THE FLORAL WORLD 



The floral world 



PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE 



J^LORAL WORLD COMPANY 



12 to 14 South Limestone Street 

 SPRINGFIELD. OHIO 



Subscription Price, 25 Cents a Year 



Entered as second-class matter at the Postoffice In 

 Springfield, Ohio. 



The editor of The Floral World 

 takes great pleasure in announcing that 

 hereafter each letter from its readers will 

 receive such special attention as it re- 

 quires. An experienced authority on 

 floriculture will answer any questions 

 you may care to ask, and make sugges- 

 tions as to how you may have greater 

 success in your flower growing. The 

 ■editor hopes every reader will take full 

 advantage of this feature of the magazine 

 and tell all his or her friends about it. 



The regular prize offer is continued. 

 The magazine will give |26.00 in prizes 

 for the best five articles for publication in 

 the April number of The Floral World, 

 -which may be submitted by subscribers. 



The first prize will be |10.00 ; the sec- 

 ond, $7.50 ; the third, |5.00 ; the fourth, 

 .|2.50 ; and the fifth, |1.00. The awards 

 will be announced in our May issue. 



No article which contains more than 

 two hundred words will be considered in 

 the prize decision. All contributions 

 -entered in this prize contest must reach 

 .us not later than March 1. 



The purpose of these prizes is to secure 

 for publication in The Floral World 

 juatter which gives the actual experiences 

 in flower growing of those who have 

 subscribed for the journal. Prizes offered 

 -for articles published in the January 

 number have been awarded as follows : 



First Prize — Irene Hall, Kentucky. 



Second Prize — " Hayseed." 



Third Prize — G. E. Locker, Missouri. 



Fourth Prize— Mrs. L. W. Baldwin, 

 Delaware. 



Fifth Prize— Mrs. E. J. Peck, Vermont. 



LILAC BLOOMS IN WINTER. 



From earliest childhood I have been a 

 lover of flowers, delighting in their culti- 

 vation, petting and nursing them in sum- 

 mer and coddling them in winter. I tried 

 many kinds with success and finally fan- 

 cied the notion of having " May in Janu- 

 ary ' ' ; more plainly speaking, lilac blooms 

 in February. So, late one November, 

 from a self-sown grove I selected young 

 bloom-budded trees. With a spike I made 

 three holes each in the bottoms of tobacco 

 pails and alongside the holes I tacked 

 inch-thick blocks to raise the pails off the 

 floor. I first placed in the pails bits of 

 broken flower pots, charcoal and gravel. 

 Then using rich soil for my rose bed I 

 planted in each pail three trees, leaving 

 on what soil clung to the roots , watered 

 well and set in a dark cellar where they 

 remained until the middle of January, 

 when they were brought to a warm sunny 

 window. The sun laughed here and gen- 

 tle dews (from the sprinkling pot) blessed 

 them. Oh, how the lilacs flourished ! I 

 had forty large, purple-pink panicles, 

 beautiful to the eye and sense, for the air 

 was " balmy May " with the sweet per- 

 fume of the lilacs. 



Wisconsin. L. B. E. Wadleigh. 



[ This is certainly an interesting experiment and 

 well worth while. White varieties are more fre- 

 quently used for forcing than the purple, and are 

 more beautiful. Have you heard of the new ether 

 process used in connection with forcing lilacs? 

 If any of our readers are familiar with it we 

 would be glad to have a detailed explanation of 

 the method employed.] 



AS TO THE DIAMOND FLOWER. 



In reply to a number of inquiries as to 

 where the diamond flower can be pur- 

 chased. The Floral World will be glad 

 to forward to florists who sell this plant, 

 any letters or communications received 

 from its readers. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



Templin's Catalogue for 1903, of the 

 " Ideal " Seeds, Bulbs, Plants — copiously 

 illustrated. 



