NovESiEER 26. 1903 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



few years. The days of stiff, formal ty- 

 ing of plants is past, but some do need 

 support and it should be done early, so 

 that there is time for the plants to out- 

 grow the stiffness. The Lorraine begonia 

 •vvill need a few tiny sticks to support 

 its slender and flower laden growths, but 

 neither sticks nor threads should be visi- 

 ble. Poinsettias in 6-inch pots will want 

 a stake. They will need it when sold, so 

 do it now. Azaleas will not all come into 

 flower just right. Deutsche Perle is eas- 

 ily gotten out by Christmas, while Simon 

 Mardner and Vervaeneana may want a 

 very high temperature. Be sure and give 

 these forced azaleas plenty of water at 

 the roots and at least one good sprayino 

 every day till the flowers are open. That 

 useful, clieap flower, the sweet stevia. is 

 often past its best at the holidays if kept 

 warm. Anything above freezing will do 

 for it. And if you grow that subdued- 

 colored but beautiful orchid, Cyiiripedium 

 insigne, you can remove the plants to a 

 cool house without doing any harm to the 

 plants and the flowers will hang on in 

 perfect condition for five or six weeks. 

 WiLLiAii Scott. 



FORCING RHODODENDRONS. 



During the spring months there are 

 few more showy plants than a Tvell han- 

 dled specimen of rhododendron. In flor- 

 ists' show windows few plants will at- 

 tract more genuine interest, and if the 

 proper methods of forcing are followed 

 they can be sold at a reasonable price 

 with a fair margin of profit. Specimens 

 <if these for Easter trade are much more 

 in evidence in the eastern markets than 

 they are in the west. 



The kinds most in demand for forcing, 

 :is they are the easiest to handle and em- 

 brace all the colors of the other species, 

 ;ire hybrids of R, pontieum. These can 

 be raised from seed or cuttings, but the 

 general method of propagation is by 

 grafting, using the pontieum as a stock. 

 By this method a larger plant can be 

 produced in shorter time. A large pro- 

 portion of the plants used for forcing 

 are imported annually. These are mostly 

 the products of French and Belgian nur- 

 series, but many of the finest and best 

 grown are from England. 



As soon as they arrive they should be 

 unpacked and the balls immersed in 

 water and potted as soon as the balls 

 have drained. They require very little 

 pot room, and as the roots are very fine, 

 the compost must be finely pulverized. The 

 compost most suitable is composed of one 

 part peat soil and one part composed of 

 equal proportions of leaf mold, good loam 

 soil and sand, well incorporated. 



When potting the soil must be rammed 

 firmly around the ball, and as they re- 

 quire copious supplies of water during 

 the growing and flowering season they 

 must be provided with ample drainage. 

 Care must be taken that the soil contains 

 no lime or chalk, as the use of this class 

 of soil is surely fatal, and if there is 

 the least suspicion of lime in the water 

 it is safer to use only rain water, both 

 for the roots and for syringing. 



After they are potted, in order that 

 they may retain their foliage in all its 

 freshness and to prevent them shedding 

 their buds they should be placed in a 

 house where they can have plenty of fresh 

 air in a temperature of 40 degrees, with 

 a partial shade during the brightest part 

 of the day. They will require very little 

 water while they are in this temperature 

 and should not be syringecl. By Febru- 

 ary the temperature should be gradually 



The Breitmeyer Rose at the New York Exhibition. 



(The Feru in thn lore;-'ioiin(l is Scoitit. 



increased, raising it 5 degrees each week 

 till it reaches 58 or 60 degrees. At this 

 temperature the buds will develop more 

 perfectly and the flowers have more in- 

 tensity of color than if subjected to 

 greater heat. 



As soon as they are subjected to this 

 rise in temperature they must have abun- 

 dance of water, increasing the supply 

 with each rise of temperature, and should 

 be syringed at least once a day. and giv- 

 ing them all the sunshine possible. 



The most frequent cause of failure in 

 forcing rhododendrons lies in the poor 

 cjass of stock which many of the growers 

 ship to this country. Their main object 

 seems to be to ship old. naked stock, if 

 there are only buds enough. These plants 

 are frequently old, hard and stuntetl, and 

 in shape are anything but handsome. An- 

 other cause of failure is in bringing them 

 into heat too soon, causing them to shed 

 their buds. 



Some varieties of our own home grown 

 hardy E. Catawbiense hybrids when prop- 

 erly handled, make handsome specimens 

 though they are a little harder to force. 

 These should be lifted from the ground 

 during November, before the heavy frosts 

 begin, and should be potted at once. The 

 same course of treatment as that ac- 

 corded the pontieum hybrids usually re- 

 sults in success. 



Another class of rhododendrons, the 

 true greenhouse species, also deserves at- 

 tention, as they are handsome free 

 blpon-jers, very;; fragrant, easily grown,, 

 and caji with proper' care and selection 



be had in flower almost any month of the 

 year. Among the species E, Edgeworthii, 

 E, ciliatum and E. Xuttallii are the most 

 popular. There are also some beautiful 

 hybrids betweeu these and E. Javanieum, 

 and E. jasminiflorum, but they as a 

 rale require hothouse treatment and are 

 rot so satisfactory. 



R. hirsutum and E. ferrugineum can 

 also be made to flower inside, but they 

 are very impatient of heat. When suc- 

 cessfully handled they form some of the 

 prettiest subjects that could be wished 

 for. I ma}- say, however, that they are 

 frequently entire failures in the green- 

 house. 



Tliere is little doubt but that the de- 

 mand for this class of stock, and other 

 flowering shrubs, will continue to in- 

 crease, and tlie progressive grower will, 

 by careful study and experiment with 

 such subjects, keep himself abreast of 

 the times, and be ready to fill the de- 

 mand when called on. Eibes. 



Le Mars, Ia. — L. E. Wasmer has 

 opened an ofiiee in the German- America n 

 Bank building to handle cut flowers. 



Portland, Me. — The Portland Florist 

 Co.- has purchased the greenhouses of 

 .Tosfph A. Dirwanger. John J. Boyle is 

 tliii manager. 



Ithaca,- N. Y. — Arthur H. Bool, pro- 

 prietor of the -Bool Ploral Co.. is build- 

 ing a conserratorv back of the store at 

 Ol-g E, State street.' 



