■ ^f my ip"i" ; ,»i, w ,i •w_w9 '~/»"s",T!.i"j,»i»T »■lllJn^^^ w»,% i>i.' "ifj^wi ' > y»:»'j"'"?j."jHf''-".^»iM.'i,"" w'i.iv*'''|!:p?*<i|'!;'V*"™r?WB?'"Wlil(V''JWI^ 



14 



The Florists^ Review 



Decembbb 19, 1912. 



cents. Neither is necessary, however, 

 as in postoffices special clerks will at- 

 tend to computing the rates for those 

 who wish to mail parcels. 



Effect on Our Trade. 



Apparently the parcel post will not 

 be the important factor to florists, 

 seedsmen and nurserymen that it will 

 be to others. Florists may send cut 

 flowers by parcel post, but catalogues, 

 bulbs, plants, roots and seeds take the 



old rates, which in certain instances are 

 more favorable than the new parcel 

 post rates and in other instances less 

 favorable. 



The postoffice has made compara- 

 tively little preparation for handling 

 the increased bulk of mail; the task 

 was too great and the needs too uncer- 

 tain. Therefore the department will 

 simply go ahead and do the best it can, 

 meeting the new conditions as they 

 arise. 



ac 



ac 



cd 



i 



{^ 



ac 



^ SEASONABLE ^ 

 i ^ SUGGESTIONS j 





Lilies for Easter. 



There should now be considerable 

 bare bench space, with the Christmas 

 flowering plants out of the way, and 

 just as soon as possible the plants re- 

 quired for Easter should be housed or 

 given more space on the benches. It 

 as well to remember that Easter, 1913, 

 •comes at an unusually early date, and 

 .just three months now remain in which 

 to grow and flower the stock. Lilies 

 should be given immediate attention, 

 ■and if you are growing Harrisii or 

 Formosa lilies and they are six inches 

 'high, they are all right, and in a night 

 temperature of 60 degrees will be in 

 season. In the case of multiflorums and 

 giganteums, if the growths are three 

 to four inches high you are all right if 

 .you can give them a warm house. 

 Where, however, they are just showing 

 •above the ground, or not up at aU, they 

 must have 65 degrees at night to have 

 them on time. 



In the case of giganteums, the most 

 popular of the Easter lilies as a pot 

 plant, let them have your warmest 

 house and hold the minim'um up to 65 

 degrees. Do not water the plants too 

 freely until the pots are full of roots, 

 but spray freely. Also syringe with 

 nicotine or some suitable insecticide 

 for aphis, rather than scatter tobacco 

 dust in the tops of the growths, as is 

 often done. It will take considerable* 

 moving around to flower the plants all 

 together. Growers know that bulbs of 

 the same batch will bloom weeks or 

 months apart, but the careful grower 

 knows how to push the laggards and 

 hold back the early ones. 



Dutch Bulbs. 



The bulk of Dutch bulbs will now be 

 pushing through the flats or pots and 

 quite a few will be in condition for 

 forcing. Not for many years have trum- 

 pet narcissi of the French type ap- 

 peared so early as they have this sea- 

 son, and there will be a good supply of 

 these for Christmas, both Golden Spur 

 and Trumpet Major. If the Dutch stock 

 of these two popular daffodils is not 

 yet housed, get it in at once. These 

 can go into a temperature of 60 degrees 

 in full light. Tulips, on the other hand, 

 are liable to be short-stemmed unless 

 drawn up in a dark, warm case for some 

 days. Such a case as is used for forc- 

 ing valley is just what they like. The 

 earliest sorts, such as White Hawk and 

 Lia Reine, should be brought in now. 

 jSuch varieties as Keizerskroon, Belle 



Alliance, etc., will be better in cool 

 quarters a little longer. Of the poly- 

 anthus narcissi the variety Soleil d'Or 

 has been in flower with us for ten days 

 and can be had in quantity for Christ- 

 mas. It forces more easilj than Grand 

 Monarque. Give all the polyanthus sec- 

 tion a brisk heat in order to draw up 

 the stems. Do not try forcing any of 

 the Dutch hyacinths until they have 

 growths two to three inches long, and 

 then keep them dark and warm to 

 lengthen them up. Be careful when 

 watering not to pour any water over 

 the flower spikes, as the buds in the 

 early stages damp easily. 



