508 



The Weekly Rorists' Review. 



September 11, 1902. 



that condition it is mean to work with, 

 while the galvanized remains smooth a 

 good many years and can he used year 

 after year. 



If there is any more shade on the 

 glass it should be rubbed off clean at 

 once. The plants want all the sunlight 

 they can get from now on to keep the 

 growth solid and the plants stocky. You 

 can also let all the plants shoot "up into 

 bloom now, as by the time they will open 

 up some blooms we will be having some 

 frosts that will kill the supply of outside 

 flowers and then your carnations will 

 find ready sale at fair prices. Don't 

 forget that it pays just as well to dis- 

 bud now as it di>es in midwinter, as it 

 will improve the blooms just as much in 

 proportion, and they need all tne im- 

 proving they can get at this time, when 

 they are not at their best any way. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



CARNATION RECORDS. 



I was pleased to see the record of 

 carnations cut by P. F. S. in your issue 

 of Sept. 4th, for as I have before said, 

 I think that if we could hear from many 

 more growers regarding this matter, we 

 would naturally be incited to keep a 

 more accurate account of the cut each 

 season — total, monthly, weekly, daily, 

 and of each variety— and I am certain 

 tliat as a result we would discard every 

 year many kinds that we now continue 

 to grow at a loss if we only had the 

 facts before us in black and white. 



We commenced to cut Oct. 1 and threw 

 the plants out July 21, except a few va- 

 rieties that we had to throw out earlier 

 to make room for other stock. The fol- 

 lowing record is for one house in which 

 it was impossible to provide a special 

 temperature for each variety, and the 

 record should be interesting to the small 

 grower who has to produce his flowers 

 under such conditions. Here it is, the 

 number of plants, variety, total cut for 

 the season and average number of blooms 

 cut from each plant. All were thrown 

 out July 21 except where other dates 

 are given. 



P'i'"'=- Kind. Total. Average. 



^^^ Scott 10159 —22 



J™ Daybreak 2101 14 May 12 



14^ Morning Glory .... 3559 —25 



;5 Marquis 1027 +u 



S Lawson 1118 -f 15 May 2S 



?S Saratoga 392 -(-19 J'ne 22 



12 Crocker H9 _io 



" ?°<l'"*': Maid 175 -t-17J'ne 9 



Z ?• ^°'''^ 614 +15 



f, Joo^t •■.; 332 -fl3 



J? Prosperity 2S7 +11 



Ji Gomez 533 ^jy 



25 Maceo 599 24 



20 Roosevelt 171 9 



680 Flora Hill 11137 +16 



25 Glacier 512 a-20 



35 Queen Louise 491 14 



2" Norway 347 14 



" Bradt 662 —12 



5 Gold Nugget 27 + 6 May 1 



'5 Crane 1U5 —15 



2229 38340 -17 



As you will see by the above several 

 varieties came out early, which of course 

 cut down the average cut of those kinds 

 as well as the general average. I have 

 marked the averages plus and minus. 

 For example, Scott averaged a fraction 

 less thani 22 blooms per plant while 

 New York averaged a small fraction 

 over 13. 



Of course the total average per plant 

 does not tell the whole story, as many 

 kinds are late bloomers and "would hold 

 their own_ in this record, though the cut 

 at the holidays might be next to nothing, 

 when they are worth the most. In De- 

 cember we cut only 19' blooms from the 



T.'> plants of Prosperity, which was a 

 piKir showing for that variety, and it 

 really did not begin to pay expenses. As 

 a result we shall try it only one mure 

 sea-son, giving it a little different treat- 

 ment. Scott averaged -|-3 blooms per 

 l)lant during December, I^wson alx)ut 

 li. Hill over 11, Queen Louise nearly 2, 

 Crane 1, etc. 



Many of the kinds would have made a 

 much bettor showing, notably Lawson, if 

 we had not propagated next season's 

 stock from them, but kept them ex- 

 clusively for blooming. In fact we i>r0])- 

 pgated .5,728 jilants from this house, all 

 tirst class stuff', no soft, poor cuttings. 

 Of these 760 were Lawson, 1.1G2 were 

 Scott, and 1,121 were Hill. Taking it 

 all in all each plant averaged 2 J cuttinss 

 and 17 blooms. We think this was 

 quite good, but we ho()e by sifting out 

 several kinds to exceed that record this 

 season. 



We had our plants all housed by the 

 first of August and they are looking' verv 

 well, having no rust or stem-rot except 

 on two of the novelties purchased this 

 season, and not at all bad on those. 



It. E. Shuphelt. 



Chatham, N. Y. 



I noticed the record of carnations cut 

 in your last issue. I enclose a record of 

 average number of blooms cut from each 

 \ariety I grew last season. Nothing but 

 good salable flowers were counted. Time 

 was from Oct. 1st to May 30th. the 

 l)lants being benched the first week in 

 September. I hope to see reports from 

 others. 



