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The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Mabch 11, 1909. 



After the Civil War. 



This condition of affairs remained the 

 same until the close of the war, when 

 the demand for flowers grew to such an 

 extent that several shrewd men of means, 

 seeing the probability of a good return 

 on the money invested, erected a num- 

 ber of greenhouses solely for the culti- 

 vation of flowers and plants to be sold at 

 retail. These, for the most part, were 

 sold in town by the growers themselves, or 

 to men who had a small comer in a 

 confectionery store, or to druggists, and 

 yielded good profits to both grower and 

 retailer. At that time a few of the 

 seed houses began to take orders for 

 flowers, and it was not long before a 

 corner was set aside in the seed house 

 for the sale of cut flowers; and between 

 1868 and 1875 a half dozen stores were 

 in successful operation in Boston, and 

 as many more in New York and Phila- 

 delphia, selling nothing but flowers. 



Boston Was Then the Hub. 



Boston at that time was the principal 

 source of supply for other places. New 

 York and Philadelphia depending wholly 

 on Boston for their supply of Bon Silene, 

 Safrano and Marechal Niel roses, lily of 

 the valley, stephanotis, epacris, tuberoses 



ods of making so-called "bouquets" and 

 "pieces" were crude, and, with few ex- 

 ceptions, were in the hands of men who 

 had no thought outside of the dollar to 

 be made in the transaction. 



A bouquet at that time was started 

 with a single flower in the center and 

 rows of others around it, the spaces 

 between being filled with princess pine 

 and edged around with the same mate- 

 rial. Wreaths and crosses were made on 

 rattan or laths, the flowers being wound 

 on one by one, and were delivered in 

 cheese boxes or in boxes and crates im- 

 provised out of laths and newspapers. 

 Cut flowers were delivered in brown 

 paper parcels or in second-hand shoe 

 boxes. The purchasers at that time were 

 those that had money and were not 

 always as reasonable in their demands 

 as they should have been. 



Proeress Was Slow Until 1870. 



Until about 1870 the proprietor had to 

 do practically all the work except the 

 crude labor, experienced assistants being 

 impossible to procure. Conditions were 

 such that a young man went into a 

 flower store simply because it was a .job 

 that would do until he found something 

 with shorter hours and more regularity 

 of employment. Those who had some 



The Pearly Gates. 



and camellias, which were practically all 

 the varieties of flowers to be had in 

 any quantity. 



Even at that time the retailing of flow- 

 ers was arduous work, vexatious in many 

 ways, and unsatisfactory, except from 

 a financial standpoint. The hours of la- 

 bor were long and uncertain, and are to 

 this day. The stock was hard, and at 

 times impossible, to procure in quantity 

 enough to supply the demand. The meth- 



natural taste after a while became used 

 to the work, and, if nothing better 

 turned up, continued at it with more or 

 less success. No effort had ever been 

 made to make the florists' business a 

 staple one. Even as late as 1870 the 

 men in the business had other lines and 

 devoted part of their time to something 

 wholly foreign to the disposal of their 

 flowers. 

 Commencing about 1870, various causes 



led to an increased activity in the busi- 

 ness. New ranges of glass were put 

 up all over the east, and new stores were 

 opened to dispose of their output. The 

 principal cause of this activity, I have 

 always thought, was the arrival in this 

 country, from different parts of Europe, 

 of a body of men fairly well educated 

 and thoroughly familiar with the cultiva- 

 tion of plants and flowers — industrious, 

 able, business men. It did not take them 

 long to see the possibilities of the flow- 

 er business in this country and they were 

 not slow to take advantage of their 

 opportunities. This activity has increased 

 year by year and is still increasing. 



Need of Horticultural Education. 



The present horticultural courses in 

 our schools are a result of the efforts 

 of these pioneers and will lead to other 

 and more extensive courses. The man 

 with an education is the coming man. 

 By that I do not for a moment mean 

 that a man, no matter how well educated, 

 can sit down and business will come to 

 him; but the man who has the ambition 

 to succeed and works to that end — this 

 man will win in the florists' business as 

 well as in all other lines of business. 

 Under ordinary conditions, the educated 

 man who attends to his business will beat 

 the other man out, no matter what his 

 experience or ability may be; it is only 

 a question of time until he drops be- 

 hind, and the cause of it all is himself. 

 In general, the uneducated man, who has 

 become successful, is inclined to look 

 down on the younger man and feel that 

 because he has been a success it was due 

 to his ability and methods more than to 

 want of competition and lack of ability 

 in the other man. 



Edward MacMulkin. 



THE GATES. 



The accompanying illustration is from 

 a photograph of a gates made by Albert 

 C. Eott, Joliet, 111. Frequently this de- 

 sign is made up with the gates standing 

 open, but in this case Mr. Eott thought 

 the effect not so good if the design were 

 more open at the bottom; the height of 

 the arch made it necessary to make the 

 base heavier. 



One frequently sees this design made 

 up with the frame soUdly mossed and a 

 groundwork of flowers made perfectly 

 smooth, with carnations. Mr. Rott does 

 not make his designs in that manner, 

 but makes his groundwork of green and 

 sets in the flowers with stems long 

 enough to produce an effect of looseness 

 and grace, and loosely enough so that 

 each flower may stand out and show its 

 individual beauty. 



FERTILIZER FOR BEDDEES. 



What percentage of Bradley's blood 

 and bone fertilizer is to be used for pot- 

 ting geraniums into 4-inch and 4^/^ -inch 

 pots from 2^/^ -inch and 3i/4-inch potsf 

 Also for potting fuchsias, heliotropes and 

 double petunias? We have a lot ready 

 to move now. J. S. & S. 



In the case of fine bone I would use a 

 5-inch pot to each wheelbarrow load of 

 loam. This special blood and bone mix- 

 ture I have not tried, but it is an excel- 

 lent fertilizer for general crops and the 

 same amount should answer for gera- 

 niums, heliotropes, fuchsias, petunias and 

 other bedding plants. A wheelbarrow 

 load of soil contains about two bushels. 

 I would use some sand in the compost, 

 also a little soot if you can get it 

 handily. C. W. 



