The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Septembeh 30, 1909. 



to properly water, mix soil, pot, etc. The 

 man may do all these things according to 

 the best of his ability and yet his plants 

 will never grow and produce like those 

 of the man who has the intuitive knowl- 

 edge to realize the little needs and to 

 make the cumulative eftects of his knowl- 

 edge felt just in the right way and at 

 the right time. 



The natural grower is the one in 

 charge of acres of glass, in which almost 

 every plant seems to spring into vigorous 

 growth so long as his watchful eye is 

 upon it and his hand is present to guide 

 it into the various operations. Of course 

 there are always some little things which 

 will slip the eye of the grower in busy 

 seasons, but those are exceptions. There- 

 fore the natural, successful grower is 

 born, not made, for it is not a question 

 of mechanics, but one of inherited love 

 for the plant line, which is the greatest 

 gift of nature. With love for the work 

 and an understanding of the needs of the 

 plants in their various circumstances, suc- 

 cess will in the end result. 



William Vossen. 



HAHD COAL SOOT. 



Is hard coal soot suitable for plants, 

 or do florists use only the soft coal soott 

 C. E. G. 



Soft coal soot is much richer in fer- 

 tilizing properties than that procured 

 from hard coal. The latter is, of course, 

 not wholly valueless and is useful to 

 spread on the land. Soft coal soot is 

 largely used by florists, the best being 

 imported. C. W. 



NOTES FROM ENGLAND. 



The dahlia season has been a disap- 

 pointing one with English growers. It 

 has been impossible to put up imposing 

 displays at the shows and the competitive 

 classes have not been well filled. The 

 peony-flowered varieties continue to in- 

 crease in popularity. 



Viola cornuta purpurea, introduced by 

 Gunn & Sons, Alton, Birmingham, Eng- 

 land, is a distinct acquisition. It has 

 brilliant, royal purple flowers, like large 

 violets, and produces an abundance of 

 flowers from early spring until late in 



the autumn. The plants are Uteriiily 

 smothered with blooms all the time, iuui 

 it is a valuable plant for bedding out. 



The new montbreties introduced by U. 

 Wallace & Co., Colchester, England, c ,u. 

 tinue to grow in favor. The best a'e: 

 Hereward, pale orange flowers, wid. ly 

 expanded and recurved, as in a Martaj. )n 

 lily; King Edmund, rich, golden-yell' iw 

 flowers, fully three inches across; Lti ly 

 Hamilton, erect stems studded with }>']. 

 low flowers; Lord Nelson, deep oran-e 

 scarlet; Norvic, large yellow flowers, 

 stained red; Prometheus, the finest of 

 all, flowers four inches in diameter, deep 

 orange with crimson ring round the eve, 

 of free habit and robust. - Bek. 



NAME OF PLANT. 



Kindly tell us the name of the enclosed 

 plant and where we could buy same. 

 C. K. 



Sedum spectabile. You can obtain this 

 hardy perennial from any of the many 

 dealers in hardy stock who advertise in 

 the Reviews. W. N. C. 



SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS. 



Boxing; and Housing. 



The majority of the Dutch bulbs are 

 already to hand and tlie balance will 

 soon be here. On the whole the quality 

 of the bulbs is extra good. They are a 

 few days later than usual in arriving and 

 it behooves us to get such as are wanted 

 for early forcing into the soil as speedily 

 as possible. The whole question of the 

 growing of these flower roots has been 

 thrashed out so much each year that 

 there is little now that can be said. These 

 notes are primarily intended for the 

 small growers, and of tnese there are con- 

 stantly new additions. Boiled down, the 

 important things to remember in indoor 

 bulb culture are: Select a soil which is 

 light and moderately rich ; the manure 

 must be old and such as will break up in 

 one's hands readily. Sand and fine 

 charcoal are useful additions. After the 

 bulbs are placed in the soil they can be 

 stood outdoors and covered with soil or 

 ashes, or better still placed in a cool, 

 dark cellar. The latter is much to be 

 preferred, as the boxes and pots are 

 more easily gotten at and cared for. 



