The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-09-04
PLANTS AND FLOWERS.
INCREASING INTEREST TAKEN IN
THEIR CULTIVATION.
Taste for Flowers in the City-WindoW
Plant. Observation-Disclosures Auc-
ton hooms-PIants by Mail
Question of Healthfulness.
New York Tribune Interview

GAnv one who has been in London in
the summer months can not but contrast
the difference in the appearance of the
flower decorations in the windows and
balconies in the streets of London with
those of New York Almost every dwell
ling in London has its window box, from
which flowers of every imaginable shade
and color droop in profusion, rendering
the view down the street a visit Of glO-
rious coloring. New \ ork is rapidly imi-
tating London in this particular, although
flowers will probably never be so extern
sively grown in dwellings here as there.
for the reason that our climate is not so
well adapted to their growth. Our hot,
scorching, dry air during the months OF
June, July and August renders the cult
Vation of window plants much more diff
fcult here than in England. On the
other hand, we have advantages in the
culture of many tropical plants for our
gardens, which 90 much better in our hot
climate than in England. For example,
the coleus, which we have now in almost
every Imaginable shade of leaf marking,
has here an increased brilliancy under our
tropical summer sun which in Europe it
never assumes.
The plants sold in our markets now
are principally roses, geraniums, verbenas,
carnations, mignOnette, daisies, pansles,
heliotropes, palms and other ornamental
similar foliage plants in great variety.
All the plants at the market are sold in
pots, principally to groceTs, butchers and
others who retail them. These buy them
direct from the wagons of the florists who
are the growers and then retail them at
usually about double the wholesale price.
This is necessary, because they are diff
cult things to handle in pots, and also
because being perishable, there is some
loss, for if plant bought at the market
goes out of bloom it is of little use to
retail, although in reality it is often just
as good as when in bloom, if not better
"Another great mart for the sale of
flowers is now the horticultural auction
rooms, situated in this neighborhood and
other downtown streets. These are sup
piled mainly by the large wholesale grow
ers in New Jersey and Long Island. They
are put up in lots packed to ship, and
large buyers find that they not only buy
cheaper but get plants in better shape at
the auction rooms than in the markets,
from the fact of their being all packed to
ship. The purchasers are largely the
wholesale florists who buy to supply their
stock for retailing, although number of
private gentlemen buy largely for the
decoration of their grounds in the sub
urbs Some gentlemen buy not less
than 6, 1000 plants for that purpose, as
they find that they can often buy cheaper
from those who make a special business
of growing them than they can grow
them themselves even when having regu
lar gardeners and greenhouses for the
purpose. Besides the sales of plants in
this way in our large cities, immense
quantities are shipped every day by the
different express companies to all parts Of
the country, and also by mail
This sending plants by mail has prob
ably done more to engender and diffuse
the taste in plant culture than anything
else, as it places plants in the hands of
those who have love for flowers in every
town and hamlet on the continent The
postofice department claims that thus far
L has been improbable, but it has I'M
doubleday been a benefit to the COM
munity in diffusing taste for the beauti-
full in flowers. The dirt is all removed
from the roots of the plant, which are
then wrapped up in paper and forwarded
week in this condition, thus giving suffi-
Gent time to send them to California if
necessary.
Although New York in many of it's
public institutions leads all other cities,
yet in the decoration of its parks with
flowers it is sadly behind. Chicago, Phila-
delphia, Boston, Albany, Allegheny City
and many others of lesser size are far
ahead in the decoration of public flower
OCuS Vi OOtn 1GW dAu III
the Lincoln and South parks of Chicago
at least 500. 900 plants are used for the
decoration of their flower beds each sea-
son, and it is one of the principal attrac-
tons of the parks, while it is doubtful if
in Central park, New York, and Prospect
park, Brooklyn, together, one-tenth of
that number are used.
"The vexed question, Are plants in
furious In living and sleeping rooms?' is
now settled Plants undoubtedly give off
injurious gases, especially in the night,
but the quantity is so minute that we
have the word of our friends the scientists
that there can be no possible harm re-
sulting. This is further proven by the
robust health of hot house employees. The
influence of plants as health barometers is
also beginning to be appreciated. A plant
will droop in any atmosphere which is
for a human being, and
hence a thrifty lot of plants in the room
Is proof positive that the ventilation is
good, the furnace working right, and the
sewer gas kept in the obscurity for which
it was designed.