758 



The Weekly Rorists^ Review. 



MAY 17, 1900. 



such a muss that it is almost impos- 

 sible to get them going again and 

 making a fine, useful string. Guide 

 these young shoots the way they shall 

 climb, and when they are older they 

 will not depart from it. This is a 

 truth with climbing plants, but not 

 so certain with other shooting and 

 sprouting things. 



One foot apart is rather close. I 

 would rather have them 15 inches 

 each way, or, better still, 18 inches 

 between the rows and 15 inches be- 

 tween the plants. There is one great 

 authority in this country on aspara- 

 gus, namely, William H. Elliott of 

 Brighton, Mass.. who like all good 

 gardeners, is ready to impart his valu- 

 able knowledge for the good of man- 

 kind. WM. SCOTT. 



PRICES OF BEDDING PLANTS. 



Mr. Robert Kift, in an able article 

 in the "Philadelphia Florist," quotes 

 ■ the prices on bedding plants this sea- 

 son and adds that they seem too low. 

 Three and four cents for 3-inch stuff 

 and 7 and 8 cents for 4-inch must 

 seem low to the man who broke the 

 record with the prices he obtained for 

 Begonia Gloire de Lorraine. These 

 spring plant prices certainly allow him 

 little or no chance for record break- 

 ing. Yet when one sees the thousands 

 and thousands of little soft-wooded 

 spring plants which have sprung up 

 in a night, as it were, their cheapness 

 is hardly surprising. 



This year Easter was late, too late 

 for the spring plant men. Their stock 

 in consequence is much smaller than 

 usual to-day at the opening of the 

 planting-out season. There are some 

 fine blocks of plants on the benches, 

 but the bulk of the plants are small 

 seemingly dear at last season's fig- 

 ures. 



It is very unusual to find the grower 

 of bedding plants resorting to the 

 trick of overshifting his stock in order 

 to get full value from his product. 

 This year, however, there are plenty 

 of plants in 4-inch pots that would 

 hardly sell as full-sized 3's. The man 

 who has a contract for planting a bed 

 that last year cost him $14.00 in ma- 

 terial (200 geraniums at $7.00 a hun- 

 dred), may consider himself lucky if 

 he does not have to buy more plants 

 to make his work creditable. 



R. E. WORG. 



GERANIUMS. 



Referring to the single scarlet gera- 

 nium Gen. Sheridan, Mr. August Jur- 

 gens, Chicago, says it has been grown 

 here for many years. He knows of 

 no better bedder. especially for a very 

 hot position, such as against the front 

 of a south facing brick or stone house. 

 but at the same time it is not a first- 

 class market plant, as it isn't very 

 showy as a pot plant in the spring, 

 unless extra well grown, nut as a 

 bedder it is a wonder, standing in the 



hottest sun and blooming continuously 

 with remarkable freedom. 



Considering market qualities as 

 well as bedding qualities, ho places S. 

 A. Nutt at the head of his list, and 

 says it is surely the best of all dark 

 scarlets. John A. Doyle, a new one, 

 he thinks very highly of, and says it 

 is by all odds the best of the light 

 scarlets. Alphonse Riccard is a splen- 

 did red. and Francis Perkins decid- 

 edly the finest of the double pinks. La 

 Favorite is his best white. 



Of Mrs. E. H. Hill, salmon, there 

 seem to be two forms. In one the 

 flowers are split, while in the other 

 they are full and round. The latter 

 form is the one to have. Beaute Poi- 

 tevine is a fine semi-double salmon, 

 and Mme. Jaulin a semi-double peach- 

 blossom pink. 



Mr. Jurgens says most people water 

 their geraniums far too much, and he 

 has noticed the result of this error 

 in the parks and on private pl.ices 

 where competent gardeners are em- 

 ployed. Overwatering results in a 

 rank growth and fewer flowers. He 

 would never water geranium beds 

 more frequently than once a week, 

 even in the hottest and dryest weath- 

 er. He would then give a good soak- 

 ing and let them alone for a week. 



PANDANUS VEITCHII. 



