18 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Mav 19, 1010. 



motliiM' is liviiiy nv ilr,-c;iM'(l. \Vi' iliiiik 

 tliiit tills sli<]iil(| 111' |jnlilislii'(l aiiil known 

 tlinmolimil tlic couiiiiy liy llic Time tluit 

 aiiotlicr .Nfittiii'is ' (lay conies aroiiiiil. 

 Tlicic raniiot 1)1' oiiriii<ili \vliito cai'iiations 

 lo supply cvcrvoin^ with \\liit(\ ami hy 

 tisiiio- (he coloriHl t'or the Tnin^' it will 

 "five IIk; eoloicil an eNcn cliauce with tlie 

 white. That will kiM'ji the prices down so 

 that th»> ]i(inr :iiiil those in nKKleratt^ cir- 

 ctimstnnees ran lrrVe''"aTh^oc|nal chance 

 with the rich in reinenilieiinci- ''the Ix^st 

 motlirr that (>\it lixed.'' 



ATKN \- .MliUKf.AND. 



New Castle, O. 



linsiiii'ss was >ur|ii isiiioly ;^oo(.l t'nr 

 .\Ioth(>rs ' day. ( ainations lieino cxhaiist- 

 od, jiei.-ininins and other tlowcrs were 

 used. Coniinittees from Sabbath schools 

 came for miles for llowcrs. They took 

 anything they could yet — Avliitc or col- 

 ored. One school took geraniums in pots 

 to present lo ea<di member. Others made 

 it a hom(> c<iming day, the family gath- 

 ering aroiind the mother, bringing her 

 llowcrs, and then gathering around the 

 table. 1 suggest that another year an- 

 nouncements be inailc earlier, and believe 

 that more tlowers can be s(dd Mothers' 

 day than any other one day. in the year. 

 So let every florist become interested and 

 thank the J?KVii:u' for pushing the day 

 upon oiir .'it tent ion. 



A. O. Xysewa-xiier. 



Massillon, O. 



In the issues of May .1 and 1'2, in re- 

 gard lo Mothers' day, the Keview seems 

 to ]dace all the blame for high prices on 

 the retailers; in fact, it looks as if the 

 Revikw was siil)sidized Ijy the wholesal- 

 ers. [ should like to know \vho created 

 the demand for tlowcrs on ^lothers' 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 tlowers. 

 The result was I did an enormous busi- 

 ness; but, on account of tht^ unreasonable 

 stand taken by the wholesalers, did the 

 business at a financial loss. There is 

 absolutely no inducement for the retailer 

 to push for any special day in the flower 

 l)usiness, and if they do not, where will 

 the Avholesaler get his excuse to boost 

 prices? It is not the retailer, but the 

 wholesaler, who will kill the goose that 

 lays the golden egg. 



AUGUSTIX We.wer. 



[The question of holiday prices has 

 been thrashed over so often that nothing 

 new can be said of it, but this corre- 

 spondent cvidenth^ did not catch the Re- 

 view's idea. The Review never put the 

 "blame" for high prices on the retail- 

 ers. If Mr. ^Yeaver were a grower for 



a wholesale market he would not use the 

 word ''blanu''' in connection with liigh 

 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 jirices, 

 both high and low. and that the retailers 

 could reduce the price of whit(* carnations 

 by working to turn a part of the .Mothers' 

 day special demand to colored stock, 

 thereby equalizing values and making 

 ])rices fair to all.] 



FATHERS' DAY. 



.V woman llorisl supplies tiic I'oUuV- 

 ing: 



''Many fathers (jueslion among thoni- 

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

 day." They argue thus: 'Now, while 

 we are having ^bithers' day and praising 

 her as she deserves, let's not forget 

 father. Who was it at .'i a. m. "walked 

 the floor" with mother when she was a 

 baby? Who healed the milk over a 

 smoky lamp for that same squalling 

 (diild".'— Father.' Hven if the state 

 doesn't set aside a day for father, have 

 one yourself. Too many people liaAC 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 s]jring rush which 

 comes along in every florist's establish- 

 ment, that the miiiiis are forgoth'ii, but 

 the early varieties at least shoidd bo 

 benched during the present month. Too 

 often, at thi.s season of the year, do we 

 see the cuttings left in the sand weeks 

 after they should have been tiiken out 

 and either boxed or potted up. The re- 

 sult is apparent in the thonsamls of 

 wretched looking plants that are annual- 

 ly benched, which, had they been lak(>n 

 and potted in good season, would have 

 been nice, sturdy, healthy stock. 



There is no idace better than the cold- 

 frame f(u- young mums after about the 

 middle of April, for then the weather is 

 mild enough .'-o that the plants do not 

 need much .attention in the line of cover- 

 ing. I s.aid a moment ago that early 

 varieties should be benched this montii, 

 but the same thing really applies to a 

 good many of the midseason kinds, if 

 (jne wishes to grow them to their liighest 

 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 np 

 the wood properly. 



A large percentage of exhibitors today 

 are growing their plants in pots or boxes, 

 claiming, and apparently with good rea- 



I son, that with the roots confined plants 

 j can be more heavily fed when the blooms 

 are finishing, and with better results. In 

 our case, as in almost every commercial 

 establislunent, jiot culture is too expen- 

 sive and we continue to stick to bench 

 culture. 



Early varieties, such as Golden (ilow, 

 Oclol)er Frost, with its yellow sport, and 

 Monrovia, if benched now, have tin)e to 

 luiike a nice growth before the bud is 

 taken in July. If lliey are not planted 

 until late, the growth is either too short 

 or the bud is produced too late to get the 

 largest return.s 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 docs not come full enongli with 

 them, ought to realize that the fault is 

 most likely their own, in not getting the 

 Ijud at the proper season. 



Soil. 



The question of soil in benching chrys- 

 anthemums is perhaps not of aa 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 .ler- 

 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 



nii.Ncd llirongh it. The more fiber there is 

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

 almost impossible to make .such soil sour 

 by Avatering, and the first thing to do 

 above all otiiers is to get a good rooting 

 medium oven tliough the soil myy 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 this 

 season of the year. "Would you rather 

 grow your plants on a raised bench or a 

 solid bed?" and Jroin 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 ai>art 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 



