Letters from Our Friends 



Here, at the beginning, let me thank the kind 

 friends who have sent the letters which follow. 

 I appreciate them, and I know the many readers 

 of Home and Flowers will read them with 

 great interest, and hope to hear from the writers 

 of them again, and often. 



A. Conojas, Kings county. New York, makes 

 some caustic and pertinent comments on the 

 misleading methods of some of our prominent 

 florists. I most heartily indorse all he says 

 along this line, as will many of the readers of 

 this magazine who have had some experience 

 with "novelties" as advertised by many dealers 

 in plants : 



In the April number of Home and Flowers 

 you deplore the misstatements and humbug 

 advice often given in daily or Sunday papers 

 by irresponsible writers on floral subjects. They 

 do not do as much harm as one might suppose, 

 for few take the advice as gospel, and those that 

 know the subject only laugh at their absurdities. 

 But what shall we say of the large floral estab- 

 lishments which issue magazines and send out 

 catalogues filled with exaggerations and impos- 

 sible illustrations? These are of course taken 

 as authority. Allwise are they in all regards 

 save that which is being done by their fellow 

 florists. Here professional jealousy blinds their 

 eyes. An establishment which claims to do 

 the largest business of its kind in the world 

 had never heard of the blue Oxalis, and asked 

 advice concerning it. Their readers had only 

 to open a catalogue from a neighboring state 

 to find this charming little plant (Parochetus) 

 faithfully depicted and described. Another 

 calmly announced that a certain plant (which 

 he called Hidalgo Werklei or Climbing Dahlia) 

 had just been discovered in the Andes, but was 

 not yet introduced. And yet the very publica- 

 tion in which he advertised had been using 

 pounds of paint for several seasons to illustrate 

 the vivid beauty of this treasure vine. Oh, what 

 fakes have been foisted on the public in the 

 guise of "Shoo-fly" and "Lantern-plants." How 

 we have agonized with the ever-blooming non- 

 flowering Pansy Geraniums and Little Gem 

 CallasI Of course Blackberries and Strawber- 

 ries might grow to the proportions of trees, 

 but do they? Also Currants can run up the 

 side of the house and look down the chimney 

 (according to illustration), but have you seen 

 them? Now comes a climbing Lily-of-the- 

 Valley (WMtania areganifolia) which shins up 

 a pole like Jack and the Bean Stalk, bears 

 Gooseberries, or lays swallow eggs, that taste 

 like Pineapples and Nectarines! Who says the 

 day of miracles is past? The readers of 



Home and Flowers are privileged not to be 

 tied to any one floral establishment, but can 

 take the good and reject the bad. They will 

 see to it that their friends are made aware of 

 it also, and thus increase the subscription of 

 your excellent magazine. 



M. E. Armstrong, Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, 

 writes this very pleasant letter. It is particu- 

 larly pleasant because the writer is a man, and 

 a man who takes a great deal of interest in 

 floriculture. 



I have been very much interested in your 

 suggestions and helps in Home and Flowers, 

 and desire to add my thanks to those you have 

 so universally received from all parts of the 

 continent. The only fault I find with the mag- 

 azine is that they do not give you more scope 

 and let you talk about many plants and flowers, 

 as you did about Chrysanthemums last spring. 



I followed your directions regarding them 

 rigidly. Ordered the best plants I covild get 

 in Toronto and planted in pots, setting them in 

 a trench in the back yard. They grew finely, 

 and in October I brought them into the house. 

 Two out of ten blossomed beautifully. The 

 rest promised well, but blighted or seemed to 

 stand still. I decided the trouble was due to 

 their being a little late and the weather too 

 cool. I have now brought them out of the cellar 

 and will get them under way earlier this year. 



In accordance with your suggestion a year ago 

 to try some Dahlias I planted a dozen bulbs a 

 friend gave me. I fed them well and gave them 

 good attention, and they grew to trees almost. 

 In August they began to fill with buds, but as 

 soon as they would get as big as the end of my 

 little finger they would turn black and drop 

 off, and I scarcely had a blossom. My own 

 diagnosis of the trouble was that it was due 

 either to the bulbs being old and poor or that 

 I overfed them and they grew too much stalk 

 and brush. I would like to have your opinion 

 on the subject. The buds were often infested 

 with a dark, greenish fly, but I never thought 

 the fly could do so much damage. 



I would like to hear of an annual climber to 

 cover a veranda front and fence that would 

 climh and not spread too much. Morning- 

 glories and Nasturtiums I find spread over 

 everything that is planted in front of them that 

 is low. Last season I had Asters in front, but 

 they were a failure on account of the vines of 

 the others shading and covering them. A 

 climber that does not send out as many shoots 

 in all directions seems to be indicated, but I 

 do not know of any. 



