•August i % 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
83 
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9th Sunday afteb Trinity. 
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Royal Horticultural Society—Fruit and Floral Committees at 11 am. 
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PACKING FLOWERS. 
MONGST the many duties of a gardener that 
of packing flowers to travel by rail or through 
the post is by no means the least important; 
in fact, in some gardening establishments it 
is of even greater consideration than packing 
fruit. The majority of ladies and gentlemen 
who can afford to “ keep up ” their gardens, 
either leave home for the London season, 
the seaside, or elsewhere for long or short periods, 
according to circumstances. Flowers then have to be 
packed two or three times weekly, and in many establish¬ 
ments it is a constant practice when at home to send 
flowers away to friends. Many young gardeners under¬ 
taking these duties for the first time, as well as many 
amateur readers, may be glad to know how they can 
accomplish the task satisfactorily. 
The first matter to be considered is the train by which 
they shall travel, or the post by which they shall be 
despatched, so that they will arrive at the appointed time 
with as little delay in transit as possible. The shorter 
the time they are on the journey the fresher the flowers 
when they are unpacked. A day, or even a few hours, is 
a great consideration during hot dry weather, and would 
alter to a large extent all other arrangements, both as 
regards the condition of the blooms and the time they are 
cut. It must be remembered that flowers expand even 
when packed in boxes or other contrivances just in pro¬ 
portion as the weather is hot, or the reverse. In this, 
as in many other matters connected with gardening, it is 
difficult to lay down hard-and-fast rules, as many diverse 
circumstances have to be considered. I shall, therefore, 
fix a time for the flowers to be sent from the garden, and 
how to arrange matters for that purpose, and thus leave 
each individual to judge for himself. 
Let us suppose, then, that the flowers have to be 
packed in time to leave the garden by 6 p.m., so that they 
will arrive at their destination early the following day. 
It is always wise, if possible, to arrange matters so that 
the flowers are travelling at night instead of the day. 
Some years ago I found the boxes despatched from these 
gardens by a mid-day train arrived the following day. 
Complaints were numerous, but after matters were 
arranged for the garden boxes to travel at night and be 
delivered early in the morning, we never had a single 
complaint during a period of nearly ten years. 
Perhaps the most difficult matter to be taken into 
consideration is the time to cut the flowers so that they 
will arrive in the best condition the following day. At 
first it might be naturally thought that the nearer the 
packing time the better and the more certain the flowers 
would be to last. This is a great mistake, and one that 
No. 371. —Yol XV., Third Series. 
is too generally practised, as I have proved and hope to 
clearly demonstrate for the benefit of others. In nearly 
every instance they should be cut three or four hours 
before they are packed. Such flowers as double and 
semi-double Pelargoniums can be cut just before packing, 
but not so with Roses and many other flowers. All 
flowers that expand rapidly (take Roses as an example) 
should be gathered in the morning while the dew is upon 
them, for if exposed to the sun during the day hundreds 
that would be suitable for packing would be too fully 
developed. Roses should be gathered in a bud state, their 
leaves and stems immersed in water, and then stood in a 
cool shed; others not sufficiently developed may be 
gathered at dinner time and treated similarly. It is 
surprising how well they travel and how fresh they arrive 
when packed in a suitable manner after their stems have 
been in water for a few hours. If Adiantum cuneatum is 
cut from the plants and placed at once into the packing 
boxes—however well it may be grown for the purpose—it 
will wither directly it is removed; but this will not be its 
condition if steeped for a few hours in a bucket of water 
prior to packing. It should be subjected to the same 
treatment, if only for a short time, directly it arrives, and 
it is surprising how long it will retain a beautiful fresh 
appearance. 
Hampers or baskets are objectionable in which to pack 
flowers for travelling a long distance, for the contents are 
too much exposed to the drying influences of the atmo¬ 
sphere. I have used them, however, with marked success 
by placing a layer of Rhubarb leaves, Spinach, or other 
suitable material of a similar nature at the base, then 
lining the sides in the same way as the process of filling 
proceeds. The leaves used should be well damped or 
dipped in water, a few damp leaves being laid between 
the layers of flowers and also over them. This method is 
good for short journeys, and may be practised for longer 
ones if no better packing cases exist for the purpose. The 
best system of all is to pack the flowers in tin boxes, 
made to fit inside a larger box; the lid can either be at 
the top or at the front. Tin boxes are always cool and 
retain any moisture that falls from the leaves and stems, 
which would be absorbed if wood is used. The carriage, 
however, must be considered, and for economy in this 
matter tin is objectionable, for it is considerably heavier 
than light boxes made of wood. Although we had suit¬ 
able tins for this and other purposes they were only used 
for a short period of the year, when fruit as well as 
flowers were sent in the same large box. Light boxes 
were made 4 inches deep; the length and width can be 
arranged to suit the box in which they have to be packed, 
but the one must fit closely on the top of the other. Lids 
therefore are not needed except in the case of the top box, 
which should be provided with one, especially if the lid of 
the box in which they are packed opens at the top. This 
allows of a strip of wood or anything else being placed 
between the two lids, so that no movement of the boxes 
can take place. When the boxes are slipped in from the 
front no lid is needed as long as they are made to fit 
exactly, a few leaves when hampers are used over the 
flowers of the top box being ample. 
In packing the flowers the use of cotton wool, moss, 
or Spinach leaves cannot be too strongly condemned; 
these materials only take up room and waste valuable 
time in preparation and packing. Cotton wool is one of 
the worst materials that can be used, for it extracts the 
moisture from the flowers, and thus assists in their de¬ 
struction. It may be suggested that it can be used in a 
No. 2027.—Yor. LXXYU., Oed Series. 
