4J4 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



SEPTEMBER 15, 



Remove and burn all drooping stems 

 the moment the first symptoms are 

 observed. 



Where the disease bas previously ex- 

 isted — or better, under any circum- 

 stances — remove the surface-soil early 

 in spring, and replace with fresh soil 

 mixed with quick-lime. 



Do not use green manure as a top- 

 dressing. 



The mycelium of the fungus is not 

 perennial in the root of the Paeooy, so 

 that it starts life perfectly free from 

 its enemy each year, and can only be- 

 come diseased through inoculation 

 from sclerotia lying in the soil, from 

 germs contained in manure, or from 

 floating summer-spores borne from 

 some diseased plant growing in the 

 neighborhood. 



Chrysanthemums. 



Chrysanthemums for pots, lifted 

 from the bench Sept. 1. will now want 

 full light and all the air you can give 

 them. From the time they are lifted 

 till they flower they just about double 

 in size if they have been pinched dur- 

 ing summer and are now bushy little 

 plants, as they should be. They want 

 no more stopping, but mast often be 

 stood over and spaced or the want of 

 air and light will soon produce yellow 

 and spotted leaves, and what is a 

 chrysanthemum with a lot of flowers 

 without its green leaves — simply un- 

 salable. 



If your market calls for a plant with 

 large and small flowers, you can let 

 every bud remain on the plant and de- 

 velop, but we find for our market that 

 a plant with a dozen to fifteen good 

 flowers sells much better than one 

 with double the number of 

 flowers of good, bad and indifferent 

 quality. So disbud as soon as you can 

 select the leading and most perfect 

 bud. Many of these small plr.nts will 

 need but one stake in the center from 

 which all side branches can be sup- 

 ported, but a 7 or 8-inch Lincoln or 

 Ivory deserves a half dozen stakes in 

 addition to the center one, but never 

 let the stakes be the principal make- 

 up of the plant, as you often see at 

 many of our chrysanthemum exhibi- 

 tions. 



The aphis, both black, green and 

 yellow, will trouble the mum to the 

 end of its days and the yellow aphis 

 is much the worst of the three. Tobac- 

 co dust will do as a makeshift and that 

 excellent article, the Rose Leaf Ex- 

 tract of Tobacco, diluted fifty to one, 

 will kill the aphis if fumigating is not 

 convenient, but the old fashioned way 

 of burning tobacco is by far the clean- 

 est and most effectual. 



Every year, as prices of mums go 

 down, we realize how much work it 

 takes to produce fine, perfect flowers, 

 but if neglected you have wasted time 



and valuable space. Side shoots must 

 be kept picked off and plants tied up 

 before they have a chance to lap over 

 and make crooked stems. 



Many of the varieties are jusit now 

 showing their buds and this is the 

 time when the greatest care in water- 

 ing should be observed. A trifle on 

 the dry side is better for the next three 

 weeks than any danger of over water- 

 ing. I have again proved this year 

 that the rust, so troublesome on some 

 varieties, particularly on that king of 

 mums. Golden Wedding, can be ar- 

 rested by the use of the Bordeaux or 

 ammoniacal mixture. 



Geraniums. 



Last year proved that of all popular 

 plants the Zonal geranium led in 

 popularity about ten to one to any 

 other plant, excepting, perhaps, the 

 canna. If you have not already, you 

 should at once, make all the cuttings 

 you can possibly lay your hands on. 

 If done in this month, and we do not 

 get a hard frost till the end of this 

 month or early in October, you will 

 have another crop of good cuttings. 

 There is no need of putting these cut- 

 tings in the propagating bed: in fact, 

 it is the wrong place for them. Pot 

 them in 2 or 2%-inch pots, and be sure 

 and firm the soil well around them. 

 Don't just thumb the soil on the top, 

 but get your fingers well down into 

 the soil. It is at the bottom of the 

 cutting the soil wants to be firm and 

 compact, the watering will settle the 

 soil on the top. 



The cuttings, when potted, deserve 

 a good light bench and not crowded. 

 If there is much leaf to them, a good 

 soaking must be given them. When 

 first potted after that, keep them 

 rather on the dry side until they make 

 root. If you don't have a bench va- 

 cant just now a cold frame is equally 

 as good tor a month tor cuttings, in 

 fact, rather better, for on hot bright 

 days you can easily shade them for a 

 few hours when needed. We have 



been told by good men that It was of 

 no consequence whether you cut at a 

 joint or an inch below it. That may 

 be true, for verbenas and many other 

 things, but I am certain that you will 

 have better success if you do cut the 

 geraniums just below the joint. 



The Propagating Bed. 



At this time of year the pi'opagating 

 bed should never be idle. There are 

 any number of things to be propagated 

 and you cannot do it all in a day or ' 

 week. There are the Ivy Leaf geran- 

 ium, the vinca, abutilon and other es- 

 sentials, besides a great number that 

 you want but a few of. However, it 

 is well to put in a few dozen of the 

 plants you can increase rapidly dur- 

 ing the winter, such as senecio, lo- 

 phospermum, etc. In some localities 

 sand for the propagating bed is difii- 

 cult and costly to procure and the re- 

 plenishing with fresh is quite an ob- 

 ject. There is no need of it, if you 

 are a tidy, clean man around your pro- 

 pagating bed and do not allow dead 

 leaves or stems to lay in the sand, the 

 same sand will do for years. 



The fungus of the cutting bed is in 

 many houses a scourge, especially in 

 close, damp houses, but it is easily de- 

 stroyed by watering with the ammo- 

 niacal solution and where there is any 

 danger of this fungus appearing it is 

 well to dose the sand every time you 

 take out a batch of cuttings. 



Liftirg PlanlE. 



As remarked about the cuttings, you 

 cannot lift all your outside stock in 

 two days and handle it properly, and 

 no plants, even those to be made 

 into cuttings, are benefitted by be- 

 ing pulled up in a hurry and laying 

 several days under a bench. Begin to 

 lift at once. Sweet stevia, indispen- 

 sable with many of us, is all the bet- 

 ter for being potted early. They can 

 remain out of doors till the very last 

 moment. It is a small job to run in 

 the plants when frost threatens or 

 even can be covered with a light cloth 

 to protect them from that light frost 

 which we, too often, get this month or 

 early October. Besides 'itevia, there 

 is Linum trigynum, then your big 

 plants of vincas and odds and ends of 

 which you want a few such as agera- 

 tum, lobelia and salvia. 



Cyclamen. 



About now is a good time to give 

 cyclamen their last shift, which for a 

 one year seedling of the best growth 

 should not be over a 7-inch pot. While 

 shifting it is well to bring into the 

 house. At present they are about 

 forming their flower buds and now is 

 wfien greenfly, if allowed to attack 

 them, get in their most disastrous 

 work, for some time yet. 



Cyclamen when in a frame or green- 

 house must have the fullest possible 

 amount of ventilation. Last year I 

 had a good demonstration of the right 

 temperature for cyclamen after firing 

 commences. I had a batch in 45 de- 

 grees (of course I mean at night), and 

 another lot at 60 degrees; one was too 



