16 



The Florists' Review 



AUGUST 8, 1912. 



AUGUST TREATMENT OF CALIAS. 



With the arrival of August, we get 

 somewhat cooler nights than in July 

 and the night dews are heavier. It is 

 a month of more rapid growth of plants 

 than its immediate predecessor, and it 

 is also a time when we begin to feel 

 that summer is waning and the work of 

 getting stock ready for winter must not 

 be long delayed. It may seem a long 

 way ahead till frost strikes some of 

 the more favored states, but in the 

 more boreal regions it sometimes falls 

 below the freezing point even in 

 August. A calendar of operations to 

 suit all sections is hardly possible in so 

 wide a country as ours. All that can 

 be done, at best, is to give hints which 

 may be of some little service to the 

 greatest possible number. 



Callas should have had a good rest 

 before now and will be showing signs 

 of starting into growth again. Shake 

 out all of the tubers and remove all 

 diseased portions. Those which are 

 badly affected would better be dis- 

 carded, especially when we consider 

 how cheaply really good California 

 tubers may be bought. A good soil 

 consists of two parts rather coarse, 

 fibrous loam, one part dried, lumpy cow 

 manure, and plenty of sharp sand. Some 

 bone may be added if desired, but 1 

 prefer to furnish this later, in the form 

 of top-dressings, which the plants read- 

 ily appreciate. Stand the plants out- 

 doors after potting and there is no im- 

 mediate hurry about watering them. 



While the ordinary Calla -^thiopica 

 is still mostly seen, the newer, dwarfer- 

 babited and more floriferous Godfrey 

 -calla is jumping rapidly into favor. This 

 variety blooms even in very small pots, 

 •giving three flowers to one of the old 

 type. The flowers average as large as 

 those of the old sort and are much purer 

 white. For the average country florists, 

 who need flowers for design work, my 

 advice would be to stock up on the God- 

 frey calla. One trial will satisfy them 

 of its commercial value. 



GOOD JULY PEBENNIALS. 



In addition to the excellent perennials 

 in bloom in July, as mentioned in recent 

 articles in The Review, there are: 

 Stokesia cyanea, an excellent and per- 

 sistent blooming, aster-like flower, sky 

 blue; ScaDiosa Caucasica or blue bonnet, 

 lavender blue; Iris Kaempferi, the large 

 and many-hued Japanese iris, which now 

 makes a brave show; their prime 

 needs until the flowering season has 

 passed are a good soil and an abun- 

 dance of moisture at the root; Salvia 

 argentea, white, and S. pratensis, blue; 

 Pardanthus Sinensis, blackberry lily, 

 just opening its first flowers — the 

 seeds, resembling blackberries, are at- 

 tractive later in the season; (JEnothera 

 fruticosa major, Youngii and Lamarcki- 

 ana, all yellow; Monarda didyma in 

 several shades of color; Incarvillea 

 Delavayi; Lathyrus latifolius splen- 

 dens, the showy everlasting pea; Malva 

 moschata, in shades of pink and pure 

 white; Eryngium amethystinum, sea 

 holly with attractive amethyst-blue, 

 thistle-like flowers; Galium boreale, or 

 bedstraw; Gypsophila paniculata and 

 the double pure white form, flore pleno, 

 indispensable to every florist; G. acuti- 

 folia, a vigorous growing variety, also 

 good for cutting; Clematis recta, pure 

 white, has just passed, but C. David- 

 iana, lavender blue, is in full beauty; 

 Heuehera sanguinea and H. alba; Gail- 



lardia grandiflora, blanket flower; 

 Cimicifuga racemosa, with handsome 

 spikes of pure white flowers five to 

 six feet high; Gentaurea ruthenica and 

 montana; Asclepias tuberosa, butter- 

 fly weed; Achillea Ptarmica The Pearl 

 and A. Millefolium roseum. 



These are not by any means all the 

 July flowering perennials and I have 

 not mentioned the stately hollyhocks 

 and various lilies, which make a glori- 

 ous showing. So, in spite of heat and 

 comparative drought, we are always 

 sure of a good display of flowers in 

 the hardy borders during the most tor- 

 rid portion of the summer. 



OYPRIPEDIUMS. 



Recently we bought a lot of pretty 

 well neglected cypripediums. Will you 

 kindly inform us whether we should 

 transplant. them now or wait until after 

 they bloom? Should they- be planted 



irBjVERY now and then a well- 

 «9 pleased reader speaks the word 

 which is the means of hrin{[ing a 

 new advertiser to 



fiVEO^ 



Such friendly assistance is thoroughly 

 appreciated. 



Give us the name of anyone from 

 whom you are buying, not an adver- 

 tiser. Wc especially wish to interest 

 those selling articles of florists use 

 not at present advertised. 



