456 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



January 28, 1904. 



aged, although both are geuerally worn 

 out in four or five years. Xobile can 

 be renewed by propagating from your 

 own stock, but Wardiauum is not so 

 easily increased. They are always bet- 

 ter suspended from the root in small 

 pots or baskets. Their growth is pecu- 

 liar. About the flowering time, which, 

 with nobile, is in December and Janu- 

 ary, they send out young growths frorn 

 the flowering growths. These can be 

 taken off and, if well managed, make 

 the second year fine bulbs that will 

 make the finest of plants. Several, or to 

 be more definite, a dozen of these off- 

 shoots can be put into a 12-inch pan. 



Although these dendrobiums will en- 

 dure, during the fall months, a temper- 

 ature of 50 degrees or a little below, 

 they are tropical and when flowering 

 and making their growths want 65 de- 

 grees at night. When dormant, wliich 

 is before flowering, is the time to repot 

 or surface them. Because you have re- 

 plenished the little peat around their 

 roots you need not start them growing. 

 If nobile or Wardianum make a start to 

 grow you must let them grow by bring- 

 ing into warmth or they will not make 

 a growth that will be of any use for 

 nest year. 



CaUnthes. 



Calanthes are grown by a few. It's 

 an orchid but does not look like one. 

 Veitchii is the best species, a beautiful 

 spike of pink flowers. They are or will 

 soon be out of flower. When started 

 the latter part of September or October 

 they begin to make the growth which 

 will form the bulb for another year. 

 And after the flower is cut growth must 

 be encouraged and continued until the 

 bulb is fully developed, which may be 

 the middle of April. Then they can be 

 put to rest in any warm corner till 

 next September and kept absolutely dry. 

 They are a truly terrestrial orchid and 

 want for potting material a good fresh 

 loam with a fourth of rotten cow ma- 

 nure and, while making their growth, 

 from now for the next few months, 

 relish liquid manure. William Scott. 



ROSES. 



Seasonable Hints. 



Those roses which were 'rooted in Oc- 

 tober or November with a view to 

 planting them for summer bloomers 

 should now be large enough for bench- 

 ing. Such varieties as Kaiserin, Lib- 

 erty, Ivory, Golden C4ate and Chatenay 

 are largely used for this purpose be- 

 cause of their ability to withstand the 

 hot summer weather without showing 

 serious deterioration in size and quality. 

 By planting now these varieties can, 

 •with proper care and attention, be 

 brought into flowering condition by Me- 

 morial day, just in time to take the 

 place of those winter blooming varie- 

 ties which have to be thrown out to 

 make room for the young stock. 



Those who have made no provision 

 to have soil in good condition for this 

 purpose will be badly handicapped this 

 season, as it will take considerable 

 time to get soil which has been ex- 

 posed to the elements all winter into 

 good, hearty condition. Wliere this 

 system of culture is practiced it will 

 pay to have a good soil shed, where 

 the soil will at least be protected from 

 rain and snow, so that it will be avail- 

 able for use however bad the weather 

 may be. 



If the soil is wet or frozen it should 



lie allowed to lie on the bench at a 

 rather high temperature until it gets 

 nielliivv, when it can be spread and 

 planting; proceeded with, following the 

 same methods as recommcuded for sum- 

 mer planting. 



As the comparative lack of sunshine 

 during the first few weeks after plant- 

 ing will incapacitate the young plants 

 from using a very rich diet, it is bet- 

 ter to refrain from using bone meal or 

 other fertilizers until they are well 

 started. Careful watering, ventilating 

 and frequent cultivation will constitute 

 the principal requirements for the first 

 three weeks. 



When the young plants have taken a 

 good hold of the soil, and show a good 

 growth, they will be greatly benefiteH 

 by a sprinkling of bone meal, which 

 should be lightly stirred into the soil 

 while cultivating is being done. Thia 

 can bo alternated by a sprinkling of 

 air-slaked lime every two weeks. 



Until the warm weather commences 

 and the soil is well filled with roots it 

 is safer to refrain from liquid feeding, 

 as this has a tendency to cause sour- 

 ness in the soil and has a very sicken- 

 ing effect on young stock. When the 

 weather becomes hot a light mulch will 

 protect the tender roots from the strong 

 sunshine, keeping them cool and ma- 

 terially aiding in keeping up size and 

 quality of bloom. 



The summer blooming stock which 

 has been resting during the past two 

 months should now be started, so that 

 a good growth may be obtained by 

 early summer. All the small and strag- 

 gling wood should be removed, and as 

 the plants are now in a dormant state 

 they won't suffer from a good pruning. 

 The strong canes should be cut back to 

 three or four eyes. 



