a source of 



The Eagle in Illinois. 



weakness, from their liability to rust 

 and break, allowing the tub to fall apart. 

 As regards earthenware, a blow or fall 

 is enough to break it, which not only 

 involves the loss of the pot, but not in- 

 frequently injures or destroys the plant 

 as well. Nearly all jobbers handle 

 Fibrotta ware and report it coming into 

 more general use as its qualities become 

 better understood. 



POOR COLOR IN VIOLETS. 



I bought some Princess of Wales violet 

 plants from a florist this spring. The 

 plants grew nicely and are blooming well, 

 but the color of my flowers is very light 

 compared with the original stock. What 

 is the cause of the difference in the 

 shade of the flowers! Can I work any 

 fertilizer, etc., in the soil and get dark- 

 er shaded flowers? W. C. P. 



If you had stated the night tempera- 

 ture given your single violets, it would 

 have been easier to answer your query. 

 If you are keeping them at 45 to 50 de- 

 grees at night, they are too warm and 

 will come a much paler color than in a 

 house held at 40 to 42 degrees. Have you 

 ever noticed the magnificent color' of 

 singles grown in cold frames, where they 



never get any fire-heat at all? The cool- 

 er they can be grown, the deeper will 

 be the color. They may open more 

 slowly, but if you want dark color you 

 must grow them cool. 



Too early planting causes an excess 

 of leaf growth and the flowers come pale 

 in color also. We think it probable, 

 however, that too high a temperature is 

 the main trouble with your flowers. If 

 so, lower the night readings to 40 to 42 

 degrees, letting the thermometer run 

 up 10 to 15 degrees on bright days. 

 Adding fertilizer will hardly improve the 

 color of the flowers, unless they are 

 kept cool. Some soot-water aids in col- 

 oring both leaves and flowers. If the 

 benches are well filled with roots, mulch 

 them with some fine, well rotted cow 

 manure or pulverized sheep manure. This 

 will help to keep the roots cool and 

 moist and give necessary feeding at the 

 same time. C. W. 



VIOLETS UNSATISFACTORY. 



I enclose some violet buds. The stems 

 look dried out and the buds go to seed. 

 I keep them at from 38 to 40 degrees at 

 night and 50 to 60 degrees during the 

 day. I have kept them on the dry side 

 since last fall. They bloom poorly and 

 the leaves have not grown much since 

 last fall. They stay short and small. 

 My soil is loose. It does not pack solid. 

 I have a good deal of manure in it. What 

 kind of soil would you advise me to use 

 for next fall? Would new soil out of 

 new timber land be suitable? F.J. 



The leaves and flower stems enclosed 

 were certainly puny and if these are an 

 average sample of what your plants are 

 producing, conditions must be radically 

 wrong. You do not state what variety 

 you are growing. It hardly seems pos- 



