The Weekly Florists' Review. 



jAlruABT 14, 1909. 



i THE RETAIL ^^^A^^ 



I '=?^^c^)«s!P» ri-.wrs.ioi g 



FLORIST 



THE ANCHOR. 



The illustration, an anchor of iry 

 leaves decorated with orchids, gives an 

 inexpensive yet effective design, appro- 

 priate where it is desired to express the 

 idea of maturity. The anchor is made 

 of ivy leaves put in with great care, with, 

 when complete, a few choice orchids 

 added as a final touch. This is one of 

 the funeral designs by Charles Henry 

 Fox, of the Sign of the Eose, Philadel- 

 phia. PhiIi. 



SALTFORiyS NARROV STORE. 



One of the interesting features of the 

 accompanying illustration is the demon- 

 stration of what may be done in the 

 way of attractive arrangement for a 

 flower store in a long, narrow room. The 

 photograph, of course, shows the store 

 in holiday attire, but the room presents 

 little difference in general appearance at 

 any season. It will be noted that at 

 the back of the store a stairway at the 

 right leads up to the conservatory on 

 the roof. One of the interesting points 

 to the average retailer who does busi- 

 ness in a fairly prosperous community, 

 is the display made of requisites. They 

 are not put away in some store-room, 

 but are attractively arranged in the most 

 conspicuous places in the store. The 

 case of fern dishes of various styles, and 

 the collection of small Russian brass 

 plant receptacles, make many a sale 

 which would be lost if the receptacles 

 were less conspicuously displayed. The 

 office and work-room are at the rear of 

 the store. 



POTS AND POTTING. 



Qeanlng and Storing Pots. 



Under the bench is about the poorest 

 place that ean be found for storing 

 empty flower pots when not in use, but 

 nevertheless it is the only place ever 

 considered or used by most growers. 

 When wanted, the pots are full of ver- 

 min, moldy and foul smelling, usually 

 well soaked with moisture and unfit to 

 handle, to say nothing of putting plants 

 into them and expecting the plants to be 

 healthy. 



If hard pieces of the previous soil are 

 sticking to the inside, they will tear the 

 ball of soil to pieces when trying to 

 knock out the next plants that are grown 

 in them. This old soil will not soak off 

 and become a part of the fresh soil put 

 into the pot ; instead, it sticks to the pot 

 like cement. 



The best way to keep pots is to have 

 bins or stalls made in a row in the shed, 

 and, after being used once or not more 

 than twice, they should be washed as 

 carefully as the kitchen cooking utensils. 

 Plants are just as particular about hav- 

 ing clean dishes as people are. They will 

 not do well in old, sour, filthy pots. After 

 the pots are washed or before they are 

 used, they should be thoroughly dried out. 



In summer this is easy enough, but in 

 winter they must be placed on the boiler 

 or over hot pipes. 



If there is no other convenient place 

 than under the benches, the pots should 

 at least be thoroughly washed, inside and 

 out, the inside being the more particular 

 part. 



Advantage of Having Them Dry. 



A dry pot has a great advantage over 

 a wet one by being able to draw much 

 moisture from the soil at the first water- 

 ing after potting into them. This is 

 beneficial, because plants just trans- 

 planted are slightly shocked, stop grow- 

 ing somewhat, and do not require as 

 much water, so they are easily over- 



watered. All plants root better in a 

 comparatively dry soil than in a wet 

 one. Many growers soak new pots be- 

 fore potting into them, which is in most 

 cases a mistake. I like to have them 

 very dry; then, after potting, they can 

 be given a hea'^ watering, sure to reach 

 clear down, and can be watered again 

 the next day without any worry about 

 overwatering. Still, if soaked well, there 

 need be no fear but that they get enough. 

 New pots always grow better plants 

 than old ones, even if the older ones are 

 well washed and dried, and these, in 

 turn, will grow better stuff than the 

 foul, dirty ones. If anyone does not be- 

 lieve it, let him try it on one large batch 

 of plants divided into three parts, all 

 the same and potted the same day, and 

 placed on the same bench, etc. It will 

 be a lesson not to be forgotten. The im- 

 portance of cleanliness in all work about 

 the greenhouses cannot be emphasized 

 too strongly. H. G. 



SWEET PEAS. 



As the days perceptibly lengthen, sO' 

 does the cold strengthen. The increasing 

 amount of sunlight, however, already im- 

 proves the appearance of the early sweet 



The Anchor* 



