The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Mat 28, 1903. 



required for the collection, was dug in 

 the sticky clay soil. Then the ex- 

 cavations were filled in with rich top 

 soil and sandy loam and a dressing of 

 fertilizer was worked in. Good growth 

 has already been made. Most of the 

 sorts planted are hardj here with very 

 -liidd protection in winter. 



The planting was done under the per- 

 sonal supervision of Joseph H. Had- 

 kinson. who under Frederic W. Taylor, 

 Chief of Horticulture, has charge of 

 this outdoor exhibit. 



CARNATION NOTES-EAST. 



Compressed Air. 



I .11.1 not in the habit of writing to 

 am great extent on theory, but as the 

 subject of compressed air has come up. 

 you will please bear with me while I 

 make some suppositions and ask a few 

 questions regarding its use in the car- 

 nation house. After what has been said, 

 the first question would seem to be 

 whether warm or perfectly cold air 

 should be employed. 



Now what, may I ask, is perfectly 

 cold air? When speaking of heat and 

 cold, we generally define the degree of 

 either by the Fahrenheit system of meas- 

 uring temperature. The term perfectly 

 cold would seem to infer as cold as pos- 

 sible-, but I cannot believe that to be 

 Mr. Capers' intention in his article of 

 last week. 



For illustration, what, in your opin- 

 ion, would be the effect of a blast of 

 air at a temperature of 40 degrees 

 among a bench of Lawson plants in a 

 house where the thermometer stood at 

 70 degrees? 



Heavy syringing as usual in the rose 

 house is generally accepted by carnation 

 growers as harmful, in that" the bluish 

 sheen is removed from the foliage. 



It is probably unnecessary for me to 

 tell you that the effect of warm and 

 cold air coming suddenly in contact, i- 

 to produce til. Mine. In view of this, 

 would not a stream of air at 40 de- 

 grees, driven with sufficient force to dis- 

 lodge red spider on plants in a tempera- 

 ture of 70 degrees, with the moisture 

 produced be apt to remove the bloom 

 from the foliage? 



It makes much difference in the effect 

 of the application of water to the foliage 

 when the manner of applying is consid- 

 ered. A gentle shower over the plants 

 on mornings of bright days is very bene- 

 ficial, but rose growers, of course, are 

 differently inclined from no matter of 

 choice. 



It is not my object to criticise Mr. 

 Capers" views, for he frankly states he 

 is not well versed in the carnation ; be- 

 sides, there is another side to the ques- 

 tion and I believe there is some merit 

 in the use of compressed air and later 

 shall endeavor, if the subject is further 

 discussed, to bring out its possible ad- 

 vantages. 



Plants in the field require close at- 

 tention at this time in the matter of 

 topping, as the foundation of the future 

 plant must now be laid. This applies 

 especially to those which were once or 

 twice topped in the house. 



Particular attention should be paid 

 to those varieties inclined to come in 

 crops. Topping at frequent intervals, 

 instead of making a one day job of it 

 once in two weeks or so, will tend to 

 make the blooms come along more con- 



tinuously. I do not say more flowers 

 will be produced during the season, but 

 do claim the same number produced con- 

 tinuously during several months is more 

 conducive to better average prices than 

 to have a glut one week followed by a 

 scarcity for several weeks following. 



Cultivation between the rows with a 

 hand cultivator and also with a hand 

 lioe around the plants must be kept up 

 to break the surface soil, which becomes 

 packed or crusted by rain or heavy 

 dews. Geo. S. Osbobn. 



GLOXINIAS. 



Will you kindly outline for me the 

 culture of gloxinias, from planting the 

 bulbs to flowering time? R. E. L. 



This inquiry reminds me that it was 

 on this very subject some twelve years 

 ago that I volunteered a few remarks in 

 the llorieultural press. If they had been 

 rejected, how much more time I would 

 have had to attend base ball, and how 

 few of my brother florists I should have 

 known, so I am glad things are as they 



Any lengthy remarks on the culture of 

 gloxinias would be now rather unseason- 

 able, as there is now nothing left but 

 summer care. Gloxinias are easily raised 

 from seed, but make only small bulbs 

 the firsi year, and the retail grower can 



do much better by buying the one-year- 

 old bulbs from a firm that makes a spe- 

 cialty of raising i them. They can be 

 started in 3-inch pots in February or 

 later. They are really a summer-flower- 

 ing plant and make a fine window or 

 conservatory plant when flowering plants 

 are rather scarce in July and August. 

