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The Weekly Florists' Review. 



IBEB 12, 1903. 



frequently find, even in the best 

 of buildings, a little settling that may 

 be throwing a great deal of strain on the 

 pipes and may cause them to give waj 

 at a most inconvenient season. Look to 

 t lie joints entering boilers, as this is 

 one of the worst places in the system, 



es] ially if you use wrought pipe. If 



you do don't be afraid to use hammer 

 and cold chisel freeh here, to see if the 



threads are not nearly rusted through. 

 Even if you find everything secure it is 

 a'waya well to drain off all the water, 

 washing out the pipes and boiler thor- 

 oughly, filling again with fresh water. 

 You will be astonished, if you have 

 never had your attention called to it, 

 how much better fresh, clean water heats 

 up than old, stale, muddy water. 



E. E. Shvphelt. 



CARNATION NOTES-WEST. 



Seasonable Treatment. 

 We have had several nights the past 



week with the mercury down to 20 de- 

 grees and for some time we have needed 

 fire every night to keep up the proper 

 temperature ■ in the houses. After the 

 plants come into bloom in good shape it 

 pavs well to keep up a regular tempera- 

 ture. While the plants are making their 

 fall growth and before the buds have at- 

 tained any size an occainona] drop to 

 40 degrees does very little if any harm. 

 But after the crop is en mid yen really 

 need the blooms (and quality of course 

 counts) you waut no split calyxes, and 

 there is also less danger of disease in a 

 dry atmosphere than if the houses get 

 damp and stagnant .very night. 



The days are getting shorter aud the 

 sun weaker and there is much more 

 moisture in the air than there is earlier, 

 when the sun is^ stronger and the days 

 longer. Let th<f fireman get up steam 

 every night and if it is oecessary (to 

 keep the temperature down) let him 

 raise the ventilators an inch or two. 

 There may be some nights when it will 

 be quite warm and on such occasions 

 he should at least run the steam around 

 every hour or two, just to keep the air 

 dry. But on every possible occasion have 

 the ventilators up a little. 



Perhaps I am somewhat of a crank on 

 the fresh air question, but I have found 

 by experience, that yen never injure your 

 carnations with too much air as long as 

 the temperature is at the proper point, 

 while you certainly can make your car- 

 nations soft and spindling by keeping a 

 close, damp atmosphere. Especially at 

 this time of the year you should do all 

 you possibly can to induce a sturdy 

 hardy growth. 



You must be more careful in your wa- 

 tering, too, now. Watch for dry spots 

 wherever the heating pipes come close to 

 the bench. If the pipes are below, the 

 soil may dry out at the bottom first and 

 you must dig down to the bottom occa- 

 sionally. The south side of the bed is 

 also apt to dry out quicker on bright 

 days and more frequent watering will be 

 needed. In tact, you should exercise the 

 .are in your watering, as a few 

 days ei' carelessness are liable to cause 

 xou much hiss and vexation. 



We do not syringe so much from now 

 on, as we are liable to have a rainy spell 

 l nv time. If your plants are free from 

 red spider, which they ought to be, you 



will be able to keep them so by syring- 

 about once each week. If the days 

 are very warm, and the plants seem to 

 -ii Her, a very light spraying about eleven 

 ii 'clock will help them materially. Don't 

 wet down the walks any more, as they 

 may not dry out again by nightfall. 

 When you water, do it as early in the day 

 as possible, as you are sure to wet the 

 walks some while watering, and the sur- 

 face of the beds will also dry off some, 

 besides giving the plants the benefit of 

 the water when the sun is the warmest. 



Mr. Osborn gave us a good article on 

 packing carnation blooms, and I want to 

 say "ditto." Let me also add that it 

 you can pack all your carnations without 

 bunching them it will pay you. 



A." F. J. Bauk. 



CARNATION NOTES-EAST. 



Keeping Qualities. 



The keeping quality of a carnation 

 bloom has much to do in determining- 

 its value and, as stated last week, 

 it depends on the grower's method of 

 handling. It is important that thej !"• 

 taken from the plant with a sharp 

 knife, making a clean cut. No mangling 

 or crushing of the stem tissue should 

 occur, as this seriously affects the stem's 

 capacity to conduct water. Early morn- 

 ing is the ideal time, although during 

 cold weather or on cloudy days, cutting 

 late in the afternoon cannot be said 

 to be inadvisable. The main thing to 

 avoid is cutting when the sun is exert- 

 ing its direct influence on the plants. 



