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DBCBMBxn 15, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



37 



Large Baskets of Christmas Plants are Necessary in Every Store. 



experimenting is that the fine double 

 varieties are not so well suited for cut- 

 ting as the' good old single. The hand- 

 some doubles made a finer showing 

 when cut, but they did not keep so well. 

 It frequently happened that perfectly 

 fresh flowers would fall oyer in a day 

 or two. ~ It was necessary to cut the 

 stems daily in order to prevent this 

 drooping; few customers took the trou- 

 ble, 80 the handsome doubles waned in 

 popularity. Rouge, the standard forcing 

 variety of today (the favorite of Paris), 

 is nothing more or less than the best of 

 the old-fashioned common lilac; purple 

 when grown naturally outdoors, almost 

 pure white, with occasionally a delicate 

 tinge of pink or lavender, when forced 

 under shaded houses. Rouge forces 

 readily, blooms freely and keeps won- 

 derfully well — longer, it is believed, 

 than any other flower except the chrys- 

 anthemum. 



To return • to Mr. Lacroix 's forcing 

 houses. Air can be given from ven- 

 tilators above the sashes, but is seldom 

 used in severe weather. The houses 

 open from a central shed, where the 

 teams can be driven in from the field 

 and the lilacs unloaded into storehouses, 

 not frost-proof, where they remain until 

 required. Light is furnished by a gas 

 machine that gives abundance of acety- 

 lene light, both in the shed and in Mr.- 

 Lacroix 's home. The storeroom for cut 

 flowers was happily arranged. A con- 

 crete tank, perhaps six inches deep, 

 filled with water, was covered with lath 

 stripped crossways, accommodating 250 

 bunches of lilac. 



The Succession of Crops. 



The cropping plan is to bring in three 

 houses every week at this time, the extra 

 house probably coming in for Christmas. 

 The season started October 21 and will 

 end about Easter. The total output 

 should be about 15,000 bunches this 

 year, as against 350 bunches nine years 

 ago, the first year lilac was forced at 

 Buena. 



The Christmas crop is looking well, 

 the eyes just swelling nicely. Earlier 

 crops are in further stages of develop- 

 ment. Those in full flower, while good, 

 did not show the freedom or quality of 

 bloom of those that were to come in 

 during mid-December. 



Mr. Lacroix shows two photographs 

 with pride. One is a beautiful picture 

 of a bunch of lilac that he exhibited at 

 the Florists' Club's meeting in Phila- 

 delphia, February 2, 1908 — the upper 

 flower spikes twelve inches long, the 

 lower fourteen inches; this photograph 

 was taken by Robert Kift. The other 

 is the picture of the first sale of lilacs 

 made by Mr. Lacroix, who says he would 

 not change the two-dollar bill for any- 

 thing. 



Thirty-six acres are planted in lilac 

 to be i*eed during the next seven years; 

 52,U00 plants will be set out next spring. 

 The business has shown steady advance, 

 year by year; an advance marked by 

 the increase in the number of plants 

 grown and forced and, let us hope, by 

 proportionate increase in the prosperity 

 of one of our pioneer lilac growers. Five 

 men are required to run the place dur- 



ing the winter, seven or eight during 

 the summer, when the work of culti- 

 vating and suckering is arduous. Suc- 

 cess is entirely dependent on the cut 

 flowers sold during the social season; 

 the lilacs are not flowered in the spring, 

 nor are any plants or suckers sold. 



Phil. 



GLADIOLUS AMEEICA. 



Would it be well to plant Gladiolus 

 America between the carnations as I 

 get them, or how should they be plant- 

 ed? Will there be more than one flower 

 from each bulb? H. E. Y. 



This gladiolus can be planted be- 

 tween the carnations to fill up gaps 

 caused by plants dying out, but it would 

 not be good policy to plant them among 

 carnations which are doing well, as 

 that would seriously injure the carna- 

 tions. A much better plan is to allot 

 the gladioli a piece of bench to them- 

 selves. Soil which will grow good car- 

 nations or mums will suit gladioli. Set 

 the bulbs in rows ten inches apart, al- 

 lowing three to four inches between the 

 bulbs, according to their size. Occa- 

 sional heavy bulbs may throw two 

 spikes, but as a general thing one is all 

 you can expect. 0. W. 



BlalrsviUe, Pa.— Mrs. E. A. Allen has 

 gone out of business and her name 

 should be cut out of mailing lists. 



Lawrence, Kan. — Mr. and Mrs. George 

 Ecke have opened a flower store at 823 

 Massachusetts street. 



