14 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



August 25, 1910. 



a mortar plaster after the forms had 

 been removed. 



Greenhouse Benches. 



The tables can be made in one mem- 

 ber by casting in one continuous piece 

 of concrete, or they can be constructed 

 in parts. There is no particular ad- 

 vantage of one over the other, although 

 the former is probably the cheaper. 

 When cast in one piece two and one- 

 half inches is the proper thickness and 

 various concrete can be used for the 

 purpose, and taking cost into considera- 

 tion, the mixture would depend on the 

 available aggregates. 



As previously stated, my preference 

 for this work would be a one cement, 

 three graded sand mixture, but a one ce- 

 ment, two sand and four cinders, if prop- 

 erly reinforced with wire fabric or %- 

 inch rods about six inches apart, would 

 serve the purpose, although more diflS- 

 cult for the unskilled to place and not 

 as dense as the cement and sand mix- 

 ture. The tables should have holes or 

 slots at the bottom to facilitate the 

 drainage of the water. In the cases 

 where separately molded slabs are used 

 the cracks between the slabs will sup- 

 ply suflScient drainage. 



Greenhouse trays for supplying the 

 necessary amount of moisture are 

 most satisfactory if constructed of 

 concrete, as they also will not rot or 

 shrink when they become dry, and need 

 no attention but to keep filled. They 

 can also be easily made an attractive and 

 decorative feature of the greenhouse. 

 These trays can be made like the slabs 

 for the tables, only that they should be 

 brushed on the inner surface with a 

 layer of pure cemejjt mixed to the con- 

 sistency of cream, immediately after 

 the forms are removed. 



Concrete coldframes or hotbed frames 

 are also the most desirable, again be- 

 cause they will not rot like wood, and 

 are absolutely permanent. These walls 

 need not be over four inches thick, with 

 3-inch division walls for the window 

 rests, and can be composed of the same 

 concrete mixture as for outside walls. 

 All these foundations should be carried 

 below the frost line. 



Concrete lends itself to decorative 

 purposes very admirably, and concrete 

 veranda boxes for flowers and vases 

 are frequentlj' seen now, not only on 

 stone or cement houses, but also on 

 frame. They, too, need not be renewed 

 every year or two, but will last for- 

 ever. 



In conclusion, I wish to reiterate that 

 concrete for the particular work in 

 which the majority of you are inter- 

 ested is the ideal material and when 

 you once familiarize yourself with its 

 use you will adopt it in all your con- 

 struction work. 



I also beg to invite any questions 

 your members may choose to ask re- 

 garding the use of this material, as 

 I feel that in that way you can bet- 

 ter reach your individual problem than 

 through a paper such as the inadequate 

 one herewith presented. 



[Send your questions on concrete 

 construction to Mr. Boyer through The 

 Eeview and thus give the whole trade 

 the advantage of the information. — 

 Ed.]. 



Southport, Conn. — Miss Emma Kings- 

 land, formerly employed at Edward J. 

 Taylor's flower store, has resigned her 

 position on account of ill health and 

 will reside for a time with relatives in 

 Montclair, N. J. 



SWEET PEA SOCIETY. 



At a meeting of the National Sweet 

 Pea Society at the S. A. F. convention 

 at Kochester, August 18, Vice-president 

 Wm. Sim in the chair, a motion to act 

 in conjunction with the S. A. F. in 

 Boston at the National Flower Show 

 to be held in the spring was unani- 

 mously carried. F. R. Pierson prom- 

 ised to secure an appropriation for 

 sweet pea premiums and the society 

 voted that it would endeavor to secure 

 the same amount, so it is quite pos- 

 sible that the national show will have 

 a prize list of about $350 for sweet 

 peas. 



AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY. 



At the Rochester meeting the follow- 

 ing pledged themselves to furnish ex- 

 hibits for the rose section at the 

 National Flower Show next March: 

 Poehlmann Bros. Co., William H. El- 

 liott, Adolph Farenwald, E. G. Hill 



Co., Lake View Rose Gardens, Erie 

 Floral Co., Joseph Heacock Co., Bas- 

 sett & Washburn, John H. Dunlop, 

 Waban Rose Conservatories, F. R. Pier- 

 son Co., Welch Bros., Thomas Roland, 

 the Montgomery Co., A. N. Pierson, Inc. 