\ ases previously tilled with fresh water 

 and distributed about the house for im- 

 mediate reception of the bloom, will save 

 time and reduce the chances of the cut 

 ends becoming seared over through dry- 

 in- of exuding sap. The importance of 

 getting blooms into water as' soon as 

 possible after cutting cannot be over- 

 estimated and to this end 1 would se- 

 lect grades when cutting rather than cut 

 everything as it comes ami grade after- 

 wards. This plan sale- extra handling 

 and reduces the liability of broken stems 

 and mussed flowers. 



When titty blooms have been cut, place 

 al once in water and one cause of 



sleepy 1, looms will have 1 n obviated; 



Vase- -lii. ul. I 1 1' such depth as will 



allow at least two4hirds of the stem 

 to -mini in water and the vases ought 

 to be thoroughly washed inside every 

 week, using a few drops of ammonia 

 in the water. 



It is better to err a little ,,n the side 

 of cutting somewhat underdeveloped 

 than to all..,, blooms, to stand until that 

 tagi i- reached n here tic p. .Men i- ripe 



and necessary handling will induce self- 

 piilloniz.itiiin. A flower cut when three- 

 quarter- blown and placed in water for 

 twelve hours will be in prime condition 

 to ship and reach the ret; 



in simp. 

 a delight 



reflect ion 



to be a source of profit 

 to the customer and a 

 on the grower. 



Never cut blooms from plants suffer- 

 ing from dryness at the root, or that 

 from any cause appear wilted. In the 

 vases use water having a temperature of 

 about 60 degrees and as soon as filled 

 with bloom place in a room where the 

 thermometer is not over 55 degrees, but 

 which will fall not lower than 43 degrees. 

 By a room is not meant a close, stuffy 

 cupboard or an artificially cooled recep- 

 tacle, but a room in which the air is 

 constantly changed without exposing the 

 flowers to any strong draughts and where 

 direct sunlight is shut out, but not so 

 completely as to produce pitch darkness, 

 as the flowers favor a certain amount 

 of light in expanding after being cut 

 and this leads me to caution against 

 crowding too many blooms in a vase. 



Chemical Manures. 



Blooms grown under right conditions 

 will keep longer than if produced in too 

 high temperature or on plants overfed or 

 watered, for as wrong conditions weaken 

 the plant it must follow that the product, 

 be it cuttings or bloom, will lie inferior. 

 The use of prepared chemical manures is 

 risky business in the hand of the aver- 

 age grower, not because he is ignorant 

 of his plants' needs or does not know the 

 effect of certain chemicals, but, being in 

 the. dark as to their ingredients, he is 

 unable to determine the quantity suited 

 to his particular soil, not only at the 

 first application, but at the second and 

 succeeding ones, when perhaps a larger 

 or smaller quantity is needed to maintain 

 the proper proportions of nitrogen, potas- 

 sium and phosphorus. On the whole 1 

 would class chemical manures as stimu- 

 lants useful perhaps near the end of the 

 -eason, when propagation is long past 

 and circumstances demand quantities of 

 ! low- grade flowers. Geo. S. Osborn. . 



As the holidays draw near there is al- 

 ways more or less nervous anxiety on the 

 part of the grower, dreading that he will 

 not be "ii ti with a good cut for that 



tine, 



i lark 



not 



inexperienced, 

 being annual 

 remains deal- 

 's they regain 



their 

 azure disposition, making themselves and 



In thi- frame of mind a grower is 

 more lial.le to commit an error of judg- 

 ment than he otherwise would be. If 

 .-reps are seemingly tardy, good judg- 

 ment will have t.> i.e exercised befon 

 any increase of temperature is resorted 

 to. Benieiiil.. r ih.it ii wood and foliage 

 I get into a -oft lition at this sea- 

 son there is little hope for recuperation 

 before spring, and any check to root 

 action means weak, debilitated wood for 

 next crop, and as our customers -require 

 blooms after the holidays are over, when 

 they are even more critical as to quality, 

 the' necessity for caution is apparent. 



The grower who makes the health of 

 his stock his first study is very conserva- 

 tive when it is a question of hastening 

 a crop. He is from long experience alive 



