776 



TheWeekly Florists' Review. 



April 14. 1902. 



place reflects the greatest credit on the 

 grower, as the stock was fine. 



Some space is here given to orchids, 

 palms and pelargoniums. I noted a 

 splendid batch of Cocos Weddeliana from 

 seed, in threes plunged in sand. In 

 the propagating houses, which are all 

 north-side, were thousands of rooted, 

 and being rooted, carnations, all of 

 which looked in the pink of condition. 

 I noted that none of the cuttings were 

 shorn, but retained all the foliage. Mr. 

 Hooper things he gets a stronger plant 

 this way. 



It is a practice with the firm of John 

 H. Sievers & Co. never to send out a 

 carnation till they have a better one. 

 I cannot say that I commend the prac- 

 tice. I have had a peep at the "better 

 one" in the present case. It is a scarlet 

 sport of Hannah Hobart as large as 

 the parent, and finer in every way. 

 The flower in the lapel of the coat 

 of Mr. Hooper as seen in the photo of 

 this gentleman is not a Bonnaffon, nor 

 a Timothy Eaton, but is the new sport 

 of Hannah Hobart, yet unnamed, and 

 for which we suggest the name "Hoop- 

 er" or Whopper, for it is large and 

 fine. John A. Bat.mer. 



Cle-Elum, Wash. 



ROSE GROWING. 



By G. Emil AxiiKnsOK. 

 I Read before the Chicago Florists' Club. April 23.J 

 Mr. President and Gentlemen : I was 

 asked to read a paper this evening on 

 rose growing. To grow good roses we 

 must start out with good young stock 

 and good soil. The soil, I believe, should 

 be prepared during the fall, put up in 

 heaps, say about 18 inches high, then 6 

 inches of cow manure and then another 

 12 to IS inches of soil with a la.yer of 

 manure on top, then leave lie during the 

 winter until the frost is out, when it 

 should be turned over and be broken up. 

 Now the soil is ready for use. 



W^hen throwing out the old plants the 

 benches shouid be cleaned off and a 

 good coat of hot limewash applied to 

 the boards, unless tile is used for 

 benches. Then all dirt and rubbish 

 should be cleaned out from underneath 

 the benches. Now we are ready for 

 wheeling in the soil which is quite a 

 tiresome .job (but we might live to see 

 the automobile used for that purpose). 

 The soil should be well chopped up 

 when leveled off the benches, and then 

 comes the planting. The plants should 

 be well watered in the morning so that 

 every plant is wet through ; in case a 

 few should ' be dry they should be set 

 aside or dipped in a bucket of water. 

 Then plant 1.5 inches apart for Brides, 

 Maids, Meteors, Gates, Kaiserins; the 

 Beauties require 18 inches apart to give 

 necessary air circulation around the 

 plants "throughout the season. Press 

 the soil down firmly with the hands 

 around the plants, then give a good 

 watering but onl.T around the plants, not 

 watering the whole bed. Then syringe 

 the plants one or two times a day ac- 

 cording to the weather; water only 

 when the plants are dry. 



In about two or three wrecks the 

 weeds are up, then go over the benches 

 and loosen up the soil. The plants will 

 now show good growth and will take a 

 little more water, but water only around 

 the plants for at least two months, cut 

 all buds off with two to three leaves. 

 Now give a good watering all over the 

 benches and get ready to stake and tie. 



Now if flowers are wanted the buds can 

 be left on but be careful in cutting the 

 flowers not to cut the plants into the 

 bones. Give all the air possible and 

 the ventilators must be strictly attended 

 to; not to open the whole ventilation at 

 once, but a Uttle at a time and lowered 

 the same way; if not, the mildew will 

 soon appear. 



During the hot weather the walks in 

 the greenhouse should be dam^ned down 

 to keep the air moist around the plants. 

 Fumigate on any cold, cloudy evening 

 to keep down the aphis but do not fumi- 

 gate too strong; open the ventilators 

 about two or three hours after if the 

 temperature is too high. Keep the soil 

 worked up and attend to the tying. As 

 soon as the nights get chilly make a lit- 

 tle fire and turn on a steam pipe, put a 

 little sulphur on the pipe and now be 

 careful about the ventilation. Do not 

 close down the houses in order to save a 

 few shovelfuls of coal, but leave a crack 

 of air on all night. Do not dampen 

 down the walks any more; syringe only 

 on bright sunny days; examine the soil 

 before watering and let the plants get 

 on the dry side, then water good. 



Some growers cut out all the blind 

 wood in fall, but I think that it is 

 wrong, as the days are getting shorter 

 mth little or no sunshine, not much air 

 can be given and the plants seem to lose 

 part of their life. Therefore the wood 

 should be left on the plants to help keep 

 the roots active. As long as there is 

 good root action there is life and 

 growth. 