This plant is one of the very best 

 house plants under cultivation when 

 it receives intelligent care. Many of 

 our retailers won't take the trouble 

 teach their customers how to care for 

 the pandanus, and so miss many sales. 

 Nearly every plant lover admires Pan- 

 danus Veitchii, and nearly every one 

 can grow it in a dwelling house if they 

 will use a little judgment in its care. 



Pandanus Veitchii requires little or 

 no moisture on the leaves in winter: 

 it must not be kept very wet; it must 

 not be allowed to get a sudden chill. 



Remember these three points, and 

 with good stock, properly grown and 

 properly potted, you can succeed with 

 Pandanus Veitchii wherever other fo- 

 liage plants can be grown. 



JOHN WELSH YOUNG. 



BUTTED GLASS. 



We expect to reglaze some of our 

 houses this summer and are in doubt 

 whether to butt or lap the glass. 

 Would prefer butted glass only for 

 the fact that when a pane is broken 

 there is sometimes trouble to flnd an- 

 other of exactly the same size to put 

 in its place. If it should he a trifle 

 larger it won't go in, and if it is a 

 trifle smaller it will leave a crack for 

 air to get in or heat to escape. What 

 does Mr. Scott say? 



HIAWATHA. 



Evidently from the above the houses 

 have been previously glazed with 

 lapped glass. Then the sash bars 

 would be entirely unsuited for but- 

 ted glass. Don't attempt to butt glass 



unless you have the bar and cap which 

 is made for butted glass. Butted glass 

 on the ordinary sash bar and fastened 

 down with brads or laid with putty 

 would be an everlasting nuisance and 

 failure; and from this mistaken use 

 of the method has arisen much of the 

 abuse of the system. 



If you had the cypress bar and cap 

 you would not flnd the difficulty you 

 mention about putting in a new light, 

 because the new one goes in from the 

 bottom and the others are pushed up 

 tightly, and you can always make a 

 fit at the bottom by raising or lower- 

 ing the nail or whatever you use as 

 a stop. Once more, don't attempt to 

 butt glass without the correct bar 

 and cap. Other methods are dismal 

 failures. W. S. 



A ROSE DISEASE. 



We recently inspected some diseased 

 rose plants at the establishment of 

 Mr. Jacob Meyer, Morton Grove, 111. 

 It seemed to attack young plants in 

 the 2-in pot stage only, and when the 

 plants had successfully reached the 

 4-inch pot stage they seemed to be 

 immune. The fungus seemed to al- 

 ways start at a bud or thorn on the 

 side of the stem and work down to 

 the roots. Numbers of plants were 

 noted where the bark was badly af- 

 fected and the roots still in a healthy 

 condition. This rather suggested that 

 the germs of the fungus were carried 

 to the plant in the water, but if this 

 is true, why are not the young 

 growths of the older plants also af- 

 fected? Can some practical man sug- 

 gest an explanation? 



Some specimens were forwarded to 

 Prof. J. C. Arthur of Purdue Univer- 

 sity, Lafayette, Ind.. and his letter re- 

 garding them is printed below. He 

 also sent us the drawing of the fun- 

 gus from which the accompanying 

 engraving is made. 



The young rose plants came in good 

 condition, and it was not ditticult to 

 see that they were suffering from a 

 semi-parasitic fungous disease. The 

 fungus works under the bark, enter- 

 ing through the lower cut end, or 

 through a wound in the stem made 

 by breaking away a thorn, leaf, or 

 bud. Having gotten a start inside the 

 cutting or small plant, the tender 

 cells are killed, and the bark soon 

 turns black. After that the roots and 

 leaves die because the stem can no 

 longer transport the healthy sap. 



The fungus is one of several that 

 are known as cutting-bed fungi, al- 

 tho\igh this particular one is new to 

 me. It forms colorless threads that 

 grow out into little glistening white 

 tufts on the surface of the bark, just 

 discernible by the naked eye. On the 

 end of each branch is borne a spore, 

 that finally drops away, and at once 

 is ready to grow into more fungous 

 threads to spread the disease. The 

 spores are colorless, and either before 

 or after dropping away from the 



