H 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Dbcbmbbb 9, 1909. 



than words, the accompanying illustra- 

 tions will give the untraveled an idea of 

 what is now required in a first-class 

 flower store in the Pacific coast states. 

 This is the new store of the Spokane 

 Florist Co., Spokane, "Wash., photo- 

 graphed on the day of its recent opening. 



The store is equipped with mirrors on 

 both sides, with a large one in the en- 

 trance and in the rear of the window, 

 overhead. On the opening day there 

 were shown a Thanksgiving table, a 

 mantel decoration and a number of speci- 

 men designs and basket arrangements, 

 besides vases of fine specimen chrysan- 

 themums, of which the most prominent 

 were Maud Dean, Madonna, Chadwick, 

 Eaton and Golden Wedding. Among the 

 roses most used were Beauties, Kate 

 Moulton and Richmond. The Thanksgiv- 

 ing decoration was done in apples, ears 

 of corn, sprays of wheat, smilax and 

 Eaton mums. Candles and yellow chif- 

 fon bows completed the scheme. The 

 mantel decoration was done in the same 

 chrysanthemums, with their long stems 

 in graceful vases. A decorated gilt mir- 

 ror was especially good. The decoration 

 was a group of three gilded magnolia 

 wreaths hung over one of the upper 

 corners, with a large spray of huckle- 

 berry. 



tions made suggestive decorative and gift 

 pieces. Among the plants were choice 

 cyclamens and Simon Mardner azaleas. A 

 suggestive wall decoration of gilded pine 

 cones in a conventional festoon was one 

 of the best features. 



Music was furnished by an orchestra 

 in the balcony. Mr. Kipp was well 

 pleased with the attendance and the re- 

 sults of his efforts. 



DOBBS' DESIGNS. 



Wm. G. Dobbs, proprietor of the busi- 

 ness conducted as Dobbs & Son, Auburn, 

 N. Y., stands in the accompanying illus- 

 tration showing two of the designs re- 

 cently turned out in his establishment. 

 These designs are of interest as showing 

 the character of work the average florist 

 in a small city is called on to do time 

 after time, though in this case the size 

 of the pieces was greater than usual. 



AVERAGE PRICES. 



I want to make an average price for 

 standard varieties of carnations and vio- 

 lets to a prospective retail customer for 

 the season. Can you suggest a reason- 

 able figure? J. M. 



If this question is correctly read, this 



Designs by Dobbs & Son, Auburn, N. Y. 



Among the designs were a harp of 

 gilded magnolia leaves on a base of long- 

 stemmed Yellow Batons, and a broken 

 wheel made solid with Enchantress car- 

 nations, with a spray of valley on one 

 side of the rim and a loose cluster of 

 Bride roses on the opposite side. A 

 number of dainty hampers and handle 

 baskets in valley, violets and pink carna- 



stock is to be sold at retail. In that case 

 it should not be diflScult to set a price 

 for the season. Most retailers maintain 

 fairly uniform prices, regardless of the 

 fluctuations of wholesale prices, so that 

 all one has to do is to name about his 

 usual retail price. He may not make 

 much at holiday time, but he will average 

 up in spring. 



If the all-season price is to be estab- 

 lished between grower and retailer, that 

 is another matter. In such a case many 

 factors would enter, but the grade of 

 stock would be the chief consideration. 

 Where one grower's carnations might 

 be worth a 4 cent average, another's 

 would not bring half that. 



SALE OF COMPOST. 



In the Eeview of November 18, page 

 12, F. A. Forbes inquires about the sell- 

 ing of compost in small quantities for 

 potting house plants. In reply to his 

 question, I might say that it all depends 

 upon the size of the city and the mode 

 of procuring the ingredients of the com- 

 post. Our firm is located in a town of 

 about 10,000 inhabitants and our soil 

 costs nothing except for the hauling. At 

 first we sold it at 15 cents per bushel, 

 later at 20 cents and at present we get 

 25 cents. This, however, only pays for 

 the trouble of delivering it, but as the 

 people have better results from their 

 plants with our compost than with their 

 own, they are encouraged to buy more 

 plants. Thus the accommodation pays. 

 C. F. C. 



SMILAX AND PLUMOSUS. 



Will you kindly give me some advice 

 on growing smilax and Asparagus plu- 

 mosus for sprays? When and how should 

 they be started, and when planted to bed 

 or bench? How much manure should be 

 used at planting time, and how much and 

 how often thereafter? What kind of 

 manure or phosphate is preferable? 

 When and how long should the plants 

 have a rest? When should they be 

 syringed, if at all? Do you shade in 

 summer, and if so, what do you use and 

 when do you put it on? Does smiiaz 

 grow faster if syringed every few days? 

 Any other information you can give me 

 will be thankfully received. B. J. P. 



The solid bed system is the one most 

 used for the culture of both smilax and 

 Asparagus plumosus, but with this differ- 

 ence, namely, that many growers prefer 

 to replant smilax each year, or at most 

 to run it for two seasons and then re- 

 plant, while Asparagus plumosus may be 

 grown for eight or ten years from the 

 ane planting, provided the bed is deep 

 enough and the compost rich enough to 

 bear the strain of production for so long 

 a period. 



Smilax is grown from seed sown in 

 January or February, shifted on into 

 3-inch pots as the young plants need it, 

 and planted out about 8x10 inches apart 

 in the bed in July. A temperature of 60 

 degrees at night is required to keep the 

 plants in growing condition, and the soil 

 should be composed of four parts of 

 good loam to one part of old cow manure. 

 A depth of six to eight inches of this 

 compost is required in the bed. 



Thorough syringing should be given to 

 both smilax and asparagus on every 

 bright day, in order to keep down thrips 

 and red spider, and at times it may b© 

 necessary to give a dusting with insect 

 po'gfder in order to destroy caterpillars. 



Asparagus plants should be good, 

 strong stock from 4-inch pots at the time 

 of planting, and should be planted in a 

 greater depth of soil than the smilax. 

 Some growers make the beds two feet 

 deep and give a liberal coating of manure 

 in the bottom, over the drainage mate- 

 rial, the latter being composed of brick- 

 bats, cinders or stone. A similar com- 

 post to that suggested for smilax will 



