504 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



September 11, 1902. 



Bennett, Montreal; Brooks Fergus, J. 

 H. Dunlop, Toronto; Mr. Hall, Montreal, 

 and others. It related mainly to the ad- 

 visability of starting a Canadian trade 

 paper, as suggested. Mr. F. R. Pierson 

 being called upon for his opinion, sug- 

 gested that the proposed publication be 

 purely a trade paper, and that it be pub- 

 lished by a joint stock company. He 

 thought the first thing to do was to can- 

 vass for stock subscriptions. 



New Officers. 



The officers elected for the ensuing 

 year are: President, Thomas Manton, 

 Eglinton; First Vice-President, Geo. 

 Robinson, Montreal; Second Vice-Pres- 

 ident, E. J. Mepsted, Ottawa; Secretary, 

 A. H. Ewing, Woodstock; Treasurer, 

 Herman Simmers, Toronto. 



It was decided to hold the »ext con- 

 vention in Toronto. 



The Trade Exliibit. 



The Thistle Curling Rink was most 

 artistically decorated in the national 

 colors, and there was a fine display of 

 plants, as will be seen by the picture 

 showing a part of the exhibition, seen 

 elsewhere in this issue. Among the ex- 

 hibits were the following: J. Gauimage 

 & Son, London, an exceptionally well 

 grown collection of palms and ferns for 

 the trade; Joseph Bennett, Montreal, a 

 fine lot of adiantums; F. G. Foster & 

 Son, E. G. Brown, Webster Bros., C. N. 

 Sones, each excellent displays of plants 

 for retail trade; Walter Holt, a prize 

 group of small palms and ferns that wcdl 

 deserved the award given; L. H. Foster, 

 Dorchester, Mass., the new fern Ncpliro- 

 lepis Anna Foster; F. R. Pierson Co., 

 Tarrytown. N. Y., the prize-winning Ne- 

 phrolepis Piersoni, which attracted mucli 

 attention; Ontario Insane Asylum, an 

 attractive group of plants; S. S. Bain, 

 Montreal, interesting new plants; R. 

 Jennings, Brampton, a fine cut (lower 

 display, including blooms of chrysanthe- 

 mums, carnations, Morning Glory, Joost, 

 Crocker, Van Orme, Eldorado, Flora 

 Hill and Scott, which were remark;'.bly 

 fine for so early in the season (the 

 plants were housed July 25th ) ; D. J. 

 Sinclair, Toronto, florists' supplies; W. 

 Holmes, Hamilton, wire work; R. G. 

 Olmstead, Hamilton, ornamental iron 

 work and massive iron vases filled with 

 plants; the King Construction Co., To- 

 ronto, a full sized section of their new 

 greenhouse and model of automatic 

 stoker; S. P. Foster & Co., Hamilton, 

 flowei pots; Clucas & Boddingtcn Co., 

 New York, J. A. Bruce & Co., and Robt. 

 tvans Seed Co., Hamilton, bulbs. 



Certificates of merit were awarded the 

 F.,E. Pierson Co. for Nephrolepis Pier- 

 soni, and to the King Construction Co. 

 and the S. P. Foster & Co. 



LATEST FACTS ABOUT ROSES. 



BY EDWARD DALE. BRAMPTON. OXT. 



[Read before the Canadian Horticultural Asso- 

 (, lallon at the Hamilton Convention.] 



I have been asked to give you a paper 

 on "The Latest Facts About Roses." 

 This may be the proper heading- to use, 

 but I hardly think so, as there may be 

 many with later facts to give than I 

 have. 



I suppose the proper point to start 

 from would be the cutting, as our whole 

 output depends on it for the coming sea- 

 son. We always try to take our cuttings 

 from the healthiest plants. Some years 



ago we made all cuttings with two buds. 

 Later one was all we used, but again 

 made a change and went back to two 

 and sometimes more, and feel safe in 

 saying they never should be made with 

 less. While a cutting with one bud may 

 make a good, fair plant a cutting with 

 two or more is sure to make a better 

 one. When it is rooted you have a plant 

 worth starting with. 



We generally give all cuttings four 

 weeks in the sand, using three and one- 

 half or four inches. We run a tempera- 

 ture of 70 degrees bottom heat and the 

 temperature of the house we keep the 

 same as the house where the roses are 

 growing, night 50 degrees, day 60 de- 

 grees. We pot them off into 2-inch pots, 

 giving them about four weeks and some- 

 times longer in this size. For the first 

 watering be sure and not overdo it; give 

 just enough to moisten them nicely to 

 the bottom, shading them for the first 

 ten days when bright. 



They will stand being put close to- 

 gether on the bench for the first two or 

 three weeks; then move them over, be- 

 ing careful to sort them for size, giving 

 the largest some space between the pots ; 

 the smaller ones you can again place 

 close together; this will let the air and 

 light through them and harden them oft'. 

