^ 



APBIL 22, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



U-Bar Greenhouses of Senator N. "W. Aldricfa^ Warwick Neck, R. I. 



will have his crop cut before yours is 

 ready. 



The best period for selecting buds of 

 the midseason sorts is in the ten days fol- 

 lowing August 25; in the late varieties, 

 from September 15 onward for a month, 

 according to date of planting and the 

 kind under consideration. 



Feeding. 



As the buds begin to swell the neces- 

 sity of feeding will confront us. The 

 commercial grower has little or no cause 

 for overfeeding, while on the other hand 

 those whose whole object is size must 

 reach their aim by applying to the limit. 

 The limit is often difficult to discern, 

 particularly when new sorts are being 

 treated, and so it is that some blooms are 

 injured rather than improved by this un- 

 natural procedure. 



What and when to apply requires some 

 consideration. Experience has taught us 

 manures and chemicals are conducive to 

 strong growth and large blooms. Hence 

 we resort to their use to bring about this 

 t'lid. Those who have not had experience 

 with chemicals must be content with light 

 applications or leave them alone entirdy. 

 All the failures attributed to this source 

 are without doubt due to too strong or 

 too frequent applications. 



Some will question the truth in the as- 

 sertion that nitrate of soda, nitrate of 

 potash or sulphate of ammonium should 

 not be given stronger than one ounce to 

 ten gallons of water. It has been recom- 

 mended by soma at the rate of one pound 

 to a fifty-gallon barrel, which is approxi- 

 mately one ounce to three gallons. I 

 liiive used these proportions at long inter- 

 tills without apparent injury, but if the 

 •jpplicationg are to be repeated every few 

 'lays there is danger of going great harm. 

 \J here soda and ammonium are used ex- 

 ' tsively the growth is rampant and in- 

 Hined to be soft. Potash seems to gov- 

 '•'^n or control this undue vigor by in- 

 ' leasing the metabblical or harder woody 

 .'^sues. Soluble phosphoric acid, which 

 '« present in varying quantities in all 

 "laimres and in some of the chemicals, 

 ^ts more directly upon the flower, in- 

 > leasing the number of petals, which 

 4ues the bloom greater depth, much to 

 '"^enjoyment of the exhibition grower. 

 ■ ^.^' ^Mck and dove manures are rich 

 j ^""''Phoric acid and vary from four- 



■n to seventeen per cent. If any of 



these are used in the liquid form it should 

 be weak. Bone black gives about sixteen 

 per cent; ground bone, five per cent. 

 Potash is also present in all manures and 

 is also supplied by nitrate of potash and 

 wood ashes, the former supplying forty 

 per cent, as well as twelve per cent nitro- 

 gen, and the latter eight per cent of 

 potash. 



Nitrogen is common in all manures, but 

 is more abundant in the urine, and the 

 same may be said of potash, so the real 

 amount contained in the material at hand 

 depends largely upon the loss from drain- 

 age and other causes. 



The cheapest form in the chemical salts 

 is nitrate of soda, containing sixteen per 

 cent. Of these three constituents nitro- 

 gen is the least staple, being easily re- 

 moved by the continued application of 

 water; hence it is required in larger 

 quantities than the other two elements. 



The foregoing data are really of little 

 consequence, further than showing the 

 materials which contain them and the 

 comparative strength. No fixed rule can 

 be given for their application, as all de- 

 pends upon the condition of the stock to 

 be treated. Plants growing in rich soil, 

 or those receiving a heavy top dressing, 

 will require less than where the condi- 

 tions are not so favorable. Feeding is 

 one of the features which is shrouded 

 with mystery, for the reason we have no 

 knowledge of the functions performed by 

 the assimilation of these foods except as 

 they appear in the growth and texture of 

 the leaves. The mastery of this problem 

 depends on the grower 's ability to grasp 

 the meaning of these varied conditions 

 presented at this final stage of develop- 

 ment and decide whether to contiuue or 

 desist. 



Pompons and Singles. 



The foregoing principally refers to the 

 commercial branch of chrysanthemum 

 culture. Before concluding this part of 

 the subject I wish to impress upon you 

 the adaptability of the pompons and sin- 

 gles to your use. Both of these sections 

 lend grace and beauty to floral decora- 

 tions of all kinds and to a degree that 

 can not be attained where the large flow- 

 ers are exclusively used. They also m.ake 

 beautiful pot plants, either large or 

 small, and, being of the easiest culture, 

 are sure to find favor both with the 

 rConcluded on page 44.1 



A FINE PRIVATE RANGE. 



Mention has on previous occasions 

 been made in the Keview of the exten- 

 sive and beautiful estate of Senator N. 

 W. Aldrich, at Warwick Neck, R. I. The 

 accompanying illustration shows a mag- 

 nificent block of new greenhouses erected 

 here by the Pierson U-Bar Co. There 

 are sixteen houses in all. In addi- 

 tion, there is a roomy central building 

 containing on the ground floor reception 

 room, offices, potting-shed, flower and 

 store rooms, etc., and on the upper floor 

 a finely fitted suite of rooms for the 

 young men employed in the greenhouses. 

 The house of the superintendent, F. C. 

 Green, is close at hand. The green- 

 houses are undoubtedly the finest and 

 most up-to-date block on any New Eng- 

 land private estate. 



There are two houses- devoted to 

 grapes, two to peaches and nectarines. 

 Several hundred peaches, nectarines, 

 plums, cherries, apples and pears are 

 grown in pots, and were well loaded with 

 flowers at the time of my visit. In the 

 rose house, Beauty, Richmond, Killarney, 

 Bride and Maid are grown. My Mary- 

 land and White Killarney will be added 

 next season. Two houses were planted 

 with carnations, Enchantress, White En- 

 chantress, Beacon, Winsoi* and other 

 sorts, looking well. Special houses were 

 devoted to violets, ferns, stove plants, 

 general greenhouse flowering plants, 

 melons, tomatoes, bulbous plants and 

 propagating; all the plants in these were 

 in excellent condition. Specially fine 

 batches of cyclamens, cinerarias, Schizan- 

 thus Wisetonensis, Stock Beauty of Nice; 

 Primula Kewensis, Azalea mollis, and 

 other seasonable plants were noted. 



Cold houses and cellars were filled to 

 repletion with bay and box trees, skim- 

 mias, hollies, Irish yews, and other ever- 

 green and deciduous plants of doubtful 

 hardiness. Large quantities of cuttings 

 of coniferous plants were filling the beds 

 around one house. A large amount of 

 planting is being done each season on 

 the estate, which under Mr. Green's able 

 superintendency has no superior in New 

 England. His indoor foreman. James 

 Hamilton, a native of Kippen, Scotland, 

 is evidently a craftsman of the true type 

 »^«o. w. N. Craig. 



Ogdex, IJtah.— B. Van der Schuit has 

 been appointed superintendent of parks. 



