January 7, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



315 



in getting a stock of it. If lie can 

 stand the price there are three varie- 

 ties in the novelty list of this year that 

 I would recommend him to try, and 

 these are W. Duckham, Donald Mc- 

 Leod and Harrison Dick. They are all 

 October bloomers and I can assure him 

 that he will find them all right in 

 liabit, vigor and every other point. 

 Brian Boru. 



LORRAINE BEGONIAS. 



' From nearly every section of the coun- 

 try the report is that the most popular 

 Christmas plant is the Begonia Gloire 

 de Lorraine. In general the culture of 

 this plant, after the propagating stage, 

 so well understood that the stock offered 

 was of very good quality, but few have 

 had better success than has A. Jablou- 

 sky, whose establishment is at Wellston, 

 just outside of St. Louis. The accom- 

 panying illustration shows some of Mr. 

 JabloBsky 's shapely plants. 



BEGONIA GLOIRE DE LORRAINE. 



Will you please give us instructions as 

 to propagating Begonia Gloire de Lor- 

 raine: How to treat the stock plants 

 from now on; when to make the cut- 

 tings; what kind of growth to use, and 

 other details. This begonia has sold so 

 well this season that we wish to greatly 

 increase our stock. F. M. 



Although of late quite successful with 

 this charming plant I most fully realize 

 that there are many readers more capable 

 of answering the above, which includes 

 nearly all there is to be known on the 

 subject. This begonia is a hybrid. It is 

 semi-tuberous-rooted, not deciduous, yet it 

 wants a rest and after flowering for the 

 large plants is the time to give them the 

 rest. 



Supposing you have some plants in 4, 5 

 or 6-inch pots unsold, in a few weeks the 

 flowers will be about gone. Then, with- 

 out cutting the plant down in any way, 

 but merely pinching off the old flower 

 stalks, remove the plants to a cool, light 

 bench. Keep them rather on the dry 

 side and the temperature about 45 degrees 

 at night. This is the rest they require 

 and it is enough. 



At the end of April or in early May 

 they may show signs of sending up 

 growths from the root and if they do not 

 it is time to take off a very little of 

 the old soil, without any loss of roots, giv- 

 ing them one size larger pot than they 

 were in. With a little fire heat and the 

 natural light and warmth of the season 

 they should make many stout, young 

 growths from the base of the plant. 

 These, taken off, root readily in sand and 

 from the day they are rooted should be 

 kept growing. 



The conditions that suit them in July, 

 August and the fall months are very well 

 understood and it is in September and 

 October that they do their fastest and 

 best growing. In the hot summer 

 months shade from bright sun, with no 

 shade on dull days, early morning or late 

 afternoon. Give plenty of ventilation in 

 the house. And when once they are in 

 4-inch pots it pays to raise them on an 

 inverted pot so that there is a free cir- 

 culation of air all around them and their 

 branches are not crowded. A well rotted 

 sod with a third of leaf mold will do 

 for soil and wet the foliage as little as 

 possible when watering. 



Many of these begonias are propagated 

 from the leaf in September and October. 



Lorraine Begonias Grown by A. Jablcnsky, Wellston, Mo. 



The leaf stalk with leaf attached is in- 

 serted in sand, or sifted coal ashes seem 

 to do just as well. From the bottom of 

 the leaf stem a tuft of roots will form 

 and several growths start. Cuttings from 

 the growths of larger plants are also 

 made in the fall months and if you can 

 get either of this class of cuttings to 

 make small plants in 2 or 2%-ineh pots 

 by New Year's you can then give them a 

 rest for a few months on some light, airy 

 bench or shelf, just as you woidd the 

 older and larger plants. These fall struck 

 cuttings, if you get them to start grow- 

 ing freely in May will, of course, make 

 larger plants by the following December 

 than those put into the sand in June and 

 July, but we have sometimes found these 

 little plants slow to start. The young, 

 stout, vigorous growth which starts from 

 the rested plant in May makes a suf- 

 ficiently large plant, and don't get im- 

 patient about their growth in the sum- 

 mer months. It is wonderful the growth 

 these begonias make in October and No- 

 vember, w. S. 



CARNATION NOTES— EAST. 



Treatment of Young Stock. 



Cuttings as soon as Tooted need the 

 best of attention and the question is 

 how shall the young stock be taken 

 care of without occupying too valua- 

 ble space, at the same time preserving 

 its health and, I might add, strengthen- 

 ing its constitution. 



Did you ever stop to think how lit- 

 tle rest, if any, our carnations get? 

 This is contrary to the laws of health 

 and is the main reason of varieties run- 

 ning out OT weakened to such extent 

 as to become an easy prey to disease. 

 As to space young stock "takes up, it 

 may be said that too often it has to be 

 content with such as is thought good 



enough for plants that are giving no 

 immediate returns, which is another vi- 

 olation of health laws, and these two 

 matters have so much in common that 

 by studying the carnation's needs along 

 these lines we shall learn the secret of 

 maintaining vigor in our plants. 



Good Ou3.iters Necessary. 



Of course a house set apart for young 

 stock would be an ideal plan, but with 

 many this is out of the question; but I 

 wish to lay particular stress on the im- 

 portance of giving it congenial quar- 

 ters. This means a bench which re- 

 ceives the full benefit of the sun and 

 so situated that abundant ventilation 

 can be given, so really when considering 

 value of space the only feature not 

 needed is head room. Do not attempt 

 to stand them along the edge of a 

 bench occupied by blooming plants or 

 under the benches close to the paths, 

 for they will surely suffer. Get them 

 up where a sharp glance can be given 

 them every time you pass by. 



As I have said before in these notes, 

 fresh soil containing no manure or 

 bone is the best medium in which to 

 put cuttings as they come from the 

 sand, for common sense will tell that 

 ))lants at rest or partially so are not 

 in need of much food, and that little 

 should be of a simple nature. 



Handling the Cuttings. 



Whether you pot the cuttings as 

 rooted and later put into flats, or prick 

 into flats and pot a short time before 

 planting out. is a question your judg- 

 ment must decide, taking as a guide 

 the time of propagation and the pe- 

 culiarities of each variety. Then, too, 

 the quality of bloom demanded by your 

 market may be a factor in deciding the 

 course to pursue, but it has been prov- 

 en to be a paying investment to pot 



