114 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



December 19, 1901. 



keep out frost and that occasion arose 

 only two or three times during winter, 

 but this was in the south of England. 

 One flowered on the date of the marriage 

 of the Prince of Wales and another at 

 the next eclipse of the moon, and that 

 was how not to do it. 



William Scott. 



ROSE NOTES. 



Kaiserin Augusta. Victoria. 



This rose is quite an acquisition as a 

 summer bloomer; its vigor, healthful- 

 ness and freedom from disease make it 

 an ideal rose, especially for those florists 

 who do a retailing business. In shape, 

 size of bud and length of stem it is per- 

 fection ; it is also very fragrant, so much 

 so that some people complain of it on 

 that account, but as a winter bloomer it 

 ranks next to a failure. 



By propagating in November from re- 

 tarded flower stems {of whicli there are 

 plenty at this season) the cuttings will 

 with ordinary care in a temperature of 

 58 degrees, make ideal plants for bench- 

 ing in February. After the young stock 

 has started in the bench the tempera- 

 ture can with advantage be raised to 60 

 degrees. The surface of the sod should 

 be cultivated one inch deep at least once 

 a week, watering freely, giving plenty of 

 ventilation and syringing every bright 

 day. By treating them in this way they 

 will begin to crop in May (just when 

 Brides begin to deteriorate) and con- 

 tinue doing so up till Xovemtx'r. Period- 

 ical mulchings and liquid feeding are es- 

 sential to continued crops and well de- 

 veloped buds. 



This variety can be run over a second 

 season with advantage. In October be- 

 gin by gradually reducing the tempera- 

 ture till it reaches 35 degrees and with- 

 holding the water and syringing, allow- 

 ing the plants to rest iii this state till 

 February. They can then !«■ trimmed 

 of all blind and useless wood and pruned 

 down to three eyes, as the roots will 

 then be dormant. They should get one 

 thorough watering and started by rais- 

 ing the temperature 5 degrees each week 

 until it reaches 60 degrees. As soon as 

 the eyes have started the benches should 

 get a light rich mulch, watering moder- 

 ately, and never neglecting to keep the 

 syringe going on all favorable occasions. 



The quality of buds from second-year 

 stock treated in this manner is superb. 

 If solid benches are used the buds will 

 be larger and the stems longer, but they 

 will require a longer season of rest. 



When cutting the bloom there should 

 never be left on the stem cut from more 

 than three well-developed leaves. This 

 makes the eyes break strong, each one 

 throwing up a strong flower stem. If 

 cut higher and more eyes left they are 

 apt to break weak and run to blind wood. 

 It is an excellent keeper, but by reason 

 of its shape and softness of petals is a 

 poor shipper. 



The rose, Helen Gould, whicli some 

 claim to be the Balduin, or as it used 

 to be called Red Kaiserin, resembles the 

 Kaiserin in foliage, habit of growth and>' 

 shape of bud. If this rose can be grown 

 to pay it will make an excellent com- 

 panion for its white prototype. When 

 tried some years ago it proved so deli- 

 cate in constitution and so susceptible to 

 all kinds of trouble (especially miMew) 

 that it had to be discarded. Let us hope 

 its culture may be attended with more 

 success this time. We are in need of 

 just such a rose for summer. 



RiBES. 



CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 



The smoke of battle has cleared away 

 from the exhibition halls and we can 

 leisurely walk over the field and count up 

 the dead ones, i. e., the varieties that 

 have fallen from their high estate and 

 joined the noble armj' of "has beens." Of 

 these perhaps the most noteworthy is 

 Bonnaffon, whose sun has in my opinion 

 definitely set and Appleton takes its 

 place. 



Bonnaffon lasted well, but it was get- 

 ting very cranky to handle and no longer 

 can be considered any easy doer. There 

 was a time when we considered Bonnaf- 

 fon as the whole thing almost for an ex- 

 hibition yellow, but it has passed over 

 the range. 



It is diflicult to say how many whites 

 have fallen beneath the axe of Timothy 

 Eaton. Some seem to think very few, 

 because Eaton is so coarse. Time will 

 show. I imagine after it becomes prop- 

 erly acclimated in cultured centers, such 

 as Boston for instance, that much of its 

 coarseness will disappear, and it will 

 take unto itself the refining attributes of 

 its environment. What could one expect 

 of a variety coming out of the wilds of 

 Canada but that it would be coarse along- 

 side of the pampered products of the ef- 

 fete east. 



After the Broadway florist has taken 

 it in hand for a year or so and dressed 

 it up in a paper collar and called it a 

 dozen different names to suit the differ- 

 ent members of the 400, and lied about 

 it strenuously, and put its price up so 

 high that one needed a step ladder to 

 reach it. then it may be expected that 

 Eaton will take a proper pride in itself 

 and tone down. 



