P -w^jr-ij.-— i^YT'^Y' 



NOVIOJIBER 11, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



33 



kept at 48 to 54 degrees, according to 

 the variety. 



Feed sparingly, but often, rather than 

 give a heavy feed occasionally. In feed- 

 ing, use only well rotted cow manure or 

 pulverized sheep manure, as I prefer 

 these to commercial fertilizers. Keep 

 the plants in a steady growth, but do not 

 cause a soft growth to be made from 

 overfeeding or high temperature, giving 

 as much air as possible during the day. 



It may be necessary to keep the steam 

 circulating through the pipes to keep 

 up the temperature, so as to allow the 

 ventilation to be open to give the plants 

 as much fresh air as possible, especially 

 on bright, sunny days. 



Cutting Carnations. 



"When the bloom reaches the proper 

 stage of development, which is not quite 

 fully developed, it should be cut with a 

 sharp knife between the joints. 



As soon as one or two hundreds are 

 cut, they should be immediately taken to 

 the packing shed, where they should be 

 placed in water. Have the stems in from 

 twelve to eighteen inches of water, if 

 possible. A cold cellar for storing car- 

 nations, where the temperature is about 

 45 degrees, is best. 



Never crowd too many carnations into 

 one jar, but give them plenty of room to 

 absorb as much water as possible before 

 shipping. 



From three to five hours I consider 

 would be long enough for carnations to 

 remain in the water before packing them, 

 according to the distance they would have 

 to travel. In cases where they are 

 shipped 1,000 miles, requiring forty 

 hours to make the trip, flowers would 

 be best in water from four to six hours 

 before shipping. 



Use strong wooden boxes for packing 

 them in, lined with paper inside. 



Packing Carnation Blooms. 



Now as to packing. There are a 

 variety of ways, some packing flat with 

 wet paper over each layer of stems, others 

 in bunches of twenty-five with a piece of 

 ice laid on paper on the stems; others, 

 again, with no wet paper or ice. I have 

 unpacked thousands of each, and noted 

 results of each way. 



I prefer them laid fiat with the stems 

 in the center of the box, and wet paper 

 across each layer until the box is full. 

 By wet paper, I do not mean a piece of 

 paper simply put in water and taken out 

 again, but one that is soaked through and 

 through. 



Then place two cleats across the stems 

 and nail them down securely, so they 

 cannot shift. The box is now ready for 

 the lid. I prefer the box covered with 

 paper, thus making it as air-tight as pos- 

 sible. 



The carnation is the same as everything 

 else; it will only stand so much mis- 

 treatment, and the nearer you can keep 

 it to nature the better results we shall 

 have; the better we grow the carnation 

 the more popular it will become and the 

 sooner it will pave the way to be one of 

 our national flowers. 



Roses, Sweet Peas and Violets. 



I do not propose to say much about 

 the care of roses, the cutting and packing 

 being practically the same as for car- 

 nations, except that in long distances a 

 piece of ice is preferred. 



As regards the packing of sweet peas, 

 as soon as they are cut, place them in 

 water for two or three hours in a cold 

 room, at about 50 degrees; then pack 



Gloriosa RothschilcHana. 



them with wax paper and no ice. Place; 

 a sheet of wax paper between every row 

 of bunches. Use flat boxes and only one 

 layer in each box. 



Sweet peas handled in this way can bo 

 shipped 1,000 miles and more with good 

 results. 



In warm weather keep them as dry as 

 possible and if they get soft in transit it 

 will not hurt them if they are put in 

 jvater, and placed in an ice-box as soon 

 as unpacked. 



The same also will apply to violets, 

 with the addition of wet paper around 

 the stems. 



Unsatisfactory Express Service. 



I feel I cannot close this paper with- 

 out reference to the necessity for better 

 equipment for transit, and perhaps more 

 care in handling while en route. 



Express cars are not properly equipped 

 for handling flowers, especially those on 

 through trains, such as "Toronto and 

 Winnipeg. ' ' In the first place, cars are 

 loaded full and it is necessary for mes- 

 sengers to shift flowers from one part of 

 the car to another, when sorting express 

 matter for the many routes throughout 

 the west. It is impossible to maintain 

 one temperature, or nearly so, as re- 

 quired for safety in handling these ship- 

 ments during cold weather, unless prop- 

 erly protected. 



The only way flowers can be handled 

 with satisfaction under such circum- 



stances is that special compartments be 

 built for them in through cars, about six 

 feet from the side door, in the fore part 

 of the car (this need not be a fixture), 

 and when placed .in this compartment 

 they can be kept at almost one tempera- 

 ture and not subjected to draft as at 

 present, while messengers are working 

 local stations. 



GLORIOSA ROTHSCHILDIANA. 



At recent exhibitions in the east, and 

 particularly at Boston, Gloriosa Koths- 

 I'hildiana has been a center of interest. 

 It is a member of the lily family which 

 up to the present season has been offered 

 in only limited numbers and which sel- 

 dom has been seen outside the larger pri- 

 vate establishments, but it is stated that 

 Knight & Struck, New York, have this 

 season come into possession of a quantity 

 of four-year-old bulbs. The following 

 cultural notes are by Arthur Griffin, the 

 well known gardener at Newport, E. I.: 



"When it becomes generally known 

 how easily these beautiful plants can be 

 grown, there will be few private places 

 without them, especially as they can be 

 flowered at various months in the year to 

 suit the grower. With sufficient tubers 

 started at intervals they can be had in 

 bloom almost the whole year around, and 

 the beautiful effect they have when 

 trained either on the roof or as specimen 

 plants has to be seen to be appreciated. 

 Their beautiful combination of color, 



