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10 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



December 30, 1909. 



MOSCHOSMAS FOR MARKET. 



Will you tell us just how to propagate, 

 grow and handle moschosmas, and how 

 to carry over the stock? Is it profitable 

 to grow them, either as pot plants or 

 for cut flowers f N, 



Moschosmas are propagated readily 

 from the old plants. When they are 

 through flowering, the shoots, if any are 

 left, can be trimmed back almost to the 

 center stem and then the plants can be 

 set under a bench or anywhere until 

 early spring, when the eyes will begin 

 to push out. Then the old plants can 

 be taken up, repotted and watered and 

 will in the course of a few weeks throw 

 an abundance of young cutting^, which 

 will root readily in the sand in conjunc- 

 tion with roses or almost any other kind 

 of cuttings being propagated at that sea- 

 son. After they are rooted and potted 

 they can be grown outside and lifted 

 in the fall, or carried along in pots, as 

 the grower may wish. The plant is of a 



more or less branching habit, and, if it 

 is pinched once or twice in the early sum- 

 mer, will assume a graceful form. 



As to whether it is a profitable plant 

 to grow, I cannot say. Some florists who 

 sell all their own stock have written me 

 enthusiastic letters about this plant, but 

 it seems to be generally established that 

 a man growing plants for the wholesale 

 market cannot handle this plant with 

 profit, as the tiny flowers are inclined 

 to drop off if they have to be shipped 

 any long distance by express or are 

 given rough treatment. I know florists 

 who are using this in funeral work as 

 a cut flower and like it very much. 



It is one of the easiest plants to grow 

 that I know of. Neither mildew nor in- 

 sects bother it in the least degree. It 

 should not receive too much water or 

 the leaves are apt to drop, but outside 

 of that there is no trouble whatever in 

 handling it. The plant flowers naturally 

 for Christmas and, were it red instead of 

 white, would undoubtedly be largely 

 grown. Chas. H. Tottt. 



BURKI'S NOTES ON VARIETIES. 



At the greenhouses of the Pittsburg Cut 

 Flower Co., at Bakerstown, Pa., they 

 have tried almost every promising new 

 rose placed on the market, and today 

 they are down to the Killarneys, My 

 Maryland and Richmond as main crops, 

 a limited number of Bride and Brides- 

 maid and a bench of Beauty for stock 

 purposes. Mr. Burki's opinion of the 

 varieties is about as follows: 



Killarney. — The best pink rose we 

 have, and a special favorite with high- 

 class retail florists. It is healthy, vigor- 

 ous, prolific ; every bloom has a stiff, erect 

 stem, even the seconds, and they do not 

 show any of the arching or drooping 

 necks peculiar to Bride and Maid. He 

 has benches of it, all sizes from four 

 years — his original stock — to one-year 

 plants, and all in fine condition. 



White Killarney. — In every feature of 

 habit, growth and blooming, except color, 

 identical with the original Killarney. In 

 summer the white has a pinkish tinge, but 

 in winter this tint disappears altogether, 

 and the flowers are perfectly white. The 

 finest white forcing rose in existence. 



My Maryland. — Is a fine rose, but it 

 does not have the keeping qualities of 

 Killarney, It makes all flowering wood, 

 stiff and strong, and never takes mildew. 

 Further, it is a capital summer rose. 



Richmond.— Is a splendid rose, and by 

 far the best of its color, but can sell only 

 a limited number of them except at the 



holidays, and then could sell more than 

 can be grown. 



Brides and Bridesmaids. — They have 

 several benches, but they declare these 

 must go in favor of Killarneys. They do 

 not give more than forty per cent of 

 really good flowers; the seconds have 

 drooping necks "and we can't sell sec- 

 onds any more." The plants produce 

 more poor, blind wood than do the Kil- 

 larneys, and young plants raised from 

 such inferior wood cannot give as good 

 results as those from strong growthi. 



The Stott nozzle.^ — In hosing the roses 

 I observed the spray was extremely fine, 

 reaching under and over, to every part of 

 the plant. The spray was from a Stott 

 nozzle. "It is the best nozzle we ever 

 had," Mr. Burki assured me, "but we 

 can't buy it now; it isn't manufactured 

 any more; we get ours made a-purpose 

 for ourselves at the brass works in town 

 here. You need a heavy pressure of 

 water, however, to use it to advantage." 