The soil between the plants should 

 be removed as much as possible with- 

 out causing injury to the roots and the 

 whole surface given a sprinkling of 

 air-slaked lime. The bench should be 

 refilled with a compost of equal parts 

 of rich loam and well rotted cow man- 

 ure and given a thorough soaking. 



The canes should be bent horizontally 

 and tied in that position. This causes 

 the dormant eyes near the base of the 

 plant to break and it is from these 

 e^'es the best canes are produced. 



Tlie temperature should now be raised 

 to 42 degrees and the house kept rather 

 close till the eves begin to break, when 

 the temperature and ventilation should 

 be gradually increased until in three 

 weeks it reaches the normal, 56 degrees. 

 Syringing will have to be practiced 

 every bright day. This not only keeps 

 spider in cheek but encourages the eyes 

 to break freely by keeping a proper 

 amount of moisture in the atmosphere. 

 As the young growths increase in size 

 the supply of water will have to be ap- 

 portioned to keep pace, so that they 

 may not receive a check from being 

 over dry, nor get chilled by too mucli, 

 as they" are very impatient of wet feet. 



ElBES. 



TROUBLE WITH ROSES. 



I send you some sample rose plants 

 and soil. What is the matter? These 

 are from a section in one bench that has 

 been replanted three times and given dif- 

 ferent treatment, but they die within 

 two months. Other plants in the same 

 bench are two and three feet high arid 

 give fine blooms. J. J. L. 



These plants are to all appearance en- 



tirely free from disease, but they are 

 far too weak to make any headway dur- 

 ing winter weather; in fact, the two 

 smaller specimens would never make 

 thrifty, profitable plants under any cir- 

 cumstances, not because of their size 

 alone, but because of the very poor qual- 

 ity of wood used in propagating. The 

 soil is good and if properly composted is 

 capable of growing fine stock. 



There must be tome defect either in 

 the bench or its position in the house. If 

 the drainage of that part of the bench 

 is perfect, and it is not subjected to 

 more heat, ecld, or draught than other 

 parts cf the house, it must be one of 

 these enigmas "which no fellow can un- 

 derstand." Throw out the plants and, 

 soil and give the bench a good washing 

 down, then give it a hot lime wash, fill 

 it with soil composted in the proportions - 

 of fonr of soil to one of decomposed cow, 

 manure. Select healthy and stocky plants 

 and water only around the ball for the 

 first three weeks, keep the night tempera- 

 ture 56 degrees, day temperature 60 to 

 75 degrees, according to intensity of sun- 

 shine, ventilate freely on all favorable 

 occasions, and these plants must grow. 

 As soon as they begin to grow cultivate 

 freely, but do not attempt to feed until 

 warm weather begins. Eibes. 



HEAD ROOM FOR MUMS. 



We want to plant one house next sum- 

 mer with nmms, and as it is rather low 

 on the eaves we think of putting in 

 Ivory or Alice Byron. The house is 

 three feet at the eaves, and if we take 

 the plants from sand the first of June, 

 pot them in 2y2-inch pots, and plant 

 them in the beds the first of July, will 

 thev be dwarf enough to grow, in the 

 thirty-inch head room? Will they throw 

 off good blooms? Is White Ivory more 

 dwarf than Alice Byron? X. Y. Z. 



I see no reason why Byron or Ivory 

 should not grow all right with the head 

 room mentioned and if given good cul- 

 tivation they will make very fair flowers. 

 Buds can be taken on Byron any time 

 after August 10, if they appear as soon 

 as that; two and one-half feet is ample 

 height. I don 't know that Ivory is more 

 dwarf than Byron; certainly not as I 

 have grown it. I have had very fine 

 flowers from this latter variety on a 12- 

 inch stem, by taking the August crown. 

 If plants are set very closely together 

 in a bench they are apt to draw up much 

 more and I would recommend X. Y. Z. 

 to plant not less than 8x6 for good flow- 

 ers. Of the two varieties I would cer- 

 tainly prefer to grow Byron. As I have 

 before stated in these columns I consider 

 Byron the best early white on the mar- 

 ket todav. " Brian Bobu. 



HARDY CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



Will vou kindly publish in your jour- 

 nal a list of outdoor chrysanthemums 

 hardy in the northern states, giving 

 names and colors? A yellow that, with- 

 out disbudding or any special care, fur- 

 nishes blooms from one to two and one- 

 half inches in diameter, is frequently 

 seen in gardens, and occasionally a pure 

 white of the same general character and 

 size is noticed; but I would like to get 

 information upon all varieties that may 

 be depended upon for autumn blooms 

 and I am sure others would appreciate a 

 list such as that referred to. S. L. 



Kot being familiar with the varieties 



