i^rpj 



U 



v_i- 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Mat 5, 1910. 



GURNEY HILL IS INSURGENT. 



E. G. Hill has taken up the cudgel in 

 Indiana in favor of a rational tariflf — 

 one that protects the producer but which 

 does not jienalize the consumer. 



At the republican convention in his 

 district, at Connersville, April 22, Con- 

 gressman Barnard took occasion to jus- 

 tify his vote for the Payne bill by Mr. 

 Hill's attitude on the question of duty on 

 rose plants, while deriding the florist's 

 contention that at the same time the duty 

 on greenhouse glass should come down. 

 Mr. Hill's insurgency was manifest in his 

 reply. 



' ' If the case were to be analyzed, ' ' 

 said Mr. Hill, "it would not seem that 

 the roseman was so far out of the way 

 in asking through his congressman for a 

 retention of the Dingley rates on roses. 



"To state the case briefly: Anent 

 Congressman Barnard's speech at Con- 

 nersville, the duty on roses under the 

 Dingley law was 2% cents per plant. 

 This duty I suggested to Judge Barnard 

 be maintained, as it was only just to 

 American rose growers. Under the 

 Payne-Aldrich bill an increase was made 

 to 4 cents per i>lant. This increase was 

 a surprise to me. I had not asked or 

 expected it. The price paid labor in the 

 rose-producing districts of continental 

 Europe is from $3..')0 to $4 per week; 

 the same class of labor in America is 

 paid from $10 to $14 per week. 



"Now as to thQ duty on glass: It is 

 levied at so much per pound (who ever 

 heard of glass being sold per pound?) 

 and it amounted on greenhouse glass to 

 140 per cent in the Dingley law and 

 is still as prohibitive. This excessive and 

 unjust rate gives the glass combine every 

 opportunity not only to rob everyone 

 building a greenhouse, but everyone who 

 uses glass in any way. What is the re- 

 sult? The glass trust of former days 

 had the power to rob right and left under 

 this protection. A careful report made 

 by a committee of greenhouse men re- 

 vealed the fact that glass could be made 

 at a profit and sold at $2.05 per box; in 

 fact, glass was sold last year in carload 

 lots all the way from $2.05 to $2.30 per 

 box. About January 1 the Imperial Glass 

 Co. was formed. All the independent fac- 

 tories were cajoled or bought into the 

 combine and now at the present time 

 this Imperial Glass Co., having control of 

 practically all the hand blown glass 

 plants of the country, boosts the price up 

 to $3.50 and in the last few days the 

 rate is reported $4 per box. A duty of 

 140 per cent enables the glass trust to 

 bleed every man who uses glass. 



"Furthermore, in regard to the incon- 

 sistency of my attitude as pointed out 

 by the Judge, asking additional duty on 

 roses, with a reduction on glass, grasping 

 for gain both coming and going, so to 

 speak, I_would suggest that roses are a 

 luxury, while glass is a necessity, and I 

 have always contended that it is the lux- 

 uries which should produce the maximum 

 of government revenue. 



"Aldrich, Cannon, Watson and Dal- 

 zell can not longer hoodwink the Amer- 

 ican people: It should be the duty of 

 congress- to give us the Beveridge tariff 

 commission, but the gentlemen named 

 above are determined not to have the 

 light turned on if it can be prevented. 



"Personally, with other in.surgent re- 

 publicans, all I want is a fair deal either 

 in the matter of a duty on roses or on 

 glass. A casual reading of the speech 

 of my good friend, the Judge, puts me in 

 a very inconsistent and selfish attitude in 



E, Gurncy HilL 



the matter of duties, whereas I am 

 heartily in favor of a just and equitable 

 tariff rate that will protect American 

 labor and give to the American manufac- 

 turer a fair profit. The whole tariff 

 schedule as framed under the Payne- 

 Aldrich l^w is unjust and unfair to the 

 consumers of the country. Aldrichisni, 

 Cannonism and the placing in power of 

 the reactionaries means the downfall of 

 the republican party. ' ' 



THE NEWER HARDY ASTERS. 



[.\ii I'xtract from a paper by Arthur E. 

 Tbatclior, of Arnold Arboretum, read before 

 the Boston Gardeners' and Florists' Club.] 



The most useful of all herbaceous 

 plants for producing fine autumnal ef- 

 fects are undoubtedly asters or Michael- 

 mas daisies, and to some who are ac- 

 quainted with the many wild species 

 which beautify our New England wood- 

 lands it may seem unnecessary to draw 

 attention to them, but during the last ten 

 years a great deal has been done by cross 

 fertilization and selection to produce 

 varieties better .'•uited for garden cultiva- 

 tion. 



The species to which the most notable 

 additions have been added are Novi- 

 Belgii, Novae-Anglise, Amellus, cordifolius 

 and vimineus, but the best results have 

 been obtained by crossing Novi-Belgii 

 and vimineus. These produce small flow- 

 ers in great abundance, on long, pendu- 

 lous branches right from the ground, and 

 for border decoration or u.sing in a cut 

 state there is nothing to surpass them. 



Nearly all the varieties to which I 

 shall refer have been imported into this 

 country and may be seen growing by any- 

 one interested. Their light and graceful 

 habit makes them exclusively valuable as 



pot plants, and anyone who has a con- 

 servatory to embellish cannot do better 

 than utilize the small flowered varieties 

 for this purpose. 



Climax and Duchess of Albany. 



The Novi-Belgii varieties are now nu- 

 merous, but I shall only mention two 

 which are in advance of all others, and 

 these are Climax and Duchess of Albany. 

 Both grow five feet high ; the former has 

 bright blue flowers with a conspicuously 

 yellow center and the latter is pale 

 mauve, flowering from halfway up the 

 stem and not just at the end of the 

 shoots, as is the ease with many varieties. 

 The best form of Nova?-Angli8B is Mrs. 

 J. F. Raynor, which is only four feet 

 high and has bright reddish crimson flow- 

 ers, two inches across. 



Aster Amellus is a species with large, 

 rich, blue flowers and grows about two 

 feet high. It is very useful for many 

 purposes, especially where masses of 

 color are desired, and it is only within 

 recent years that any new colors have 

 been evolved. Pale lavender, deep rose 

 and almost white forms will be found 

 among such varieties as Aldenham, Her- 

 bert J. Cutbush, Lilacea, Distinction and 

 Keverslea. 



For the Front of the Border. 



Too much cannot be said in favor of 

 the /beautiful varieties which have re- 

 sulted from crossing vimineus and Novi- 

 Belgii, the best of which are Enchantress, 

 Hon. Edith Gibbs, Golden Spray, Delight, 

 Star Shower, Maidenhood, King Ed- 

 ward VII, Chastity and Ringdove. The 

 habit of these is so beautiful that they 

 are unsurpassed for growing on . single 

 stems and planting on the front of the 