Poinsettias. 



Be sure not to sell out the poinsettia 

 plants so closely that insufficient stock 

 will be left to propagate from for next 

 season. Plants with poor foliage 

 should be reserved, as there will be no 



great credit in even trying to sell such. 

 The plants can be shaken out of the 

 pots and pans, when such bracts have 

 been cut as are needed, and stored in 

 flats in a dry, frostproof shed for the 

 next three months or more. Or, if pre- 

 ferred, lay the plants on their sides 

 below the benches where they will not 

 get too much drip. This latter method 

 is the easiest, but the most slovenly to 

 adopt. 



If you have not yet tried the double 

 scarlet poinsettia, plenissima, secure 

 some stock. It is a little later than the 

 type, but builds up a fine center and 

 sells well. This is not at all a new 

 thing, as it was common thirty or more 

 years ago. It is, however, a good va- 

 riety to stock up on. The so-called 

 white variety is not wanted by anyone, 

 and the pink one, while it sells in a 

 limited way as a novelty, is not of the 

 color wanted at Christmas. 



Oyclamens. 



Many of the flowering plants will 

 now be disposed of. Such cyclamens as 

 are unsold after the holidays can, if 

 necessary, be held until Easter in a cold 

 house. A better plan, however, is to 

 try to clean them up before that time. 

 They are good selling plants right 

 through the winter and, if well flow- 

 ered, there will not be much trouble in 

 disposing of them. 



The young cyclamen plants which are 

 to flower a year hence will want some 

 attention now. Never allow them to 

 become potbound. Always give small 

 shifts. Use some leaf-mold, not too 

 much decayed, with the loam, and 

 plenty of sand. Give them an average 

 night temperature of 55 degrees. 

 Scratch away any scum from them, 

 whether in pots or flats, and keep them 

 as close to the glass as possible. They 

 should then make progress such as will 

 please you. 



SWEET PEAS IN AI*ABAMA. 



We have prepared eleven sweet pea 

 rows, each fifty-two and one-half feet 

 long. Will you please tell us how much 

 seed to buyf We want to grow pink 

 and white. Give us the names of a good 

 pink and white, such as produce large 

 flowers. Is February 1 too early to sow 

 them here, in central Alabama? How 

 deep should the furrows be made when 

 planting, and how far apart should the 

 vines stand in the row? 



E. O. & H. A. C. 



The sooner sweet peas are sown after 

 frost has left the ground, the better. 

 If your ground is open on or about Feb- 

 ruary 1, it will be well to sow them at 

 once. For a pink, Countess Spencer is 

 still the leading commercial variety. 

 There is one novelty, Hercules, of sim- 

 ilar color, but with bigger, bolder flow- 



ers, which will probably displace it in 

 a year or two, but the seed is expensive 

 yet. For white, Nora Unwin is better 

 than Dorothy Eckford or White 

 Spencer. If you have a call for laven- 

 der, try Frank Dolby. 



Cover the seeds two to two and one- 

 half inches after sowing and do not 

 follow the practice often recommended, 

 of pulling the soil up to the plants as 

 they grow, as this produces stem-rot 

 and other troubles. Get supports in 

 early and keep the soil between the 

 rows well cultivated. Before the flow- 

 ering season commences, mulch well 

 between the rows with old manure, 

 straw, grass or some other material. 

 This will keep the soil moist and the 

 roots cooler. 



Do not sow too thickly; or, if you do, 

 be sure to thin out the plants so that 

 they will not stand any closer than 



