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24 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



NovaiiBSB SO, 1911. 



Harry Turner. The last named, from a 

 late bud, will give a flower almost as 

 deep in color as the old Black Hawk 

 and it should make a place for itself. 



Bronze and Other Colors. 



In the bronze or any other color, the 

 place of honor must be given to Harry 

 E. Converse, a last year 's novelty. This 

 variety was good everywhere, simply 

 immense in size and of wonderful color. 

 W. Mease was shown quite considerably 

 in the bronze section and I do no^ think 

 its day is done, by any means. Rose 

 Pockett also held its own everywhere. 

 Howard Gould and Mrs. Kjahn are both 

 striking varieties, and Glenview, when 

 it is caught just right, is still indispens- 

 able in this class. 



Mrs. G. C. Kelly really has a place in 

 this class, but it is a strong grower and 

 many growers overfed their stock, with 

 the result that it dampened and was 

 not shown nearly so much as I had ex- 

 pected. Another year may possibly 

 place it on the roll of honor. 



Novelties coming in this particular 

 class are Mrs. Geo. Burke, bronze, and 

 Mrs. Peter Duff, an old rose color. Mrs. 

 H. Stevens really should not be dis- 

 carded from this class, but much of the 

 stock was diseased last season, and un- 

 less carefully handled it will rapidly 

 pass into the "great beyond." 



To answer the question, ' * Are we still 

 moving forward?" I say, most assur- 

 edly, from every point of view. Fewer 

 of the varieties need artificial sup- 

 ports, as they used to in the old Mme. 

 Carnot days; the color in most types is 

 better and large size is now being com- 

 bined with good form, which was not 

 always the case. 



In an early issue I will review the 

 field from a commercial, cut flower 

 standpoint, and see what lessons can 

 be drawn from the season just closing. 



Chas. H. Totty. 



CHBYSA17THEMUM SOOIETT. 



The examining committees have re- 

 ported as follows: 



Boston, November 20, exhibited by 

 Elmer D. Smith & Co., Adrian, Mich., 

 Harvard, crimson, Japanese, scored 87 

 points commercial scale and 84 points 

 exhibition scale. 



The variety exhibited under number 

 at New York, November 1, by A. C. 

 Van Qaasbeck, Orange, N. J., has been 

 named Helen Van Gaasbeck. 



The pompon variety of Hartje & 

 Elder, Indianapolis, Ind., has been 

 named Fairy Queen. 



Chas. W. Johnson, Secretary. 



TO KEEP DEY. 



To keep from getting your feet and 

 trousers wet when watering the plants, 

 get a pair of oil "slicker" pants to 

 slip on over your other trousers, and 

 a pair of rubbers, not overshoes; over- 

 shoes are too heavy and expensive. 

 Thus you will come out of the job per- 

 fectly dry. There is no comparison be- 

 tween the slicker and the old-fashioned 



apron. 



A. G. 



Woodbine, la.— George Young, the 

 new owner of the greenhouses con- 

 ducted under the name of the Wood- 

 bine Floral Co., has now taken pos- 

 session of the residence near the 

 greenhouse grounds. A. D. Curtis, 

 who has been with the former proprie- 

 tors as manager, will remain with Mr. 

 Young. I 



FBOM A GLADIOLUS SPECIALIST. 



The article on "Gladiolus Topics," 

 by W. A. Pryal, in The Review of No- 

 vember 16, was exceedingly interesting 

 to me, and also to many others, with- 

 out doubt. As to whether a varie- 

 gated leaved gladiolus would or would 

 not prove attractive to the general 

 public, that remains to be seen. As Mr. 

 Pryal states, we grow them for their 

 'flowers, but it seems to me that any 

 additional ornamentation should not be 

 despised, providing it is worthy of 

 notice. 



I heartily agree with Mr. Pryal's 

 opinion that a few crooked-stemmed 

 gladioli, when added to a vase of the 

 blooms, do much to relieve the usual 

 spiky effect, thus making the arrange- 

 ment far more graceful. 



I enclose a small picture of an en- 

 thusiastic 3-year-old specialist; it may 

 serve, in a measure, to illustrate this 

 subject. 