Those houses that were planted before 

 June would stand a light mulching of 

 well rotted cow manure about September 

 first. Those planted later, I think, are 

 better off with a scattering of bonemeal 

 about October first. T do not believe in 

 mulching with cow manure during the 

 short days, as the manure will keep the 

 soil in a sour, soggy condition for sev- 

 eral days after each watering. If ma- 

 nure water is obtainable, I think once 

 every two weeks is not too much if the 

 plants are in a good, vigorous growth. 

 Bonemeal, wood ashes and lime are good 

 during mid-winter, but must be used 

 with judgment. About the middle of 

 January the days are starting to get 

 longer and brighter and a light mulch- 

 ing of manure can then be put on unless 

 manure water is used. 



Fumigating should be attended to 

 every week. There is quite a difference 

 of opinion about fumigating Brides and 

 Maids. Some growers fumigate in the 

 morning, as the Maids have a tendency to 

 lose their color, but I think that is a 

 big mistake, because I have found that 

 the flowers cut right after the fumigat- 

 ing will keep that nasty odor of tobacco 

 smoke for some time and the customers 

 as a rule have a habit of putting the 

 flowers up to their noses as soon as they 

 get hold of them, and they want the 

 fragrance as well as the flower. I have 

 found bv fumigating in the evening 

 when I "watered, the buds being tight, 

 that towards morning the smok'i has dis- 

 appeared and the flowers have gradually 

 opened, the fragrance is there and they 

 lose very little of their color. 



Another important thing is to have _a 

 good night fireman as soon as fire is 

 needed. Many good rose houses get 

 cheeked the first cool nights, and it often 

 times takes a good while before they 

 start out again. Many old growers who 

 ought to know better let their rose 

 houses drop down to between 40 and 50 

 degrees, and I have seen the plants in 



the morning as wet from moisture as if 

 they were ueing syringed, and yet I was 

 told that it would do the plants good to 

 get them hardened off. It will pay any 

 grower to get a fireman that knows how 

 to fire; not one who is a good coal 

 shoveler, but one that knows how to keep 

 a steady fire and an even temperature iu 

 the houses. Most of the greenhouse fire- 

 men like to stuff the boiler as full of 

 coal as they can and then lie down for a 

 while and keep that up through the 

 night, sometimes never to look into the 

 houses. Such a man will damage the 

 stock and burn coal for many times the 

 amount that it would take to pay a good 

 man who knows how to fire and keep 

 the temperature right in the houses and 

 there would be less of sickly plants and 

 crippled flowers. 



NARCISSUS HORSFIELDI 



Among the many beautiful Trumpet, . 

 or Ajax, daffodils "the bicolor forms al- 

 wavs enjoy a large measure of popu- 

 larity, for not only is the combination 

 of white and yellow always good, but 

 such combination nearly always carries 

 with it an air of refinement not found 

 in the more gorgeous golden daffodils. 

 The two most popular bicolors for pro- 

 ducing spring displays in the flower 

 garden are Horsfieldi and Empress. 

 These two are much alike, both having 

 a large white perianth and yellow 

 trumpet; but Horsfieldi is the earlier of 

 the two, and has a paler trumpet than 

 Empress. Both are sturdy growers, as 

 also is bicolor Grandis (or Grandee), a 

 still later variety, with a large deep yel- 

 low trumpet of fine form. 



That Horsfieldi is a famous bedding 

 variety will be generally conceded, but, 

 if any should doubt its value, a visit to 

 any of the larger public parks in the 

 country during dafl'odil time should 

 convince them. The accompanying il- 

 lustration should also serve to carry con- 

 viction. It represents a large bed in 

 Mr. Thomas Tatham's garden at Wilms- 

 low, Cheshire. Eighteen hundred bulbs 

 were planted in the autumn of 1899, and 

 since then they have not been disturbed, 

 but when the" leaves die down in 1902 

 the bulbs will be lifted and sorted ready 

 for replanting. L'pon the boldness with 

 which Mr. Tatham planted this variety, 

 and upon the effect secured, he deserves 

 the heartiest congratulation. We also 

 tender him our sincere thanks for the 

 excellent photograph from which our il- 

 lustration has been reproduced.— Gordeji- 

 ers' Magazine. 



NEW YORK. 



The Market. 



The wholesale cut flower market gave 

 evidence of life again during the past 

 week. Prices were better maintained and 

 stock averaged excellent in quality, the 

 season considered. Weather conditions 

 have been favorable, and the excessive 

 hot spell of the West has not material- 

 ized here. What those genial florists of 

 Omaha and Kansas City have been doing 

 to deserve 100 degrees in the shade so 

 early in the year it is hard for us who 

 know them to understand. 



Lilies are everywhere since Easter in 

 great abundance. Noticed the supply at 

 Charles Millang's, especially, crowding 

 his store and windows and maintaining 

 his reputation as "the lily king.'* Vio- 

 l(ts have felt the touch of the south 