Wm. Falconee. 



[A few weeks ago a reference to the 

 Stott nozzle brought the Review a number 

 of inquiries as to where it could be ob- 

 tained. Several of the supply houses once 

 listed it at $1 each, but it is not now of- 

 fered; however, one grower reported hav- 

 ing been able to procure the nozzle re- 

 cently from Stum'jp & Walter Co., New 

 York, who had quite a stock on hand 

 when the manufacture was discontinued, 

 and who still have a few left. Any who 

 can supply the Stott nozzle should let the 

 trade know it. — Ed.] 



Napeeville, III, — Chas. Rohr is send- 

 ing his customers a 1910 calendar with 

 his portrait on it. 



A NEV WAY TO TIE. 



Joseph Volz & Son, the growers t 

 Cincinnati, have been experimenting wii 

 the various ways of tying up such cro}. 

 as the chrysanthemum, considering th;,: 

 "all the generally followed methods ha\ • 

 consumed a large amount of time whic 

 might be employed to advantage in oth* ' 

 directions. As a result of their tria 

 they have hit upon a plan which the 

 say reduces the time required by at lea? 

 one-third. Their method, say with chry?; 

 antheraums or any similar plants, is t" 

 string one wire over each row of plant?, 

 putting it high enough so that it will ai 

 all times be well up toward the top ol' 

 the plants. On this wire they hang little 

 hooks of their own invention, putting .a 

 hook above each plant. The hook is 

 shaped like the letter S, except that the 

 top loop is bent down so that it just 

 slips over the wire easily, the lower loop 

 being bent up until it is almost closed 

 throughout its length, with a tight 

 squeeze at the extreme end. Then a string 

 or thread of any character is cut in 

 pieces which will reach from the plants 

 to the hook, A loop is tied about the 

 plant and the free end is then passed 

 over the hook attached to the wire. The 

 lower loop, being so nearly closed, grasps 

 the thread when it is pulled down into the 

 loop and holds it firmly. As the grower 

 passes along later and finds the plant 

 again needs bringing up to the perpen- 

 dicular, all he has to do is to slip the 

 string out of the loop, draw it up until 

 he has the plant where he wants it, and 

 then draw the string down into the loop 

 again, where it sticks firmly until lifted 

 once more. Quite a number of growers 

 who have visited the Volz establishment 

 will try this device next season. 



CONCRETE GREENHOUSE POSTS 



Please let me know what proportions 

 of soft coal ashes, sawdust and Atlas 

 cement to use for posts for a green- 

 house, so that I can drive nails in them. 

 I bought posts for my greenhouses five or 

 six years ago, but they are now no more, 

 and I thought I would make some myself, 

 as I wish to build another house, 28x100, 

 in the spring. C, B, W. 



The proportions for concrete posts soft 

 enough to hold nails are: Ashes, three 

 parts; sawdust, two and one-half parts; 

 cement, one part. In order to make suro, 

 it is safer to experiment by making a 

 small block as a test and, if unsatisfac- 

 tory, to add to or subtract from these 

 proportions until the proper condition is 

 attained. Ribes. 



ILLINOIS STATE ASSOCIATION. 



The advisory committee of the Illino!' 

 State Florists' Association met at tli- 

 University of Illinois, Champaign, D- 

 cember 27, to make arrangements ft ' 

 the state convention to be held there i ■ 

 February. The members of the con 

 mittee are : President, C. E. Gullett, i 

 Lincoln; vice-president, George Frank 

 of Champaign; J. C. Vaughan, Chicag" 

 W, N. Rudd, Morgan Park; F. L, Was) 

 burn, Bloomington; J. F. Ammann, Ec 

 wardsville. 



In addition to the regular progran 

 there will be a banquet in Champaig'" 

 and a trade's display, probably at th'' 

 uniyersity. This exhibition is always 'i 

 great attraction wherever the conven 

 tion is held, and promises to be better 

 than ever this year. 



