Dbcdmbeb 16, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



31 



A Nearer View of the Flower Market in the City of Mexico. 



Materials and Prices. 



"The City of Mexico is by no means 

 flowerless; there is a surprising variety 

 of stock and much of it is of excellent 

 quality. In July I saw the design-makers 

 using American Beauties, roses, carna- 

 tions, chrysanthemums, violets, pansies, 

 sweet peas, marguerites, Shasta daisies 

 and several varieties of lilies. The Beau- 

 ties and Killarney were especially good. 



"The designs are all topped beauti- 

 fully and most of them are quite artistic. 

 The wreath seems to be the favorite 

 piece, being most frequently seen mount- 

 ed on an easel. 



' * The Mexican market florists never ex- 

 pect to get the price first asked. I saw 

 the sale of a design that the man first 

 asked $15 for that finally went for $2.50. 

 I priced a design, beautifully made, six 

 feet high, a wreath on an easel, with an 

 anchor worked in on each side of the 

 center, the first price asked being $10. 

 This was in Mexican currency, which, in 

 our money, would be $5. It was a de- 

 sign that in any first-class American city 

 could not be bought for less than $50. 



Many Uses for Designs. 



"These designs are used in the City 

 of Mexico for all sorts of purposes. They 

 not only use them for funerals, but on 

 old graves as well as new. Just as north- 

 em people take flowers to the cemetery 

 on Memorial day, the Mexicans take de- 

 signs on saints' days, on anniversaries of 

 all kinds. It is only for this reason that 

 the market people can find a steady sale 

 for their ready-made designs. 



' ' The largest florists ' store in the City 

 of Mexico had only foliage plants and 

 seeds for sale at the time of my visit. 

 The plants were surprisingly expensive 

 in comparison to the cheapness of the 

 designs in the market. The average 

 price of the plants in the store was $25. 

 All the cut flowers used in the city are 

 sold in the market and on a few small 

 street stands." 



SVEET PEAS NOT BLOOMING. 



My sweet peas are six to eight feet 

 high, but have produced few blooms. 

 The soil consists of one part rotted cow 

 manure to four parts soil. What should 

 I feed to make them bloom? E. C. 



Possibly you may not be growing the 

 right winter blooming varieties. Such 

 sorts as Earliest of All, Mont Blanc, 

 Florence Denzer and Watchung ought to 

 flower when half the height of your 

 plants. Your soil is all right, and feed- 

 ing ought not to be necessary if the soil 

 is of good depth. I presume you are 

 growing in solid beds; benches give 

 shorter growth and somewhat earlier flow- 

 ers in midwinter, but the quality is in- 

 ferior. A night temperature of 48 to 

 50 degrees is about right. Feed with 

 liquid cow manure when the plants really 

 require it. A top-dressing of pulverized 

 sheep manure is also good. A dressing 

 of fine bone is also helpful, but should 

 not be applied until later in the season. 

 This can be hoed or lightly forked in. 



C. W. 



HOUSES FOR ROSES. 



I have two houses, each 16x100, with 

 no division between them. They are 

 heated by hot water. Could roses be 

 grown profitably in these, and if so, 

 what would be the most profitable va- 

 riety or varieties to grow? What is the 

 best time of the year for planting them? 

 I am located in Pennsylvania. E. C. 



If you have no special experience in 

 rose culture, we would advise against 

 planting the houses to this flower. The 

 growing of roses successfully has been 

 merged more and more into the hands 

 of £rge specialists, and flowers such as 

 you could probably produce would not 

 compare favorably with these in quality. 

 Of course, if you have a good local trade 

 and could use the flowers as produced, 

 you might be able to make a little money, 

 but even then, with good shipping facili- 

 ties from the big centers, you could, I 

 think, buy them cheaper than you could 

 grow them. Killarney is the most gen- 

 erally popular rose; both the white and 

 pink are persistent bloomers. 



Your houses would grow carnations 

 well and there would be more money in 

 these for you than in roses, there being 

 less liability of failure. Violets, bulbous 

 stock, chrysanthemums and other stock 

 could be grown successfully in tha 

 houses named and we think would earn 

 you more money than the roses. 



C. W. 



The Review sends Smith's Mum Man- 

 ual on receipt of 40 cents. 



Scenes in the Flower Market in the City of Mexico. 



