DECEMBEB 30, 1909. The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



CARNATION NOTES.-EAST. 



New Varieties. 



The year 1910 promises to open with 

 about the usual number of aspirants to 

 commercial success in the carnation field, 

 and it would seem, from the reputed par- 

 entage of these new introductions, that 

 we have an excellent list to choose from. 

 Much, however, depends on the manner in 

 which new varieties are handled in their 

 changed surroundings. This is fully as 

 important, probably, as the treatment re- 

 ceived at the hands of the introducer 

 before and during dissemination. But the 

 question at present is, what to purchase. 



It might be said that one could not go 

 far wrong with any in the list, and every 

 grower would perhaps be pleased to in- 

 clude all new ones sent out each year, 

 but this is not only impossible, but really 

 impractical from a commercial point of 

 view. It is impossible because the aver- 

 age grower cannot afford it at the price. 

 That is, he is unable to purchase a larger 

 quantity of each than would merely suf- 

 fice to satisfy his curiosity, and when this 

 has been accomplished he is still without 

 sufficient stock from which to propagate 

 in quantity, thus revealing the imprac- 

 tical side. 



When and What to Buy. 



It does not pay to grow too many 

 varieties; the producer of cut flowers 

 must be prepared to furnish blooms of 

 a color and form in considerable quan- 

 tity, which requires relatively large blocks 

 of few varieties rather than a large as- 

 sortment of kinds with a smaller propor- 

 tion of each. 



To my mind, the matter of what to 

 purchase revolves on the question of what 

 one needs, rather than what may be de- 

 sired. Wide-awake growers cannot fail 

 to perceive deterioration in a variety as 

 soon as it begins; neither can the fact 

 escape his notice when a variety's popu- 

 larity begins to wane. Then we would 

 say there was need of a purchase. It f ol- 

 l«iW8 that it is not advisable to wait until 

 the variety to be displaced is down and 

 yut, but start at once the building up of 

 'I stock of your own propagation. This 

 will require at least 250 plants, if one 

 jvishes to avoid the disadvantages of 

 ;'(?ing obliged to use everything that it 

 ■■■' possible to root and the resultant evils 



of 



overpropagation. 



Make Haste Slowly. 



. Without the least desire to criticise the 

 ^- jr^'Juction price of new varieties or the 

 y^'iability of our worthy disseminators, 

 ^ IS my advice to the grower who feels 



unwarranted in purchasing 250 cuttings 

 at from $75 to $100 per thousand, that 

 he delay the matter for a year. 



"We should not lose sight of the fact 

 that if a variety proves to possess real 

 merit or superiority over others, these 

 qualities are certain to be discovered. 

 There need be no anxiety on the part of 

 the disseminator as to the ultimate result 

 of his venture. The grower can rest as- 

 sured that all the revenue from a good 

 sort cannot be gotten in one year, and he 

 need not experience any guiltiness of con- 

 science, as if he were necessarily behind 

 the times. 



The foregoing presents, of course, only 

 the hard, practical business side of the 

 matter and must not be taken in any 

 sense as intended to discourage the pur- 

 chase of new varieties. Bather let us 

 hope that the holiday returns may pro- 

 vide the means. Geo. S. Osborn. 



POLLWORTH'S PERFECTION. 



The C. C. PoUworth Co., Wilwaukee, 

 has had an exceptionally successful 

 season to date with its carnations. The 

 accompanying illustration shows its 

 house of White Perfection, photographed 

 just before Christmas. 



Another interesting feature of the pic- 

 ture, besides the crop of bloom, is the 



main flow pipe shown crossing the house. 

 Two of these large flows run across the 

 range, giving excellent control of the 

 heat. The pipes are heavily covered with 

 asbestos, so that there is little heat given 

 off from them. 



DOUBLE PETUNIAS FOR SPRING. 



Will double petunias come double from 

 seed and make good plants for spring 

 trade if planted now? F. 0. A. 



Seeds of the double petunias are se- 

 cured by hybridization, but only a small 

 proportion of them can be depended upon 

 to come double. If you have plants of 

 good doubles, propagation by cuttings is 

 the only way to perpetuate them. If you 

 decide to purchase the best quality of 

 so-called double seed, be sure when prick- 

 ing off the seedlings to take special care 

 of the smaller and weaker ones, as these 

 are more likely to be double than the vig- 

 orous ones. If you start your petunia 

 seed in January, you will have large, 

 stocky plants for spring sales. C. W. 



Kansas City, Mo. — The Alpha Floral 

 Co., at Eleventh and Walnut streets, has 

 purchased an elegant, full paneled deliv- 

 ery truck from the Kansas City Bapid 

 Motor & Transportation Co. 



White Perfection at Establishment of the C. C. PoUworth Co.^ Milwaukee. 



