12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



APRIL 25, 1912. 



"Mothers' Day May 14." The back 

 of the window was filled with such 

 stock as was on hand. 



CommentinfT on the window, Mrs. 

 Terrv savs: "The card with the old 



lady and the 'poem' was quite an at- 

 traction, as many people told their 

 friends about it, causing others to come 

 to read it. I was complimented more 

 than once on the idea." 



GERANIUMS TURNING BLACK. 



Will you ]dease let nu> know what is 

 the matter with some of our geraniums? 

 Hero and there in the benches we find 

 them turning black soon after they 

 have been potted into 4-inch pots, while 

 those next to them are healthy and 

 growing. They start turning black from 

 the bottom and keep on until they are 

 dead. Any information would be grate- 

 fully received. L- W. 



You are either overwatering your ge- 

 raniums after potting, potting them too 

 deeplv. or using too much manure in 

 your soil. Any one of these causes 

 would account "for the plants turning 

 black, or a combination of the three 

 might be the reason for it. After pot- 

 ting, water rather sparingly until the 

 plants are rooting freely around the 

 sides of the pots. Vour jjotting me- 

 dium should not contain manure that is 

 at all fresh. Well decayed cow manure 

 can be used, or spent hotbed or mush- 

 room manure. Fine bone should always 

 be used when giving the final shift. 

 It does not produce rank, soft growth, 

 like the animal manures, but plants 

 growing in it make firm, short-jointed 

 wood, which flowers with great free- 

 dom, and, of course, about all custom- 

 ers prefer plants carrying flowers. 



GERANIUMS DOING POORLY. 



Please advise me about my gerani- 

 ums. I have a))out 500 in 4-inch pots, 

 which were tloing nicely when they 

 were put on a ground bed, but I was 

 afraid that if 1 left them there they 

 would send roots into the ground. 

 Then, when 1 wanted to sell them, 

 tearing the roots from the black ground 

 underneath them would cause them to 

 wilt and be unsalable. T also have 

 about 2..J00 in a house with benches and 

 bottom heat, which I do not think are 

 doing as well as they ought to. They 

 seem to have too many yellow leaves. 

 Thev were taken from 2Vj-inch pots 

 about four weeks ago and put in 4-inch 

 pots. Would you advise feeding them 

 with liquid manure? Tf so, how often 

 and how strong should I use it? Any 

 advice will be appreciated. I forgot to 

 tell you, in speaking of those oOO on 

 the ground bed, that 1 put i/.-inch 

 lumber under them and set the pots on 

 this, so the pots have no dish or sand 

 under them. A. J. F. 



It would be much better for the 

 plants if they were stood on sand or 

 coal ashes. Never mind if they do send 

 a few roots into the beds. You will 

 be giving them a fresh stand every 

 ten davs at this season, or should do so 



at any rate, and this will jirevent them 

 from rooting in too much. F'robably the 

 plants showing the yellow foliage are 

 l)eing allowed to dry out too much. 

 (Jeraniums, except when rooting, do not 

 need any bottom heat, and if you have 

 a good layer of fine coal ashes to place 

 below them, any little bottom heat will 

 not harm them. You should not at- 

 tempt any feeding until you are sure 

 the plants are well rooted. Then, if 

 they are potbound and root-hungry, 

 give weak doses of nitrate of soda wa- 

 ter once a week. ITsually two applica- 

 tions tone them up. Soot water is 

 also good. Liquid manure produces a 

 soft growth. A sprinkling of fine 



New Book Just Out. 



bone on the surface of each pot is a 

 distinct help. C. W. 



ALBUM OF DESIGNS. 



It has been the practice of many flo- 

 rists to cli|i from The Review the illus- 

 trations of funeral designs, wedding 

 decorations and other pictures which 

 might be of assistance in showing a 

 l)ropective customer just what the flo- 

 rist expected to do on an order. Many 

 letters have come to The Review sug- 

 gesting that an album of these illus- 

 trations be prepared, to make a better 

 showing than the florist could do with 

 his scrapbook. It was explained that 

 there has been need for a means of 

 showing the prospective customer just 

 what the florist can do on an order for 

 an article which it is impossible to 

 show in its completed state at the time 

 of taking the order. In response to 



these requests. The Review has pub. 

 lished the Album of Designs. The vol- 

 ume now is in the bindery and books 

 will be ready for mailing Saturday, 

 April 27. Nearly 300 designs and die 

 orations are included in the album, it 

 is complete, showing all the standard 

 designs and many new ones heretofore 

 unpublished. The cuts are printed mi 

 heavy glazed i)aper and the book is 

 bound in long-wearing covers. There is 

 no advertising in the book — nothing; 

 but the name of the publisher on cover 

 and title page. Since the album is puli 

 lished to meet the needs of the trade, 

 no restrictions are placed on its sale, 

 and the price is a popular one. Single 

 copies will be seiit postpaid on receijit 

 of 75 cents, or a dozen copies will be 

 sent by express for $6. Many florists 

 who have agents throughout their sur- 

 rounding territory will want to equip 

 each agent with this invaluable aid in 

 taking orders. 



ASSOCIATION OF GARDENERS. 



The spring meeting of the executive 

 committee of the National Association 

 of Gardeners was held at Philadelphia 

 April 15. Action was taken on what 

 the association 's reward should be for 

 meritorious exhibits at its meetings, 

 and it was decided that a certificate of 

 merit would be the highest award with- 

 in the gift of the association. 



Following an invitation extended by 

 Anton Bauer, representing the Elberou 

 Horticultural Society of New Jersey, 

 to participate in its summer show, to be 

 held at Asbury Park July 3 to 6, the 

 association tendered the P. Hamilton 

 Goodsell cup, valued at $150, as a prize 

 for the best collection of twenty-five 

 foliage plants, palms and ferns in 

 eluded, in not over 8-inch pots. The 

 association will ofl'er the William Klein 

 heinz cup, valued at $50, for the best 

 collection of sweet peas in not less than 

 twelve varieties, and not less than 

 twenty-five sprays to the vase, exhibited 

 at the sweet pea show of the American 

 Sweet Pea Society, at Boston in July. 

 The contests for these cups are re- 

 stricted to members of the National 

 Association. 



President Logan appointed Messrs. 

 Kleinheinz, Ebel and Bachelor a com 

 mittee to prepare a special association 

 schedule for the National Flower Show, 

 to be held in New York city in April, 

 1913. An invitation received from the 

 Elberon Horticultural Society to hold 

 the convention at Asbury Park in con 

 junction with the fall show of the El- 

 beron Society in October will be acted 

 on at the next meeting of the executive 

 committee. 



John J. Dodds, Anton Bauer and Ben- 

 jamin Wyckofl:, appointed an awards 

 committee to judge the fine exhibits be- 

 fore the meeting, rendered their deci- 

 sion as follows: 



Certificate of merit to Henry A. 

 Dreer, Inc., for a group of hydrangeas, 

 also for Hydrangea Mme. Radmone; to 

 Charles H. Totty for Carnation Wode- 

 nethe; to William Kleinheinz for Car 

 nation Miss Dimple Widener; to Brant- 

 Hentz Co. for Rose Madison; to Robert 

 Scott & Son for Rose Double Pink Kil 

 larney. 



Special mention was made of the ex- 

 hibits of John Lewis Childs, Calla EUi- 

 ottiana; Robert Scott & Son, Eose Mel- 

 ody; William Kleinheinz, Calceolaria 

 Wewartiana. 



Following a suggestion that the asso- 

 ciation each year adopt a favorite 

 [Concluded on pa«re 62.1 



