-;-»-, -V*!'^^. 



u 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



February 10, 191ii 



batch of ten weeks' stocks for flowering 

 at Memorial day. The choicer the strain, 

 the less liability there will be of an over- 

 whelming preponderance of singles. 

 White, lavender, blue and scarlet are the 

 most desirable colors to grow. Sow the 

 seed in a warm house, but remove to 

 cooler quarters soon after germination. 

 Stocks, if grown warm, will be lanky 

 and valueless. At all stages of growth 

 they want cool treatment and an abun- 

 dance of fresh air. 



Lilium Candidum. 



The Madonna lily is less of a factor 

 now at Easter than some years ago. This 

 is largely due to the growers purchasing 

 the old and worthless type, which makes 

 big bulbs and has narrow foliage, weak 

 stems and poor flowers. The broad- 

 leaved variety is so superior to the other 

 type that no one who has once grown it 

 will ever want to see the other again. 

 If you can see the buds peeping in the 

 ends of the shoots of your candidums 

 by February 20, you can have them in 

 flower by giving them an average night 

 temperature of 60 degrees. This is 

 rather warm treatment for this lily, but 

 as Easter comes unusually early, it is 

 necessary to subject it to harder forcing 

 than usual. Feed the plants liberally, as 

 they are stronger rooting subjects than 

 the longiflorums. Do not allow any aphis 

 to get a foothold on the plants. A spray- 

 ing with a nicotine solution once a week 

 will keep these pests in the background. 



Genistaf. 



Genistas do not take kindly to forcing. 

 The cooler they are grown the better. 

 Presuming that the plants wanted for 

 Easter have been stored in a cold cellar 

 or pit and kept just clear of freezing, 

 they should be moved into a cool green- 

 house about February 15. They will not 

 require a higher night temperature than I 

 45 degrees. The warmer they are grown, 

 the more speedily will the flowers shake 

 off and fade. They can hardly be over- 

 watered, and it is important that there 

 be no opportunity for them to dry out, 

 as one thorough drying means that the 

 plants might just as well be thrown on 

 the rubbish heap. 



Ficus Elastica. 



If there are any old plants of Ficus 

 elastica carrying an abundance of cut- 

 tings, it is a good time now to root a 

 number of them. A month ago would 

 have been even better, but with a good 

 bottom heat possible for some weeks yet, 

 there will be no trouble in rooting them. 

 A good plan is to put each cutting in a 

 2-inch or 2^ -inch pot, filled with sphag- 

 num and sand. Tie up the leaves, so 

 that they will go closer in the propa- 

 gating bed. Plunge to the brim in sand. 

 Soak well and keep watered right along. 

 Of course there should be no sun al- 

 lowed to strike them, and the brisker the 

 bottom heat the quicker they will root. 

 In summer the ringing method of propa- 

 gation is to be preferred, but at this sea- 

 son we find the other plan better and we 

 lose very few cuttings. Choose the warm- 

 est part of the propagating bench and 

 do not be afraid to keep it well soaked 

 with water. 



Adiantumg. 



It is a good plan, when the fronds have 

 been pretty well cleaned off any of the 

 adiantum plants, to cut off the balance 

 and keep the pots tolerably dry for two 

 or three weeks. A rest always makes 



them start away more vigorously and 

 any repotting required can be done dur- 

 ing the resting period. A favorite 

 practice is to divide the plants when 

 they have become unwieldy. We have 

 never found that these divisions make 

 nearly so good plants as such as are 

 grown from seedlings. It is a mistake 

 to suppose that peat in any form is re- 

 quired for adiantums. They grow far 

 better in good fibrous loam to which has 

 been added some leaf-mold, spent hotbed 

 manure and sand, and when the pots are 

 well filled with roots a watering with 

 cow or sheep manure once in eight or 

 ten days will greatly benefit them. These 

 remarks refer principally to A. cuneatum, 

 A. gracillimum, A. hybridum and that 

 useful variety, A. Croweanum. 



Show Pelargonium t. 



With the lengthening days and in- 

 creased solar heat, show pelargoniums 

 are making rapid headway and will re- 

 quire quite frequent spacing. Unless 

 wanted in flower late, pinching should 

 now be discontinued. Potting should be 

 attended to. It is not a good plan to 

 permit the plants to become potbound 

 before shifting them. It is surprising 

 how speedily they will get into that con- 

 dition, unless carefully watched. For a 

 final potting, a compost containing two- 

 thirds turfy loaiii, one-third old cow 

 manure and a 4-inch pot of fine bone to 

 each two bushels of soil, answers well. 

 Drain efficiently and ram the soil in the 

 pots firmly. Grow cool and airy. Spray 

 once a week with a nicotine solution, and 

 you should have some splendid plants for 

 May sales. Do not do any propagating 

 now; the proper time is in August. 



TEXAS HANDICAPS FLORISTS. 



Restricts Supplies of Its Citizens. 



The Commissioner of Agriculture of 

 the State of Texas, that great common- 

 wealth in which all-wise solons once 

 passed a law decreeing that railroad 

 trains must under no circumstances be 

 more than a half hour late, has under- 

 taken the enforcing of a legislative en- 

 actment which will put the florists of the 

 state to great inconvenience. The law, 

 in brief, is interpreted to provide that 

 shipments of greenhouse plants originat- 

 ing outside the State can not be ad- 

 mitted to the State unless the shipper 

 has first filed with the Texas authorities 

 a certificate of inspection and paid a 

 license fee of $5. 



