The Weekly Florists^ Review* 





AUODBT 12, 1909. 



wetting overhead occasionally, and on 

 these hot, sultry nights do much better 

 if the sashes over them are removed 

 entirely, so that they can get the refresh- 

 ing night dews. Plants wanted for 

 Christmas flowering should go into their 

 flowering pots right away. Use plenty 

 of leaf -mold in the- compost, some well 

 broken up old cow manure and sand, but 

 no chemicals. Primulas will take chem- 

 ical fertilizers at times, but in incautious 

 hands their use often injures or ruins 

 them. In potting the Chinese section, 

 see that the plants are made firm. Those 

 left too high are liable to snap off at any 

 time. Do not, however, go to the oppo- 

 site extreme and bury the leaf stalks, 

 particularly as this will merely cause 

 damping off. 



Show Pelargmiiumt* 



Show pelargoniums should have the 

 wood wen ripened now, and of a nutty 

 brown color. If any additional cuttings 

 are required, take them at once. Prune 

 the plants back to within two or three 

 inches of the previous year's growth, 

 and stand closely together on a bed of 

 ashes in a coldframe. As soon as they 

 begin to break overhaul them by shaking 

 the soil clean away from the roots and 

 shortening back the latter. Then place 

 in as small sized pots as they can be got- 

 ten into. As a rule, plants from 6-inch 

 pots will go in 4-inch, and those from 

 7-inch and 8-inch pots in 5-inch. Be 

 careful not to water much after pruning 

 the plants. An excess of moisture is 

 liable to cause them to rot. A frame is 



is now becoming well established and 

 making rapid growth. We hope you have 

 remembered to place the upright strings 

 in position before the strings become 

 entangled, for it is a heart-breaking task 

 to loosen without damaging them. 



Do not allow the surface soil to be- 

 come baked or pasty. A loosening over 

 once a week will keep the plants growing 

 nicely. During hot weather apply ven- 

 tilation freely, but keep a moist atmos- 

 phere. Use the sprayer on the plants to 

 keep spider and thrips away. In case 

 the latter should secure a foothold, use 

 a nicotine solution and wet the foliage 

 thoroughly. 



Schizanthut Wisetonensit. 



Schizanthus Wisetonensis has jumped 

 into great favor within the last two or 

 three years, and has now become quite 

 popular commercially. By making a 

 sowing now you can get nice, bushy little 

 stock for Christmas sales. Place four 

 or five seeds in 3-inch pots. Thin out 

 to three plants. Shade until the seed- 

 lings appear, and then give the fullest 

 sunlight. - Either a frame or light green- 

 house will answer well; in fact, the 

 plants can be grown outdoors until frost 

 threatens. This keeps them much stock- 

 ier. The shoots should be pinched to 

 make the plants bushy, and as they grow 

 fast, it will only be a short time before 

 they will want a shift into 5-inch pots. 

 A light, rich soil suits schizanthus. 



Paper Whites and Romans. 



Such French bulbs as Paper White nar- 



G>ncrete Bench at McCasIin Bros.> ZanesviUe, Ohio. 



the best place for pelargoniums for the 

 next six weeks. 



Smilax. 



If any bare beds or benches are still 

 at disposal, it is not too late even now 

 to plant a batch of smilax. As pre- 

 viously stated, any house which is too 

 dark for carnations or roses will answer 

 well for smilax. The early planted stock 



eissi and Boman hyacinths are now in 

 importers' hands, and a batch of each 

 should be placed in flats immediately on 

 arrival. The flowers are sometimes a 

 glut on the market, but the average 

 country florist always finds them useful 

 when he has calls for funeral work. 

 Bulbs not wanted right away should be 

 unpacked and placed in boxes in a cool, 

 dry shed or cellar. French Trumpet 



Majors can be flowered for Christmas. 

 As soon as received place them in flatb 

 four to five inches deep and stand on a 

 cellar floor. If placed in frames, mulch 

 well and cover with boards. 



Bulb Compost. 



Indications are that, owing to the cool, 

 damp summer experienced in Europe, 

 bulbs from Holland will arrive later than 

 usual. It is not too early, however, to 

 prepare the compost for them. Two- 

 thirds fibrous loam, well decayed and 

 chopped down, and one-third old cow 

 manure, with a good addition of sand, 

 will answer for about all bulbs. Spent 

 hotbed or mushroom manure answers well 

 for adding to bulb soil. Whal; they like 

 is a light, somewhat sandy ^^d moder- 

 ately rich compost. This should be mixed 

 now, and it will be in readiness for u^e 

 as soon as the bulbs arrive. 



There are likely to be less vexatious 

 delays in the custom houses this year. 

 A specified duty per thousand bulbs is 

 decidedly preferable to the previously 

 existing ad valorem one. It will also 

 give a big impetus to the importation of 

 the newer and choicer varieties of narcissi 

 and tulips. 



The Cincinnati Convention. 



All roads will shortly point to' Cincin- 

 nati, and appearances now indicate a 

 splendid convention. The number of S. 

 A. F. members proportionate to the flo- 

 rists of the country is not what it shouldl 

 be. Perhaps an increased salary to a 

 first-class, energetic secretary, which 

 would enable him to take time to visit all 

 important floricultural centers and thus 

 keep in close touch with the members, 

 might increase the membership. The good 

 the S. A. F. has done for the trade can 

 hardly be .estimated, and it merits the 

 loyal support of every florist in the land. 



All who can should try to visit Cin- 

 cinnati. No doubt most of us have al- 

 ready formed our plans, but it will be 

 money well spent to see the trade exhibit 

 and rub shoulders with . so many of the 

 leaders of the trade, to say nothing of 

 the many fine sights to be enjoyed in the 

 hospitable Ohio city. It does not pay to 

 stay at home too much. It breeds a lit- 

 tleness and self pride, which a convention 

 visit will speedily efface. Do not figure 

 up the price of the tickets and hotels as 

 money wasted. Think of the experience 

 gained, the pleasant associations formed, 

 which will linger as delightful memories^ 

 with you, and the recreation from the 

 constant wear and tear of life, which will 

 far more than outweigh any dollars ex- 

 pended. 



ANOTHER CONCRETE BENCH. 



The accompanying illustration shows a 

 concrete bench in the .course of erection 

 in the houses of McCaslin Bros., Zanes- 

 ville, O. 



Zanesville is a pottery section; the 

 principal industry of the town is the 

 manufacture of earthenware — what more 

 natural, then, than that the florists there 

 should turn their attention to the manu- 

 facturing of this kind of greenhouse 

 bench! 



McCaslin Bros, adopted the sectional 

 form of construction, manufacturing the 

 four different pieces required during 

 leisure moments in the winter, and hav- 

 ing the sections ready to set up at time 

 for replanting in the summer. They em- 

 ploy a separate mold for each piece, 

 making the legs, the crossbars, the bot- 

 tom sections and the bottom section with 



