20 



The Florists' Review 



ApbiL 23, 1914. 



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4 



PLANTING IN THE FIELD. 



The Weather's Uncertainties. 



The extraordinary weather, which 

 started nearly a year ago and has con- 

 tinued almost steadily till now, has 

 kept the growers guessing in regard to 

 their plans for planting out the young 

 stock. Usually about the latter part of 

 April we have a raw spell of weather. 

 We have been in the habit of waiting 

 for that spell to come and pass, thus 

 beginning operations in the field about 

 May 1. This year, the cold, cloudy 

 weather held on until early April, when 

 it cleared up .into real spring, so mild 

 that one couTcl hardly resist the tempta- 

 tion to get at least a part of the stock 

 into the &e\^ Last year we waited for 

 that same* period, but the ensuing 

 weeks, instead of bringing good gar- 

 dening weather, brought a drought that 

 did serious injury to the newly planted 

 stock, so that those who planted in 

 late April fared better than those who 

 waited for the milder weather. 



Taking Chances. 



We are taking our chances with a 

 part of our stock this year and started 

 to plant in the field April 16. Unless 

 a spell of bad weather sets in, we will 

 continue right through, finishing up 

 early in May. We do not recommend 

 this early planting for those who have 

 only a few thousands to set out and 

 can do it in a couple of days, as we be- 

 lieve thet a plant set out about May 1 

 will usually stand the best chance of 

 making first-class stock for benching 

 about August 1. After May 1 there is 

 little danger of severe freezing in this 

 latitude and, while a few degrees of 

 frost will not kill carnation plants, it 

 does them no good and a plant that 

 will be able to move right off into 

 growth after being set out should 

 surely do better than one that is sub- 

 jected to unfavorable conditions in 

 which to start off. So, as already stated, 

 we feel that we are taking a chance 

 with the stock we are putting out now, 

 and it will be interesting to see which 

 plants will be in the best condition at 

 benching time. 



■ Preparing the Field. 



Another change we are making from 

 our usual method is in the plowing. 

 We plowed the fields unusually late last 

 fall, as deeply as the plow would go, 

 leaving the ground rough. A good 

 coat of long manure, previously ap- 

 plied, has helped to prevent its settling 

 down with the winter rains. This 

 spring we are using only the disk har- 

 row on it, instead of plowing it first. 

 In this way we do not turn up the wet 

 soil from underneath and there is not 

 the usual packing down from the 

 tramping incidental to the planting. 

 We follow the disk harrow with the 

 drag. That smoothes over the surface 

 and prevents drying out. Tf the field 

 does remain in that condition a few 



days before being planted, there will 

 be only a thin eruyt of dry soil on top, 

 which can be t^asily broken up with 

 the trowels, or, ' if necessary, the disk 

 can be run over the ground again just 

 before planting. 



If you still have cuttings in the sand, 

 get them potted up as soon as they are 

 ready. In our latitude, we figure that 

 . anything that is set out in the field by 

 May 10 will stand an excellent chance 

 of making first-class stock, but as you 

 will have to give the young cuttings at 

 least three weeks in the pofts to get 

 them established, you can see that they 

 ought to be already potted. 



Topping the Young Stock. 



Your earliest potted plants have no 

 doubt been topped, but if you have 

 others that are ready to top now, do 

 not wait until planting time, thinking 

 to do it all in one operation. It will 

 be far better for the plants if they are 

 topped a couple of weeks before the 

 planting, providing they are not too 

 potbound. No plant should be topped 

 while it is being starved, or while it is 

 undergoing any severe check. The time 

 to top is while the plant is in full 

 growth, so that a large number of eyes 

 will start and a bushy plant result. A 

 good lot of breaks from the first top- 

 ping is the making of a bushy plant. 



It is a pleasure to note the splendid 

 lot of breaks the new varieties are 

 making. Not one of the several varie- 

 ties we have bought this year seems 

 at all backward in this respect. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



AMERICAN CARNATION SOCIETY, 



New Varieties Registered. 



Cott*Ke Kaid; registered by Cbttage Gardens 

 Co., Queens, N. Y.; sport from Mrs. C. W. Ward; 

 deep flesh pink; size three and one-half to four 

 inches; habit identical with Mrs. Ward; flower 

 of slightly superior form. 



