August 26, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



u 



an early spring rather than a winter 

 crop. In many cases the former pays 

 fully as well as the latter. Plants should 

 not now be pinched again where Christ- 

 mas flowers are wanted. They should 

 be allowed to dry out well between each 

 watering, be syringed freely to keep bug 

 in check and given a night temperature 

 of not less than 70 degrees at this sea- 

 son. The roots will be seen running all 

 over the surface of the beds, which we 

 like to see. Where they show too prom- 

 inently, scatter a little loam over them, 

 but do not use any fertilizer in it. Your 

 plants do not want and must not have 

 any feeding for a long time. Ventilate 

 quite freely during the day, but bottle 

 up the sun-heat about the middle of the 

 afternoon, after damping the house thor- 

 oughly. 



Euphorbia Jacquiniaeflora 



Euphorbia jacquiniaeflora has come 

 back into some of its former popularity 

 within the last two or three years. It is 

 an excellent seller at Christmas, its cheer- 

 ful color proving attractive. We like 

 to grow six or eight plants to a pot. 

 One six inches in diameter will hold six 

 plants nicely, running them up to a 

 single stem each. If these can be placed 

 in a frame, plunged to the brims in 

 leaves or ashes, kept close to the light 

 and closed up about 4 o'clock each aft- 

 ernoon, they will make capital plants in 

 a few weeks. They can be grown out- 

 doors altogether, but we find frame cul- 



Lycatte Skinaeri. 



ture even better than that of the green- 

 house or open air. Place the plants in a 

 warm greenhouse about the end of Sep- 

 tember — 60 degrees at night is about 

 right — and they will be in full flower for 



[Continued on page 42] 



LYCASTE SKINNERI. 



Lycaste Skinneri is one of the oldest 

 and most popular of Guatemalan orchids, 

 having been in cultivation nearly seventy 

 years. Thirty years ago any orchid col- 

 lection, no matter how small, would con- 

 tain one or more plants of this lycaste, 

 and it was one of the first orchids the 

 writer made the acquaintance of. It is 

 not now seen so much as many other or- 

 chids, not being classed as a commercial 

 variety, but no orchid grown makes a 

 finer or more lasting show while in 

 bloom. The individual flowers keep in 

 good condition twelve to fifteen weeks, 

 longer than any other orchid, with the 

 possible exception of Cymbidium Lowi- 

 anum. 



The fiowers of L. Skinneri are as much 

 as six inches across and vary in color 

 from pure white in alba to pure white 

 sepals and petals, with heavily blotched 

 rosy lips, as in the type. The scapes 

 are usually ten to twelve inches high 

 and several are produced from each of 

 the new bulbs. The bulbs are quite 

 large, dark green, and the solitary leaves 

 are long and dark green, similar to those 

 on some of the calanthes, but with much 

 more substance, more like those of the 

 anguloas. 



Lycaste Skinneri succeeds well in an 



intermediate temperature, but can be suc- 

 cessfully grown in an ordinary green- 

 house in a compost of fern fiber and 

 sphagnum. Pots are the best receptacles 

 to grow them in, and during the growing 

 season an abundant water supply is re- 

 quired. The flowering season is from 

 December to May. W. N. Craig. 



SEASONABLE ORCHID NOTES. 



Gielogyne Cristata. 



What a grand old orchid is Coelogyne 

 cristata! Even with the addition of 

 multitudes of hybrids and new introduc- 

 tions from abroad, it holds its place as 

 one of the most useful sorts in cultiva- 

 tion. What a glorious sight a well-flow- 

 ered pan or basket makes, and how valu- 

 able it is to the man who has design 

 work to make up! C. cristata is not 

 what can be termed a tropical orchid. 

 It resents forcing at any period, and is 

 one of the varieties which cannot be 

 hurried into flower. The growths are 

 now about half completed, and the bulbs 

 at the base just starting to swell out. 

 An abundant water supply is now essen- 

 tial, and, in the case of well established 

 plants, cow manure water in addition 

 once in eight or ten days will be found 

 helpful. A syringing overhead each 



afternoon, unless the weather is dull, is 

 also relished by the plants, which can be 

 just as well grown in a frame as a 

 greenhouse during the summer months, 

 provided the glass is shaded well and 

 congenial atmospheric conditions pro- 

 vided. 



TWELVE BEST PEONIES. 



The European trade papers are featur- 

 ing the selection of the twelve best peo- 

 nies as made by R. Whytte, the Canadian 

 grower who visited most of the leading 

 European peony growers last season. Mr. 

 Whytte 's list of the best dozen sorts is as 

 follows: 



Viscount de Fonceville — Large pink, 

 fine form. 



Mde. D. Galhau — Large pink, extra. 



Festiva Maxima — Fine, white tipped 

 carmine. 



Floral Treasure — Soft rose, fragrant, 

 free bloomer. 



Asa Gray — Salmon-pink, very large, 

 free bloomer. 



Claire Dubois — Light rose, large, free 

 bloomer. 



Ella Christine Kelway — Extra fine pink, 

 large, flat, large petals, sweet. 



Baroness Schrceder — Pale pink to cream, 

 large guards, perfumed. 



Miss Salway — White, primrose guards, 

 large, flne center, perfumed. 



Bunch of Perfume — Rich deep pink, 

 large, double, perfumed. 



Rubra Superba — Purplish crimson, free 

 bloomer. 



Bath, N. Y.— The Bath Floral Co. 

 opened its second annual carnival on the 

 evening of August 10 at the Presbyte- 

 rian church. One of the out-of-town ex- 

 hibitors was Henry A. Dreer, who had 

 three large tanks of water lilies from all 

 parts of the world. 



Green Bay, Wis. — Carl Meier has 

 been making improvements of an exten- 

 sive character both in the growing and 

 selling ends of his business. An addition 

 to his greenhouses, near Woodlawn cem- 

 etery, has just been completed. It is 

 24x150, equipped with hot water heat, 

 and constructed by Contractor Herman 

 Nitz. At his downtown office an addition 

 20x40 is under construction and will be 

 finished in about a month. This exten- 

 sion will have glass roof and sides, af- 

 fording a good sized display space. 



