December 19, 1901. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



113 



House of Carnation Estelle at the Establishment ol William Murphy, Cincinnati, O. 



about right. When well looted ])lant out 

 in flats and as soon as tops start top 

 back low (town, transplant again in flats 

 when side shoots appear and begin to 

 crowd. I prefer Hats to pots to plant in. 

 as the cuttings are not liable to get pot 

 bound and dried out at times. A little 

 extra labor in transplanting will well 

 repay the grower. 



Estelle will grow in any well manured 

 soil out.side. Do not plant too early in 

 the field and keep well topped back, as 

 this variety is a persistent bloomer. Sept. 

 1 plant inside, somewhat closer than 

 some sorts, as it is a strong stemmed, up- 

 right grower. Keep night temperature 

 .52 to 56 degrees, with 10 degrees higher 

 in daj'time. Syringe lightly overhead, 

 and you will have a continuous crop from 

 November on. Wit. ;\Iui!i'iiY. 



CARNATION TROUBLES. 



Mr. J. W. G.'s case is a puzzler. I 

 cannot see any mistake in the time of 

 planting nor the treatment as described 

 in his letter. The manure in the bottom 

 of the bench would hardly cause such re- 

 sults if the manure was pure and well 

 rotted when put on the bench. We have 

 practiced the same thing for years and 

 have never had anything but good fS- 

 sults from it. The fact tliat the plants 

 have made a strong and vigorous growth 

 and are still doing the same is proof suf- 

 ficient that the soil is not at fault. 



I am rather inclined to think that the 

 trouble is caused by adverse atmospheric 

 conditions, such as a leaking gas main 

 or something of that kind. If it were 

 only afl'ecting one or two varieties we 

 might suspect that it were a deteriora- 

 tion in the variety, but as all of them are 

 doing the same it cannot be from that. 



The specimens were of little value, as 

 they were badly dried and only showed 



that the buds were as he described, but 

 did not show the condition of the growth. 

 Perhaps if I had a fresh plant before me 

 it would help me in .solving the mystery. 

 Inquirers sending specimens should be 

 just as careful to have them reach their 

 destination in as fresh condition as they 

 would a prize bloom, and it certainly can- 

 not be done in an ordinary envelope. A 

 whole plant with a good deal of the soil 

 in which it is growing is the proper 

 thing to send. Then if it were deemed 

 necessary the plant could be potted and 

 the trouble watched from day to day if 

 necessary. It is quite possible that if 

 the trouble is as I have suggested the 

 plant Avould in another place grow and 

 produce good blooms, which would be 

 positive proof. 



Perhaps it would pay Jlr. .T. W. G. to 

 send a few plants and a quantity of soil 

 and also some of the water he uses for 

 watering to one of the experiment sta- 

 tions and have them analyzed. They 

 could soon tell him if the trouble is in 

 the soil or the water. A. F. J. Baur. 



BULBS. 



Will you please tell nie if narcissus 

 need to be shaded when taken into the 

 greenhouse? I have them on the north 

 bench, protected witli a cheese cloth. 

 Some are in full bloom, others I just 

 took in. 



Also please tell me how hyacinths, tu- 

 lips and calla lilies should be treated in 

 the greenhouse. L. A. G. 



So mvich has been written about the 

 handling of all bulbous stock that it 

 seems it could have escaped the notice of 

 no one. Still they come. Paper white nar- 

 cissus want no shade of any kind after 

 they are brought into the greenhouse. 

 They always grow long enough. To 



grow them to perfection they should be 

 brought in early, given the very lightest 

 bench and a night temperature of not 

 over 0.5 degrees. They can of course be 

 forced much quicker in a higher tem- 

 perature. A shade of any kind would 

 be useless and an injury. 



Bring in the earliest forcing varieties 

 nf tulips after New Years. Yellow 

 Prince, Vermillion Brilliant, La Peine 

 and other early single varieties will then 

 flower in about three weeks, if you can 

 give them a steady temperature of 80 

 degrees, plenty of water and the shade 

 of cheese cloth a foot above them. As 

 the season advances the temperature 

 needed will be gradually less as well as 

 less shade and by middle of March and 

 in an ordinary greenhouse, temperature 

 .~).5 to GO degrees, will do nicely and no 

 shade. 



Hyacinths. Bring in the first lot Feb- 

 ruary 1. A night temperature of 60 

 to 6.!> degrees will do with no shade ex- 

 cept that for the first few days; if the 

 sun is bright, throw a moist paper over 

 them but when they begin to throw up 

 their spikes they want no shade. 



Calla lilies, so called, for they are not 

 lilies at all, are a very different plant 

 from any of the bulbous plants. Suppos- 

 ing you are growing them in pots (the 

 best way) they want a light, hot house. 

 The warmer and brighter it is the more 

 . flowers. If they are in 5 or 0-inch pots 

 don't shift them unless they are very 

 much in need of it. Rather feed them 

 with liquid manure, but light and heat 

 is what they want. 



To be reminiscent, I can remember 

 very . well long before I knew what a 

 calla wanted I had a dozen or so in ray 

 charge, at least I used to water them. 

 They stood in a north side old camellia 

 house among some camellias and azaleas. 

 The house was only heated sufficiently to 



