■..Sw .-?,.. •,«r;r,..v..j».,:7<j--y-« y-.'r ~ig. 



MAY 12. 1910. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



13 





HIRAM R WILSON. 



A little more than a quarter of a cen- 

 tury ago, when Rochester, N. Y., was con- 

 siderably smaller than it is today, a man 

 with unbounded faith in the future 

 opened a little flower shop on Hudson 

 avenue, in that city, in connection with 

 his greenhouses, and the sign over the 

 door read *'H. E. Wilson." For a little 

 time nearly all the plants and flowers 

 for the store were grown in two houses, 

 each about 20x100 feet, but good stock 

 and tasteful designs soon brought more 

 business and the number of houses was 

 doubled. Almost before these were com- 

 pleted it was seen that more glass would 

 be needed and so more houses were added, 

 until today the Wilson greenhouses num- 

 ber twenty-five, with more than 100,000 

 feet of glass, and are among the most 

 convenient and up-to-date in the city. 



After more than twenty-five years of 

 active labor, Hiram E. Wilson has grad- 

 ually withdrawn from the active manage- 

 ment and shifted the burden to the 

 shoulders of his three sons, who from 

 boyhood have received practical training 

 in the various detaUs connected with the 

 greenhouses and retail stores. Edwin P. 

 Wilson is in charge of the main store, at 

 88 Main street; Hiram W. Wilson is the 

 superintendent of the greenhouses and 

 retail store on Hudson avenue, and Rans- 

 ford W. Wilson is manager of the 

 Rochester Floral Co., at 245 Main street, 

 east. 



Four of Mr. Wilson's houses are de- 

 voted exclusively to roses, and a finer 

 assortment would be hard to find. A like 

 number are given up to carnations, and 

 the remainder contain a large collection 

 of palms, ferns, primulas, hydrangeas, 

 spiraeas, bulbous plants, etc. The present 

 facilities are now too small to meet the 

 demands, and Mr. Wilson has recently 

 purchased an additional tract of sixteen 

 acres, which will be used for growing 

 asters, carnations for summer blooming, 

 gladioli and roses. 



FAILURE WITH HYACINTHS. 



Can you inform me what is the trouble 

 with my hyacinths? I potted them about 

 March 28, brought them into the house 

 five weeks before Easter. I got only a 

 few in bloom for Easter. The balance 



Hiram E. Wilson, 



has been coming irregularly, the last one 

 in bloom today. They are on the bench 

 with tulips, which I had to hold back for 

 a week or more. W. B. 



It is impossible to say just what has 

 been the trouble with your hyacinths, 

 without knowing more of the cultural 

 conditions. Not unlikely premature lift- 

 ing of the bulbs may have been respon- 

 sible for the bulbs blooming so erratically, 

 but several other growers have this season 

 had similar experiences. C. W. 



SWEET PEAS UNDER GLASS. 



What soil is used for sweet peas under 

 glass and how is it prepared? What 

 fertilizer is used? What time are the 

 seeds planted and howt Are they planted 

 directly in the house? What varieties are 

 best for winter culture? What insects 

 and fungi trouble the vines? Where 



can the best seed be obtained? How 

 many rows in an even-span house of two 

 side benches and solid center bed? WUI 

 nematodes injure sweet peas? C. G. P. 



Good fibrous pasture loam plowed up 

 last fall or even, in early spring is the 

 best for sweet peas. A liberal applica- 



tion of good cow manure should be in- 

 corporated with it; one-third manure to 

 two-thirds loam is not too rich. If this 

 can be stacked and turned over a couple 

 of times, it will be in fine shape to use. 

 Some of the largest growers plant di- 

 rectly in the gfround, having no beds or 

 benches, manuring heavily each year. One 

 successful* grower, who has been planting 

 on the same ground for five or six years, 

 says they improve each year. He grows 

 single violets to precede the sweet peas. 



Bone meal as a top-dressing, while the 

 plants are flowering, is beneficial. It 

 should be forked into the ground. 



Seeds may be planted as early as July, 

 or as late as January. The earliest sow- 

 ings made in July and August will flower 

 from the middle of October to Christmas 

 and onwards. For a spring crop sow in 

 October or early November. While the 

 seeds can be sown directly where they 

 are to flower, a much better plan is to 

 sow in flats of sand or small pots and 

 transplant them four inches apart in the 

 single rows. There is no advantage in 

 having the seedlings thicker. It will only 

 mean weak haulm and poorer flower 

 spikes. 



For winter blooming Christmas Pink, 

 Mont Blanc, Mrs. Alexander Wallace and 

 Watchung are excellent. The two first 

 named sell specially well. The regular 

 outdoor varieties should not be sown be- 

 fore December. They do not flower satis- 

 factorily until spring. The hooded Spen- 

 cer types are fine for late blooming in- 

 side, doing well until after Memorial day. 



Green -aphis is liable to attack the 

 plants, fumigation once a week with 

 some nicotine preparation will easily con- 

 trol it. Red spider will sometimes 'attack 

 the vines if a too arid atmosphere is 



