JULT 3, 1902. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



165 



Aquilegia Caerulea. 



will have to be used in watering young 

 stock. It is safer to have them a little 

 on the dry side than to get the benches 

 sodden. In such weather, when there is 

 little evaporation, the act of syringing 

 will supply sufficient moisture to the roots 

 to keep up a good action till brighter 

 weather comes. 



As this is the season when disbud- 

 ding, has to be done, I wish to call 

 attention to this subject again, as this 

 ia an operation very frequently done in a 

 careless and slipshod fashion. To get 

 strong wood for a first cut and to also 

 form a good bush, the bud should be cut 

 off along with the three or four eyes fie- 

 low it. The strength of the plant is thus 

 diverted to the remaining eyes, which will 

 break much stronger than if all the eyes 

 were left. A pair of well sharpened 

 scissors is about as handy a tool as can 

 be used for this purpose as it saves that 

 dragging of the roots which is the conse- 

 quence of an ill sharpened knife. Even 

 for cutting blooms this is handier and 

 makes a neater and shorter wound than 

 a knife does. After a little practice I 

 find that the men favor this instead of 

 the knife. Eibes. 



RED ROSES. 



Please tell us through the Review 

 which is the best red rose to grow in 

 the same house with Brides and Maids. 

 We have tried Meteor, but on account of 

 mildew we were unable to get a favor- 

 able result. The red rose must be a 

 good free bloomer. H. C. G. 



This is one of the questions which has 

 been puzzling experts and hybridists so 

 long. We all thought that Liberty was 



to fill the bill, and fondly hope so yet. 

 It is a little cranky, to be sure, but it is 

 head and shoulders above all the others. 

 Wootton is also a good rose for such 

 a house, but it is very liable to black 

 spot under such conditions. Kibes. 



DAMPNESS IN ROSE HOUSES. 



In liis seasonable rose hints in the 

 Review, Ribes says: "If the leaves show 

 dampness in the morning that is sure 

 indication tliat the ventilation has been 

 deficient." 



I wish Ribes would tell me through the 

 Review why mine are always damp in 

 the morning, drops hanging from every 

 point of the leaves of the young plants. 

 1 leave plenty of ventilation on at night, 

 the ventilators being often nearly full 

 open and the temperature not below 65 

 degrees either inside or out. We always 

 have trouble this way except during heavy 

 firing in winter. 



I will be very glad if Ribes or any 

 one else would throw any light on the 

 subject. Ribes would not advise using 

 fire heat at this season even in this case, 

 would he? 



Beauty is the principal rose grown, 

 antl although it grows well I have much 

 trouble with black spot, owing to damp- 

 ness at night. How low a temperature 

 is it safe to allow a Beauty house to drop 

 to before starting steam? How high 

 should ventilators be at night when tem- 

 perature is CO degrees outside? 



Interested Reader. 



I have seen just such another case as 

 this, the cause in this case being that 

 the house was situated in a much shelter- 

 ed spot on low marshy land little above 



water level. The house was raised four 

 feet and filled up with ashes, and the 

 surrounding trees cut down and the 

 trouble ceased. 



This can also occur in a house where 

 water is stored in open or partly open 

 tanks. If the house is on high ground, 

 with an ordinary exposure, and getting 

 the careful attention I. R. evidently gives 

 it, 1 am at a dead loss and cannot even 

 guess at the cause. 



During wet weather it is safe to turn 

 on a pipe or two when the temperature 

 drops below 60 degrees. With a tem- 

 perature of 60 degrees or over outside 

 during dry weather and not too much 

 wind, the ventilators can be left full 

 open. Eibes. 



THE QUEEN OF THE COLUMBINES. 



This is now an immense family of 

 about fifty varieties and the number ia 

 increasing on account of the tendency to 

 hybridize. I keep a large collection of 

 thousands and it is a delight to watch 

 them. They commence blooming early 

 and keep at it a large part of the sum- 

 mer. For the most part I prefer mixed 

 sorts on account of the rich variety of 

 form and color. Some are deep purple, 

 very double and quilled like a dahlia. 

 Others are single with long spurs, some 

 white, some golden and others deep blue, 

 with other rich colors. 



Four kinds grow in the Rocky Moun- 

 tains. The canadensis is very early and 

 continues in bloom a month. It has much 

 shorter stems and brighter flowers than 

 the Eastern type. Then there is the blue, 

 and the golden, which is a flower of won- 

 drous beauty with its immense and showy 

 spurs. But the grandest of the whole 

 family is the CEerulea, which seems a 

 photograph of the intensely blue and 

 fleecy clouds which float over the moun- 

 tains. This is the state flower of Colo- 

 rado and the Columbine Association, with 

 headquarters in Boston, are making an 

 effort to have the columbine adopted as 

 our national flower. In some parts of 

 the mountains the caerulea grows to im- 

 mense size. I have seen it over three 

 inches in diameter. The long spurs and 

 the deep blue and clean white make it 

 exceedingly attractive. 



Hitherto there has been some trouble 

 in wintering them in the prairie states, 

 even with the precaution of mulching, but 

 a neat and tasty lath screen can be built 

 and under this they will bloom beauti- 

 fully and winter without mulching. You 

 have then given them their own first con- 

 ditions. It is better to plant these choice 

 flowers in sheltered places and not give 

 them the full sweep of the winds. When 

 one gets fairly acquainted with this won- 

 derful family he'will not be without them. 

 The golden columbine will break out in 

 bloom almost all summer and often late 

 in the fall. : 



York, Neb. C. S. Hakrison. 



AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY. 



At a meeting of the executive com- 

 mittee of the American Rose Society 

 held in New York on Friday, June 21, 

 it was resolved to accept the cordial in- 

 vitation of the Pennsylvania Horticultu- 

 ral Society to hold the next annual meet- 

 ing at Horticultural Hall, Philadelphia. 

 The meeting will take place in conjunc- 

 tion with the usual spring show of the 

 horticultural society. Present: F. R. 

 Newbold. .1. N. May, B. Dorranee, E. G. 

 Asmus and L. Barron, secretary. 



