JUNE 20, 1912. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



11 



New Store of John Mangel, Chicago, Fixtures and Decorations in the Style of Louis XIV. 



the best results from using cuttings 

 with a heel, a neighboring grower, who 

 roots many thousands annually, invari- 

 ably allows his shoots to lengthen out 

 before cutting them off, and cuts under 

 a joint, as one would a geranium or a 

 fuchsia. He attributes his success, not 

 so much to the style of cutting as to 

 expeditious handling. Everything is in 

 readiness before starting. The sand 

 in the propagating bench is heated and 

 moistened to the proper degree before 

 a cutting is made; then they are cut, 

 dipped in dry sand to prevent bleeding, 

 inserted and watered home at once. 

 Thus the cuttings never have a chance 

 to wilt and the great majority strike 

 rapidly and surely. 



Temperature and Sliading. 



A bottom heat of 80 degrees is ample 

 for the cuttings, though a few degrees 

 more will do no harm. Insert firmly 

 and shade thoroughly, but lightly. If 

 the sun reaches a portion of the bench, 

 that part will be ruined, but a heavy, 

 dense shade is not required. When 

 rooted and potted, a little shade will 

 have to be allowed until the roots take 

 hold of the new soil, but after this 

 •^eep them in the full light and never 

 allow them to get dry at the roots or 

 yvater immoderately. I never give an 

 intermediate shift, but make up the 

 P^"s direct from the 2-inch size and 

 ^t'laom have an uneven specimen. It 

 rakes quite a little observation to 

 Know which plants are going to develop 

 along similar lines, but practice makes 

 I't^rfect in this, as in other cultural 

 oj'erations. Pans are better than pots 

 nnd should always be used for the 

 '■"■ger specimens. 



During the Finishing Stage. 

 When we make up the pans we give 

 " "ght shade for a few days, but re- 



move it; just as soon as the plants show 

 by the leaves that they are reestab- 

 lished. From that time on they get 

 the full light and any amount of air; 

 this tends to the production of a hard, 

 dwarf plant, rather than a soft, leggy 

 one. 



A point that must never be lost sight 

 of during the finishing stage of poin- 

 settias, is that the foliage is exceed- 

 ingly sensitive and, if once the roots 

 are allowed to get really dry, then the 

 leaves will surely drop and the value 

 of the plant will be greatly reduced. 



From the time the bracta show in the 

 center of the young shoots until the 

 plants are finished, liberal feeding is 

 required and there is nothing better for 

 the purpose than blood manure. Any 

 other highly concentrated manure may 

 possibly be just as suitable, but I have 

 had such excellent results during a 

 number of years with the dried blood 

 that I do not hesitate to recommend it. 



THE INTERNATIONAL SHOW. 



The Attendance. 



It is interesting to note the attend- 

 ance at the Eoyal International Horti- 

 cultural Exhibition at London May 22 

 to 30. The following are the official 

 figures: 



Wednesday, May 22 4,551 



Thursday 11,714 



Friday 15,485 



Saturday 18,010 



Monday 20,45.3 



Tuesday 30,522 



Wednesday 41,154 



Thursday (estimated) 27,500 



Total 178,389 



It will be recalled that on the opening 

 day the admission was practically $10, 

 with a reduction of about one-half each 

 dfty until 25 cents was reached. The 

 trade was charged half the price 



charged the public, down to 25 cents. 

 There are no official figures respecting 

 the surplus arising from the show, but 

 it is rumored that the amount may be 

 something like $20,000 to $25,000. 



The American Exhibits. 



Now that the returns are all in from 

 the big show, it appears there were 

 four American exhibitors. W. A. Manda 

 had a large number of plants, a really 

 notable exploit, taking many cups and 

 medals. B. Hammond Tracy had a col- 

 lection of gladioli in pots, for which he 

 received a silver cup. John A. Evans, 

 for the Quaker City Machine Co., 

 showed in the sundries department the 

 well known ventilator exhibit that has 

 been seen at so many American exhibi- 

 tions, and the Bon Arbor Chemical Co., 

 Paterson, N. J., exhibited Bon Arbor, 

 a plant food soluble in water, and 

 Eadix, a preparation for the eradication 

 of soil pests, recommended for grass- 

 land and growing crops. 



The S. A. F. Medals. 



It will be recalled that the board of 

 directors of the S. A. F. offered the 

 society's medals to the Eoyal Horti- 

 cultural Society, London, for award at 

 the big International exhibition held 

 May 22 to 30. They were won as 

 follows: 



Silver medal for American lilies, by 

 W. Cutbush & Son. 



Silver medal for Silene Hookeri, by 

 M. Pritchard. 



Silver medal for collection of Ameri- 

 can plants, by W. A. Manda. 



Bronze medal for rhodostachys sp., 

 by H. J. Elwes. 



Bronze medal for Carnation White 

 Wonder, by AUwood Bros. 



Bronze medal for Eose Hiawatha, by 

 Paul & Son. 



