22 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



February 29, 1012. 



SWEET PEA STEMS ARE SHORT. 



Will you kindly give me some infor- 

 mation about my sweet peas? I com- 

 menced to pick them just before Christ- 

 mas and the stems were ten to sixteen 

 inches long. Now a great many of 

 them are three or four inches long. 

 What is the reason for this? They 

 have a night temperature of 52 degrees. 

 The vines seem to be all right and we 

 are picking large quantities. The short- 

 ening of the stems began in the end of 

 the greenhouse farthest from the boiler. 

 I heat with hot water. They are in 

 solid beds, with four or five inches of 

 space between the vines, but they are 

 sending up lots of shoots. What can I 

 do to make them lengthen their stems? 

 C. G. P. 



The fact that your sweet peas had 

 excellent stems six weeks ago and are 

 now coming short would indicate that 

 they have used up much of the avail- 

 able plant food and are in need of stim- 

 ulants. Of course, plants which may 

 have been flowering for two or three 

 months will naturally com« a little 

 shorter stemmed, but there should not 

 be 80 decided a shortening as you have 

 had. I would advise watering with cow 

 or sheep manure water, and in addi- 

 tion give a good top-dressing of the 

 sheep manure and fine bone. These can 

 be given together or separately. After 

 applying, lightly point over or hoe the 

 surface and then soak thoroughly with 

 water. 



Sweet peas require quite rich soil. 

 This should be well trenched over, work- 

 ing in plenty of cow manure. A coat- 

 ing three inches thick is not too much 

 to apply each season. Keep your night 

 temperature as near 50 degrees as pos- 

 sible, and by regular feeding your 

 plants will soon come with longer stems. 

 C. W. 



GREENHOUSES WRECKED. 



A tornado swept over the city of 

 Shreveport, La., at 4 o'clock in the 



afternoon of Tuesday, February 20, 

 leaving death and destruction in its 

 path. The accompanying illustration 

 shows the residence and greenhouses 

 of A. J. Manhein, photographed 'the 

 day after the storm. In the destruc- 

 tion of the residence the life of the 

 2-months-old child of Mr. and Mrs. 

 Manhein was lost, the body being 

 found a block from the home. The 

 greenhouses and stock are a total loss. 

 Rebuilding will be begun at once. 



NEW YORK. 



The Market. 



Sunday, February 25, was springlike 

 and everybody seemed to be wearing 

 violets. The street merchants were at 

 every corner. The surplus price was 

 10 cents per hundred, wholesale, and 

 one veteran violet authority declared 

 there were "so many in the market 

 that they could not be given away." 

 The average price for the best and 

 freshest arriving was 25 cents and few 

 sold above that figure. The one re- 

 deeming feature, from the growers' 

 standpoint, was the American Beauty. 

 So scarce have Beauties been that the 

 few perfect ones that arrived Monday 

 morning sold at $1. This high-water 

 mark was touched several times during 

 the last week. The supply of roses now 

 increases daily, and prices are on the 

 down grade. The warm, bright days of 

 last week started the big shipments in 

 earnest. Richmond has been in good 

 demand and exceptionally fine, touch- 

 ing 20 cents at times. The newer va- 

 rieties are in constant demand and light 

 supply, but of Killarney, Bride, Maid 

 and Maryland there will be, from now 

 on, practically no limit. 



It is difficult to account for the 

 drastic cut in carnation values; 50 cents 

 to $2 are the extremes. It is not fair 

 to quote prices on the new varieties, as 

 only a few arrive, and these have their 

 destination fixed before shipment. The 



street men have b&dn offering carna 

 tions and Violets in about eqtial quau 

 titles and the sales Sunday were enor- 

 mous. 



The fashion of flower wearing seenis 

 to be reviving. Many orchid and val- 

 ley corsages were on display on Fifth 

 avenue Sunday morning. Cattleyas 

 still are abundant, and the price is 

 stationary, 40 cents apparently being 

 top. Gardenias have touched $4 a dozen 

 again for the selected. There is plenty 

 of valley at the regular winter rates. 

 Lilies are down to 6 cents and under 

 and growing abundant again. This ap- 

 plies to callas also. Bulbous stock 

 floods the market. There is no decrease 

 in the supply of tulips and only a few 

 of the varieties are salable at living 

 prices. Hyacinths, narcissi, daffodils, 

 daisies, sweet peas and mignonette are 

 in overabundant supply. There has 

 been no change in the quotations for 

 asparagus and smilax. 



Various Notes. 



The event of this week will be the 

 Greek-American florists' annual ball. 

 Everybody in the wholesale district 

 takes this in, employers and employees, 

 and many of the prominent retailers 

 will be there, including every Greek 

 florist in the big city. Harmony and 

 union as a valuable basis for success 

 are here illustrated, for fraternity is 

 the watchword of this wonderfully 

 prosperous organization. 



The next meeting of the New York 

 Florists' Club will be held March 11. 

 This will be rose and orchid night and 

 exhibits may be sent care of Traendly 

 & Schenck, 133 West Twenty-Eighth 

 street. The success of the twenty-fifth 

 anniversary banquet of the club, which 

 will take place at the Park Avenue 

 hotel, March 23, is already assured. 

 Tables for six or eight may be secured 

 in advance, by sending to Secretary 

 Schenck for tickets. 



Sydney Wertheimer, of Wertheimer 

 Bros., has returned from a successful 

 western trip. He says business is 

 booming and the outlook for the Easter 

 trade immense. This ribbon house has 

 now ten travelers. 



The auction houses will reopen about 

 the middle of March. 



Lion & Co. are much pleased with 

 their new headquarters on Fourth ave- 

 nue, overlooking the Park at Union 

 Square. M. Americana Alexander, one 

 of the firm's salesmen, is back from 

 a seven weeks ' canvass and Julius Berg, 

 a other successful representative, has 

 arrived from a six weeks' trip. 



The Johnston Heating Co. reports a 









^^!Smis.. '^: 



Greenhouses and Residence of A.- J. Manhein, Destroyed by Tornado, February 21. 



