16 



The Florists' Review 



Septbhbeb 6, 1012. 



transferred to the greenhouses, where 

 they furnish a fine late crop. When 

 the stevia is out of the way, the space 

 is in demand for potting up carnation 

 cuttings, so that every inch under glass 

 is kept constantly at work. 



The residence at the right in the pic- 

 ture is occupied by Foreman Scheffler. 

 The building next to it is the boarding 

 house for the employees. Adjoining 

 these is a field of asters, which has this 

 season been gi'ving a tremendous daily 

 cut. North of the greenhouses is a 

 large field of gladioli. These latter 

 have in previous seasons been highly 

 profitable, but this season have not 

 'done so well, because the price of gla- 

 dioli in the Chicago market this year 

 has not averaged much, if anything, 

 more than half what it has in preced- 

 ing seasons. Mr. Wanzer has space in 

 his houses for about 33,000 carnation 

 plants. This year the planting was 

 completed July 30. 



DUTCH BX7LBS. 



Louis Berger talked entertainingly of 

 his trip abroad, which was taken ex- 

 pressly for the purpose of seeing his 

 firm's bulb farms at Sassenheim, Hol- 

 land. Mr. Berger, who was seen at his 

 ofi&ce, in Philadelphia, is American rep- 

 resentative of Van Waveren & Kruijff. 

 He sailed from New York July 16, go- 



trying for spiraeas. Many of the plants 

 have been completely burned, a fact 

 that will be felt in this market during 

 the coming season. The hyacinths, ex- 

 cept Grand Maitre, and the tulips were 

 in fine condition, but Narcissi Golden 

 Spur and Von Sion are small. Mr. 

 Berger arrived in time to see the bulbs 

 being lifted, cleaned and packed. The 

 long rows of men working steadily 

 down the fields, lifting the bulbs, was 

 an interesting sight. So, too, was the 

 care and system employed in filling and 

 packing the export orders. 



One large farm is devoted to dahlias. 

 A great dahlia hybridizer employed by 

 Van Waveren & Kruijff has a place 

 sixty miles from Sassenheim. This 

 place, purchased for and presented to 

 him by the firm, is named Burbanka, 

 by permission of Luther Burbank. 

 Here, it is said, originated the first 

 peony-flowered dahlia sent out from 

 Holland, after years of patient crossing 

 between the cactus and single varieties. 

 Many more striking novelties of this 

 type are expected. 



Speaking of bulb propagation, Mr. 

 Berger said that while the method of 

 increasing the tulips and narcissi from 

 offsets is generally known here, that of 

 increasing hyacinths is less familiar to 

 Americans. This is done by cutting 

 out the base of the hyacinth bulbs, 

 from where sprinfif the roots, and plac- 



Louis Berger. 



ing direct to Sassenheim, where he 

 arrived July 25. The following day was 

 devoted to going over his firm's farms. 

 Their number and extent ar^ known to 

 few Americans. One farm of fifty acres 

 is devoted entirely to spiraeas, one of 

 the specialties of Van Waveren & 

 Kruijff. The season has been unusually 



ing the bulb with the cut side up in a 

 propagating house at a temperature of 

 80 or 85 degrees. From this cut, which 

 on a good-sized, well-ripened bulb will 

 be as large as a silver dollar, will 

 spring many tiny hyacinths, which when 

 grown on, will make the bulbs of the 

 future. 



Mr. Berger said that manure is the 

 chief expense outside of labor in bulb 

 growing. Cow manure from Finland ig 

 largely used. When a bulb field is ex- 

 hausted, six inches of top soil — perhaps 

 it would be better to say sand — are 

 lifted. Then thirty inches of manure 

 are spread and the six inches of top 

 soil put back on top. After lying 

 a while the field is dug over before being 

 planted with bulbs. Mr. Berger said 

 that while the American bulb business 

 is growing steadily, it is not yet equ;d 

 to that of England or Germany. 



Phil. 



POINSETTLAB. 



The last batch of poinsettia cuttings 

 should now be rooted and potted off. 

 The earlier plants should go into' pans 

 at once, if they are not already in l^em. 

 Do not on any account permit them to 

 become potbound and hard before shift- 

 ing. As a rule 6-inch and 8-inch pans 

 containing three to five plants are most 

 in demand, but there will be some calls 

 for 10-inch or even 12-inch pans. Then, 

 again, many of the stores like single 

 plants in 6-inch pots for window deco- 

 ration. 



Drain the pots or pans well and use 

 a good, fibrous loam as compost, to 

 which has been added one-fourth well 

 decayed manure and some ' sand. Do 

 not use any leaf-mold unless your soil 

 is heavy. Avoid chemicals. Work in 

 some Cyperus alternifolius, nephrolepis, 

 cyrtomiums, Asparagus Sprengeri, pteris 

 or other green plants. These hide any 

 nakedness in the stems and give the 

 plants a more finished appearance. The 

 plants do not need a warm house yet, 

 but it is better if the temperature be 

 not allowed to run below 50 degrees at 

 night. 



PBOPAOATION. 



Frosts have already occurred in some 

 sections and if a sufi&cient stock of 

 the more tender plants has not been 

 placed in the propagating bench, it 

 cannot be done too soon. It pays to 

 clear out thoroughly, cleanse and refill 

 the cutting benches each season. The 

 danger of fungoid growths is then re- 

 duced to a minimum. If this cannot be 

 done, soak the sand well with boiling 

 water to kill weeds, vermin and fungi. 

 Tender subjects, such as coleus and al- 

 ternantheras, should already be in, but 

 there are few plants more easily rooted 

 and they can still be propagated, as can 

 acalyphas, crotons and other colored- 

 le&ved tropical plants. These latter like 

 a bench where they will get the benefit 

 of a genial bottom heat. Heliotropes, 

 salvias and other useful flowering bed-" 

 ding plants should not be overlooked. 

 It is much more satisfactory to take 

 cuttings than lift old plants. Lobelias, 

 ageratums and petunias should be prop- 

 agated now, and of course geraniums 

 can hardly be overdone. Plants from 

 which an early lot of cuttings were 

 taken should now yield a good extra 

 crop. 



WHITE FLY OUTDOORS. 



Is there any remedy for white flies 

 outdoors? I notice there are some near 

 my pansy beds and am afraid they will 

 attack them. C. A. P. 



White fly outdoors is not easy to 

 control. Spray the affected plants 

 freely with soap and water and you 

 will greatly reduce their numbers. Any 

 of the ordinary hard soaps, like Ivory, 



