Title: The American florist : a weekly journal for the trade
Identifier: americanfloristw02amer (find matches)
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors: American Florists Company
Subjects: Floriculture; Florists
Publisher: Chicago : American Florist Company
Contributing Library: UMass Amherst Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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i88g. The American Florist. 417
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Ht\.\.'LBOR\iS H\GtH, N^R\U^ SI. SR\G\Q Climatic Influence on Plants. On page 356 of the Florist, Mr. H. E. Chitty, in his interesting notes on carna- tions, says be was much amused at the closing paragraph in my article on the same subject. I must admit that if Mr. Chitty can profitably grow such Buttercups and Grace Wilders as he describes, (and which is corroborated by the editor of the Flo- rist), at Paterson, N. J., then he has a right to be amused. But I must remind Mr. Chitty, that he does not live in this "parish; there is an intervening territory of a thousand miles separating us, and it by no means follows, that because these varieties are a success at Paterson, they must necessarily do equally well at St. Joseph. Then there is another thing which must be taken into consideration. Mr. Chitty is located in close proximity to the center of the great cut flower marts of the continent, where in flowers as in other things, the fickle goddess of fashion holds imperial sway, and just at this time she has taken a fancy to the unusual colors of Butlercup and Grace Wilder. If the supply is meagre and the price is high, so much the better, as with her votaries, price is no object, it only makes the flower the more exclusive. And now, our brother florists, who are in a position to take advantage of this freak of the wily goddess are smiling. But a question I should like to ask Mr. Chitty, is this : Iljes he consider these varieties equally as profitable to grow, as the leading kinds in white and red, provided their market value is the same ? For it must be remem- bered that a large majority of the florists of the country are not so favorably located od cannot get the high price* which these fancy varieties command in the neighborhood of the large cities. But admitting for Buttercup all that Mr. Chitty claims for it, will he allow me to turn the tables on him. In his woful description of Grace I'ardon, he closes up by saying ; "The variety seems to have descended from the old La Purite, and like that good old sort, seems to have in- herited its failings." Now let me assure Mr. Chitty that we have no more healthy, robust carnation than the old La Purite, our climate agrees with it and it never fails U8. Coming to Portia, my description of this variety is a counterpart of Mr. Chitty's description of Glowing Coal, and I believe it is generally admitted that Glowing Coal is a synonym of Portia. Then again, Miss Taplin in her corres- pondence to the Florist, (page 232, Jan. No.) says : "Silver Spray was seen to great advantage as grown by H. E Chitty of Paterson. Mr. Chitty, who is rather a specialist in carnations, intends to de- pend on this sort for his main supply of white ones next season." Of this same carnation, in my notes Feb. i, I say, "This variety appears to combine all the qualities of a first class flower, and that for myself, for a white carnation I shall grow Silver Spray almost exclusively." Now here are two varieties, of opposite colors, upon which we have reached the same conclusion. They can be success- fully grown at Paterson, N. J., and do equally well at St. Joseph, Mo. This brings me to the subject which I started out to discuss. Looking upon a map it will be found that Paterson is situated a little south of the 41st degree, north latitude, while St. Joseph is about the same distance south of the 40th degree, a difference of but one degree from being on the same line of latitude, consequently their seasons cor- respond, yet in their climatic relations they are almost at antipodes. At Paterson, situated as it is near the sea coast, the climate is modified by the ocean breezes, the atmosphere at most times is charged with moisture, having protracted rains in summer and snows in winter, rarely if ever suffering from severe and long continued droughts. Shielded on the north and west by mountain ranges, the force of the air currents is broken, sudden and extreme changes of temperature are avoided and the climate is equable. On the other hand, St. Joseph is located five hundred miles away from any large body of water. As a consequence, the atmosphere is almost invariably dry, at times arid, rarely having settled rains in summer or snow in winter ; situated in the midst of a vast, unbroken plain reach- ing up to the arctic regions on the one side and extending to the tropics on the other ; subject to high winds and extreme changes of temperature. Gales from the southwest, with the hot winds of New Mexico and Arizona often reaching us in summer, and the piercing blasts of a polar wave sweeping down upon us in winter, with the temperature dropping thirty or forty degrees in as many min- utes. In the latter part of September we have cool, showery weather, after which it turns warm, frost not appearing before the middle of October, often holding off until the first of November. In the nrean- time vegetation of all kinds is started into active growth, then when frost does come it is a killing one. Plants which are naturally hardy if matured, are cut

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