 The society prepares the schedule for 

 the rose classes and guarantees all 

 premiums over $1,750, the sum placed 

 at its disposal by the National Flower 

 Show committee. The following sums 

 were placed at the disposal of the exec- 

 utive committee: By August F. Poehl- 

 mann, W. H. Elliott, Waban Rose Con- 

 servatories, A. N. Pierson, $50 each; 

 by W. F. Kasting, W. J. Palmer, P. 

 Welch, E. G. Hill, Thomas Roland, $25 

 each. 



The executive committee, in addition 

 to President Elliott, Vice-president 

 Farenwald, Secretary Hammond and 

 Treasurer May, now has as members 

 Philip Breitmeyer, Peter Bisset, W. F. 

 Kasting, W. R. Pierson, August F. 

 Poehlmann and J. A. Valentine. 



^♦^.'♦^.'♦^'♦^.'' 



SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



fW^.'»^. 



I 



Formosa Lilies. 



Those who have not yet tried lilies 

 of the Formosa type should not fail to 

 do so. These come from the island of 

 Formosa and ari'ive much earlier than 

 the Japanese longiflorums. I have 

 grown them for two seasons and am 

 much pleased with them. These lilies 

 are evidently seedlings, as they show a 

 wide variation in foliage, habit and 

 flowers. Some will flower when eighteen 

 inches high and others may reach five 

 feet before doing so. Occasionally stalks 

 will carry only one or two flowers, but 

 others will produce six, eight, ten or 

 even more. Occasionally the outside 

 of the trumpets is purplish or chocolate 

 colored, reminding one of L. Brownii, 

 but the majority are pure white. The 

 greatest point in favor of this lily is 

 its almost entire immunity from disease. 

 Harrisii are so badly diseased that 

 many have dropped them, and even 

 many of the longiflorums have to be 

 thrown away. So far, these Formosas 

 have proved practically disease-proof. 



They arrive early and the first lot 

 is already potted — the smaller bulbs in 

 5-inch and the larger in 6-inch pots. 

 Lfast year some were seen in flower 

 early in January. They do not all 

 flower at one time, as do the other 

 lilies. They are rather tall to use as 

 Easter plants, but for the grower who 

 wants cut stalks from day to day they 

 are the most valuable introduction of 

 late years. Any grower who has not yet 

 grown Formosas should try a case this 

 season. Order at once, as the supply 

 will soon be exhausted. 



Callas. 



The pots of callas, which have been 

 lying on their sides since early in June, 

 should now be overhauled. Some bulbs 

 will be of fine quality; others not so 

 good. Discard the dubious ones. The 



California bulbs are now so cheap it 

 hardly pays to use any but the best. 

 Some growers use beds or benches, 

 others pots; probably a large majority 

 use the latter. The benches may not 

 yet be ready for the bulbs, in which 

 case it would be better to pot the bulbs 

 singly and later plant them out. 



Callas love a generous soil. Fibrous 

 loam, decayed cow manure, sand and 

 a dash of bone meal and soot make a 

 suitable mixture. Single bulbs may go 

 in 6-inch and 7-inch pots. A 10-inch 

 pot will hold three bulbs and a 12-inch 

 five, but single bulbs to a pot are to 

 be preferred. Stand all pots outdoors 

 until frost threatens. Water sparingly 

 until roots are being freely produced. 

 It is easy to rot the tubers in hot 

 weather if the soil gets too moist. 

 Small bulbs planted outdoors early in 

 the summer should not yet be disturbed. 

 Let them remain where they are a 

 month or so longer before potting. 



Antirrhinums. 



The earliest batch of antirrhinums 

 are now in 4-inch pots and will be 

 benched about the last part of August 

 in a cool house. In the meantime they 

 are kept outdoors on a bed of coal 

 ashes. A later batch of cuttings, re- 

 cently potted off, will come in useful 

 for benching when the early mums, 

 such as Golden Glow, Pacific and Polly 

 Rose, are cut. It is a good time now to 

 look over the stock plants in the field. 

 If these were headed back, they will 

 now give a nice crop of soft cuttings, 

 which will be easily rooted. Select 

 popular colors, white, yellow, pink and 

 bright red being the best. Other shades 

 are hardly worth growing. If you want 

 a batch of plants to follow late chrys- 

 anthemums and have no cuttings, get 

 some seed and sow at once. As a gener- 

 al rule, seed comes pretty true to color. 

 The tall variety is the one you want. 



