636 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



OCTOBBK 9, 1902. 



people of much more moderate means 

 are seeking summer liorues iu the coun- 

 try, if possible, but if not, on the out- 

 skirts of our big cities. And their 

 taste in by far the majority of cases is 

 educated above a bed of geraniums or 

 coleus. They want herbaceous plants, 

 grasses, flowering shrubs, ornamental 

 trees. I don't say that all of our citi- 

 zens of a comfortable income care about 

 these surroundings. Some are all horse, 

 or gun, or stocks and bonds, but for 

 every well-to-do citizen who thirty years 

 ago knew what the simple designation 

 "ornamental hardy shrub" meant, there 

 are now a thousand who can discuss the 

 beauties of many species. 



I can not refrain, although foreign to 

 what this article is supposed to be, from 

 asking you to subscribe for and read 

 "Country Life in America." It came 

 into exi.stence only last November. It 

 will elevate your thoughts, educate you 

 broadly about the beauties of everything 

 "out of doors." The silent, majestic 

 tree, the trout that eludes your tiy, the 

 bird of the air and the quadruped of the 

 prairie and wood and mountain are 

 brought to your close acquaintance, as 

 well as the ilowers and plants that sup- 

 ply us with a livelihood. Its prose arti- 

 cles are poetry and its poems are orig- 

 inal gems. Its numbers should be on the 

 table of every 'man or woman that owns 

 a home, and it is one more factor that 

 will lead our people to seek the fresh air 

 and environment of the country and to 

 make these homes beautiful in their sur- 

 roundings. I did not intend to digress 

 so widely, and am not paid to obtain 

 subscriptions for this grand and beauti- 

 ful '-Country Life," but I am just now 

 chock-full of its inspiration and can't 

 help it. 



Obtain from the most reliable firm, or 

 firms, in the country any trees or shrubs 

 that your patrons want and you can 

 suggest. Just let me say here that it is 

 too late to plant what are known as ever- 

 greens, properl}^ conifers. Fall planting 

 of them in our northern states can be 

 done from middle of August to middle 

 of September, but no later with safety. 

 With our trees and shrubs that lose their 

 foliage during winter the months of Oc- 

 tober and November are an excellent 

 time, and often you have more oppor- 

 tunity and a longer season in the fall 

 than in the spring. You need not wait 

 till "the leaves begin to fall." After 

 the first frost the leaves of our decidu- 

 ous trees and shrubs easily rub off and 

 that should always be done if planting 

 before they have" naturally dropped. 



The earlier you plant in the fall the 

 better it will be. Heavy rains will set- 

 tle the soil compactly around the roots, 

 a most important point to their welfare. 

 Shrubs that need strawing up during 

 winter are not worth planting, but a 

 string around the shrub, drawing up its 

 branches and shoots so that the snow 

 does not break them down is work well 

 done. What is of great benefit to fall 

 planted trees and shiubs is six inches of 

 leaves or litter from the stable covering 

 the ground for a foot or so around the 

 shrub; or if they are planted only a few 

 feet apart, cover the whole surface. It 

 keeps hard freezing away from the roots 

 that can not possibly yet have taken 

 hold of the ground. 



In ordinary seasons we have either 

 copious rains in November, or early 

 snows which melt and saturate the 

 ground. But I can rememl>er very dry 

 October and November months, and then 

 a sudden freeze up. This is most unfav- 

 orable for our trees and shrubs, our for- 



ests and orchards. All these trees want 

 to go to sleep, if sleep they do, with their 

 loots moist. So if sucli abnormal con- 

 ditions jjrcvail as described above, don't 

 be afraid to soak the roots of these 

 transplanted things before winter sets 

 in. 



Almost all the hardy herbaceous 

 plants can be divided and transplanted 

 with the best results during this and 

 next month, and in their case a few 

 inches of straw manure, or leaves, for a 

 covering is most essential, and with 

 many, necessary. 



^VirxiAM Scott. 



ROSES. 



Seasonable Hints. 



Roses which are expected to do a 

 good winter's work should now receive 

 some attenticjn regarding their diet. The 

 benches will now be well filled with 

 roots, and the elements upon which they 

 live and thrive will be becoming ex- 

 hausted. To keep up a constant supply 

 of these elements without overfeeding 

 will from now on to replanting time be 

 one of the most onerous duties of the 

 grower, as witliout a proper knowledge 

 of the wants of the plant and the qual- 

 ities of the material used in feeding he 

 cannot hope to obtain those high grade 

 blooms so eagerly sought for in the mar- 

 ket, and wluch we are all striving to 

 produce. 



