﻿December, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  455 
  

  

  Results 
  of 
  Ten 
  Days 
  of 
  Forcing 
  and 
  Pruning 
  

  

  This 
  strangely 
  forced 
  white 
  lilac, 
  then, 
  blossoms 
  only 
  to 
  

   die. 
  Each 
  cubicle 
  in 
  the 
  forcing 
  house 
  furnishes 
  nearly 
  a 
  

   thousand 
  superb 
  sprays 
  of 
  white 
  lilac, 
  only 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  

   buds 
  being 
  permitted 
  on 
  each 
  rod. 
  The 
  blossoms 
  are 
  cut 
  

   with 
  the 
  greatest 
  care 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  evening, 
  and 
  then 
  placed 
  

   without 
  a 
  moment's 
  delay 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  cool 
  cellar, 
  in 
  specially 
  

   made 
  troughs 
  filled 
  with 
  water. 
  Here 
  they 
  are 
  left 
  until 
  the 
  

   very 
  last 
  moment, 
  when 
  deft-fingered 
  girls 
  collect 
  the 
  sprays 
  

   into 
  dozens 
  and 
  stick 
  them 
  in 
  big 
  cushions 
  of 
  straw, 
  which 
  

   with 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  stems 
  are 
  covered 
  with 
  wall-flower 
  

   foliage. 
  

  

  And 
  then, 
  with 
  the 
  swiftness 
  so 
  necessary 
  in 
  this 
  trade, 
  the 
  

   "miraculous" 
  blooms 
  are 
  put 
  on 
  board 
  express 
  trains 
  and 
  

   steamers 
  for 
  Paris, 
  London, 
  Berlin, 
  Vienna, 
  and 
  even 
  far- 
  

   off 
  St. 
  Petersburg 
  and 
  Moscow. 
  Little 
  Vitry 
  alone 
  will 
  

   bring 
  to 
  perfection 
  125,000 
  plants 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  and 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  acres 
  are 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  industry 
  and 
  also 
  for 
  

   the 
  growing 
  of 
  the 
  wall-flower 
  foliage 
  that 
  goes 
  with 
  the 
  

   sprays. 
  Of 
  these 
  latter 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  thousand 
  may 
  be 
  

   gathered 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  day, 
  and 
  at 
  Christmas 
  time 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  

   five 
  dollars 
  will 
  be 
  paid 
  for 
  a 
  single 
  drooping 
  snow-white 
  

   spear. 
  

  

  Nor 
  does 
  the 
  demand 
  slacken 
  with 
  the 
  spring. 
  True, 
  the 
  

   natural 
  lilac, 
  with 
  its 
  more 
  robust 
  coloring, 
  then 
  begins 
  to 
  

   flaunt 
  its 
  charms; 
  but 
  both 
  florists 
  and 
  public 
  know 
  that 
  the 
  

   forced 
  variety 
  can 
  be 
  counted 
  upon 
  to 
  the 
  hour, 
  and 
  fears 
  

   neither 
  storm 
  nor 
  frost. 
  A 
  limited 
  quantity 
  of 
  both 
  mauve 
  

   and 
  purple 
  lilac 
  is 
  also 
  produced 
  from 
  these 
  "magic 
  rods"; 
  

   but 
  the 
  fastidious 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  European 
  capitals 
  prefer 
  the 
  

   snow-white 
  blossom, 
  especially 
  for 
  wedding 
  decorations. 
  

  

  Chrysanthemum 
  

   Umbrellas 
  

  

  1HORTICULTURIST 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  Pyrenees 
  has 
  

   invented 
  a 
  curiously 
  

   formed 
  thatched 
  pro- 
  

   tection 
  or 
  umbrella 
  

   which 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  protect 
  

   chrysanthemums 
  from 
  frost. 
  

   Chantrier, 
  the 
  horticulturist 
  in 
  

   question, 
  claims 
  that 
  he 
  obtains 
  

   particularly 
  large 
  and 
  handsome 
  

   flowers 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  these 
  covers. 
  

   It 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  similar 
  devices 
  may 
  

   prove 
  of 
  service 
  to 
  the 
  chrysanthe- 
  

   mum 
  growers 
  of 
  this 
  country. 
  At 
  

   all 
  events, 
  his 
  scheme 
  is 
  so 
  cheap 
  

   that 
  it 
  seems 
  well 
  worth 
  trying. 
  

  

  Growing 
  Chrysanthemums 
  Under 
  Umbrellas 
  in 
  the 
  Pyrenees 
  

  

  