January 24, 1001. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



253 



Flowers at the Carnation Meeting of the Chicago Florists' Club. 



new pink carnation Dorothy and was 

 free to admit that it was a good one, 

 even if it did originate at the establish- 

 ment where he is grower. 



E. R. Gesler, Galesburg. III., still 

 grows Jubilee and likes it. He propa- 

 gates early and gets as many flowers 

 as from Crane. He considers Ethel 

 Crocker a good one for a grower who 

 retails his flowers, but fears it will not 

 prove a good shipper. He will increase 

 the space devoted to it at his place. He 

 likes the Marquis. He believes that no 

 variety should be condemned upon but 

 one season's trial, and that not until 

 the second season can it be definitely de- 

 termined whether a variety is suited to 

 your soil and conditions. 



E. T. Grave, Richmond, Ind., was in- 

 terested to learn that one grower grew 

 White Cloud very wet and another very 

 dry, both reporting success. He thanked 

 the Chicagoans for courtesies received. 



Anton Then said he never kept him- 

 self on the dry side and treated his car- 

 nations just as he did himself, only the 

 carnations were restricted to water 

 alone. He told of a recent trip of a 

 party of which he was a member through 

 the Indiana carnation belt and from his 

 description the trail must have been a 

 warni»one. 



Peter Weiland told of how he had been 

 stimulated to try for higher quality by 

 the fine blooms shown at previous exhi- 

 bitions, and how he had this year dared 

 to bring in some blooms to compare with 

 the best work of others. 



J. T. Anthony said if he could have 

 suitable weather for planting carnations 

 inside in July he would plant in at that 

 time, but if the weather was hot tlun he 

 would wait until the temperature fell to 

 70 degrees if he had to wait till <1cto- 

 ber. He had found that plants put un- 

 der glass when the temperature was 

 high always did poorly and were often 



beaten by plant- liiji.lii.l ilmin^ ;i rnol 

 spell at a much hiin .hii. 



Votes of thank- ^^ . i , |,.,--,.| lu Ihcs,. 

 who had sent t!<i«ii~ fm cxliihiticm and 

 to the Chicago Carnation Co. for the en- 

 joyable excursion to their establishment 

 at Joliet. 



CARNATION NOTES. 



Treatment of Cuttings. 



Those Mrs. Bradt cuttings and perhaps 

 a few other varieties you put in sand 

 last December will be about ready to 

 be taken out and potted now. Use 2 or 

 2J-inch pots for the first potting as they 

 will need a shift in March into 3 or 4- 

 inch pots to keep them growing nicely 

 until planting time. From 2 to 3-ineh 

 makes a nice shift, but if potted into 

 2i-inch they will need a 4-inch when 

 shifted. Use the same soil as you do for 

 planting on the benches, but run through 

 a screen of A-inch mesh for first potting 

 and add a little sand, say one-si-xtli. 



If you grow only a few hundred Mrs. 

 Bradt it will pay you to plant from 

 4-inch pots if you can spare the room 

 when they need shifting. With all those 

 varieties that make very little grass it 

 pays to grow as strong a plant as pos- 

 sible before planting out time. Keep 

 them pinched and get as many shoots 

 started as possible; they will break mure 

 readily early in the spring inside than 

 they will outside in summer and if you 

 can have about ten or twelve shoots 

 started before planting out they will need 

 no more pinching but they can spread 

 out into a compact plant and be ready 

 to house by Aug. 1. 



If you grow Mrs. Bradt inside all 

 summer, and I think it is the best way 

 to grow it, it will jiny >im to plant on 

 the bench from i' incli ]i"N in April 

 instead' of shiftiiiu iIhid. I Ihv will take 



hold better while the weather is cool 

 and will make a stronger growth on the 

 bench than in pots. Nearly every place 

 has a bench, or part of one, that is not 

 doing any good and it will pay well to 

 clear it oflT and replant with young stock 

 of Mrs. Bradt or some other variety 

 that needs indoor culture. 



Last spring we fired a house of poor 

 roses the first week in May and planted 

 with Mrs. Bradt, Jubilee and America 

 and we are being well repaid for the extra 

 month and the early start we gave them 

 on the benches. It is a mistake to plant 

 inside in June, or later, the same sized 

 plants as you plant outside in April. 

 By the time hot weather sets in they 

 should be nice bushy plants so that when 

 rapid growth recommences in the fall 

 they can be allowed to come right into 

 bloom. The same applies to those in the 

 field if they are to be housed in August. 

 Many growers do not pot their carnation 

 cuttings at all, but plant them on benches 

 in two to three inches of soil and two 

 to three inches apart each way between 

 the plants according to the variety and 

 the length of time they are to remain 

 there. This method produces stronger 

 plants than do those in pots as the growth 

 is more rank on account of the roots 

 having more freedom. There is not the 

 danger of stunted growth from being 

 pot bound and there is a large saving 

 of room. Plants that are grown this way 

 if planted out under favorable conditions 

 will take hold and start off just as well 

 as those grown in pots, but the latter 

 will stand a dry spell right after plant- 

 ing much better because there is not SO 

 much disturbance of the roots when they 

 are transferred to the field. On some 

 places th'ey are planted in flats made of 

 light material and of a convenient size 

 and these are raised up on shelves near 

 the glass. This is a good idea (if care 

 is exercised in watering as they are apt 



. Smitli ,i Son. Bassett & W:ishbiir 



Flowers at the Carnation Meeting of tie Chicago Florists' Club. 



