The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31
SPRINGS REIGNING GLORY
Flora With Her Wand Holds Sway
ut Easter Season.
The Rose Still Ascendant ~ Queen
OF the Flower Garden - Products
From the Little Kingdom Ruled by
Queen WiIheIminn-oId NoseEnys.

peal to one. whether as reigning ftd
or fancy. or with some deeper siEnil-
canoe of beauty and fraSility and evan
escence. II growing taste for them in a
people denotes an cyer-increas:ng love for
the beautiful. The windows OF the flow
er stores at this season are concentrated
masses of delicate spendor, where tn.
| Fashionable triunphs of the horticultur-
lists art appeal to the possessor of a fun
purse 10 come inside and purchase. With
such a purchaser the natural considera-
ton is. What is the style this YEAR,
and if a lady wishes to deck her boudoir
or adorn her corsage or hair. or gen
tleman wishes to make present to
lady. either will do well to select roses
for the desired purpose. The rose is :till
queen Of flowers. and the American
I Beauty is the queen of roses and viii
doubtless continue to hold its supremacy
for many years to come.
The Easter demand for lilies this year
has been exceptionally large. over half
a million dollars worth have been i'm
ported from Bermuda alone, notwith-
standing the disease which has attacked
the bulbs in that country. Great numbers
of this flower have also been obtained
this season from Japan. its original home,
where it hourished many thousands OF
years ago. Numerous persons prefer the
Gala to the Easter lily. objecting to the
heavy perfume of the latter. There has
always been attributed to the white and
gold flower something divine, and it is
generally held to be, at Christmas and
Easter, the fittest adornmeut OF the
Christian altar.
The carnation is the fad this season.
When the United States attempts any
thing in the flower line it usually excels
| and carnations being the rage. it has pro-
duced the finest carnation the world has
| ever seen, the Thomas Lawson" named
after its originator. native of Boston,
who received no less than s35 900 for the
| first series of cuttings from his match
less production. There have been many
fancy varieties produced since, but none
to compare with the Lawson. 1T is of
exceptionally large size. of an exquisite
pink shade. and possesses a delightful
fragrance. The manner in which the car
nation is being cultivated at present is
truly remarkable.
Under the hands of expert growers il
| has been made to assume almost every
hue and combination of hues imaginable.
The genus Diantnus, to which ii belongs
! in common with the pink. lends itself to
a well-nieh infinite variety Of cross
breeding or naturalization. The original
] caTnation was. in fact. a hybrid and was
I
alo years ago. Its color was nearer blue
| than pink, its edges fringed to depth
| of fully quarter OF an inch. while II
| was possessed of no odor, and its stem
was so Inadequate to supporting its
| weight that an artificial holder was nee
essary to enable the flower to maintain
| an upright position. All these features
have been gradually eliminated. The pen
| cilings that have been made TO appear
| on the pure white carnation are especial
| ~ noteworthy. and often produce most
ls.f.g Ar Ag.-t cha n. saf
| carnations possess least udor it is now
| being attempted to graft the varieties so
| that perfume and richness of color viii
4 be united An interesting experiment. in
| this CONNECTION, is at present being con-
| Quoted by some English growers. This is
| to make the pansy Us odorous as the vio-
| let, and. from present indications. sue
| cess may be predicted
| II is a remarkable fact that Dutch
| growers still maintain the pre-eminence
4 which they have held for the past several
| hundred years in the production of such
| flowers as hyacinthS. narcissus. tulips.
| crocus. rhododendron. etc. \ practical
| illustration OF this fact was furnished in
| one of the large flower stores Of this city,
| where he encountered a travelling sales
| man representing Dutch rrm. This
gentleman travels all over the world, sup
| plying dealers in this country and else
| where with the flowers. the growing OF
| which in perfection may be said to be
confined 70 the northeastern portion OF
| Holland. The fact that this little section
|
| tige in the production of certain kinds OF
flowers since the sixteenth century is all
| the more remarkable when one reflects
| that eighteen years have suf!lced for the
degeneration of the Bermuda lily. and
| now that Japan has put its floral wares
| on the market and attempted to supply
the world. the same deterioration is being
| noticed by American dealers In bulbs
| from that country. so much that fully
| 81 per cent OF the iruportations from both
| localities this season have been found ut
III a1sgn-
| however, very easy to explain. In the
| first place the climate and the soil
| of that portion of Holland where the
| flowers are produced are ideal The latter
| is sandy crust permeated by the water
| beneath, constituting perfect system OF
! natural irrigation. In the second place.
| the Dutch growers form most decided
| contrast, in their methods. to the flora
| cuturists of Bermuda. japan. and other
| places, With these latter the chief OBJ
| ject appears to turn their cash as rapidly
| a possible. In order to do this the bulbs
have been forced. and the best stock has
| been exhausted by expectation, the in
| feTior kinds b@ing kept for replanting.
| The result has been that a poorer crop
| has been produced each successive year.
| and the stock bulbs have become so
| weakened by continual forcing that they
have been rendered peculiarly liable to
| disease which. in fact. has now attack ed
| them. and threatens a virtual extinction
| of the industry in both Bermuda and J8-
| pan. The Dutch growers. on the other
| carefully reject and destroy all inferior
| grades.
They do not force their bulbs. no mat
| ter how pressing may be the demand for
| an early crop, or how prohta Bile their
| compliance with such demand They pur-
| sue the same clean business methods that
| have followed, and whether this arises
| from patriotism. conservatism. or what
| not, II cannot be denied that IL is q salu-
| tary example 10 other parts Of the world
! m. mn fla sff FF- II,
| other lines than flower raising
a TALK WITH 4 FLORIST.
81 remember" said an old flower dealer
in this city, when the taste of the time
in the matter of flowers ran mostly to
bouquets and set pieces of the most for
NAL types. A collection of the various
| styles Of bouquets in use in 1865 to 1870 II
| exhibited today would probably attract
more attention on account of their oddity
| of form and formal construction than any
| OF the artistic DECORATIONS seen in our
| show windows. There was a mathemati-
| cal eXactness about the arrangement of
| each row of flowers which is seen no
| where at the present time in horticultural
work. except possibly in the ribbon beds
| where folid ge plants are grown.
| 'Cam"iias used TO be the principal
| flowers used. and what with wiring
/ tooth-picl0ing, and trussing up generally
| the making of "A bouquet was quite a la
borious task. Notwithstanding this fad
| which, of course. had to be catered to 10y
the trade there were true artists who UNI
| dcrstood and appreciated the beauty OF
the flowers themselves and the possibili-
ties of arranging them with taste and an
! eve towards harmony of effect. The true
lovers Of flowers have always been the
ones to improve the public taste in the
matter of arrangement.
| Yes, | have seen wonderful changes in
the business in my time" continued the
florist. About 1870 an increased demand
for flowers was especially mark ed. Ca
meias. tuberoses. and such flowers had