34 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



MOVEMBEB 16, 1911. 



tion of the spikes crooked; they work 

 in well in decorating. In one lot I sent 

 to a dealer there were a good many 

 such misshaped stalks; every one of 

 them was picked out by a discriminat- 

 ing purchaser. I saw them afterward 

 in the office window of a large contract- 

 ing concern. They made a most attrac- 

 tive show and were admired by all who 

 passed by. I believe if all these spikes 

 had been straight and stiff they would 

 not have received more than a passing 

 glance. In a room the artistic effect 

 would have been even more pronounced. 

 Possibly with many of the Lemoinei, 

 which are noted for their propensity to 

 run to crooked stems, the effect would 

 not be so good, unless the varieties 

 were of the larger flowered sorts of 

 this race of gladioli. 



I have been asked for the name of 

 what I consider the best early white 

 gladiolus, The Bride, Shakespeare, 

 Snowbank, May, Augusta and the like 

 not to be considered. Of course, we 

 here, in this California climate, can 

 have early gladioli long before they 

 would open outdoors in the east. Out 

 of a score of whites grown here by me 

 during the last season, I found the 

 earliest to be an unnamed one produced 

 by A. E. Kunderd. It is one of his 

 plain-petaled sorts. For a truly mag- 

 nificent white of grand form and sub- 

 stance, his new ruffled variety named 

 after his wife is the best I ever saw. 

 The flower is much larger than Snow- 

 bank or Eeine Blanche. Alice Carey is 

 a splendid white, but I do not like the 

 way it sets on the stem; I am afraid 

 it will prevent its ever being a good 

 sort for florists. 



Mentioning Kunderd 's new varieties 

 reminds me that he has several other 

 good whites, but not equal in my esti- 

 mation to the grand ruffled named. One 

 is a ruffled, but I think the stem 'too 

 short for anything but bedding pur- 

 poses. He has a white with blush 

 edges that is a free bloomer, as many 

 as ten or a dozen flowers being out at 

 a time, which makes it desirable for 

 many uses in florists' work. He has 

 a beautiful pink variety that equals in 



some respects that magnificent French 

 sort, Sans Pareil. For this country it 

 has greater vigor and reproductive pro- 

 clivities to recommend it to our trade. 

 For cutting it has no equal among the 

 pink varieties. 



I am something of a crank on reds, 

 although I am fond of many of the 

 other colors as well; in fact, I like all 

 the fine sorts. But of reds I have made 

 quite a study. And yet, for our cli- 

 mate, I have not found a red that I 

 must say I thoroughly like. Perhaps 

 I am too hard to please. Kunderd has 

 some good ones. What P. O. Coblentz 

 put out as No. 312 as one of our freest 

 and surest bloomers. Sometimes, how- 

 ever, it seems to lose color in our hot 

 sun; then, sometimes, the stem does not 

 grow upright. It is a grand flower and 

 a good seller as a cut flower. I am 

 glad it is about to j^et a permanent 

 name. I have grown it several years. 

 R. E. Huntington, of Painesville, 0., 

 catatogued it a year or two ago and 

 called it Grenadier; so, also, I believe, 

 did Storrs & Harrison, of the same 

 place. Some other names have be 

 applied to it, but I believe a number 

 of dealers have united on Grenadier as 

 the future name of what Coblentz sent 

 out as No. 312. I think, however, that 

 Red Chief would be better, although 

 the one pitched upon is good and dis- 

 tinctive. 



The peer of all red or scarlet gladi- 

 oli is unquestionably Princeps, but it 

 is not entirely suitable for florists' use. 

 A new one just being sent out by the 

 Kirchhoffer people, of Pembroke, N. Y., 

 is the swellest thing out. Princeps 

 colors are there in full force, but it has 

 the advantage of having a better ar- 

 ranged flower, although it is not so 

 large. It has much the form of Amer- 

 ica, and, perhaps, generally speaking, 

 is as large. I understand that it will 

 be some years yet before the stock will 

 be sufficiently large to allow of its gen- 

 eral use in the trade. I have tried over 

 a dozen forms and they did splendidly 

 here. The hot sun did not burn the 

 petals, as is too often the case with the 

 reds. W. A. Pryal. 



AlfTIBBHINUMS. 



It is really wonderful the way antir- 

 rhinums have advanced in popular 

 favor the last few years. Growers un- 

 acquainted with them until quite re- 

 cently are now growing them in quan- 

 tity and find them a profitable crop. 

 The main trouble, with many florists, 

 still is that they will persist in planting 

 mixed colors in shades which are not 

 wanted in the market. This is utterly 

 wrong. Of course, at Memorial day 

 about any shade will sell, but at other 

 seasons a few special colors only are 

 wanted. Bright pink is always a seller. 

 Pure white, yellow and scarlet are 

 other selling colors. Once having se- 

 cured a really good type, it is best to 

 hold on to it, propagating from the 

 shoots, which are plentifully carried on 

 the flowering stems. These root readily 

 in sand, like carnations, and any put in 

 now and grown on will give a strong 

 spring crop. The sale for rooted cut- 

 tings should not be overlooked. There 

 is a strong and growing demand for 

 these and it is not confined to any one 

 section of the country. 



Many of the mums, in fact all but 

 the late ones, are now cut and there 

 are few better paying succession crops 

 than snapdragons, to give them their 

 common name. The old mum soil need 

 not be renewed. Give it a heavy coat- 

 ing of cow or sheep manure, spade it 

 over well and you can grow splendid 

 antirrhinums in it. If strong spikes are 

 desired it is necessary to disbud the 

 shoots and leave only a small number 

 to a plant. Of course it is necessary 

 to get rather fancy prices for these, 

 and such prices are only obtainable in 

 the big markets. For supports, Wires 

 and cross strings, such as are used for 

 carnations, answer well. It is necessary 

 to always keep the stalks erect; once 

 allow them to get bent and they are 

 valueless. 



The early batch is now in heavy crop, 

 and in spite of the avalanche of chrys- 

 anthemums is selling well. An effort 

 should now be made to hold a large cut 

 for Thanksgiving, when prices should 



Orchids and Valley. Pompon Hums, Daisies and Valley. 



Two of the Dicplay Baskets in the Flower Show Given by E. Wienhocber Co^ Chicago. 



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