FLORISTS* PUBLISHING CO. 

 530-60 Cazton Bldg. Chicago 



singly, or more than one plant together! 

 They are now in pans of about ten 

 inches. J. K. 



Your cypripediums will probably be 

 showing flower spikes now, or will be- 

 fore long, and if you pull them apart 

 now you will somewhat cripple the flow- 

 ers. The proper time to overhaul them 

 is after the blooms are cut. In the case 

 of C. insigne, the most common, popular 

 and widely grown of the genus, the 

 flowers are in season from November to 

 February, and from the last of Feb- 

 ruary until the middle of March is an 

 excellent time to do any repotting. 



The plants, if much matted, will be 

 better pulled apart; 6-inch pots and 

 8-inch pans are useful sizes. The plants 

 establish themselves better in the 

 smaller receptacles and flower more sat- 

 isfactorily than in larger ones. Use 

 plenty of drainage. For compost equal 

 parts of fern fiber and fibrous loam, 

 with the addition of a little well dried 

 cow manure and broken charcoal, will 

 bo found excellent. Some varieties, 

 notably the insigne section, do well in 

 loam. All the smaller particles must be 

 shaken out, however, and a little coarse 

 sand added. Pot the plants firmly, using 

 a pointed stick rather than the fingers 

 for this work. W. N. C. 



TLOBSWfSOT NEW YORK STATE. 



A general . invitation is hereby ex- 

 tended to e^ery florist to attend the 

 second annual meeting of the New .York 

 State Federation of Florists' Clubs, to 

 be held at the New York State Fair at 

 Syracuse, Thursday, September 12. 



Great preparations are being made 

 to welcome the florists and this will be 

 the main feature of the day. There 

 will be addresses by Dean L. H. Bailey 

 and other prominent horticulturists. 



The officers of the federation are anx- 

 ious that the florists make a special 

 effort to be present, as matters of great 

 interest and importance to every live 

 florist and grower will be discussed. 



Respectfully yours for success, The 

 New York State Federation of Florists' 

 Clubs. 



William F. Kastlng, Buffalo, president. 

 Dr. Brl A. Bates, Syracuse, first vice-president. 

 Charles B. Weathered, New York city, second 

 vice-president. 



E. R. Fry, Rochester, third vice-president. 

 John Young, New York city, secretary. 

 W. A. Adams, Buffalo, treasurer. 



State Fair committee: 



George E. Thorpe, Syracuse. 

 Wing R. Smith, Syracuse. 

 Arthur Cowee, Berlin. 

 Frank H. Traendly, New York city. 



F. A. Danker. Albany. 



In addition to the meeting, the fair 

 commissioners are planning to make one 

 of the largest displays of plants and 

 flowers ever seen at a state fair. A 

 new and novel feature will be the mu- 

 nicipal cr city exhibits. The cities of 

 New York, Buffalo, Rochester and Al- 

 bany will each send from one to two 

 carloads of plants. Many of the large 

 growers, not only in this state but in 

 other states, will exhibit. The florists 

 and growers will take advantage of the 

 opportunity to attend the meeting and 

 to visit the fair. 



The committee in charge of arrange- 

 ments is planning to change from the 

 old, stereotyped state fair flower ex- 

 hibit to a modern flower show. Double 

 the space has been allotted for this pur- 

 pose, and the main hall is to be ar- 

 ranged in conservatory effect, with the 

 city and other exhibits at the sides and 

 ends. A band stand is planned for the 

 center of the hall, where each afternoon 

 a band of thirty pieces will give a con- 

 cert. 



The committee in charge is composed 

 of Charles H. Vick, superintendent; 

 W. E. Day, of the Day Floral Co., Syra- 

 cuse, assistant superintendent, and Dr. 

 Erl A. Bates, also of Syracuse. 



The committee wants as many florists 

 and growers as possible to exhibit, to 

 help make the florists' day a success in 

 display of plants and flowers, as well as 



in attendance. 



Chas. H. Vick. 



Brattleboro, Vt. — It is announced 

 that the sale of flowers, plants and 

 other products from the Bradley 

 Greenhouses will be discontinued No- 

 vember 1, and that after that date the 

 greenhouses will be run entirely for 

 private purposes. 



Rockford, m.— C. H. Woolsey has sold 

 his property, including the greenhouses, 

 to a firm of real estate men, who will 

 probably erect apartment buildings on 

 the grounds, which face three streets. 

 The greenhouses and residence may be 

 leased for a time, as they will not inter- 

 fere with the new building operations. 

 Mr. Woolsey, however, will not vacate 

 the premises till October 1. After that 

 date, if his present plans are carried out, 

 he will make a trip to California and 

 visit his daughter in Pasadena. 



