Aphii. 10. 19<j2. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



701 



Another Lily Trouble. 



were as near the same size and vigor as 

 possible. Growing in the same pans, the 

 plants must have had the same treatment, 

 but at a certain stage development of 

 a portion of them seemed to be arrested, 

 and to-day we have pans in which two or 

 three piantii are over two feet high while 

 the others in the same pan are only about 

 five inches, as is shown in the illustration. 



The same conditions exist in the plants 

 that were allowed to remain in the pots 

 in which they were first planteu, and we 

 have set aside a large proportion of our 

 stock so stunted, thinking that possibly 

 they would flower later if grown cooler, 

 but the plants are at a standstill and 

 the lower leaves are beginning to turn 

 yellow as if ripening. We have had some 

 good lilies from the lot of bulbs received, 

 but fully one-half will be a total loss, 

 together with the money and time expend- 

 ed on them, and although we bought more 

 bulbs than usual, we will have fewer 

 flowers. 



The growth does not indicate that the 

 plants are diseased, and we have never 

 had much trouble wu.i the so^alled lily 

 disease, which we think is due partly to 

 improper treatment in forcing; in fact 

 we bought a small lot of Harrisii last 

 season, almost every plant of which 

 flowered well. 



If the importer sent the longiflorums 

 to us as he received them, he is scarcely 

 to blame, as the bulbs seemed to be all 

 right; but there is fault somewhere, and 



h 



the loss to us and to others who have 

 had the same experience is a serious one. 



(Jne or two causes for the trouble have 

 suggested themselves to me, although I 

 have not made a particular examination 

 of any of the atfected plants, but simply 

 judge from their general appearance. 

 Florists seem more and more anxious 

 every year to get their stock of lilies 

 earlier, so as to get a good start in the 

 race; and in response to this general de- 

 mand perhaps a portion of the bulbs have 

 been taken up before they have matured 

 their growth, and these have been mixed 

 with those that were better ripened. If 

 this is true, then we can blame the grow- 

 ers, and ourselves. 



Perhaps, to supply the great demand, 

 with a short crop at hand, bulbs that 

 had been held over in cold storage have 

 been added to those that were all right; 

 and we the victims of the practice have 

 been demonstrating that such bulbs do 

 not grow into dollars. If the last sug- 

 gestion is correct the dealers who do this 

 are foolish and shortsighted, as florists 

 will not buy bulbs that will not produce 

 flowers. 



If any one has positive proof of the 

 cause of the trouble, I hope he will en- 

 lighten those of us who have not. 



W. T. Bell. 

 Franklin. Pa., Mar. 31, 1902. 



Brattleboro, Vt.— C. E. Allen reports 

 Easter trade as very satisfactory. 



BOUGAINVILLEA SANDERIANA. 



J. B. writes: "I would like to have 

 some information in regard to growing 

 Bougainvillea G. Sanderiana. When 

 should cuttings be made in order to have 

 fine plants for Christmas? Do they make 

 satisfactory Christmas plants?" 



In the first place I have never seen or 

 grown any that were in time for Christ- 

 mas and don't think it can be managed 

 Jut they make a grand Easter plant. We 

 had a few years ago some .50 plants in 7 

 and 8-inch pots covered with bloom but 

 in tills more or less provincial town thev 

 did not sell anything Hke our anticipation 

 and those that did we heard poor reports 

 ot. The leaves dropped quicklv, and I 

 consider them not a good house plant, but 

 they are a most beautiful decorative 

 p ant and anyone who has seen the grand 

 ])lauts of hougainvillea at the model 

 establishment of W. K. Harris of Phila-' 

 aelphia a week or so before Easter can- 

 not but be charmed with their grace and 

 refined beauty. 



They root from the young growths 

 (not too green) in January in the ordi- 

 nary cutting bed. Plant the voung plants 

 out of doors in early June in warm 

 hght soil. Lift before there is the slight- 

 est danger of frost and keep during ^n- 

 ter m temperature of .5.5 to 60 degrees 

 Ihe following spring shift into 6 or 

 --inch pots and plunge in frame during 

 the warm months in the broad sun If 

 kept well syringed and watered they will 

 make a good growth. When brought in- 

 doors m October or late September it is 

 well to keep tliem cool and rather drv 

 and they will then ripen the growth of 

 the summer. At New Years vou can give 

 them a shift if really necessary but give 

 them more heat and moisture and they 

 will then begin to show flower. 



The bougainvillea is a tropical plant 

 xhe old type glabra will do no harm if 

 kept quite cool in winter time and be- 

 comes almost deciduous, but under those 

 conditions if planted out in border or 

 large box in greenhouse it does not 

 flower till June or July. 



WiLLLiM Scott. . 



LILY OF THE VALLEY. 



A reader all the way from Spokane, 

 Wash., says he was interested in the art- 

 icle on "Valley" but is not quite clear 

 on one point. He says: "W. S. gives 

 the temperature of the room, also the 

 temperature of the sand. I would like 

 to know if the case enclosing the valley 

 IS sufficiently open that the overhead tem- 

 perature for the valley is same as the 

 room or not." 



Yes, it practically is, and when covered 

 with a thin wooden shutter and at other 

 times, with a covering of cheese-cloth, 

 It IS likely on sunny days to be even 

 shghtly cooler. The sand is six inches 

 deep and although near the slates it is 

 in January and February up to 85 de- 

 grees its surface is quite cool. The box 

 or frame .s by no means a tight aftair 

 It is not built to keep in heat or moist- 

 ure as a fern case is made and if the cov- 

 ering of shutters and cheese-cloth is 

 raised an inch or so above edges of frame 

 so much the better. I noticed during 

 March that in the house which the valley 

 Dox is in we had to keep the temperature 

 up to 75 degrees to bring in some Japan 

 lilies and the valley was not as strong 

 only proving that a low atmospheric 

 temperature and a strong sand heat are 

 the right conditions. As the season ad- 

 vances less heat in the sand is needed 



W. S. 