The soil must be watered thoroughly; 

 one filling up is not usually sufficient. It 

 is important that the soil shall never be- 

 come dry, or indifferent results will fol- 

 low. Where many failures result is from 

 a too keen desire to force the bulbs. This 

 must not be done until the flats or pots 

 are full of roots and the growths two or 

 three inches long. With tulips and nar- 

 cissi, during the early winter months it 

 is always best after housing them to 

 keep them dark and moderately warm 

 for a few days. This assists in giving 



length of stem. If placed directly in the 

 light the stems will be short, even if the 

 bulbs are in a brisk heat. Of course dur- 

 ing February and March this is unneces 

 sary. Avoid the use of chemical fertilizers 

 in bulb compost. Soot, however, makes a 

 useful addition to the soil. Put good 

 drainage in all flats, pots or pans. After 

 they have been well watered a layer of 

 cinders, sand or some heavy material can 

 be sj)read over them, but examine them 

 occasionally and never let the soil ap- 

 I)roach dryness. 



Hyacinths. 



Hyacinths are not as popular as eitiier 

 tulips or narcissi commercially. Dutch 

 growers are making great eff'orts to 

 further popularize them, especially for 

 bedding purposes, planting them thickly 

 so that little earth will show. The call 

 for first size hyacinths is here restricted 

 to private gardeners. Realizable prices 

 are insufficient, even for well grown 

 spikes in pots, to leave any margin of 

 profit. The second size bulbs are, how- 

 ever, forced quite a little. Of these a 

 few useful varieties are: Gertrude, rose; 

 Gigantea, shell pink; Baroness von 

 Thuyll, white; La Grandesse, white; 

 Queen of the Blues, light blue; King of 

 the Blues, deep blue ; Charles Dickens, 

 light rose. What are called Dutch 

 Romans or miniature bulbed Dutch hya- 

 cinths are inexpensive and popular in the 

 trade. These can be planted thickly in 

 flats like white French Romans, and are 

 useful for cutting. The tops of hyacinth 

 bulbs should just peep above the soil 

 after watering. 



There is a small call at some stores for 

 hyacinths in glasses. The best quality 

 bulbs should be used for these. The 



water should barely touch the bottom of 

 the bulbs. One or two pieces of charcoal 

 help to keep the water pure. The glasses 

 should be placed in a dark closet in a 

 cool room until sprouted a couple of 

 inches. Then let them have a night tein 

 j)erature of 55 to 60 degrees until de- 

 veloped. It is necessary to add a little 

 water to the glasses occasionally and 

 change any which show any signs of 

 stagnancy, as the roots will speedily rut 

 in such. 



NarcissL 



The French Trumpet Majors aie 

 already in the soil and rooting nicely. 

 For early forcing these are useful, but 

 they are not equal in size or quality '" 

 the Dutch varieties. Single Von Si<'ii. 

 usually sold as Trumpet Major, is a fine 

 sort. Many growers grow the douMc 

 Von Sions heavily. We could never ? »' 

 any great beauty in them, but they scM. 

 which is a prime consideration. Of t e 

 golden trumpet varieties Golden Sp r 

 cannot be beaten. No grower who war's 

 a lot of fine golden trumpets can go f !' 

 wrong in planting this heavily. Heu'^ 

 Irving is another valuable sort. Emper '■ 

 for late use can be grown to a modern <' 

 extent, but purchasers usually pre! r 

 (Jolden Spurs. 



Among the bicolor Trumpet sectio n 

 Princess is cheap and still heavily gro%\ • 

 The flower has not the substance of oth r 

 forcing narcissi, but owing to its ]'■ ^ 

 price it remains popular in the Americ; i' 

 trade. Victoria is now so moderate i' 

 price that any grower can afford it. [^ 

 cannot, however, be forced early, but '■' 

 by long odds the finest bicolor Trumi>' ' 

 of moderate price. Empress, with il"* 

 snow-white perianth and golden yello* 



