16 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



OCTOBIB 6, 1010. 



carmine, very showy and a strong grow- 

 er; Salmon Queen, salmon pink. Bulbs 

 of these gladioli are now procurable and 

 should be started at once to secure an 

 early crop. 



Miscellaneous. 



A few other bulbous subjects, which 

 wide-awake florists find some money in 

 growing, are: Anemone coronaria The 

 Bride, A. fulgens, Turban and French 

 ranunculi; each of these families wants 

 cool treatment, such as a violet house 

 affords, and can be grown in flats or 

 planted in the beds, particularly if there 

 are gaps which need filling. Ixias suc- 

 ceed best in rather small pans in a cool 

 greenhouse, as do babianas, sparaxis 

 and tritonias. All these bulbs like a 

 light, moderately rich and sandy soil. 



Some partially decayed leaf-mold has 

 been found useful for mixing, especially 

 in the heavier loams. 



A point to remember in bulb culture 

 is that one soaking watering must be 

 given after planting. Do not imme- 

 diately after this is done bury the pans 

 and flats in coal ashes and imagine that 

 this one watering will carry them along 

 until started suflSciently for forcing. No 

 greater mistake can be made than this, 

 and here many failures in bulb culture 

 occur. Several additional waterings are 

 needed before the time will come to 

 house the bulbs. This refers especially 

 to tulips, narcissi and hyacinths. The 

 soil, especially in pans, dries quickly 

 and provided drainage is good there is 

 more danger from too little than too 

 much water. 





Wmmmmm 



PROPAOATING. 



"While many growers have now put in 

 the bulk of their geranium cuttings, the 

 present month is suflSciently early for 

 many to start propagating, especially in 

 the warmer states. Even in the north 

 there would be a much lower percentage 

 of damped-off cuttings if propagation 

 were delayed until the last possible mo- 

 ment. The wood is firmer now and less 

 sappy than a month ago, which means 

 a better strike of cuttings. Do not 

 make the mistake of shading the cut- 

 tings. They want the full sun from the 

 start, plenty of water at first and then 

 a reduced supply, just suflScient to pre- 

 vent shriveling, and at the same time 

 cause plenty of fibrous roots to strike 

 out into the sand. 



WINTER BLOOMEBS. 



"Winter-flowering geraniums want all 

 possible sun and plenty of fresh air. It 

 is a good plan to place one or two 

 stakes in each pot to keep them rigid. 

 When heavily flowered, they are easily 

 overbalanced and these stakes will save 

 them from possible collapse. Keep all 

 flower trusses picked off. Give the 

 plants a fresh stand once a week, for 

 they are now growing fast. Avoid too 

 much liquid manure. It causes a dark 

 green, soft growth, which is not florifer- 

 ous. Clay's fertilizer is an excellent 

 food, applied as a top-dressing; so is 

 Bon Arbor used as a liquid. 



Geraniums bloom the best when not 

 overpotted, and to be quite salable 

 should be in from 4-inch to 6-inch pots. 

 The last size should not be exceeded, 

 except in special cases. 



PRIVATE CONSERVATORIES. 



There neyer was a time in the history 

 of floriculture in this country when the 

 number of private conservatories was 

 increasing faster than at present. This 

 is fine business, not only fo^ the con- 

 cerns which supply the greenhouse ma- 

 terial, but for anyone else in the trade, 

 as each addition to the list of private 

 greenhouses means the employment of 

 at least one more gardener, the pur- 



chase of much stock to keep the estab- 

 lishment going, and the use of more 

 flowers. It is a mistaken idea that 

 these private greenhouses detract from 

 the business of the retail florists. Once 

 the habit of using flowers liberally has 

 been acquired, the average private place 

 does not produce enough cut stock to 

 meet more than the daily needs of the 

 owner, if it does even so well as that, 

 and whenever any special occasion 

 arises recourse must be had to the re- 

 tail florist as before. 



How rapidly these private places are 

 multiplying is shown by some of the 

 recent orders booked by the King Con- 

 struction Co., North Tonawanda, N. Y., 

 which will just now be of special in- 

 terest to those who cater to the other 

 needs of such buyers. W. B. O. Fields, 

 Lenox, Mass., will build a curved glass 

 house, 14x42. The Countess Santa 

 Eulalia, Ashbourne, Pa., will build a 



grapery 22x58, a mum house 20x75, a 

 palm and orchid house 22x75, and a 

 lean-to 7x50, with connecting passage- 

 way. John H. Hammond, Mount Kisco, 

 N. Y., will put up a house 18x50 with 

 service building. William P. Hamilton, 

 Sterlington, N. Y., will build an even- 

 span house 25x125, divided into three 

 compartments. A. C. Harrison, Oreland, 

 Pa., will build a house seventy-five feet 

 long, with curved eaves, and ornamental 

 service building. William F. Taubel, 

 Biverside, N. J., will build a house 22x 

 95. All these <^re more or less orna- 

 mental and elaborate and they speak for 

 an increase in business for a great many 

 people. 



CYCLAMENS FOR CHRISTMAS. 



Will 3-inch cyclamens in bud make 

 fair Christmas plants! C. P. N. 



If the cyclamens referred to are well 

 rooted in 3-inch pots, give them a shift 

 into 4-inch. In this size they will make 

 nice little Christmas stock. Grow them 

 in a temperature at night of 48 to 50 

 degrees after this date. If you prefer 

 to keep them in the small sized pots, 

 top-dress once in ten days with a first- 

 class fertilizer, such as Clay's, alter- 

 nating with cow or sheep liquid manure, 

 to keep them toned up. C. W. 



ELBERFIEU) AN INVENTOR. 



Alpha Elberfield, proprietor of the 

 Alpha Floral Co., Kansas City, who here- 

 tofore has devoted his energies to the 

 merchandizing end of the business, has 

 recently turned inventor and has been 

 granted a patent on what he styles as a 

 self-watering plant pot. The need for 

 such an article was suggested by com- 

 plaints of the short life of plants sold, 

 when investigation showed that the 

 failure was due merely to the custom- 

 er's neglect of watering. Therefore, 

 Mr. Elberfield has devised an article to 

 take the place of jardiniere or basket, 

 in which the florist will place, prior to 

 delivery, enough water to keep the 

 plants nicely supplied for about a week. 

 The accompanying illustration is repro- 

 duced from the patent office diagrams. 

 The position of the ordinary flower pot 

 inside the patented one is shown by the 

 dotted lines. The number 7 indicates the 



Elberfield's Self-watering Plant Pot. 



J^e 



