80 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



To have fair success in propagation the temperature must be watched 

 very closely; for nothing will spoil a batch of cuttings quicker than to 

 run the temperature of the sand up and down. This is especially true 

 with roses after they have calloused. Often you will see a big batch of 

 roses in the sand without a leaf on them. Yon can partly blame this to 

 not keeping the temperature where it ought to be. Roses and all hard 

 wooded plants can stand 10 degrees less, but the quicker the operation 

 is done the better the success in per cent rooted. Another thing to be 

 watched is the ventilation in a propagating house. On large places cheese 

 cloth should be tacked over the ventilators to check the direct draft. 

 The grafting case is another thing that has to be watched as to tem- 

 perature, ventilating, and so on. But as there is not much, if any, of that 

 done by florists in this vicinity, I will not dwell on that subject. Now 

 as to raising your heat, for instance, previous to the holidays, I believe 

 the same answers as to ventilating your houses. Do it by degrees, say 2 

 degrees every other night or day until you have the required tempera- 

 ture, which you will have to decide yourself. If your stock is in no shape 

 to stand a high temperature do not do it. For what few extra flowers 

 you gain will be lost ten times over by softening your plants. And right 

 here I want to say that sometimes they do not get over it, so don't get 

 greedy; let well enough alone. I thank you. 



The Chairman: Is there any one who wishes to say anything upon 

 the subjects in this paper? 



The Chairman: Our next subject is Growing chrysanthemums, by 

 Irwin Frey, of Lincoln. 



GROWING CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 

 Irwin Frey, Lincoln. 



In these days of competition growing chrysanthemums is a subject 

 of great importance to the wholesale florist or the retail florist that has 

 competition, for the flower-buying public is not long in finding out who 

 has the best chrysanthemums; and this at a time of the year when many 

 of them have not had occasion to buy flowers for two or three months 

 may mean the gain or loss of a large number of customers for the entire 

 year. I believe there is more difference in the quality of chrysanthemums 

 grown in different floral establishments than any other si:)ecies of flower, 

 and the difference in profit and loss is correspondingly great, as the cost 

 of production is the same regardless of the quality of the crop. We use 

 the following methods in growing chrysanthemums with- very satisfactory 

 results. Starting with the stock plants which are planted close together 

 on a good light bench so the cuttings will not be drawn and spindly. We 

 save of each variety in proportion to the number we wish to plant the 

 coming season. The first lot of cuttings are put in the sand about Feb- 

 ruary 1, these are for growing or for pot plants, of which we grow about 

 2,000, only part of which are sold as pot plants. The larger part are used 



