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August 24, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



19 



Kichmond, Ind., niue poinls. Some of 

 the varieties were not in bloom and 

 could not be judged. 



The English Shows. 



We visited three of the leading 

 flower shows in England: The Crystal 

 Palace, the Botanic Gardens and — best 

 of all, -from a rosarian's point of view 

 — the Olympic show of the Eoyal Hor-; 

 ticultural Society. The interest taken 

 in them was amazing. The Crystal 

 Palace opened at noon. At ten min- 

 utes pasi' twelve there were 2,000 in 

 there. Twenty minutes later there 

 was a row of carriages, motors and 

 buses a square long waiting to dis- 

 charge their occupants at the entrance. 

 The price of admission was 7 shillings. 

 The crowd at the seedling rose tent in 

 the Olympic show was in double line 

 of twenty-five all day; that is, fifty 

 people were waiting to get into the 

 tents all the time. When inside they 

 walked around a table twenty feet long 

 and then out again. This was only one 

 small tent in a large show. 



The exhibits were numerous and fine. 

 At the Olympic show there were twelve 

 entries in the class for seventy-two va- 

 rieties, and as many entries in the 

 classes for thirty-six varieties and in 

 in the class for twenty-four. Most of 

 the varieties shown were garden sorts. 

 Visitors frequently took down notes, 

 while many of the exhibitors did a 

 thriving business. 



The arrangements were interesting. 

 Carter had a Japanese garden in which 

 every detail was thoroughly carried 

 out. A table decoration with a single 

 bowl of Lyon roses wjis effective. 



You know the shows present an un- 

 usual opportunity for advertising, 

 \yhich the large firms use to the ut- 

 most. Many of them keep a dozen men 

 constantly employed on exhibition 

 work during the show season. Hugh 

 Dickson told me that he had crossed 

 the channel eleven times in fourteen 

 days, taking flowers from his nurseries 

 near Belfast, Ireland, to the English 

 shows. 



Preparing Boses for Exhibition. 



T was surprised at the labor that is 

 expended on the roses that are to be 

 shown. At some of the nurseries the 

 men go out as early as 4 o'clock in the 

 morning to cut and prepare the roses. 



'William Paul, Waltham Cross/. England, and his Juliet Rose. 



A piece of candle wick is often wrap- 

 ped about a promising bud that is like- 

 ly to be ready ahead of time. This 

 holds the bud firmly without squeezing 

 'it. It is allowed to remain on after 

 the flower is cut and is removed five 

 minutes before the judges begin work; 

 so the rose is judged at its best. An- 

 other device used is a cone-shaped 

 cover that will transmit light, but not 

 heat. By the aid of a spring and stick 

 this shade can be adjusted at any 

 height desired over the bud that is in- 

 tended for exhibition. Everything that 

 is fit is cut by the men. Then it is 

 brought before the head of the estab- 

 lishment, who decides whether it shall 

 or shall not go to the exhibition. 



I was impressed by the love for and 

 knowledge of plants shown by the Eng- 

 lish people. The man of business who 

 has a half holiday often works in his 

 garden. He goes there when he is 

 through with his work in the evening. 

 I was asked questions by amateurs 

 that showed me that they knew more 

 than I did about the plants in their 

 gardens. I am inclined to think that 

 there are ten amateur gardeners in 

 England today to every one in this 

 country. 



Montgomery on Grafted Boses, sent 

 by The Review for 25 cents. 



Peter Lambert, of Trier, Germany, Buddin; Standard Roses. 



STEM-BOT OF ASTEBS. 



Having read the communication of 

 D. E. in The Review of August 3, page 

 14, I wish to say that I had about 

 the same trouble as D. E., except that 

 my asters are outdoors. They are of 

 the American late branching type. 

 They were doing well up to the time 

 of the opening of the buds, when the 

 buds commenced to wilt. On pulling 

 up the plants I found that the stems 

 just at the surface of the soil on some, 

 and on others about two inches above, 

 had the appearance of dry rot. They 

 were planted in good, rich soil and 

 received good cultivation from the 

 time of starting. Would you kindly 

 tell me the cause of the troxiblet 



A. A. 



The stem-rot with which your plants 

 have been troubled is undoubtedly 

 caused by a fungus, the origin of which 

 is not properly known, but it is gen- 

 erally believed to have its inception 

 in the seed bed. The asters thus at- 

 tacked wilt and finally die. An ex-' 

 amination of the stems shows them to 

 be discolored and rotten just above the 

 soil. From the fact that experiments 

 made have shown outdoor-raised asters 

 to be almost immune from this disease, 

 the theory which is the most plausible 

 would seem to be that seedlings raised 

 under glass contract the trouble in the 

 seed flats or benches, or even after 

 trpinsplantation. Overcrowding in the 

 seed flats, a too long delay in pricking 

 off the little plants and burying the 

 stems too deeply will all undoubtedly 

 tend to promote stem-rot. 



It is perhaps curious that plants af- 

 fected with this trouble in the seed- 

 ling stage should fail to show signs 

 of it until so far advanced in growth, 

 but other plants besides asters act in 

 just this same way. I regret inability 

 to suggest any remedy for stem-rot 

 when once it has appeared, but think 

 it can be avoided if great care is taken 

 with the seedlings. SoW rather thinly 

 in coldframes or outdoors. Do not let 

 the seedlings become drawn or crowded 

 and give them, whenever possible, 

 fresh ground each year. Never plant 

 asters a second time on ground on 

 which stem-rot has appeared. C. W. 



Manitowoc, Wis. — Hugo Rudolph, the 

 North Eighth street florist, and Miss 

 Clara Reif, were married August 3. 





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