Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women - Wise Acres Yearbook (Ambler, PA)

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ITEMS OF INTEREST FOR THE WOULD-BE FLORIST Bv Eleanor F. Fullerton I spent a very interesting morning one clay this fall in the green houses of a successful Long Island florist. I had had some previous acquaintance with the florist, and with his establishment so my interest was more than that of the casual visitor. Moreover, the florist was moved to talk to me as the Wise Men of old talked to the youthful and enthusiastic seekers after knowledge.He considered no question of mine irrelevant, or too trivial for consideration, but he gave me from his store of knowledge and life-long experience, the very bits of information that I, a would-be florist, had been groping for this past year. 1 had found my bearings in the theoretical field. I felt that I knew the fundamental principles of green house culture; and I knew I could carry through to maturity a crop of antirrhinums, or sweet peas, or tomatoes. But. the actual management of a commercial plant, including all the planning, handling of labor, and marketing of crops, was a vast and unplumbed mystery to me. Therefore, I absorbed the words of the florist with an ever-increasing thirst for more. I know there are others situated as 1 am, and I feel that the bits of wisdom that meant so much to me will mean as much to them. I therefore set them down; not as a treatise on the establishment of a green house; or even as the report of an “interview.” They are just odd items of information that may or may not help out; at least they are worthy of consideration. 1 asked how small a house could be made profitable and the florist said that he would not advise one smaller than 100 by 25 feet, unless part of the business was to be carried on by means of cold frames. One woman could handle a house of this size easily, and with well planned cropping, a profit could be made the first year. Nevertheless, he advised me to keep in mind the fact that the plant will not always remain that size. When putting up the first house, plan for your future enlargement. The manufacturing company will help you plan location, furnace pit, and all other assets so the next house can be put up with the least amount of work, extra equipment, and wasted space. If a hillside is available, and other qualifications are equal, the terroce system is good. The first house and heating plant can be erected near the bottom, and later other houses erected higher up on the slope. This utilizes the smallest space, assures no shading of one house by another, and simplifies the heating, as the steam is forced up into the houses, and when condensed runs back by the force of gravity. He recommended running the house east and west or northeast by southwest. I had heard many controversies on this subject, and I asked for his theory. He said that for flowering plants it was more important to have all the sun available than to have it distributed on all sides. The shape of the plant is of no importance, and there is no harm done if it all grows in one direction. Also, there is less shade cast by the sash bars and braces if the house is run this way. The Florist had not done a great deal with frames himself, but he

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tomers and persuade them that they want what you have to gave them. Packing boxes of flowers gives you a chance to develop beautiful combinations—all the packer has to do is imagine her own delight on opening the package. It would be hard to decide whether it is of more interest to arrange a stunning basket or build a funeral piece which is natural and artistic, and certainly carries with it much comfort. Flowers for social occasions and weddings offer a chance for endless ideas and combinations, and are always fascinating. If there is nothing else to do you can almost always put in some time on the window and case displays. Don't you always just long to make some of those wonderful and simple-appearing window arrangements? You’d be surprised to find how much ingenuity the really good ones require. All of which goes to prove—to my mind—that a woman’s place in a Flower Shop is just the place she makes it. Here, as always, it’s up to the individual. SOMEDAY In the green house, where the sun shines; Where the morning sun shines brightly; Where the sun of noon beats hotly, And at night the sunset glimmers; There the propogating benches, Filled with sand, and bottom-heated Hold their rows of tender cuttings; Slips from daisy plants, and ivy; Pale begonias, and bright pansies; Fragrant heliotrope, and roses: And two little rows of boxwood— Small and green, and bravely trying To reach up and meet the sunshine; To push out wee roots for water. Growing strong, and ever larger. Some day they will be old bushes, Ancient boxwoods, green and fragrant— In a garden on a hilltop. In a garden filled with roses; Filled with mignonette and lillies; Set within a grove of locusts, Tall and lacy, slender locusts—

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knew there were great possibilities in them for the beginner. Violets, of course, can be raised very successfully in them. An early spring crop can be raised and a good profit made. Chrysanthemums—or “’mums”—are also a good frame crop. The sash can be raised to allow room for the height of the plant and crops can be easily managed. We talked long and comprehensively on the subject of crops. He strongly recommended early gladiolas for a beginner. They can be started in the green house in flats in late April and then set out in May as soon as frost danger is past. These will bloom in June and command a very good price. Other outdoor summer crops he considered rather a gamble, depending on the season and, in the case of asters, on the beetles. Snapdragons he considered a very good crop. The giants are the only ones that pay well, unless you are growing them for your own local retail trade. Sweet peas are very successful and are good to follow ’mums. Freesias he reckons among his good crops. They are a long season crop, but they do not take up an enormous amount of room, and they have a cutting season of a month or more. Bulbs he recommended highly. The paper white narcissus can be brought into bloom in a very short time and are easily handled. They have the advantage of being able to stand a change of temperature in case it is desirable to hold them back and bring them into bloom later. The Chinese lily is in this same class. The Easter trade, of course, demands all types of bulbs, including narcissus, tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. The baby primulas, or Primula malacoides, is a very worth while crop, blooming during the entire winter. The profit from them is not great, but is reasonably sure. I was greatly interested in the raising of greens and asked how great a demand there was for them. The florist waxed enthusiastic at that, and my own enthusiasm rose in accord. Smilax he considers a very good crop. It brings a good price and the plants can be used for two or three years. Some growers start new plants each year, but this is not necessary. There is a drawback, however, for the beginner to consider. That is the heat, as smilax needs a higher temperature than that required by most flowering plants. It would be inadvisable to put in a whole house of smilax as a first crop so this would probably have to wait until the plant had warranted enlarging. As for asparagus ferns: he had quite a bed of asparagus plumosis and could market far more if he had room to put it in. It is a slow growing plant and cannot be cut too heavily, but if successive crops were managed a very good trade could be established. The sprengeri is not in such great demand. He therefore raises only enough for his local retail trade. He had one beautiful ground bed coming along. He said that he was going to put the regular bench over it and put in red carnations for the winter. The sprengeri, being well started, would keep on growing and yield a good crop, while the carnations above would be utilizing the sunlight that is such a valuable asset to the florist.