JULT 23, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Store of S, Hoffman, Massachusetts and Conunonwealtfi Aves., Boston, Mass. 



atuention to a fact often entirely over- 

 looked by many, and that is, that a. little 

 attention should be paid at this time of 

 the year to some of the stock which has 

 been delivered to customers during the 

 bedding season. During the rush of 

 business in May and June, when it is 

 simply impossible to attend to all the 

 details of filling orders as one would 

 like to, quite often it is likely that a 

 window box, vase or wire hanging bas- 

 ket has to be filled and delivered tho 

 same day the order comes in. With a 

 window box or vase, this is not so bad, 

 for if done by the proper man everything 

 should be in good shape when the goods 

 leave the place, and remain so if taken 

 care' of at all. With moss-lined hanging 

 baskets, however, it is quite different. 

 After they have been filled a short time, 

 the moss is bound to settle along the rim 

 of the basket. The little water they usu- 

 ally get will run off and everything will 

 dry up in short order. 



We have made it a practice, therefore, 

 for the last few years to send a good 

 man, a wagon with some soil, moss, and 

 a few plants such as are used for bas- 

 kets, boxes or vases, to as many of our 

 near-by customers as possible, and look 

 ever their places. We do this toward 

 the latter part of July, and wherever 

 moss, soil, or a fresh plant is needed, it 

 is put in free of charge, and wherever 

 no gardener is in charge — and in most 

 places there is none — instructions are 

 given in regara to the care of the plants, 

 and this in most cases means more water. 

 A mfin can go over many places in a 

 day. Quite often there is nothing to re- 

 place or to be attended to, but even at 

 such places the owner usually appreciates 

 our intentions in looking after things. 

 While a bed of geraniums or a veranda 

 box should look well when put out, yet 

 much depends on the care they get after- 

 ward in order to be showy during the 

 few summer months. Often a suggestion 

 offered, or advice given, will help to 

 please a customer and this is the only 

 kind that can please you. F. B. 



THE DISCOUNT FOR ICE. 



Opinion of a Cincinnati Shipper. 



I have had an interview with the agent 

 of one of the large express companies 

 here, and he says that there is no ruling 

 whereby the express agents could allow 

 ice to be used in a shipment of flowers 

 without paying for the full weight. But, 

 at the same time, cases have come under 

 my own observation where the agent at 

 a certain shipping point in a neighboring 

 state did, and does allow, the shipper to 

 use not to exceed ten pounds of ice, and 

 those ten pounds are deducted from the 

 original weight. 



In reading over the classification, it 

 would look as though discrimination were 

 being indulged in by the express com- 

 panies, but this is possibly due to ignor- 

 ance of what is required in the shipping 

 of cut flowers, and it might be that if 

 said companies were advised of our 

 wants, they would gladly grant our re- 

 quest. 



Personally I have never had a just 

 grievance against any of the several com- 

 panies with which I do business, that was 

 not remedied when properly explained. 

 What looks to me to be more of a griev- 

 ance than this, is the fact that the ex- 

 press companies refuse to haul our emp- 

 ties from our houses to the depots unless 

 we will pay them 40 cents per hundred 

 for so doing, and at the same time they 

 are getting paid for sending the boxes 

 back to the grower. This seems to me 

 to be a squeeze game, pure and simple, 

 and I hope it will be fully discussed at 

 our meeting at Niagara Falls. I am 

 surely in sympathy with Mr. Reid and I 

 wish him success. E. G. Gillett. 



EUROPEAN NOTES. 



At the Holland House show of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society, London, 

 opened July 7, Alexander Dickson & Sons, 

 Newtownards, Ireland, were fortunate in 

 receiving four awards of merit for roses; 

 namely, Molly Sharmau Crawford (tea), 



Mrs. David Jardine (H. T.), Florence 

 Edith Goulthwaite (H. T.), and George 

 C. Waud (H.T.). 



E: G. Hill, of the E. G. Hill Co., Rich- 

 mond, Ind., was among the visitors and 

 brings his European trip to a close in a 

 few days. 



The Independence day celebrations at 

 the London house of the American am- 

 bassador brought together a large gather- 

 ing of Americans over here at present. 

 Over 3,000 Americans passed up the 

 great marble staircase during the after- 

 noon. In the vestibule at the foot of the 

 stairs two large flags were formed of 

 flowers, the American standard and the 

 Union Jack, each composed of red gera- 

 niums, blue cornflowers and white stocks. 



Bee. 



SWEET PEA" VINES DYING. 



I enclose one of a number of sweet 

 pea vines, which all at once seem to dry 

 up and wither away. Over half of the 

 peas I planted this spring behaved in this 

 way. Can you tell me the reason for 

 this! J. A. B. 



With both peas and sweet peas the 

 trouble you refer to is much in evidence 

 this year. Earthing up the peas after 

 growth has started cause« this dying off 

 in some cases. Excessive dryness at the 

 root is responsible for a good deal of it. 

 The fact that a good deal of pea seed 

 was of poor quality, as a result of la^t 

 year's drought, may have something to 

 do with it. The chief trouble, ho.wever, 

 seems to be of a bacterial nature, attack- 

 ing the stems just below the surface of 

 the soil. We are not aware that any rem- 

 edy has been suggested for this latter 

 disease beyond change of soil, careful se- 

 lection of seed and as early planting as 

 possible. As a rule, the later sowings 

 seem this season to be generally and 

 badly affected, and the early ones more 

 immune. Possibly your soil is somewhat 

 acid, in which ease an application of lime 

 in the fall will be beneficial. C. W. 