 Use a rather light soil, with well rotted 

 manure or leaf mold added. When the 

 leaves about cover the pot the plant 

 should be shifted into a 5-inch, the 

 flowering pot. Let the soil be a good 

 loam with a third leaf mold, and if 

 you can't get that, then old, rotted 

 hot-bed mold will do. They are not 

 particular about soil. They want air, 

 and if you want to do them real well, 

 after they are shifted into the flowering 

 pot, stand each plant on another in- 

 verted pot. Never spray them, and 

 avoid as much as possible wetting the 

 foliage. They are a tropical plant, and 

 from the starting of the bulb until the 

 resting time in fall and winter the tem- 

 perature should not Ik- l.eh.w ,"i0 degrees. 

 It is a rather particular plant abou1 

 water. If allowed to get dr,\ the flowers 

 wilt and that ends them, and if over- 

 watered they get rusty. Careful water- 

 ing and just a subdued light, but not a 

 heavj -hade are the most particular 

 points in their culture. 



William Scott. 



DUTCH HYACINTHS FOR FORCING. 



Will you please give the names of the 

 Dutch hyacinths of each color that are 

 best suited for forcing. Last year I left 

 this to the seedsman, but noticed some 

 of his assortment forced a great deal 

 better than others. I would like to have 

 some ready by the middle of February, 

 and some at Easter. F. S. 



There is not much choice as to earli- 

 ness among the hyacinths, but some va- 

 rieties, if forced for February flowers, 

 would have very short stems. In the 

 first place, don't bother with the yellows 

 at all and force only the single varie- 

 ties. Here are half a dozen in each color 

 that will fill the bill, all splendid va- 

 rieties : 



Red and rose. Baron Van Tuyll. rose; 

 Gertrude, deep rose ; Gigantea, blush : 

 Lord Macaulay. bright red ; Norma, 

 pink : Roi de Beiges, deep red. 



White, Alhertine. Baroness Van Tuyll, 

 Grand Vedette. LTnnocenee, Mme. Van 

 der Hoop and La Grandesse, all pure 

 white. 



Blue. Charles Dickens, pale blue; Czar 

 Peter, porcelain: Grand Lilas, porce- 

 lain; King of the Blues, dark blue: 

 Grand Maitre, pale blue; Pieneman, deep 

 porcelain. 



King of the Blues is one of the finest 

 hyacinths of its color but should not be 

 forced before March. 



William Scott. 



PIPING. 



In reply to the inquiry of 

 Subscriber, for the effective heating of 

 the carnation house 200x23 which he 

 describes in sketch accompanying his 

 inquiry, using steam heat, he will re- 

 quire "ten lines of 1-inch pipe and three 

 lines of lj-inch pipe arranged as shewn 

 in the accompanying cut. If hot water 

 be used 4 using 2-inch pipes, fourteen 

 lines, as shown in the accompanying 

 sketch, will be required. The arrange 

 ment of the main depends largely on 

 the location oi the boiler and the lirec 

 tion and extent of any grade within 

 the house. Henry W. Gibbons,, 



Miami. Fla. 



RETARDING NARCISSUS AND 

 VALLEY. 



What is the best method of retarding 

 Paper White narcissus bulbs for late 

 planting? Will they stand cold storage? 

 Would like to know the proper tempera- 

 ture to keep lily of the valley pips in 

 cold storage, also the method of forcing 

 same. S. S. P. 



The proper temperature in which to 

 keep lily of the valley roots during sum- 

 mer to retard them is about 29 or 30 

 degrees. If a degree above the freezing 

 point, they will start, and if kept too 

 cold for any length of time, they lose 

 their strength and the flower spike will 

 perish. S. S. P. asks "also method of 

 forcing same." Does he mean flower- 

 ing them during summer, which is the 

 reverse of forcing, or winter forcing? 

 If the latter is meant, then I must refer 

 him to the pages of the Review of last 

 December, where he will find the subject 

 in detail. If summer forcing is meant, 

 it i- simply to put the roots in six inches 

 of sand, shade the glass over them, and 

 don't let any draughts from doors be 

 near them. Give them, of course, plentj 

 of water, keeping the water away from 

 the hells after they are turning white. 



