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8 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



September 9, 1909. 



CARNATION NOTES.- EAST. 



The Question of Early Blooms. 



We are hjiviiig ideal weather couditions 

 for the establishment of recently housed 

 plants. The bright days with cool nights 

 favor strong growth, and soon some early 

 flowering sorts will be showing a disposi- 

 tion to form buds. Whether these should 

 be alloAved to develop into blooms is a 

 question which each grower must decide 

 for himself, but a few remarks may 

 serve as a partial guide. 



If one is reasonably sure of a market 

 at fair prices, it might be advisable to 

 permit moderate blooming, but, as has 

 been before advised in these notes, it is 

 best to proceed with caution and, above 

 all, to otfer the best that it is possible to 

 produce or none at all. Too often, how- 

 ever, have we seen the market flooded 

 with miserable apologies for carnations 

 — at a time, too, when chrysanthemums 

 command attention. 



Growers of this stock probably reason 

 that, being grown Avithout expense of 

 fuel, the returns are practically all vel- 

 vet, while in reality it is more an ex- 

 ample of "trying to eat one's cake and 

 have it, too. ' ' 



An Insufficient Root System. 



The usual tendency of newly planted 

 stock, when disposed to bloom, is to do 

 so on short stems, thereby giving evi- 

 dence that the check incident to trans- 

 planting has more influence on bud for- 

 mation than matureness of the plant. The 

 root system has not become sufficiently 

 extended to supply the needed material 

 for both stem and bloom of high grade. 



Aside from the low price received for 

 short-stemmed flowers, there is a certain 

 amount of plant energy wasted which 

 would better have been conserved, to be 

 expended later in the production of first- 

 class stock. 



If, however, market conditions demand 

 carnations, a proper proportion of the 

 strongest plants can be used to furnish 

 the supply, the rule of disbudding and 

 otherwise handling the product being as 

 strictly observed as when the season is 

 at its height. Geo. S. 0.sborx. 



BELGIANS STUDYING US. 



The Belgian government has sent to the 

 United States Prof. Adolph Buysseus, 

 head of the horticultural department in 

 the University of A'ilfordt, with instruc- 

 tions to investigate floricultural methods 

 here, particularly with reference to grow- 

 ing carnations for the winter market. He 

 has already interviewed the Agricultural 

 Department at Washington, and visited 

 Philadelphia, near which, in Chester 

 county, the carnation is a specialty. Dur- 

 ing the last few days he has been visiting 

 the big greenhouse plants in the vicinity 

 of Chicago, and will extend his tour to 

 all the principal cities of this country 

 and Canada. 



The vLsit of Prof. Buysseus is attract- 

 ing much attention from the daily papers 

 in the cities he visits, many editorial com- 



ments being published because of the fact 

 that his journey has given not a few edi- 

 tors a new idea as to the extent and im- 

 portance of the flower business. 



A QUESTION OF FAIRNESS. 



Is it honorable to accept advance or- 

 ders for plants and then, at the last 

 minute, when the plants are ordered 

 shipped, to say, "Sorry, but we are sold 

 out; we return check," etc.? 



For my, planting this season I ordered 

 months ahead, from two growers, and re- 

 ceived the most profuse acknowledg- 

 ments, saying that the plants would be 

 held, etc., and yet both growers turned 

 me down, one for the entire order, the 

 other for a part, after writing me a short 

 time ago that he had fine growing 

 weather and the plants were looking fine. 



Last season I had similar experiences 

 and put on my "unfair list" two names 

 that are often before the public. This 

 season I will add two more names of 

 those from whom I will never buy a 



penny's worth again. These names I 

 will give you for publication if you will 

 accept them, and to any brother florist I 

 will send their names upon request. I 

 pay my bills promptly, often in advance, 

 and I believe I am entitled to fair treat- 

 ment. As a reader of the Review, I 

 wish you would take up the matter in 

 your usual fair and vigorous way and 

 get us fair treatment. You owe this 

 much to your subscribers. 



Please publish this, so we may hear 

 from the other side. A. J. Seiders. 



The gentleman is entirely justified in 

 withholding his patronage from any who 

 do not appreciate it. — Ed. 



LILIES FOR EARLY EASTER. 



I should like to know if I will be safe 

 in relying on giganteum bulbs for my 

 crop for the coming Easter. W. M. N. 



In reference to the above inquiry and 

 the replies in the Eeview^ of September 2, 

 as to whether or not it will be safe to 

 depend on the giganteum lilies for the 

 coming Easter, we would certainly say 

 yes, providing, however, that the tempera- 

 ture of the house they are in is well 

 under control and that they are grown as 

 a crop and not as a side issue. As for 

 ourselves, giganteums are among the vari- 

 eties we grow. Peirce Bros. 





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SUG GESTIONS | 



Fire Heat. 



We have now arrived at a season of the 

 year when we get some very cool nights, 

 followed by hot days. The temptation is 

 strong, when there is a half frosty nip 

 in the air, to close down the ventilators 

 tight in order to keep up the tempera- 

 tures in the houses. This is a poor policy 

 and there can be no easier way to pro- 

 mote the spread of bacteria. It is far 

 better to somewhat/teduce the ventilation, 

 but do not closeyihe houses. Let some 

 ventilation circulate in them rather than 

 create a damp, stagnant, clammy atmos- 

 phere. Never mind if the thermometer 

 goes a few degrees lower. It will not 

 harm your plants a particle. 



Some growers run a little fire heat 

 nearly all summer, and for some kinds 

 of stock this is quite helpful. Eoses, 

 tropical plants and certain orchids are all 

 benefited by a little warmth in the pipes 

 on damp days and cool nights; a more 

 buoyant and better growing atmosphere is 

 created, and mildew and other troubles 

 are the more easily warded off. There 

 is, however, no need to use heat yet for 

 carnations and the general stock in trade 

 grown by the average retailer. 



Let syringing be done not later than 

 two o'clock in the afternoon, so that all 

 foliage will be dry before nightfall, and 

 reduce the moisture on floors and below 

 benches. Be sure that your heating plant 

 is ready to start up. All repairs not com- 

 pleted should be attended to now and not 

 when freezing weather makes it impera- 



tive. If haters and piping are in good 

 order, and any necessary painting and 

 glazing done, the grower should feel 

 happy, but every year we see laggards 

 who feverishly start this work when it 

 should be completed. 



Poinsettias. 



The last batch of poinsettia cuttings 

 should be in the sand by the last week in 

 August. It is unprofitable to root them 

 any later than this, as they have so short 

 a season of growth that the bracts are 

 very small. The earlier batches should 

 by this time be in the pans in which they 

 are to flower. Grow them cool and water 

 carefully, in order to keep, them stocky 

 and keep the foliage down to the bases 

 of the plants. It is a mistake to coddle 

 poinsettias. It simply makes spindling, 

 unsalable stock. The time they enjoy a 

 good heat is from the time bracts form 

 until they are fully developed. When 

 making up the pans it is a good plan to 

 work in some small nephrolepis, Cyperus 

 alternifolius, grevilleas, dracaenas or other 

 green foliaged plants among them. In 

 case of a loss of foliage on the poinset- 

 tias, they cover the nakedness and ren- 

 der salable pans which would otherwise 

 be of little value. 



Berried Solanums. 



For an easily grown plant, which can 

 be profitably sold at a comparatively low 

 price, the Jerusalem cherries are hard to 

 beat and, while they may not sell so well 



