June, 1919 
destroyers but it would seem the part 
of wisdom to secure an island, say, or 
set up detention camps or wards in 
various parts of the country where 
trained scientists could make investi- 
gations to ascertain the injurious effects 
of various parasites and devise means 
for their repression. 
Persons affected by this quarantine 
— and who is not? — have a right to 
inquire whether such work is contem- 
plated ; whether more effective means 
of safeguarding our crops have been 
conceived or are in contemplation ; 
and they are surely entitled to know 
not only what measures are to be 
undertaken but what length of time 
probably will be required for their ac- 
complishment. If the quarantine is to 
be lifted in five years or even in ten 
years it would make a vast difference 
to men with capital to invest in such a 
precarious business as that of propa- 
gating ornamental plants. 
7. The fact that many plants can 
not be produced satisfactorily in this 
country is too well known to need more 
than passing mention. The fruit grow- 
ers of Western New York realized the 
importance of "French” stocks for 
their apple trees when in January, 1918, 
they passed a resolution condemning 
in no uncertain words the efforts then 
being made in Congress to bring about 
the very thing that is effected in part 
by quarantine No. 37. 
8. Finally there is a vast number 
of good American democrats who 
"view with increasing alarm ” this con- 
stant tendency to concentrate power 
in Washington. They resent the pa- 
ternalistic attitude of the government 
in this and other matters. They ad- 
here to the idea that specially chosen 
representatives should represent and 
they are just now questioning whether 
they have not made a mistake in turn- 
ing over such an important matter to 
persons who do not seem to feel any 
obligation to do the will of the people. 
American Rose Annual for 1919. 
Published by the American Rose So- 
ciety and edited by J. Horace McFar- 
land. It is a cloth bound book of 184 
pages and has a colored frontispiece 
and ten full page illustrations. The 
price is $2.00 which includes annual 
membership. Additional copies sup- 
plied to members only at $1.00 each 
postpaid. Address E. A. White, Secre- 
tary, Ithaca, N. Y. 
The fact that this work is edited by 
J. Horace McFarland is perhaps suf- 
ficient guarantee of its high character 
and value. The further fact that it is 
printed by the J. Horace McFarland 
Co. is a guarantee of its typographical 
excellence. 
In addition to the usual society 
records and the report of the annual 
meeting, etc., this volume contains 
much useful information about Roses. 
It can only be secured by a member- 
ship in the society. 
Can anyone give us positive facts 
from actual tests covering a period of 
years of the effect of age on Gladiolus 
corms ? 
Z31)e Slower (Brower 
Local Flower Shows — An 
Experience at Lansing, Mich. 
BY L. W. HOISINGTON. 
A couple of years ago a friend, who 
was growing Gladioli, and 1, were talk- 
ing on the subject of getting the people 
better acquainted with Gladioli and we 
thought that perhaps, if possible, we 
would try and get some place where 
we could put them on exhibition. The 
matter was incidentally brought to the 
attention of a representative of The 
Capital National Bank and he asked if 
the lobby of their bank would not be a 
suitable place, for he saw a chance to 
get people interested not only in flow- 
ers but in the bank as well. So a little 
more planning and some soliciting got 
together a very creditable exhibit, but 
owing to the lack of experience the stag- 
ing was not of the best, for tables were 
used and they did not fill the place in 
some instances or more than filled it 
in others, but with the help of local 
florists the general effect was so good 
that it attracted people by the hun- 
dreds, and the bank said, “ We will 
have to make this an annual affair.” 
So as the season of 1918 approached, 
the bank called in representative grow- 
ers and in arranging for the year’s ex- 
hibit a series of steps were planned 
that would just fill spaces between 
windows and the result was very grati- 
fying, as it allowed each individual 
vase to be seen at its best. 
The first year the bank were a little 
skeptical as to how many flowers 
would be on exhibition and sent out of 
town for some “ to fill in with,” but 
they were hardly needed and at the 
last show only local grown Gladioli 
were shown. 
Both years the florists have taken 
great interest and have furnished ferns 
and other decorative plants for railings 
and other places where it was im- 
practicable to put flowers and it has 
added materially to the effect. There 
have been no prizes offered whatso- 
ever, each one getting his reward ac- 
cording to his effort in increased sale 
of flowers and bulbs. The bank seems 
to appreciate the good they have de- 
rived from the shows, for they have 
an announcement of the third annual 
show in the retail list of one of the 
local growers. 
The bank have furnished each ex- 
hibitor, who had previously announced 
his intention to exhibit, with a card on 
which was printed his name and a 
space left blank in which to write the 
name of the variety and at the second 
show they had some very neat cards 
with a list of all the prominent varie- 
ties that were liable to be on exhibition 
which were handed to visitors, that 
they might check their favorites, and 
people made a study of different varie- 
ties and learned more in half an hour 
than they could possibly get from a 
printed list. 
A grower from a neighboring town 
informs me that he intends to get the 
use of a down town show window to 
get the thing started in his town. 
There are different ways that will sug- 
gest themselves to you even if your 
55 
bank has not the space or does not feel 
that they want a little clean muss and 
some inconvenience that would eventu- 
ally bring them many new customers. 
We tried a week for the first show 
and cut this down to four days for the 
second one which we found to be long 
enough. At the end of the first show 
we gave away all the flowers, but last 
year we made last day Red Cross Day, 
the growers all donating extra flowers 
for the occasion, and afterS p. m. we 
sold the flowers, the whole netting 
$171.67. Now the needs of the Red 
Cross are not so urgent so that per- 
haps the best of the flowers would 
cheer hospital patients or “shut ins” in 
your town. 
Taken as a whole the Flower Show is 
good in many ways, it brings out the 
best flowers where they can be seen 
and appreciated by flower lovers gen- 
erally, it creates more sentiment for 
flowers, it popularizes flowers in a 
locality, it gives an opportunity to 
compare varieties and to get ac- 
quainted, as it were, with such varie- 
ties as suit their fancy and places them 
in a better way to obtain such varieties 
as they wish for their next year’s gar- 
den. The growers have an oppor- 
tunity to see and compare flowers with 
their neighbors, and to see what flowers 
are taking best with the public, and 
last but not least, they advertise their 
wares in a way that would be impos- 
sible in any other way. And to the 
people who so liberally throw open 
their doors to such an enterprise, as our 
bank has done, they create a friendly 
feeling with the public for the interest 
they take, to be of benefit to the com- 
munity, that people will be attracted 
their way and they will surely reap 
their reward in extended business. 
Mrs. Joseph H. Wessel sends us the above photo- 
graph It illustrates trays for storing Gladiolus 
corms in a cellar. She writes that each tray is 25Vz x 
36 inches and 1V\ inches deep, and that the bottom is 
of galvanized wire screen with an iron strip for re- 
inforcing and that each tray holds about one bushel 
of corms. The trays are arranged lo slide into a 
rack as shown and give convenient access at all 
times. As a method of storage which is economical 
of space, this arrangement is hard to beat. It will be 
noted in this connection that on the corner of each 
tray is a triangular block so that the trays may be 
stacked up in the field one above the other. 
Ordinary window screen wire is used for the bottom 
of the trays; Ys in. galvanized screen would probably 
be better. 
