October 1, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



u 



Cattleya Gigas Flowered by George Faiquhar, "West Barringtoot R. I. 



contains a good proportion of leaf-mold. 

 In full sunshine the flowers will wilt 

 down badly. Plants set out here seven 

 to eight years ago are still doing well 

 and many seedlings spring up among 

 them annually. If a severe summer 

 drought ensues, it may be necessary to 

 water occasionally. Plants naturalized 

 here have, however, not needed any arti- 

 ficial watering , this season, and there 

 have been long dry spells. A light win- 

 ter mulch of leaves should be given out- 

 door plants after the ground freezes. A 

 heavy coating will cause injury. 



W. N. Cbaig. 



GOVERNMENT POSITIONS OPEN. 



The United States Civil Service Com- 

 mission announces an examinatioi9 on Oc- 

 tober 28, 1908, to secure eligibles from 

 which to -make certification to fill a 

 vacancy in the position of laboratory aid 

 (male), qualified in horticulture, in the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, at $40 a 

 month, a vacancy in the position of lab- 

 oratory aid in seed testing (female), in 

 that bureau, at a salary of $600 to $720 

 per annum, and vacancies requiring simi- 

 lar qualifications as they may occur in 

 the Department of Agriculture. 



The commission says: "The position 

 of aid in the various branches of the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry offers many 

 advantages to young persons who are 

 desirous of taking up certain lines of 

 special or scientific work either in the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, the state ex- 

 periment stations, or elsewhere. The pre- 

 liminary training, practical, theoretic 

 and scientific, to be obtained while serv- 

 ing as a laboratory aid will be valuable 

 to any young person who has a taste for 

 scientific work in agriculture or who 

 contemplates taking a course at some 

 agricultural college. "While the pay of 

 an aid is necessarily low, as in case of 

 all inexperienced workers, in comparison 



with that of persons doing a higher class 

 of work, yet opportunities will be af- 

 forded for advancement to more remuner- 

 ative positions. Any ambitious young 

 person who has had the advantage of a 

 high school education or its equivalent 

 and has a general knowledge of agri- 

 culture or horticulture will be eligible as 

 an applicant." 



Applicants should at once apply to the 

 United States Civil Service Commission, 

 Washington, D. C, for Circular No. 688 

 and Application Form 304. 



FEEDING VIOLETS. 



When do you begin to feed violets! 

 How often do you feed? How long do 

 you continue f What do you feed themt 

 How prepared! How do you kill red 

 spider when you only have a good knap- 

 sack sprayer! J. W. B. 



The proper time to commence is in 

 the right preparation of the soil, long 

 before the violets are planted, but if you 

 think that the soil is now too poor, the 

 only thing that I should care to do 

 would be to work in a light dressing of 

 bone flour between the plants. 



As for the red spider, prevention is 

 worth pounds of cure and it is all a 

 matter of spraying, with force, the un- 

 derside of the foliage. Use cold water. 



Of course the reader is unfortunate if he 

 has not city pressure, but will have to do 

 the next best thing. Care must be used 

 at this time of year not to get the soil 

 too wet, although with the weather we 

 have been having, if it is well drained 

 there is not much danger. "* 



R. E. Shtjphelt. 



SINGLE VIOLETS. 



Answering several queries, I would 

 say that it is yet too early to house 

 Princess of Wales and other single vio- 

 lets. The doubles should all be housed 

 before this time, as the heavy night dews 

 seem to promote the spot disease, but 

 with the singles it is different. From the 

 beginning to the end of October, accord- 

 ing to location, is suflSciently early to 

 house. In Maine, where there are early 

 frosts, the earlier date would be all right, 

 while in Maryland or Louisiana a month 

 later would be much better. The plants 

 are benefited by some frost before hous- 

 ing. This seems to check leaf production, 

 which is always too much of a feature on 

 stock lifted early. C. W. 



CANTERBURY BELLS. 



Are the Canterbury bells capable of 

 forcing! F. E. C. 



Canterbury bells stand a moderate 

 amount of forcing and make splendid 

 flowering pot plants for spring trade. 

 Pot up the plants now. Keep outdoors 

 for another month, then stand in a cold 

 pit or greenhouse until the new year, 

 when you can start to force them gently 

 at 45 degrees for a minimum, advancing 

 to 50 and 52 degrees as growth starts. 

 Give them plenty of light wid sun at 

 all times. C. W. 



J- 



V 



YoUNGSTOWN, O. — John Walker is put- 

 ting in two new boilers. 



- X-;.- -I' 



