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Fkbrcauv 4, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



13 



Unique Store of Harry J. Hoffmeir, New York City. 



twice a day is given for the first two or 

 three weeks, but care should be taken 

 not to overwater the plants in the early 

 stages of growth. We have known many 

 cases where plants have died from an ex- 

 cess of moisture at the roots before they 

 had started to grow. The varieties 

 Sanderiana and Cypheri are the best for 

 pot culture, glabra being splendid as a 

 climber or pillar plant. 



Ampeloptis Veitchii. 



Retail florists always have a call for 

 ])lants of Boston ivy, as this pretty 

 ampelopsis is popularly called. It is not 

 possible to get plants of suflBcient 

 strength to sell the first season, but it 

 will well repay anyone to raise a batch 

 of seedlings and grow them on for next 

 year 's trade. Sow the seed in flats, as 

 you would stocks or asters. They are of 

 easy germination. Transplant into other 

 flats and later either plant out in the 

 field or. better still, pot off singly and 

 plunge in a frame for the summer, where 

 you can give them an occasional water- 

 ing. The price you can ask for these 

 ampelopsis will repay you for the work 

 of carrying them over winter. 



Gladiolus The Bride. 



It is time to get a batch of Gladiolus 

 The Bride into heat. A warm house is 

 not to their liking; 50 to 52 degrees at 

 night is as high as it is safe to grow 

 them. As their flats are now a perfect 

 mass of roots, see that they get abun- 

 dant supplies of water. A little cow 

 manure water once a week may also be 

 given. Similar treatment may be given 

 any of the other early forcing varieties 

 of gladioli, but be sure they have plenty 

 of roots and have the tops nicely startcl 

 before placing them in lieat. 



Crotons and Dracaenas. 



The present is an opportune time to 

 overhaul crotons and dracsenaa and do 

 any potting or topdressing needed. If 

 you have not put in a good crop of cut- 

 tings, do so without delay. Leggy plants 

 of both crotons and colored leaved 

 draceenas are often propagated by moss- 

 ing and rooting the tops by what is com- 

 monly termed the "ringing" process. 

 The same mode of propagation is much 

 used in the case of Ficus elastica. All 

 that is necessary is to partly cut through 

 the stem with a sharp knife, push a 

 toothpick in to keep the cut open and 

 then tie a handful of moss firmly and 

 evenly around the incision and keep the 

 moss constantly moist, cutting off and 

 potting the tops as soon as roots appear 

 in the moss. In the hot summer months 

 ficus root quickly treated thus, but they, 

 with crotons, dracaenas, dieifenbachias and 

 some few other warm house plants, can 

 be readily rooted in winter or spring in 

 the same way. A warm, moist house is 

 of course necessary for successful propa- 

 gation. 



Hybrid Perpetual Roses. 



If wanted for Easter, it is now time 

 to prune and start your hybrid perpetual 

 roses in a cool house. Give a tempera- 

 ture of 40 to 45 degrees until the plants 

 are breaking freely; then advance it 5 

 degrees. Ventilate carefully, in order 

 that mildew may not get any foothold on 

 J cur plants. Stock which was potted 

 last fall will give much better results 

 than such as are potted now. The de- 

 mand for hybrid roses is not what it used 

 to be; more is the pity. The advent, 

 first, of Crimson Rambler, and of late 

 \cars a host of other climbers of that 

 ! type, wliich make excellent pot plants, 

 ' has nuuli to do with the lessened culture 



of the hybrid perpetuals. Nevertheless, 

 nicely flowered pots are acceptable at 

 Easter, but it requires considerable close 

 figuring and watching to time them ex- 

 actly right, as much depends on the 

 weather. 



GUDE'S CAMPAIGN LITERATUBE. 



In the recent election of the Chamber 

 of Commerce, Washington, D. C, Wm. 

 F. Gude and A. Moses were the opposing 

 candidates for president until the fol- 

 lowing poem was circulated by the sup- 

 porters of Mr. Gude. They will tell you, 

 ' ' On the dead, now, there was nothing 

 to it after that." 



A stranger stood witliiu our gatfs; 



He queried, soft and low: 

 •'Wliat means the almost solemn iiir 



I meet, where'er I go?" 

 Why, we're all dead; the Tradesman said. 



And all we need is flowers 

 To strew on our commercial corpse — • 



\ Florist, please, for ours. 



.No second Moses do s\'e need. 



To show the promised land. 

 No .\aron's rod to tap trade roclis. 



That lie close to our hand. 

 So let us slumber on and on. 



Through all the happy liours; 

 No hustling Moses need apply — 



A Klorist, please, for ours. 



After the vote was counted s-ome kind 

 friend patronized a florist and sent Mr. 

 Moses a beautiful funeral wreath. 



Haddon Heights, N. J. — R. Pabst is 

 erecting three more houses, each 20x80. 



New Castle, Ind. — Wm. Dittmann 

 has gone to Tavares, Fla., for a month's 

 vacation, accompanied by his son. 



Mason City, Ia. — Edward Curtis, of 

 the Curtis Floral Co., of Hampton, has 

 located in this city and will run a flower 

 store here, under the name of the Mason 

 Citv Floral Co. 