Flora Hill lo 



Wm. Scott 18 3-.-) 



\\ hite Cloud 14 4.5 



Lawson jg 1.2 



Marquis 12 9.10 



Morning Glory 10 3-5 



Queen Louise 12 9-10 



>>'f'i"ay 14 3.3 



Lorua 14 1-2 



G. Lord 12 2-5 



I'rosperity g 



F. G. Lewi.s. 



l-iockjjort, N. Y. 



[These records are certainly very in- 

 teresting and we hope to be favoredw ith 

 similar records by others. — Ed.] 



WINTERING AQUATICS. 



I have a water lily pond 80 by 50 

 feet, two feet deep in center and one' foot 

 deep at the margins. Concrete floor 

 and a foot of good compost on the floor. 

 A partition on rear margin for nelum- 

 biums, the rest for iiymplia?as. In the 

 front of the pond there is a place 12x12 

 and 3 feet deep in which I intend to 

 grow a Victoria Triekerii or Randii. 

 The pond is not heated. Water is from 

 tlie city water works. There is a 4-ineh 

 pipe outlet in the bottom and the 

 overflow is six inches below the rim 

 of jwnd. There is also an opening .so I 

 can have but six inches of water when 

 starting the plants. 



Would it be better to plant out the 

 plants in the soil or to put them in 

 tubs and sink them in? Which is the 

 best way to winter lliem over in this 

 northern climate? The water is liable 

 to freeze to the bottom of the pond. 

 Would it be safer to take the plants up 

 after frost and store them under 

 benches in the greenhouse or would it 

 be better to draw all the water off in 

 late fall and fill the whole pond with 

 leaves two feet deep? Or would it do 



to let the water stay in and cover the 

 pond with boards and the boards with 

 two feet of leaves? 



Can I rai.se and bloom \'ictoria Triek- 

 erii after June 1st, started in the green- 

 house in Februarvi C. G. 



Wis. 



Hardy water lilies may be wintered 

 over in a pond if the "pond is deep 

 enougli so that frost cannot injure 

 them, but this depends on the severity 

 of tlie winter. 



In your case it would be l>est to draw 

 the water off' aiid gradually cover the 

 plants with leaves according to the 

 weather, being careful not to put too 

 much on at once, as they would then 

 be apt to heat and thus destroy the 

 plants. This is the best way in a ce- 

 ment tank. The water lilies can also 

 Ije dug out in the fall and heeled in in 

 damp sand in a cool cellar where frost 

 does not ent«r. 



I would advise not to disturb the ne- 

 lumbiums. as this injures their bloom- 

 ing qualities. 



Plant out your lilies in the soil at the 

 bottom. 



The Victoria regia or Triekerii will 

 not grow or blossom in water that is 

 not heated to a temperature of 85 or 90 

 degrees. The seed should be sown in 

 this temperature in January or Feb- 

 ruarj- to obtain blooms in June. 



C. J. Stromback. 

 Lincoln Park, Chicago. 



MUSA ENSETE. 



C. H. II. asks: "How shall I care for 

 some large Musa ensete plants this fall? 

 Would like to keep them as nearly dor- 

 mant as possible. Will w intered-over 

 plants make a good growth next sum- 

 mer? Where can I buy the seed? Have 

 seen none advertised." 



This most ornamental musa is among 

 the finest plants we have for our sub- 

 tropical gardening. As a center group in 

 a large eanna bed it is nneqiialed. We 

 have also used it to great advantage in 

 large pots on the lawn and surrounded 

 with cannas (pots or vases that held a 

 yard of soil ) and if given rich earth and 

 plenty of it, a single specimen on the 

 lawn is most pleasing. But this is not 

 answering the question. 



When lifting after the first frost has 

 injured the leaves (last year it was about 

 the 20th of October when they were lift- 

 ed ) trim back the roots to a moderate 

 sized ball. Trim back the leaves to with- 

 in a foot of the stem or trunk. If you 

 should happen to have a warm, light cel- 

 lar or basement, saj- where the tempera- 

 ture never goes Itelow 45 degrees, there 

 would be a fine place for them. They could 

 stand close together with loam or sand 

 eo\ering the roots, and would need 

 moistening only at the roots a few times 

 during winter, just enough to keep them 

 from shriveling up. In your potting shed 

 such a place can be found. If that is 

 not convenient, lay the stems down be- 

 neath a bench, a bench where there is 

 little drip preferred. Thrown some ma- 

 terial, loam is best, over the roots to 

 keep them from drying out. Beneath a 

 bench scarcely any water need be given 

 them during winter. 



About middle of April they should be 

 started in large pots or tubs and very 

 soon they will be growing. You don't 

 want them to make much leaf growth 

 under glass, for it would be torn by the 

 winds outside, but the roots will be ae- 



