J3J2 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



May 12, 1904. 



The benches in the stock house, from 

 which the young plants have been re- 

 moved, sliould still receive the same at- 

 tention at watering time, so that they 

 may retain the necessary amount of 

 moisture and so keep the house bal- 



anced. The paths should also be sprin- 

 kled frequently during hot weather, so 

 that the young plants may not suffer. 

 The roots being now pressed against the 

 sides of the pots are easily damaged. 



ElBES. 



CARNATION NOTES. -WEST. 



Field Planting. 



We are having right now a good ex- 

 ample of the value of the sideliill plow, 

 and using it each day to plow what we 

 can plant that day. Since we began 

 planting, on April 29, we have not had 

 a rain. If we had plowed our whole car- 

 nation field, or even half of it, at the 

 start we would have had to stop planting 

 several days ago, and the plant.s put out 

 four or five days after the plowing would 

 be suffering badly by this time. But as 

 it is. we set every plant in nice, mellow, 

 moist soil and all took hold immediately 

 and none is suiTering in the least, at least 

 not more than all other vegetation which 

 has been growing all spring. Unless it 

 rains and the soil gets too wet we will 

 not need to stop before we are through, 

 as the plow will turn up moist soil with- 

 out any rain for a long time yet. Really, 

 I don't see how a florist can get along 

 without one of these plows. 



Shading. 



I notice on some greenhouses a very 

 heavy shade, and I just want to warn 

 you not to overdo it. Too much shade 

 is as bad as none at all, and really, I 

 would prefer none at all. All you want 

 is to break the strong rays of the sun 

 during the middle of the day. This is 

 not now so much to keep the house cool 

 as it is to keep the sun from bleaching all 

 the color out of the blooms. The plants 

 would prefer the full sun and if the 

 shade is too heavy they will grow soft 

 and the blooms will lack in suljstance. 



Give them plenty of water at the roots, 

 but of course do not get the soil into a 

 soggy condition. Here is where the solid 

 beds save you much valuable time during 

 these spring and early summer months. 

 With one-half the amount of watering 

 they will maintain a more uniform de- 

 gree of moisture than the benches. (Jive 

 all the ventilation you can at all times to 

 keep the houses cool and airy. 



The June Crop. 



Look right after the disbudding these 

 days, as tho.se are the buds that will 

 give you your blooms nc.vt month, and 

 it will have a grejit effect on the quality 

 of your blooms when they open up. Oood 

 blooms are worth more during .June than 

 they are right now. and it will pay you 

 well to do all you can toward helping 

 the quality. A. F. .J. BxVK. 



INDOOR SUMMER CULTURE. 



I am very much interested in the mat- 

 ter of growing carnations indoors all sum- 



mer and would like to ask if they should 

 be shaded. My houses are not as large or 

 cool as those advocated by 5Ir. Fisher, 

 being but 20x70. connected, with side 

 ventilation on only one, but with doors 

 at each end of all three houses. I am 

 growing Hill, Higinbotham,. Scott. Harry 

 Fenn, Enchantress and Joost. I have my 

 Enchantress in .'j-inch pots and had 

 thought of plunging the pots outside to 

 avoid the setback at benching time. 



" J. L. U. 



Carnations that are growing inside 

 the bouses all summer should have no 

 shade over them, but should have all the 

 sun and ventilation you can give them. 

 In fact, you should make the conditions 

 just as near outdoors as you can, except 

 that you keep control over the water sup- 

 ply, etc. You want to encourage a .slow, 

 solid growth to produce short, biishy 

 plants like you get in the field, if possi- 

 ble. If you shade theim the plants wiu 

 grow soft, long-jointed and straggly, 

 which you should do all you can to 

 avoid if you hope to meet with success. 



I would not plant carnations in the 

 field from 5-inch pots. By fall they 

 would be so large and gi-assy that you 

 would have trouble in getting tliem to 

 take hold when replanted. By all means 

 plant those inside now. If you plunged 

 the pots outside you would luixe to wateV 

 them regularly, and 1 doubt if you 

 would gain much by it. 



