■-.»■■'■, 

 ' "^ AborKT 13, 1914. 



'♦•"V 



The Florists^ Review 



19 



Ficus UttUs. 



plant of the day. To secure perfect 

 tiractenas of choice varieties in quan- 

 tity has been a difficult task. To do 

 this, plants of scarce varieties were 

 taken to the tropics. The canes grown 

 from these plants were brought here. 

 From them young plants were produced 

 superior to those imported from 

 Europe, for the dracsena, though a mar- 

 velously durable plant, is restive under 

 the enforced confinement of a trans- 

 Atlantic voyage. It is also probable 

 that the young plants here are cooler 

 grown than the European stock, and 

 therefore more durable. 



The ambition to fill two large houses 

 with dracffinas has been realized. This 

 counts only the finished stock and not 

 that in course of preparation. These 

 two great houses of dracsnas are won- 

 'ierfully beautiful, a little in advance 

 of anything accomplished in the past. 

 They contain large numbers of the four 

 leading varieties, amabilis, terminalis, 

 Lord Wolseley and Massangeana. Be- 

 sides these leading sorts, there are 

 twenty-two others grown in quantities 

 a little smaller. Kelleriana, the im- 

 proved Godseffiana, highly prized for 

 its beautiful markings, is one of the 

 foremost. Stricta grandis is in the 

 front ranks, because of its bold habit 

 a"d rich coloring. An old sort, Bap- 

 tistii, has been, considered worthy of 

 rtMntroduction, while dear little San- 

 •leriana has been propagated with such 

 fiiinestness that it makes a brave show- 

 |i'U. There are others, all excellent, 



'•'t make up a strikingly handsome 



'" ;''<tion of these satisfactory plants. 



I he croton is only given second place 



|^'.Y;i"se it is a thought less novel. Pos- 



^' ",v the order should have been re- 



' ised. ^ hundred crotons of a hun- 

 ' '"" choice American varieties — this is 

 •I '<'ality. Such crotons, too! The 400 

 1^(1 ^'^t^'ided for the convention in 



'■^ton have never been equaled; form, 



.„!'"■' variety, all were fine. The art of 



(,^^||^'^8ating, coloring and growing cro- 



'^ has been mastered. Varieties are 



v' given the most thought. The 



• '^*ty with a good shade of Christmas 



red, the variety with a rare tint of 

 orange — these are eagerly 'sought and 

 cultivated. The croton is offered com- 

 mercially in a wide range of sizes, from 

 the highly colored little 2-inch or 3- 

 inch basket plants to the magnificent 

 specimens of Queen Victoria and Nor- 

 wood Beauty, of amazing height and 

 breadth, and fully clothed with foliage 

 to the pot rim. No houses of foliage 

 plants have ever equaled the beauty of 



these croton houses, with their superb 

 coloring. 



The fern occupies a no less prominent, 

 though a less spectacular position than 

 the dracsena or the croton. The curious 

 thing about the fern is that it is scarce 

 today — rather a funny thing when you 

 consider the care that nature bestowed 

 on its means of multiplication; yet 

 ferns are scarce today. Not here! No, 

 not here. "A fern for every day in 

 the year ' ' has been the motto of the 

 faithful propagators. There is a sur- 

 prising stock of them in all sizes — all 

 the standards, some novelties and one 

 exclusive novelty. Nephrolepis, all of 

 them. Scottii, of course; robusta, best 

 grower of the type, and the wonderful 

 little Teddy Junior that everybody is 

 crazy about. So, with just a glance 

 over the legions of other nephs., a halt 

 is made at the house that is under lock 

 and key. The door swings open. There 

 are little ferns set out in benches, evi- 

 dently all of one kind. It is a sport 

 from Scottii, the best blood, of im- 

 proved form and foliage, already named 

 Nephrolepis John Wanamaker, to be 

 introduced in 1915. It is confidently 

 predicted that 75,000 will be required 

 in the first fifteen months. 



The et cetera includes two fine 

 houses of Adiantum hybridum and 

 deep, rich green Areca lutescens, well 

 colored Pandanus Veitchii, Ficus utilis 

 and the once more favored Ficus pan- 

 durata. There are three or four houses 

 of cyclamen in perfect shape; also be- 

 gonias — three old ones, Lorraine, Lons- 

 dale and Cincinnati, and two new ones, 

 Davenport and Konkurrent, both be- 

 lieved to be winners. Outside a field 

 of Otaheite oranges, with a dozen to 

 fifty on each plant, was interesting. 

 Dieffenbachia Leoni is being grown for 

 its striking spotted foliage, Asplenium 

 Nidus- Avis for variety. A plant of 



Croton Norwood Beauty. 