^lulching is one of the best and safest 

 means adopted to supply this want, as 

 by this process the plants have always 

 a store of food ready. A compost of 

 two-thirds well rotted cow manure and 

 one-third goo<l rose soil, made fine by 

 passing through a J-inch screen aud 

 thoroughly incorporated, is about as 

 safe and serviceable a mulch as can be 

 used during the dark months of winter. 

 By having it in a fine condition it is 

 easier assimilated, spreads more evenly 

 and has a tidier appearance. To this 

 can he added dessicated bone meal in 

 the proportion of one 0-inch pot full to 

 each bushel of compost. For first nuilch- 

 ing one incli thick will be sufficient, as 

 it is better to feed lightly and fre- 

 quently than to take any risks. 



After the mulch has become partly ex- 

 hausted a slight top dressing of un- 

 leached wood ashes can be used. Tliis 

 gives color to the petals and tends to 

 stiffen both stems and foiiage. In using 

 this great care nuist lie taken not to 

 give too much at one application for fear 

 of sickening the young wood. One bushel 

 will be suflicient to cover 100 square 

 yards of bench; more can be used after 

 the plants become accustomed to this 

 kind of food, especially after the daj-s 

 begin to lengthen. 



A generous sprinkling of air slacked 

 lime will also be of benefit during dark 

 weather, but neither of these can be 

 used in combination with bone meal, nor 

 while the Imnes on the bench are fresh, 

 as this will release more ammonia than 

 the plant requires. 



Beauties. Meteors and Liberties being 

 gross feeders, will require more of this 

 kind of feeding and miich more frequent- 

 ly than Brides and Bridesmaids. 



Special care should lie taken to see 

 that the bench is equally wet before ap- 

 plying the mulch and that the soil in 

 the bench does not become dry after 

 mulching. The manure in the mulch re- 

 tains the moisture and gives the liench 

 the appearance of being wet when it may 

 lie quite dry underneath, so it will pay 

 to make a dailv examination. Eibes. 



FIRMING ROSE BEDS. 



Would it be advisable for us to tramp 

 down the soil in our rose benches? It 

 remains loose and does not seem to get 

 solid enough. If tramped down, would 

 it be best to wet the soil to make it 

 more of a claj' form when compacted, 

 or would it injure the roots of the 

 roses to tramp the soil ? J. B. 



It would have been easier for me to 

 answer this question if J. B. had men- 

 tioned what varieties of roses he has 

 trouble with, their age and the kind of 

 compo.st he planted them in. 



Too much manure in the compost is 

 one very common cause for the soil not 

 getting solid. Some soils are naturally 

 of a loose and friable eonnxisition, and 

 without some admixture of a clayey na- 

 ture refuse to become solid. If the soil 

 is of this kind it will improve it to 

 firm it down. This should be done 

 when the soil in the bench is in a half 

 dry condition, treading it lightly mth 

 the feet, taking care not to go too near 

 the stems. 



If the roots are showing near the sur- 

 faee, and the jilants are fairly healthy, 

 they should then get a light mulch of 

 two-thirds decomposed cow manure, and 

 one-third good rose soil, thoroughly in- 

 corporated, and passed through a J-inch 

 scri»en, with a sprinkling of bone meal 

 added. 



If the plants are small and young, 

 cultivating the surface one inch deep 

 will be best. Ribes. 



CARNATION NOTES—'WEST. 



Watering. 



The sun is getting weaker, the days 

 are getting shorter and we are apt to 

 have a dark rainj' day sandwiched in 

 now and then and you will need to be 

 as careful now as you ever are in mid- 

 winter with your watering. Those 

 plants that were planted early and have 

 a good growth of both plant and roots 

 will bear a rather liberal supply of 

 water, but those that have been on the 

 beds only a few weeks will need careful 

 watering. Tlie soil will sour quickly at 

 this season of the year and your plants 

 will not take hold readily. It is much 

 better for newly planted carnations to be 

 run on the dry side for a while as it 

 will induce root growth, and what you 

 want is a good base of roots to supph" 

 the plant with food and water. Go over 

 the beds carefully and examine here and 

 there by running your finger into the 

 .soil, and then water accordingly. After 

 you commence firing you will find that 

 the steam pipes will cause dry spots 

 wherever they come close to the soil and 

 you m\ist continnall}' look out for them. 



We do not syringe as frequently from 

 now on as we have been doing, but we 

 average only about once each week, 

 which is enough if it is done thoroughly. 

 We believe that it pays just as well to 

 use preventives against insect pests as 

 it does to use them against diseases, and 

 we have never been able to understand • 

 why it should be good policy to wait 

 until you have a dose of red spider on 

 your carnations before you begin to 

 syringe them. Only syringe on bright 

 days, though, and do it early in the day, 

 never later than 12 o'clock, and you 

 will usually find your plants in a nice 

 dry comlition by night and as fresh as 

 can be. I'ick the blooms before you 

 svringe. 