The florists in the State of Texas never 

 have been able to grow all the stock they 

 need, and doubtless never will be able to 

 make supply fit the varying demand, any 

 more than the florists of other States are 

 able to do, and the effect of the law as 

 interpreted will be to handicap the citi- 

 zens of the State, rather than to help or 

 protect them. 



The act in question is the Orchard and 

 Nursery Inspection Law, passed March 

 11, 1909, but it is only recently that at- 

 tempt has been made to enforce its pro- 

 visions as against florists. Now those 

 who ship greenhouse plants from outside 

 of Texas to florists in that State re- 

 ceive letters from tlie Commissioner of 

 Agriculture similar to the following: 



Information has come to this office that you 

 hare made a shipment of floral plants, or nurs- 

 ery stock, to Texas, without shipping tag show- 

 ing a printed copy of the Texas permit authoriz- 

 ing you to transact business in this state. 



I am enclosing you a copy of the Texas 

 Orchard and Nursery Inspection Law, which 

 you will please read carefully. 



I beg to advise you that any further ship- 



up 

 ■avf 

 i>ec 

 lion 

 this 



win 



VQU 



lore 

 '>re- 

 uly 



■'ar 



lire 



ments received In this state will be hi- 

 subject to Inspection. All express agents 

 been notified to that effect, and any such i. 

 tlon will cost a local Inspection fee In ad 

 to the fee required for taking out permit ii 

 state. 



Please read the law carefully and you 

 ascertain exactly what Is necessary fo.' 

 to do to comply with our law. 



Awaiting your prompt and early reply i 

 taking further steps with reference to you. 

 vious shipments, I beg to remain most 

 yours, 



HD. E. KO; 



The paragraphs of the law which . 

 on the florists of the country, but i 

 especially on those of the State of T( 

 are as follows: 



Section 3. No individual, partnership or or- 

 poratlon outside the state shall be perm ii ted 

 to ship nursery stock into this state witiiout 

 first filing with the Commissioner of Agriculture 

 a certified copy of his or their certificate of 

 Inspection issued by the proper autboritien in 

 the state in which the proposed shipment, oiigi- 

 nates. This certificate must show that the 

 stock to be shipped has been examined by the 

 proper officers of Inspection in that State or 

 province, and that the stock is apparently free 

 from all dangerous Insect pests or contagious ills- 

 ease; and that when fumigation is required 

 by the Commissioner of Agriculture, that the 

 stock shall be properly fumigated. Immediately 

 upon receipt of the filing with the Commissioner 

 of Agriculture of this certificate, he shall, in 

 addition, make such further investigation as to 

 the moral standing and integrity of the applicant 

 as will satisfy him that the applicant is entitled 

 to receive a certificate. A fee of $5 shall 

 be required from the applicant, upon receipt 

 of which the Commissioner of Agriculture may 

 issue a certificate permitting the applicant to 

 ship into the State. Each box, bale or package 

 of nursery stock from outside the State shall 

 bear a tag on which is printed a copy of the 

 certificate of this State, and also a copy of the 

 certificate of the State in which it originates. 



Another section is held to class green- 

 house plants as nursery stock. It is as 

 follows : 



Section 8. The term, "nursery stock," within 

 the meaning of this act, shall include all fruit 

 trees and vines; shade trees and forest trees, 

 whether such shade or forest trees be especially 

 grown for sale in a nursery, or taken from the 

 forests and offered for sale; all scions, seedlings 

 or propagation stock; all classes of berry plants, 

 roses, evergreens, shrubbery or ornamentals, also 

 such greenhouse plants, cut flowers taken from 

 plants, bushes, shrubs or other trees growing 

 In this State, which may be a medium for 

 disseminating injurious insect pests and con- 

 tagious diseases. 



The commissioner thinks the law is 

 plain as defining greenhouse plants as 

 nursery stock, but he has not yet read 

 the law as declaring that cut flowers are 

 nursery stock, although the words "cut 

 flowers" immediately follow the words 

 "greenhouse plants" in Section £. The 

 meaning of the law is somewhat obscured 

 by its phraseology, but it seems question- 

 able if the courts would uphold the com- 

 missioner's interpretation. Even the com- 

 missioner does not consider the possibil- 

 ity of cut flower shipments harboring in- 

 jurious insects as warranting requiring 

 their certification, even if the words (>» 

 appear in the law, and it is open to qut ;- 

 tion if greenhouse plants ever weie 

 known to carry insects sufficiently ii 

 jurious or diseases sufficiently contagio :s 

 to bring them within the meaning of i 

 statute designed to protect a Stu'' 

 against San Jose scale. As a matter ' 

 fact, some of the leading States of t' ■ 

 Union, floriculturally speaking, do i i 

 inspect greenhouses or consider any ' 

 the insect pests or diseases of greenhou ' 

 plants as of sufficient importance 

 require legislation against their sprc. ■ 



But a test of the Texas law, or its ) 

 terpretation, if ever made, will have 

 be instituted by the florists of Tex: . 

 rather than by outsiders. Few flori- ^ 

 ship enough greenhouse plants to Tex ~ 

 to make it worth while for them to tfl'-;' 

 out a Texas license, even at the sni. ' 

 cost of $5 — all that the most of the ' 

 will do is to require cash in advance i' ' 

 all shipments to Texas and 1st tie cu- 

 tomer in Texas fight it out with the lo» ' 

 authorities. 