 I think the time it takes to do this is 

 well spent, as I feel sure it does young 

 stock a great deal of good to be moved 

 over, besides you get the small plants 

 out where the}' will not get smothered. 

 From the 2-ineh we shift into "threes," 

 giving a little drainage, and from this 

 size we like to plant on the bench, for 

 shifting into larger sizes means more 

 work, more space to grow them in, and 

 not so easy to plant; but if you are not 

 ready with your benches for planting 

 when a shift is needed, be sure and get 

 them into larger pots. Do not let them 

 get a check, as a check now means a loss 

 of cheques later on, when you are want- 

 ing a big cut and a good plump bank 

 account. 



We use about five inches of soil on our 

 benches. Plant own-root stock twelve 

 inches one way and fifteen inches the 

 other. Grafted stock we plant 12x18 

 and leave a hole around the top of the 

 plant about the size of the top of the 

 pot it was taken from, and water only 

 at the plant for about three or four 

 weeks. By this time the plants will 

 have doubled their size. We then level 

 the soil and start to water the whole 

 bench, but be sure not to over-water the 

 first time, as it ^vill sodden the soil and 

 do a great deal of harm. Better to give 

 too little than too much at this time. 



Be sure you attend to weeding and 

 tying as soon as it is needed. Disbud- 

 ding should also he well attended to. 

 Run over them once a week, taking ofT 

 the first leaf with the bud, as you will 

 get a stronger break than when only 

 taking the bud. 



At one time we thought planting done 

 in Jul)' and August was early enough, 

 but now we start in April. This gives 

 us an early house to cut from. May 

 and June are two good months to plant 

 in. Stock planted at this time gets 

 into good shape for the winter months, 

 but of course we cannot get all planted 

 by that time, as we have to carry some 

 houses on till our early houses are in 

 crop. 



Do not cut from your young stock too 

 soon. Keep them disbudded until they 

 are good, strong plants and in good 



shape, and if some plants are smallei' 

 than others when you are leaving them 

 to crop, go over the bench and disbud all 

 weaker plants that you think are likely 

 to sufi'er from the stronger plants over- 

 growing them and smothering tlieni out. 

 By doing this you will give them a 

 chance to hold their place and be of some 

 use. 



Some years ago we mulched the house's 

 we intended carrying over the longest 

 but have not done so the last few years, 

 using manure water in preference to the 

 mulch, starting early in January with 

 the first planted houses and using it once 

 in two weeks from this lime on. 



Watering at all times should be care- 

 fully attended to. While being careful 

 not to overwater, do not let the bench 

 become too dry before attending to it. 

 Roses planted in different soils require 

 different treatment, so that a grower has 

 to use his own judgment and find out a 

 great deal from experience as to when is 

 the proper time to do his watering. 



Spraying should also be carefully at- 

 tended to if you want to keep do\vu the 

 red spider. If your benches are low 

 be sure and get down so as to catch the 

 bottom of all the foliage and the upper 

 surface will get all it requires. Spraying 

 should always be done early enough in 

 the day to allow all foliage to become 

 dry before night. 



Wo have just come through the worst 

 summer I can remember for wet and 

 cold, the thermometer registering below 

 50 degrees night after night and three 

 nights in succession registering 44 de- 

 grees. This, with rain and cold winds 

 nearly every day up to the middle of 

 August, has taught us always to be in 

 shape for firing, as I believe steam in 

 the houses in such weather is necessary, 

 not altogether for the heat, but it gives 

 a good dry air and also gives a chance 

 to fight the mildew which has been grow- 

 ing in all its glory this season. Painting 

 the pipes with sulphur is the only rem- 

 edy we have for this. I might say, when 

 firing at this season do not run too 

 warm; leave your ventilators open a few 

 inches, just enough to give a good circu- 

 lation of air, and if you should close 

 down to sulphur or fumigate, when 

 tlirougli do not put your ventilators up 

 full height at once; only jjut them up a 

 lew inches at a time. 



Grafting I had almost forgotten to 

 mention. Our Manetti stocks we like to 

 get in November, pot in 2i-inch pots 

 close together on the bench, and run at a 

 temperature of 40 degrees, spraying 

 them once to four times a day, according 

 to the weather, being careful not to get 

 tliem too wet at the root, and when the 

 buds begin to swell they are ready for 

 use. Having your grafting frame in 

 shape and piped so that you can always 

 maintain a temperature of SO degrees, 

 cut back your Manetti as close to the 

 pot as it is handy to work, giving a 

 slanting cut of not less than three-quar- 

 ters of an inch. Then cut your scion to 

 suit. 



If the scion should be smaller than the 

 Manetti, place it to one side so as to 

 have the bark of one fit closely with the 

 other, tying it securely and placing it in 

 the frame, keeping closed for about seven 

 or eight days. Then give an inch or two 

 of air for two or three days, and keep in- 

 creasing it for the next twelve or fifteen 

 days, when they will stand all the air 

 you can give them. 



In three weeks from the time thev arc 