Speaking seriously, a year or two of 

 careful selection of stock may work won- 

 ders with this variety. Eaton has beaten 

 in fair fight every white on the boards 

 this year, and that is a record that can't 

 be gainsaid. 



I predicted last fall that Mrs. Ritson, 

 the white sport of Vivand-Morel. would 

 be found wanting, as it would not grow, 

 and I have not noticed that it has been 

 exhibited anywhere except once as a sin- 

 gle bloom in a class of singles. It is 

 striking that this sport would not grow 

 anywhere. I was hoping some one would 

 be able to make something out of it, but 

 it seems destined, as an Hibernian re- 

 marks, "to go back to that oblivion from 

 which it never emerged." 



While on the subject of sports those 

 who can grow Mutual Friend well should 

 try its yellow sport Madam Von Andre, 

 which seems to be getting a prominent 

 place across the water as an exhibition 

 variety. 



Australia also has a white sport called 

 Madam Herrcwege. I have only seen one 

 flower of it, but I thought it promising. 



Glory of the Pacific has also produced 

 a yellow sport which may be found use- 

 ful to those who grow the earliest varie- 

 ties, though the yellow Fitzwj-gram fills 

 the early class fairly well at present. 



In the bronze section Rustique will 

 certainly play second fiddle to Kate 

 Broomhead, which has been shown in 

 good shape all through the east. 



In reds Childs and all the other fel- 

 lows must step down in favor of H. J. 

 Jones. It is easily the best, and will not 

 burn if treated. liberally, as all the other 

 large reds will. It needs careful han- 

 dling when first planted out but is all 

 right once it gets to growing. 



Many of the newer varieties, as Miss 

 Alice Byron, Mrs. Barkley, etc., have been 

 mentioned in these notes before, so I will 

 not reiterate. Madam R. Cadbury as a 

 white and J. R. Upton as a yellow may 

 be heard of again next year, while Lord 

 and Lady Roberts (Australian varieties), 

 Lord Ludlow and several other titled 

 ladies and gentlemen are peacefully rest- 

 ing on the dump. 



From now on for a few weeks the stock 

 plants are liable to be left under the 

 bench, dried out, and neglected generally. 

 The best way, we have always claimed 

 and always follow, is to root cuttings 

 now of the varieties needed, and throw 

 the old plants away. The young plants 

 when rooted can be planted out anywhere 

 and are bound to give an abundance of 

 clean, healthy cuttings in the spring. 



The great advantage of this system is 

 that one has thousands of cuttings to se- 

 lect from and need only use the very 

 cream of the stock to take cuttings from. 

 It is a hollow mockery to talk to a man 

 about selection of stock, when he has 

 nothing to select from but a batch of old 

 plants that having been neglected all 

 the winter are more dead than alive. It 

 is curious to note with some men that 

 they are keen enough on getting good 

 cuttings of carnations or roses and yet 

 with their chrysanthemums they are ab- 

 solutely indifferent. Brian Bonn. 



LETTUCE FORCING. 



This year I ha^-e made a trial of the 

 Black Seeded Simpson lettuce and had 

 a sad experience with it. It started to 

 turn black at the tip of the leaf and soon 

 rotted down to the roots, the whole patch 

 being spoiled in a very short time. I 

 have been growing Grand Rapids and it 

 looks fine. The lettuce is growing in a 

 carnation house, with a temperature of 

 58 to 60 degrees. Max. 



Penna. 



The most serious trouble in growing 

 lettuce under glass is the rot, of which 

 your correspondent is now well aware. 

 He speaks of a night temperature of 58 

 to 60. This I regard as altogether too 

 hot for lettuce, though I understand the 

 Grand Rapids lettuce is always run much 

 warmer than the other varieties. If 

 your correspondent has been spraying his 

 plants overhead and maintaining a high 

 temperature at night the cause of the 

 rot is not difficult to find. The plants 

 should never be syringed overhead at all 

 and as little water as possible should be 

 applied at the root after the crop is well 

 under way. 



The surface of the soil should be kept 

 well stirred and as dry as possible and 

 the atmosphere of the house must be 

 always dry and bracing. Some growers 

 claim nowadays that soil should always 

 be sterilized for lettuce unless it is en- 

 tirely new. This may be true where 

 lettuce has been growing for years in 

 solid beds with the same soil and has be- 

 come filled with the spores of disease, but 

 ordinarily speaking it is not necessary. 



While the loose kinds like Grand Rap- 

 ids are more easily grown than the head- 

 ing kinds I think that Boston Market 

 is the only lettuce to grow under glass. 

 A night temperature of 40 to 45 degrees 

 with a rise to 70 on bright days will give 

 the best results. If your correspondent 

 cares to follow the subject of lettuce forc- 

 ing he will find it treated and described 

 fully by a noted grower in Bailey's Cy- 

 clopedia of American Horticulture. 



Chas. H. Tottt. 