Dr, Sam; registered by Cbas. L. Baum, Knox- 

 TlUe, Tenn. ; parentage, Lady Bountiful x Boston 

 Market; color, white; size two and one-half to 

 three inches; fuller flower than Bountiful and 

 well built up in center; exceedingly fragrant; 

 extra good substance, making It a fine keeper 

 and shipper. A. F. J. Baur, Sec'y. 



NEW YORK. 



The Market. 



Just as was anticipated, the slump 

 in prices that followed Easter was enor- 

 mous, greater than in any previous year 

 in the memory of the wholesale cut 

 flower veterans. Prices fell with dis- 

 couraging rapidity. Every variety of 

 cut flower shared in the depression. 

 There were no exceptions. 



With the exception of lilies, every- 

 thing held firmly and profitably up to 

 noon Easter Sunday. But lilies dropped 

 on Holy Saturday to half their value 

 and all last week they continued to de- 

 cline, until last Saturday the prevailing 

 quotation was $25 to $30 per thousand, 

 and even at this figure many thousands 

 remained unsold. Aside from the April 

 weddingb there was no uplift nor any 

 outlet for the surplus. 



American Beauties are arriving in 



unlimited numbers now, and the rose 

 crop generally is at high tide. Warm, 

 bright, sunny weather continues, and 

 spring seems to have come to stay. The 

 supply, <d tea .looses in almost every va- 

 riety is enormous, and values have 

 steadily fallen for all of them. A few 

 of the selected novelties bring a fair 

 price and Brunners hold at about the 

 level of the best Beauties. Prospects 

 for the prices of the present week are 

 not exhilarating for the growers, ajid 

 the retail trade seems to be at a gen- 

 eral standstill. " 



Carnations are abundant; the quality 

 is perfect, and yet, apart from the nov- 

 elties, $15 per thousand will buy the 

 best of them. Even lower figures are 

 looked for this week. Gardenias, fine 

 stock, are down to $5 per hundred. Even 

 the best of them can be had for 12 

 cents, and there are plenty of them. 

 Valley has been firm and in moderate 

 supply. It was one of the best money- 

 makers at Easter. Only the best and 

 largest orehids are selling at encourag- 

 ing prices. The supply is limited. Of 

 the smaller grades and less popular va- 

 rieties there are more than the legiti- 

 mate market can digest. Violets are 

 practically "down and out," and the 

 street merchants are their outlet. Of 

 tulips, daffodils, sweet peas, lilac, pan- 

 sies and spring flowers .of every kind 

 there if. a great abundance. Many 

 wholesalers are handling plants, and the 

 demand for these is general. 



Various Notes. 



A visit to the Anton Schultheis estab- 

 lishment, at College Point, found a 

 splendid promise for Decoration day. 

 There is no lack of supply and the roses 

 are especially numerous and perfect. 

 The supply of rhododendrons and aza- 

 leas will also be abundant and in fact,^ 

 notwithstanding the immense Easter 

 trade, there will be no shortage of any 

 kind. The call for flowering plants 

 since the holiday has been encouraging 

 and several loads have been sent to the 

 city daily. 



At Astoria the Siebrecht range is 

 constantly turning out great quantities 

 of bulbous stock, valley, daffodils and 

 tulips predominating. "Valley every 

 day in the year" is the watchword 

 here. There is still some acacia re- 

 maining; this is the longest season this 

 specialty has known. Mr. Siebrecht, 

 who now resides at Chappaqua, attends 

 the Astoria" Club's bowling practice 

 every Thursday evening. 



Edouard H. Roehrs, of Rutherford, 

 N. J., is now in charge of the orchid 

 department of the- Julius Boehrs Co. 

 Mr. Eoehrs is now a happy benedict 

 and the trade 's congratulations are gen- 

 eral. April 16 was the date and Miss 

 Edith Marshall is the bride. 



Florists are already planning for 

 Mothers' day, May 10. There will be 

 a great deal of judicious advertising by 

 the retail florists, and the growers of 

 white carnations will be on easy street. 



The filling of window boxes has be- 

 gun in earnest. Geraniums are arriving 

 in great numbers, and the demand ab- 

 sorbs them. 



The auction houses are busy. At the 

 establishment of the MacNiff Horticul- 

 tural Co. there is hardly room for the 

 crowds that attend. 



The seedsmen are overwhelmed. 

 Spring, so long delayed, has come upon 

 them with a rush. The stores are 

 crowded. It promises to be a rapid and 

 profitable season. 



Mr. Van Riper, with the Growers' 



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