46 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



December 30, 1909. 



tacked by a fungus. "When this happened 

 the pods were doomed. It was only a 

 matter of a few days until they dropped 

 off. This remark reminds me of some- 

 thing else. After the petals dropped on 

 some varieties — notably on Earl Spencer 

 and Edrom Beauty — the young pod ap- 

 peared all right, but on the slightest 

 touch it dropped off. I remember one 

 evening William Deal and I were exam- 

 ining some rows at Mark's Tey, and he 

 remarked, "You have a good promise 

 here." I took out a pencil and walked 

 along the row, merely touching the young 

 pods with it, and quite fifty per cent of 

 them dropped. I think the abnormally 

 cold weather had much to do with this. 



Imperfect Fertilization. 



To sum up, I must put as the first and 

 foremost cause of imperfect seeding in 

 Spencer varieties the open keel in con- 

 junction with the protruding stigma, 

 otherwise imperfect fertilization ; then the 

 extreme sensitiveness of the type to ad- 

 verse weather conditions. Its very shape, 

 the large waved standard, makes it much 

 more sensitive than the old type. How 

 often have we noticed in bad weather the 

 standard almost rotting and falling down 

 and clasping the keel and pod! Sunshine 

 supervening after such conditions made 

 the standard adhere to the keel and pod 

 as if they had been glued round them, 

 and they could only be removed by being 

 pulled sharply. 



Permit me, in conclusion, to say that 

 to all but the seed grower this non-seed- 

 ing is an advantage. It means a longer 

 continued period of bloom, and this must 

 enhance the value of the sweet pea as a 

 decorative object. The consolation I 

 would offer the seed grower is this : The 

 choicest things in the world — the things 

 most worth having — are the things most 

 difficult to get. Nature seems to decide 

 for us that the more perfect we make her 

 productions from our point of view, the 

 more difficulty we shall encounter in re- 

 producing them. This law holds good 

 right through the floral world. 



HOW BEANS ARE HANDLED. 



When the crops of beans are ripe for 

 the harvest the vines are pulled and 

 thrown into rows. They are raked into 

 piles, and then go to the bean threshing 

 machine, and from the machine they pour 

 into the bags, and when the farmer 

 thinks he needs the money they are 

 brought to market. The beans are 

 emptied from the bags into big bins, 

 usually located, for convenience, in the 

 basement. From the basement they are 

 hoisted by bean elevators to the top 

 floors, and by gravity they flow to the 

 cleaning machines on the second floor, 

 and then, with all the sand and dirt and 

 dust removed, they drop again to the 

 batement. When the cleaned beans are 

 to be hand-picked they are elevated a 

 second time to the top floor, and this time 

 go into big hoppers from which radiate 

 many pipes to the picking tables. The 

 picking tables are probably a foot wide, 

 of a height convenient for a girl to sit 

 at, and the top, instead of being solid, 

 is a canvas belt, which by means of 

 rollers beneath is made to move steadily 

 toward the girl seated in front. The 

 beans from the big hopper near the roof 

 flow down through the pipes to the little 

 hoppers just above the center of the 

 tables. From the little hoppers the beans 

 feed upon the endless belts, carrying 

 them for inspection before the quick eyes 

 and nimble fingers of the girl picker. 

 The girl notes the discolored, broken 



Dreer's Double Petunias 



OUR DOUBLE PETUNIAS, for more than half a centurv, have been the 

 acknowledged standard. The strain thin season is equal in high quality to its 

 predecessors, and is well known to the trade. 



We offer 16 distinct varieties, in strong, 3-inch pots, which will quickly 

 furnish an abundance of cuttings. Strong, 3-inch pots, 76c per doz.; $6.00 per 

 100; the set of 15 for $1.00. 



Seed of our SUPERB STRAIN OF FRINGED PETUNIAS. Double. 



75c per 500 seeds; $1.60 per 1000 seeds. Sing^le, 50c per trade pkt.; $1.00 per 

 1-16 oz.; $1.50 per >^ oz. 



Oar Quarterly Wholesale Price List, issued January Ist, offers a 

 full line of seasonable Plants, Seeds and Bulbs. 



Henry A. Dreer, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



FLORISTS' FLOWER SEEDS 



Trade pkt. of about 1000 seeds. Oz. 



Aster— Extra Early Hobenzollern. white, rose, The Bride $0.20 f 1.00 



Carlson's BranchinK (InTlncible), white, lavender, pink, crimson, purple 20 1.00 



fllant Comet, The Bride, rose, yellow, blue, white, peach blo8»om 20 1.00 



Vick's Branching;, white, lavender, light blue, purple, crimson, pink, rose 20 1.00 



Queen of the Market, white, pink, light blue 10 .60 



American Beauty 20 1.50 



Lavender Oem 20 l.RO 



Snowdrift 20 1.50 



Antirrhinum— Oiant, white, striped, scarlet, yellow, garnet .. .10 .40 



Panay-Ourrip's International mixture i80Z.,$1.26; .60 8.00 



Giant Florists' Mixture ^s oz., .60; .85 4.00 



Salvia— Splendens 15 1.00 



Bonfire 25 2.00 



Zurich 26 2.60 



Verbena— Mammoth, white, pink, purple, blue, yellow, scarlet 20 1.00 



Send for new Catalogue and Trade Price List. 



CURRIE BROS. CO., Seedsmen and Florists, MILWAUKEE, WIS. 



Mention The Review when you write 



BRiuuNT^sTRAiN Mommoth Verbena 



Unexcelled in size, distinctive markings, and wide range of rich colors. 



Pink, Purple, Scarlet, Striped and Wliite large trade pkt., 80c; per oz., $1..^^ 



Brilliant Mixed large trade pkt., 25c; per oz., 100 



Write for ova Florists' Wholesale CatalOKue, Just Issued. 



JOHNSON SEED CO., 217 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Bridgeman's Seed Warehouse 



■stahllshed 1824. RICHARDS BROS., Props. 



Importers and <3rowers of Hlsh-crade 



SEEDS, BULBS, PLANTS, Etc. 



87 Bast 19tli Street, Telephone 4285 Gramercy NEW YORK CITY 



Dutch Bulbs, French Bulbs, Freesia, 

 Easter Lilies, in Stock Now. 



■. ■. BIBfllBAGO.. 70 Warns St.. Haw Terk 



Mention The Review when you write. 



BURNETT BROS. 



SEEDS :: BULBS :: PLANTS 

 7» Cortlandt St. NKW TOBK CTTT 



Mention The Review when you write. 



. ^». si^j •. . 



^W .* , 4.-S ..,*,> i^3^ 



