Sbpthmbkr 3, 1908. 



> ^ • - * ' . r ■ ' . 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 9 



Building of Arts at Bar Harbor, Me^ Where the Receikt Flower Show Was Held. 



me as regards quality, •when I reflected 

 that this was the representative show 

 of the country. The grapes were not 

 so large in either berry or bunch as I 

 had anticipated. I had anticipated that 

 American grown peaches and nectarines 

 would show more color than English 

 fruits, but I had expected to see finer 

 grapes at such a show as Shrewsbury. 



Vegetables. 



In the vegetable classes, which were 

 well filled, were some marvelous dis- 

 plays. B. Beckett, who has been known 

 for many years as an expert in this line, 

 stood head and shoulders above his com- 

 petitors. Such peas and onions and run- 

 ner beans I had only dreamed of. 



In conclusion I would say that some 

 day we may get such a show in America 

 as has been staged in Shrewsbury this 

 week, but I fear the present generation 

 of flower lovers will not see it. Thirty- 

 three years of successful effort have ac- 

 complished much and Shrewsbury is to 

 be congratulated. 



Charles H. Totty. 



BULB GROVING IN VIRGINIA. 



[A synopala of a paper by James Gnllle, of 

 Portsmouth, Va., read before the FlorlstB* Club 

 of Pblladelptala, September 1, 1908.] 



Perhaps there are few among you 

 who have any idea to what gigantic pro- 

 portions the work of growing bulbs in 

 Virginia has now extended, or of the 

 effect it is likely to have, in the near 

 future, on the bulb growing industry of 

 the United States, for, if we keep on as 

 we have commenced, it will not be many 

 years before a large proportion of the 

 money now spent in Europe for bulbs 

 will remain in this country. 



I shall first try to give you our rea- 

 sons for starting bulb-growing here, and 

 also why we chose Portsmouth as our 

 starting point. 



History of the Industry. 



Our firm has for years been doing a 

 large business with America, from the 

 old country, but the great difficulty of 

 transportation and trouble with customs 

 prohibited any great extension in that 

 line, for anyone who has had the han- 

 dling of bulbs through the customs house 

 knows the great trouble, delay and ex- 

 pense incurred in getting bulbs through. 

 I have known part of my consignments 



to be delayed one week in the New York 

 customs house for examination, and, as 

 is usual in such cases, the bulbs retained 

 were generally the ones that we wanted 

 most. Then there is often a dispute as 

 to valuation. 



I well remember a case which hap- 

 pened to us a year prior to my coming 

 over. Our firm came across a good lot 

 of grandiflorus in France, which the 

 growers were anxious to sell, and for 

 which they accepted a rather low price. 

 We ordered them sent to the United 

 States, to our representative in New 

 York, with .invoice, but when these bulbs 

 were examined the customs officers 

 thought that they were undervalued, and 

 not only did they increase the valuation 

 but I believe they fined us as well. As 

 our people are nearly 4,000 miles away, 

 by the time these matters were laid be- 

 fore them it was too late to protest, as I 

 believe all protests must be entered be- 

 fore the expiration of ten days. 



Then in transportation, though I be- 

 lieve the companies do all they can (pos- 

 sibly) for us, there is always the danger 



of heating if the bulbs are not properly 

 packed. Besides, it was practically im- 

 possible to handle small orders, as the 

 freight was prohibitive on less than ton 

 lots. 



Feeling certain that the United States, 

 with their vast resources, could give us 

 the accommodation we were looking for, 

 our firm decided to try to grow bulbs 

 here. We know that bulb growing lias 

 been tried in Petersburg, but we were 

 not exactly satisfied with the results, 

 more especially as it was nearly impos- 

 sible to lift the bulbs in the summer, 

 owing to the land baking and getting 

 nearly as hard as stone. 



Advantages in the South. 



On coming a little farther south, we 

 found land nearly the same as that in 

 Holland. For miles around the land does 

 not rise more than ten feet above high 

 water mark. It is also light and sandy, 

 thus allowing us to lift our bulbs at any 

 time during the season. 



Owing to the low situation, the bulbs 

 are always resting on a cool bottom, for 

 (Continued on Pagre 30.) 



Glimpse of the Recent Bar Harbor Flower Show. 



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