12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Mabch 11, 1909. 



THE SOUTHERN BULB STOCK. 



The growing of bulbs in tidewater Vir- 

 ginia has already assumed large propor- 

 tions, but those familiar with conditions 

 there predict that the industry has only 

 fairly begun to develop. Those who are 

 familiar with the climatic and soil con- 

 ditions assert that the only problems the 

 growers have to face are those of labor 

 and of market. The growers are depend- 

 ent upon negro help and it is said that 

 in the beginning the colored man was un- 

 able to distinguish between the varieties, 

 even when in bloom, and that he had no 



The marketing of the cut blooms from 

 the fields naturally provokes the wrath of 

 those who are forcing bulbs under glass. 

 The growers stand accused of * ' burning 

 their candle at both ends," but so long 

 as the general public is ready to supply 

 the matches there probably is nothing 

 which will cause a reduction in either 

 end of the business. 



TAR IN GREENHOUSES. 



I see you have some discussion in re- 

 gard to wood preservatives, but none of 

 them seem to have tried my remedy. My 



Field of Nardssus Poeticus at North Emporia^ Va. 



conception of the necessity for keeping 

 the varieties of bulbs separate. Para- 

 phrasing a bit of the slang of yesterday, 

 "All bulbs look alike to him." Lately, 

 it is said, there has been a great improve- 

 ment in the quality of the labor. The 

 colored man is beginning to appreciate 

 the necessity of care and the solution of 

 the labor problem seems in sight. 



In the matter of a market, the diflRcul- 

 ties are less near a solution. The north- 

 ern forcers of bulbs under glass are skep- 

 tical as to the forcing qualities of the 

 American-grown stock. It has been a 

 difficult matter to get them to make trials 

 on sufficient scale to demonstrate the 

 matter satisfactorily. Some of the grow- 

 ers even have gone so far as to offer their 

 bulbs to some of the forcers, in localities 

 where many bulbs are used, on the basis 

 of "no satisfaction, no pay," but the 

 necessity for this is gradually passing 

 away. 



It is asserted that the Virginia grow- 

 ers can produce their stock at a price 

 which will enable them to compete with 

 English or Dutch growers, even without 

 the assistance of a tariff. 



The Virginia bulbs are solid and heavy 

 for their size. Being grown all on new 

 ground, they are free from disease and 

 give early blooms. The varieties mostly 

 grown are Narcissus princeps, Golden 

 Spur, Emperor, Sir Watkin, Barri con- 

 spicuus, Mrs. Langtry, poeticus and or- 

 natus, but practically all varieties can be 

 grown successfully for commercial use, 

 except Paper White, Trumpet Major and 

 the double Von Sion. 



The accompanying illustrations are 

 from photographs recently taken at C. W. 

 Beman's Rose Gardens, North Emporia, 

 Va. One of the illustrations shows a box 

 of the cut blooms as they are shipped to 

 the wholesale markets all over the coun- 

 try in increasing quantities each year. 



first use of coal tar, or gas tar, in green- 

 houses was in 1901. I applied it with a 

 brush on sap long leaf pine 1x6 new 

 boards, and they have been in continuous 

 use in the bottom of my carnation 

 benches, and now by cutting off the tar 

 the lumber is as fresh and sound as 

 when first applied, and last summer when 

 filling the benches the boards seemed as 

 strong as new boards. Every year I 

 give them a new coat of tar on the top 

 side. That keeps off all insects and is 

 not harmful to any plants for me. I use 



tar on all the wood in my greenhouses 

 with good results. All the florists here 

 give me the laugh and say they dislike 

 the looks of it, but every third year they 

 have to put in new lumber that costs 

 from $25 to $3(f per thousand feet and 

 I buy coal tar at 8 cents per gallon. It 

 makes a difference in the expense bill in 

 my favor. I can say that I raise as 

 good and as many carnations per foot 

 of glass as any that I have seen in Texas. 

 I have put tar all around the carnation 

 plants and on the leaves to see if it was 

 harmful to them. It will kill the leaves 

 if it is put on them, but does not hurt 

 the rest of the plant. I find that to thin 

 the tar with any kind of oil destroys its 

 usefulness, and to thin it on cold days, 

 it should be heated instead of thinning. 

 I do not find it of much benefit to lum- 

 ber that is old and partly decayed. 

 Denison, Tex. E. Farley. 



PLANTS FOR SHIELD. 



I have a shield about twenty-two feet 

 wide which I usually plant to red and 

 white verbenas and blue ageratums for 

 the field, but wish to make a change. Can 

 you give any suggestions? What designs 

 would make a good showing in the shield 

 made out of Verschaffeltii and Golden 

 Bedder coleus or alternantheras? 



E. W. S. 



Golden Bedder and Verschaffeltii co- 

 leus, while they would answer well as 

 regards color, are not so good as alter- 

 nanthera. Of the latter carpeting plant 

 suitable varieties for your purpose are 

 Brilliantissima or paronychioides major, 

 red, and nana, yellow. If you wish for 

 a good silvery-leaved plant, Santolina 

 maritima is excellent. If you use alter- 

 nanthera, do not use any coleus, and vice 

 versa. In flowering plants the dwarf be- 

 gonias of the Vernon and Erfordii type 

 are persistent flowering, succeeding 

 equally well in sunshine or shade. It is 

 now too late to start seeds of these and I 

 should say that the alternantheras would 

 suit you best. Apart from Ageratum 

 Stella Gurney, the blue lobelias are the 

 only suitable blue carpeting plant, but 

 these are not altogether reliable in hot 

 weather. C. W. 



Emperor Daffodils as Grown in Virginia. 



