ai 



The Floruits' Review 



Mabch 13, 1913. 



movable date, and how the exact date 

 is fixed, they tell us that it is fixed by 

 the "ideal tnoon" adopted many cen- 

 turies ago by the church. There is 

 •.1 : not a great deal of difference between 



-Sf'* the "true moon" and the "ideal 



"-''^ - inpo4^* in their phases, but sometimes 



the "true moon" may just miss the 

 "ecclesiastical moon." When it comes 

 to fijguring just where the difference 

 lies you touch upon a pretty complicated 

 astronomical subject. It is safe to say, 

 however, that Easter comes on the first 

 Sunday- after the first full moon after 

 March 21. Or, to put it another way, 

 Easter is the first Sunday occurring 

 after the first full moon, or more ac- 

 curately, after the first fourteenth day 

 of the moon following the vernal equi- 

 nox. The vernal equinox invariably 

 falls March 21, so that the Easter 

 festival cannot come earlier than March 

 22 or later than April 25. 



Not since 1856 has Lent come in sp 

 early as it did this year, and not for 

 ninety-five years more will we have 

 so early a Lent and Easter. Some day 

 we hope it will not be a movable feast. 

 Florists are not the only ones who would 

 like Easter given a fixed date, and 

 there is a strong and growing move- 

 ment toward such a change. 



BASKET or LILIES. 



The basket of Easter lilies is-the one 

 indispensable feature of an Easter dec- 

 oration, no matter where or for what. 

 It is an arrangement every florist will 

 be called on to make times without 



closely together that they show no in- 

 dividuality. The accompanying illus- 

 tration is interesting as showing a well 

 proportioned arrangement of lilies with 

 pussy-willows. It was by E. L. John- 

 son, Palmer, Mass. , . 



, ^ Why flowees wilt. 



Flowers wilt because of the collapse 

 of the individual cells of which they 

 are made^ up. So long as these cells 

 are distended the flowers remain fresh. 

 This distention is due to osmotic pres- 

 sure. If the osmotic equilibrium — that 

 is, the osmotic pressure within and 

 without the cells — can be kept uniform, 

 the flowers remain fresh. If the osmotic 

 equilibrium is disturbed, the flowers 

 wilt. Now, osmotic pressure depends 

 upon the presence in the cell of a 

 liquid containing substances in solution. 

 The proportion and character of the 

 substance dissolved determine the de- 

 gree of osmotic pressure exerted by the 

 liquid within the cell. 



L. Fourton, associate professor of 

 chemistry, and Vital Ducomet, profess^ 

 or of botany, at the National School 

 of Agriculture at Eennes, France, have 

 made a series of experiments during the 

 last three years to determine the in- 

 fluence of various solutions in prolong- 

 ing the life of cut flowers through their 

 influence on osmotic pressure. Over 

 100 varieties of plants were experi- 

 mented with and over 100 experiments 

 were tried on each. It was found that 

 mixtures of mineral and organic sub- 

 stance* were, as a rule, not so effective 



Basket of Lili<8 Arranged by Ernest L. Johnson,PaImer,Ma8s. 



number in the next few days. The one 

 mistake most frequently made is to 

 use too many lilies, producing 4 

 crowded effect. The idea of abundance 

 always is desirable in any flower ar- 

 rangement, but the beauty of the lily 

 is lost when the flowers are packed so 



as either alone. Inorganic substances 

 were helpful only in very dilute solu- 

 tions, a strength ef one 'part in 10,000 

 giring the' best results. With organic 

 substances a solution varying from one 

 to ten per cent proved most efficient. 

 The results arrived at showed that 



no one substance was universally help 

 ful, though solutions of sugar were more 

 generally helpful, than those of any 

 other substance. The strength of the 

 solution to be used varied with the dif 

 ferent plants. Lilacs, lilies, sweet peas 

 and a few other flowers were hurt, not 

 helped, by the addition of sugar to tho 

 water. Sugar' seemed to have no influ- 

 ence either 6ne way or the other on 

 marguerites, chrysanthemums and tu- 

 lips. Nearly all the other popular flow- 

 ers were benefited by the addition of 

 sugar to the water in which they were 

 kept, the life of the flower being length- 

 ened from ten to 300 per cent. The 

 strength of the sugar solution ""to be 

 used varies with different flowers. With 

 carnations a fifteen per cent sugar solu- 

 tion is helpful; with most roses a solu 

 tion of from seven to ten per cent in 

 strength gives the best results. Or- 

 chids did best in solutions varying from 

 ten to twenty per cent of sugar. The 

 sugar solutions accelerated the opening 

 of buds, particularly among roses and 

 orchids. 



Lilacs, though injured by sugar solu- 

 tion alone, were helped by a twelve per- 

 cent solution of sugar containing one 

 part of manganese sulphate in 10,000. 

 Chloral, ether, glycerin and alcohol in 

 varying proportions helped certain of 

 the blossoms, while others were helped 

 by lime water, potash and its salts, and 

 ammonia and its salts. 



The only advantage of changing 

 water seemed to be the prevention of 

 putrefaction; otherwise changing the 

 water in which flowers stand seemed 

 detrimental. The more deeply the stem 

 was immersed in the water or solution, 

 the better the result; that is, the water 

 should come as near as possible to the 

 blossom. 



COMPOSITE CROPS. 



Different Species Grown Together. 



In these days, when the increasing 

 cost of production threatens to deplete 

 the fair profits the florist deserves, the 

 problem of "making two spears grow 

 where one grew before" should receive 

 large attention. And the problem is 

 largely hinged on the question as to 

 what different species will do well to- 

 gether in the solid beds without emulat- 

 ing the theory of survival of the fittest. 



To find out definitely what species 

 will grow in harmony, what plants will 

 use the different chemical constituents 

 of the soil, what kinds will not rob each 

 other of root formation, what kinds 

 will help each other in the battle 

 against their insect enemies, the 

 stronger attracting certain pests until 

 its weaker copartner gets a good start 

 — these are the main points to be con- 

 sidered in this plan of plant manage- 

 ment. 



I sowed two pounds of cabbage seed 

 with one and a half pounds of white- 

 tipped Scarlet Turnip radish. The 

 stand was even and I pulled the radishes 

 out when fit for market. In the mean- 

 time they had attracted the flea beetles 

 and kept them from the cabbage plants. 

 But if you wish to grow beautiful 

 plants by old methods, try the Volga; 

 it is such a swift, robust grower that 

 insects are left behind in the race and 

 insectici'.ea are quite Unnecessary. 



I Seven Crops in a Season. 



I have seen a Detroit florist grow 

 this succession: Early in the spring 



