Bepxembeb 9, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



Pink cannot be beaten in its color. Mrs. 

 Alex. Wallace is a good lavender, coming 

 into flower a little later than the white 

 and pink ones. 



Any good loam will grow sweet peas, 

 provided it is not of an acid nature. Use 

 some lime to correct sourness. The beds 

 must have thorough drainage. Cow 

 manure, well decayed, makes an excellent 

 fertilizer. Sheep manure, when procur- 

 able at a reasonable rate, also is good. 

 Some fine bone can be used when the 

 plants start to flower. This can be poked 

 into the soil. Liquid manure can also be 

 used with much benefit. 



A night temperature o:f 46 degrees to 

 48 degrees, when flowering, suits sweet 

 peas. It should not go higher than 50 

 degrees and an even lower temperature 

 can be given until the flowers start to 

 open. The plants succeed much better 

 grown in solid beds than raised benches. 

 They can hardly have too much headroom. 

 Wide, lofty houses are the best, with not 

 less than six feet headroom and as much 

 more as you can give. I have seen well 

 grown greenhouse peas ten to fourteen 

 feet high. C. W. 



THE OLDEST EX-PRESIDENT. 



Among the oldest as well as the best 

 known of Scotch gardeners in this coun- 

 try is William E. Smith, superintendent 

 of the Botanic Gardens, maintained by 

 the government, on land directly opposite 

 the capitol grounds, in Washington, 

 D. C. This post he has held continu- 

 ously for the almost unprecedented period 

 of more than fifty years. An additional 

 distinction is that he is the oldest living 

 ex-president of the S. A. F., for Robert 

 Craig, who preceded him by six terms 

 in the presidency, numbers but 62 years 

 against Mr. Smith's 81. 



Wm. R. Smith was born in Scotland in 

 1828, and gained his first professional 

 experience in Lord Elcho's gardens at 

 Haddington. In 1853 he entered Kew 

 Gardens, London, thence coming to 

 America. He was first employed as a 

 private gardener in Philadelphia, but 

 soon went to Washington and there be- 

 gan his life work. The Botanic Gardens 

 emerged from a swamp, into the beau- 

 tiful aspect they now present, under his 

 able management. Mr. Smith has in ad- 

 dition to his long years of service at the 

 Botanic Gardens given liberally of his 

 time as chairman of the Parking Com- 

 mission of the District of Columbia and 

 has done much towards making the 

 streets, squares and parks of the national 

 capital among the most beautiful in the 

 world. 



Mr. Smith has been the friend of many 

 of the presidents, statesmen and other 

 distinguished men of their day, and it 

 was principally his wide acquaintance 

 that made it possible for the S. A. F. to 

 secure its national charter, granted by 

 congress and signed by Wm. McKinley 

 March 3, 1901. Mr. Smith is an ardent 

 admirer of Robert Burns and has what 

 is said to be the largest private collec- 

 tion of Burnsiana in the world. Mr. 

 Smith possesses his full share of those 

 characteristic Scotch traits, sturdy inde- 

 pendence and grim humor, and has had 

 many amusing experiences during his 

 long career. The two following are 

 typical : 



A pompous senator, meeting Mr. Smith 

 at one time in the Botanic Gardens, 

 stated emphatically that he could see no 

 utility in the gardens, nor any reason- 

 able excuse why Congress should con- 

 tinue to maintain the place. Giving him 

 a withering glance, Mr. Smith is said to 



William R. Smith. 



(Oldest past president of the Society of American Florists, from a photograph taken a few days 



before the Cinciniiati convention.) 



have replied: "My dear sir, if the 

 Great Creator of all the universe had had 

 utility in mind when he made you, He 

 would have put you on four legs and 

 sent you to eating grass." 



Another senator, from one of the 

 southern states, heard, early in his term 

 of oflBce, that Superintendent Smith, of 

 the Botanic Gardens, made presents of 

 palms and other plants to statesmen he 

 liked. This senator wanted some palms, 

 so he tried to find a way of getting on 

 the right side of the superintendent. 

 Learning of the latter 's admiration for 

 the poet Burns, he let that serve as his 

 cue. 



Wfilking over from the Capitol to the 

 Botanic Gardens, he found Mr. Smith, 

 and after talking some time on general 

 topics, led the conversation around to the 

 subject of Burns. 



"There was the poet!" he exclaimed. 

 "For fine sentiment he has them all 

 beaten a mile. I read my Burns every 

 day. ' ' 



"Ken ye Burns?" asked Smith, thor- 

 oughly interested. 



"I should say I did," replied the sen- 

 ator. "Why, I know most of his poems 



by heart. They can talk about their 

 other great poets, but as for me, give 

 me Jimmie Burns. ' ' 



' ' Jimmie Bums ! ' ' fairly snorted the 

 enraged Smith. "Jimmie Burns! Augh! 

 Billie Washington! Frankie Napoleon! 

 Georgie Lincoln! Get out of my sight, 

 ye ignoramus ! ' ' 



And that crestfallen senator never did 

 get his palms. 



IOWA FLORISTS MEET. 



At the annual meeting of the Society 

 of Iowa Florists, held at Des Moines 

 September 1 and referred to in last 

 week's Review, the following oflBcers 

 were elected: 



President, G. D. Black, Independence. 

 Vice-president, F. J. Olsan, Ames. 

 Secretary, Wesley Greene, Dayenport. 

 Treasurer, Peter Lambert, Des Moines. 



A resolution was passed offering a 

 special premium of $25 from the funds 

 of the society for the best mantel deco- 

 ration of gladoli to be shown at the state 

 fair next year. 



Sparta, Wis.— The Jewetts are re- 

 building the greenhouse destroyed by fire 



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