18 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



May 19, 1910. 



mother is living or deceased. We think 

 that this should be published and known 

 throughout the country by the time that 

 another Mothers' day comes around. 

 There cannot be enough white carnations 

 to supply everyone with white, and by 

 using the colored for the living it will 

 give the colored an even chance with the 

 white. That will keep the prices down so 

 that the poor and those in moderate cir- 

 cumstances can have an equal chance 

 with the rich in remembering "the best 

 mother that ever lived." 



AtEN & MORELAND. 



New Castle, O. 



Business was surprisingly good for 

 Mothers' day. Carnations being exhaust- 

 ed, geraniums and other flowers were 

 used. Committees from Sabbath schools 

 came for miles for flowers. They took 

 anything they could get — white or col- 

 ored. One school took geraniums in pots 

 to present to each member. Others made 

 it a homecoming day, the family gath- 

 ering around the mother, bringing her 

 flowers, and then gathering around the 

 table. I suggest that another year an- 

 nouncements be made earlier, and believe 

 that more flowers can be sold Mothers' 

 day than any other one day in the year. 

 So let every florist become interested and 

 thank the Eeview for pushing the day 

 upon our attention. 



A. O. Nysewandee. 



Massillon, O. 



In the issues of May 5 and 12, in re- 

 gard to Mothers' day, the Review seems 

 to place all the blame for high prices on 

 the retailers; in fact, it looks as if the 

 Review was subsidized by the wholesal- 

 ers. I should like to know who created 

 the demand for flowers on Mothers' day, 

 or, in fact, for any special day? Under 

 existing conditions, who is reaping the 

 benefit of the created demand? 



As for myself, I saw great possibilities 

 for the florist in Mothers' day and did 

 what I could to push the sale of flowers. 

 The result was I did an enormous busi- 

 ness; but, on account of the unreasonable 

 stand taken by the wholesalers, did the 

 business at a flnancial loss. There is 

 absolutely no inducement for the retailer 

 to push for any special day in the flower 

 business, and if they do not, where will 

 the wholesaler get his excuse to boost 

 prices? It is not the retailer, but the 

 wholesaler, who will kill the goose that 

 lays the golden egg. 



AuGUSTiN Weaver. 



[The question of holiday prices has 

 been thrashed over so often that nothing 

 new can be said of it, but this corre- 

 spondent evidently did not catch the 'Re- 

 view's idea. The Review never put the 

 "blame" for high prices on the retail- 

 ers. If Mr. Weaver were a grower for 



a wholesale market ho would not use the 

 word "blame" iu connection with high 

 prices, but with low. The point of view 

 makes all the difference. What the Re- 

 view did say was that the law of supply 

 and demand is "to blame" for prices, 

 both high and low, and that the retailers 

 could reduce the price of white carnations 

 by working to turn a part of the Mothers' 

 day special demand to colored stock, 

 thereby equalizing values and making 

 prices fair to all.] 



FATHERS* DAY. 



A woman florist supplies the follow- 

 ing: 



"Many fathers question among them- 

 selves, 'Why don't they have a Fathers' 

 day?' They argue thus: 'Now, while 

 we are having Mothers' day and praising 

 her as she deserves, let's not forget 

 father. Who was it at 3 a. m. "walked 

 the floor ' ' with mother when she was a 

 baby? Who heated the milk over a 

 smoky lamp for that same squalling 

 child?— Father.' Even if the state 

 doesn't set aside a day for father, have 

 one yourself. Too many people have the 

 idea that father is just a human being 

 with no feeling, just to go and come, 

 hand mother the money and work — that 's 

 all. Let 's have our Mothers ' day, but 

 away down in your heart have a big space 

 for father. " 



SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS. 



Benching. 



It is usual, in the spring rush which 

 comes along in every florist's establish- 

 ment, that the mums are forgotten, but 

 the early varieties at least should be 

 benched during the present month. Too 

 often, at this season of the year, do we 

 see the cuttings left in the sand weeks 

 after they should have been taken out 

 and either boxed or potted up. The re- 

 sult is apparent in the thousands of 

 wretched looking plants that are annual- 

 ly benched, which, had they been taken 

 and potted in good season, would have 

 been nice, sturdy, healthy stock. 



There is no place better than the cold- 

 frame for young mums after about the 

 middle of April, for then the weather is 

 mild enough so that the plants do not 

 need much attention in the line of cover- 

 ing. I said a moment ago that early 

 varieties should be benched this month, 

 but the same thing really applies to a 

 good many of the midseason kinds, if 

 one wishes to grow them to their highest 

 perfection. The exhibition grower has 

 long since found out that to get a deep, 

 well finished flower, he must plant early 

 and get the age in his plants to ripen up 

 the wood properly. 



A large percentage of exhibitors today 

 are growing their plants in pots or boxes, 

 claiming, and apparently with good rea- 



son, that with the roots confined plants 

 can be more heavily fed when the blooms 

 are finishing, and with better results. In 

 our case, as in almost every commercial 

 establishment, pot culture is too expen- 

 sive and we continue to stick to bench 

 culture. 



Early varieties, such as Golden Glow, 

 October Frost, with its yellow sport, and 

 Monrovia, if benched now, have time to 

 make a nice growth before the bud is 

 taken in July. If they are not planted 

 until late, the growth is either too short 

 or the bud is produced too late to get the 

 largest returns from the flowers. This is 

 particularly true in the case of Monrovia, 

 as buds secured from July 12 to 25 pro- 

 duce flowers greatly superior to buds se- 

 cured during August. 



Many growers who claim that Mon- 

 rovia does not come full enough with 

 them, ought to realize that the fault is 

 most likely their own, in not getting the 

 bud at the proper season. 



Soil. 



The question of soil in benching chrys- 

 anthemums is perhaps not of so much 

 importance as it is for roses, or some 

 other crops, since the mum seems equally 

 at home in the black prairie soil of the 

 west or the light sandy soil of the Jer- 

 sey coast. 



We always aim, at planting time, to set 

 out the plants in three parts fresh, sweet 

 loam with one part of rotten manure 



mixed through it. The more fiber thejie i» 

 in the loam the more we like it, as it is 

 almost impossible to make such soil sour 

 by watering, and the first thing to do 

 above all others is to get a good rooting 

 medium even though the soil may incline 

 to be poor, because I think with a good 

 strong root action on a plant, feeding 

 can easily be applied in liquid at any 

 stage of the growing period. 



The question is often asked me at thi* 

 season of the year, ' ' Would you rather 

 grow your plants on a raised bench or a 

 solid bed?" and trom my. experience I 

 invariably reply. "In a raised bench." 

 There the plants only have from four 

 and one-half to five inches of soil to grow 

 in and the root action is absolutely under 

 control at all times. Planted out in a 

 solid bed, the roots are apt to get away 

 and one cannot tell whether the lertilizer 

 that is being applied is doing the good 

 it should. 



In filling the bench we just simply fill 

 it level full, and then after the plants- 

 have been set out and the bed rendered 

 solid, more or less, the soil settles down 

 about half an inch from the top and 

 gives ample room for watering at all 

 seasons. 



Spacing. 



The distance apart to set out the plants 

 must be governed considerably by the 

 grade of flowers and the varieties one 

 proposes to grow. We set out our plants 



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