36 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



December 14, 1911. 



NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW. 



Will you kindly give publicity to the 

 fact that the committee is now working 

 on the preliminary plant schedule for 

 1913? Strong representations have been 

 made me that any firms who desire to 

 contribute special prizes in the plant 

 classes should be given due credit for 

 the same and their names placed in this 

 preliminary list, to insure for them the 

 widest publicity possible. The commit- 

 tee feels that it cannot get in touch 

 I)ersonally with all who may be desir 

 ous of contributing in this,manner, and 

 therefore asks that they write on or 

 before January 1, 1912, stating their 

 wishes in this matter. 



C. H. Totty, Chairman. 



Madison, N. J. 



THE COMING DETROIT SHOW. 



A good deal of adverse criticism has 

 been going around regarding the earli- 

 ness of the rose show. The executive 

 board of the American Rose Society 

 thought it best to stretch a point and 

 get together with the Carnation So- 

 ciety as an experiment. Many rose 

 growers grow carnations too. They 

 would like to go to both conventions, 

 but to spare the time is often not possi- 

 ble, besides the extra cost of fare. By 

 having these two conventions together; 

 I think both societies will strengthen 

 their membership, in this way: A 

 grower whose interest is weakest, say, 

 in roses, and is a member of the Carna- 

 tion Society, would possibly, if able to 

 attend both meetings, join the Rose So- 

 ciety, as he is most likely interested in 

 roses also, but not caring to spend the 

 time and money for both meetings, goes 

 to the one which takes care of his 

 greatest interest. So, being able to kill 

 two birds with one stone, he goes to the 

 joint meeting. As this works both 



ways, both societies will be gainers. 

 Besides, the exhibition of the two socie- 

 ties together should be so great an at- 

 traction to the public that a good at- 

 tendance seems assured, which is a 

 great factor toward the success of the 

 show. The Rose Society has always 

 suffered from lack of attendance. If 

 the show was just held of roses alone, 

 it was too small an affair and the gen- 

 eral public did not get to know of it. 

 Advertisements cost a lot of money. 

 If held in conjunction with some horti- 

 cultural society we had the attendance, 

 but we could not always arrange such 

 conditions, so we are trying this com- 

 bination. I feel sure it will be a great 

 success. The hall is ideal, light and 

 with plenty of ventilation, and the De- 

 troit Florists' Club is going to do its 

 best to make us all feel at home. Every 

 member of it is working for the success 

 of it, and everyone seems to feel as if 

 the success of the show and meeting 

 depended on just Ms share of the work. 

 This makes the officers and executive 

 boards of both societies feel assured 

 of one of the greatest meetings and ex- 

 hibitions ever held by either society. 

 So, my dear friend, drop your growl- 

 ing, if you are one of the growlers, 

 and make up your mind to come, and 

 you will never regret it. The exhibi- 

 tion of roses alone will surpass your 

 expectations. Many new varieties will 

 be there, not by the dozen, but by big 

 fifty bunches, and if they are not there 

 you can form your own conclusion why. 

 If you have any good roses look over 

 the premium list and see if there is not 

 one class where you can come in. I 

 know there is. All varieties and all 

 classes are taken care of by some 

 $1,700 for cash prizes, and the society's 

 gold, silver and bronze medals. Enough, 

 for everybody who is keen and alert 

 knows that to have good roses at that 



A Mexican Jar and Mixed Plants. 



(Fortunate Is he who possesses an eye for form and color.) 



time of the year, so they can come io 

 competition with the best and possi- 

 bly carry away the first prizes, is a 

 glory, besides being a good advertise- 

 ment. Money is not everything in this 

 life. To show your skill and good 

 judgment, your fine points of cultiva- 

 tion and care, and then to triumph over 

 your competitors, is the great glory in 

 our profession. Not to have felt that 

 way is to have missed the best in your 

 work, and those who lost will strive to 

 do better, in the hope of taking the 

 blue ribbon some other day, and that 

 is just one of the results of exhibitions. 

 To get improvements in methods of 

 cultivation, to keep one's eyes and ears 

 wide open, going to these meetings and 

 exhibitions is very important. You may 

 not get great, big chunks of informa- 

 tion every time you go, but, as the say- 

 ing is, "every little bit helj)s. " Com- 

 petition is strong, so one has to be 

 posted all along the line. Everyone 

 needs that to keep abreast of the times. 

 There are lots of men crying that there 

 is no more money in it, as there was 

 twenty to twenty-five years ago; the little 

 men are getting crowded out. That's all 

 nonsense. There is just as much money 

 in it as ever, and more, and the small 

 grower has just as good a chance as 

 ever. Of course the old ways of doing 

 things will not answer any more; new 

 ways and means have to be adapted 

 and lived up to and success is assured, 

 as ever. A. Farenwald. 



STORING DAHLIA ROOTS. 



Has anything been published at any 

 time concerning the construction of 

 cellars for the storage of dahlia tubers? 

 If you have not published anything in 

 regard to this, can you advise me of 

 any literature containing information 

 on this subject? M. W. H. 



I do not know of any literature bear- 

 ing on this subject, or any special 

 article dealing with the winter storage 

 of dahlia roots. Storage is usually 

 briefly dismissed in catalogues and cul- 

 tural articles, but it is the stumbling 

 block over which many cultivators fall, 

 and heavy losses in storage have so 

 disgusted some growers that they have 

 dropped dahlia culture entirely. 



Dahlia roots should be thoroughly 

 dried in the sun after lifting, before 

 being stored away. Even a little moist 

 earth will sometimes cause whole tubers 

 to turn moldy. They require a dry, 

 cool cellar, and where fire heat is not 

 used, except it may be in cases of spe- 

 cially severe weather, and then only 

 for as brief a period as possible. A 

 cellar which will keep common pota- 

 toes and gladioli satisfactorily will be 

 equally good for dahlias. It should 

 not be constructed, as I have occa- 

 sionally seen them, of concrete walls 

 with only one ventilator. Provide an 

 abundance of ventilation, as if mold 

 starts there is nothing like pure, fresh, 

 dry air to check it. 



Earth or cinders will do for the floor; 

 I prefer the latter. Do not lay any 

 tubers on the floor, no matter how dry 

 it may seem; always lay some boards 

 down first. Tiers of shelves can be 

 built of boards, with air spaces of three- 

 fourths of an inch to one inch between 

 them, and made of any convenient 

 width, also as high as head room will 

 allow. On these lay the tubers close 

 together, but never pile on top of each 

 other. If you don't want to build 

 shelves, you can, to utilize boxes or 