The varieties you mention all trans- 

 plant readily, and personally I would 

 prefer planting them in the field and lift 

 them when they have grown into good 

 average plants. My advice to you would 

 be to plant this spring the house which 

 has the most ventilation and see how you 

 succeed: then if you are satisfied that it 

 is the method for you to follow, vou can 

 adopt it altogether in the future. Try 

 some of each variety to find out which 

 like that method best. You will find 

 that some varieties will do much better 

 under this method, while others will uo 

 best under the field culture method. We 

 would not grow Mrs. Lawson any other 

 way but inside, and I understand it is 

 the proper way to grow Adonis suecess- 

 *"l'.^- A. F. .T. B.WR. 



CALCEOLARIAS 



[The follrm-ing is a p.iper read bcfur,. tlip 

 iHiTj-town Horticultural Society. April •>(■, hv 

 William Scott, Ararilcner for Josepli Easliuari 

 larr.vtown. N. \.] 



It seems to me a great pity that the 

 calceolaria is not more generallv grown. 

 This is no doubt partly due to'tire fra- 

 gile nature of the pla'nts, wliich makers 

 them a poor subject for shipping, either 

 as plants or cut flowers, and partly dm- 

 to their not being more widelv known, 

 for they jiossess a richness of' colorini; 



and fascinating beauty that cannot fail 

 to appeal to all true flower lovers. If 

 they are used for greenhouse or home 

 decoration, the plants, if not kept too 

 warm, will retain their beauty for weeks 

 and the flowers stand well as a cutting 

 subject. 



The best time for sowing the seed is 

 from the first to the middle of July, I 

 use well-drained seed pans filled with a 

 light sandy compost, that on top being 

 finely sifted, 1 give a good watering and 

 allow the water to drain off before sow- 

 ing the seeds. These being very fine, lit- 

 i\f or no covering of soil is required, but 

 they should have the protection of a pane 

 of glass over the pan. Subsequent water- 

 ings are given by immersing the pans, 

 allowing the water to be drawn slowly 

 from below. This does away from the 

 necessity of watering from the top, 

 wliich M-ould more or less disturb the 

 seeds, no matter how fine a rose was used. 

 I do not believe in the custom of setting 

 tho pans in saucers of water, as it tends- 

 to keep the soil too wet and increases 

 the danger of damping, to which the lit- 

 tle seedlings are very susceptible. 



After germination has taken place and 

 the seedlings are well up, the glass should 

 be gradually removed to allow freedom of 

 air. Shade, however, is most essential, 

 as sunshine must never be allowed to 

 strike the plants in their small state, or 

 it will work havoc in the shortest of time. 

 The little seedlings should Ije pricked 

 off as soon as they are large ercuiob r 

 handle, especially if damping off should 

 make its appearance. The same compost 

 as that in which the seeds were sown 

 will be the best for tliis purpose and 

 eirher shallow flats or seed pans used fo 

 a receptacle. The distance apart had bet- 

 ter be an inch each way; this will allow 

 them ample room in which to attain suf- 

 ficient size for the first potting. 



For this potting thumb pots should be 

 employed and a rather richer soil than 

 that formerly used. A compost of two 

 parts old sod and one part leaf mold, 

 sliarp sand and finely sifted, di-y cow 

 manure in about equal parts, will make 

 a very suitable soil. If the soil is of a 

 stiff, retentive nature, the proportion of 

 soil should be less and dry horse manure 

 substituted for the other, as this will con- 

 siderably help to make the compost more 

 free. The principal aim is to secure a 

 soil that will quickly drain off and ob- 

 viate the danger of stagnation, as if the 

 Jilant* once get overwatered and sour it 

 is very hard to get them back into per- 

 fect health. 



This compost will suit for subsequent 

 pottings, which should be given as soon 

 as the plants require it. They should 

 never be allowed by any means to become 

 pot-bound. Three or more shifts will be 

 necessary, viz.: 314. 5 and 7-inch pots, 

 this last being quite large enough to 

 mature good-sized plants. But if larger 

 ]ilants are desired, the strongest may be 

 moved into either 8 or 9-inch pots. 



Regarding the atmospheric conditions, 

 these should be kept rather moist, but 

 not overcharged, and the fem|ierature 

 should be as low as can possiblv be pro- 

 cured through the summer and fall 

 months. In their winter quarters the tem- 

 perature should not exceed 40 degrees 

 by night, with a raise of from 10 to 15 

 degrees by day during blight weather. 



More or less shade is necessary, espe- 

 cially during their flowering period, and 

 when the sun begins to brighten in 

 spring. The leaves being of a soft tex- 