There seems to have been a multi- 

 plicity of new seedlings of merit on the 

 market of late years, and one's pocket- 



Meader's Gladiolus Specialist. 



book would soon be exhausted in an 

 attempt to try them all. We would 

 find ourselves "stung" by many which 

 failed to come up to expectations. We 

 are fortunate, however, in having some 

 old, reliable sorts to fall back on, such 

 as America, Augusta, Mrs. Francis 

 King, May, etc., which are always pop- 

 ular and do not disappoint, but form 

 the staff of life of the trusting grower. 

 Variety, though, is the spice of life and 

 undoubtedly we should miss much pleas- 

 urable anticipation, to say the least, 

 if we were denied the joys of watch- 

 ing the opening blossom of some new 

 and much vaunted variety and were re- 

 stricted to but a few sorts 



In closing I will say that The Re- 

 view is to be congratulated upon com- 

 mencing its fifteenth year, as being 

 an A-No. I paper in every respect and 

 one that all branches of the trade 

 should take great pride in supporting. 



H. E. Meader. 



GLADIOLUS TOPICS. 



In reference to the gladiolus with 

 variegated foliage, mentioned in 

 * ' Gladiolus Topics ' ' in The Review for 

 November 16, I am inclined to believe 

 the variegation in the variety we 

 have is not due to an infirmity, but is 

 one of nature's new ideas in gladioli. 

 We have grown this variety four years 

 and each season the white markings 

 have been more pronounced. It is also 

 noticeable in the leaves of some of the 

 bulblets, while others from the same 

 bulb show no traces of it. Of course 

 this may not amount to anything, but 

 it seems to me that there is a place for 

 variegated foliage. Would not a bunch 

 of dark red blooms with green and 

 white foliage be attractive? The way 

 in which the gladiolus has responded to 

 all efforts in hybridization and intense 

 cultivation in the last few years should 

 prepare us for new and unlooked for 

 forms and variations which are bound 

 to come, and we should be careful lest, 

 in seeing, we see not the first little sign- 

 board which guides us into the new 

 field of improvement. 



Yes, there is surely a place also for 

 a few crooked stems. Many times we 

 have arranged branches of the blooms, 

 some with a crooked stem or two, over 

 the jar, and others with straight, stiff 

 spikes, and in nearly every instance 

 the former were the more admired. 



Mrs. A. H. Austin. 



BEEBIED PLANTS. 



Ardisia cre^ulata is always a splen- 

 did selling pliant for Christmas, but it 

 is not possible to sell it at any such 

 price as berried solanums or Christmas 

 peppers, as it is a slow growing sub- 

 ject. The berries must be ripe, or at 

 least a good proportion of them, if 

 the plants are to sell. Each year grow- 

 ers of ardisias seem unable to ripen 

 them on time and it means a whole 

 year's wait, in such cases, before there 

 is any further chance to move them. 

 Any plants, therefore, which are not 

 well colored should be given all pos- 

 sible sunlight in a temperature ox 60 

 degrees at night to forward them. If 

 there are only a few plants, elevate 

 them on inverted pots. Use the hose 

 on them to keep the foliage clean. 

 Plants well ripened can be given a cold 

 house. They are one of the best sub- 

 jects to use for the store windows at 

 this season. 



Berried solanums are easily grown 

 and there is never any trouble in ripen- 

 ing them on time; in fact, if they are 

 not given a moderately cool house, some 

 of the fruit is liable to shake off before 

 Christmas. As they do not mind a few 

 degrees of frost, they can be stood in 

 quite draughty places in the store, or 

 even outdoors, unless the weather is 

 cold. Pot-grown plants ripen a trifle 

 earlier than those which were lifted 

 from, the open, but do not make such 

 fine plants. Those propagated from 

 cuttings also make sprawly plants, not 

 comparable in quality with seedlings. 

 Solanums want an abundance of water, 

 and some spraying or fumigating is 

 necessary to keep them clean of green 



fly. 



Christmas peppers find favor with 

 many. They are more tender than the 

 solanums and never make so neat a pot 

 plant. They should have a warmer 

 house to ripen the berries properly. A 

 carnation temperature answers well. 



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