January 20, 190G 



HORTICULTURE 



61 



Carnations Going to Sleep 



Just now there is considerable complain! about car- 

 nations "going to sleep." Much has been written as to 

 why cut carnations fail to keep as they should. The 

 cause may have been discovered, but it is apparent that 

 the remedy has not yet been applied. 



I shall not touch upon any of the points heretofore 

 mentioned which in every instance has dealt with the 

 cultivation and handling of the flower before it has 

 reached the market. In my opinion it is seldom that 

 the grower is entirely to blame for their poor keeping 

 qualities. As a rule it is not the cut of a particular 

 grower that fails to keep, but when carnations want to 

 sleep they simply sleep and don't care who grew them. 



It is a well-known fact that when carnations will not 

 last over night in a store the grower can keep those 

 game flowers in good condition for a week or more. 

 The carnation either cut or on the plant loves plenty 

 of pure fresh air. This they get at the place where 

 grown and therefore last much longer. In dark, rainy 

 weather roses will not keep well, even though the 

 weather was bright during the development of the bud ; 

 so are there certain atmospheric conditions which af- 

 fect the carnation flower in like manner. In the im- 

 pure air of a city store the effect is quick and more no- 

 ticeable. 



Eaving had considerable experience in this matter I 



have found that by keeping carnations in a box outside 

 the store they will last as long again as when kept in- 

 side. Not every store man has such a luxury as a back 

 yard, but if tie has not a rear window will answer 

 nearly as well. Have a box built inside the window : 

 if you need the light build it of glass. See that it is 

 light and that the only air that gets in must come from 

 the outside. Fasten a piece of cheese cloth at the open- 

 ing to keep out the soot and dirt. You can regulate 

 the temperature by raising or lowering the window, 

 but do not shut oil the entire supply of fresh air at any 

 time. Try this plan with a few flowers in a simple 

 way and you will be so pleased with the result that you 

 will have built such a box as I have described. I do 

 not say that this will prevent them from going to 

 sleep in time but do claim that they will last twice as 

 long as when kept in the usual manner. 



The loss of stock is quite an item to the retail florist. 

 It is a mistake to put everything on ice and you -will 

 find this In ix to be superior to a refrigerator for keep- 

 ing many other flowers of which I may have more to 

 sav at another time. 



Propagating Roses 



IN GENERAL AND AMERICAN BEAUTIES IN PARTICULAR. 



By this time I am a little late with my notes on 

 propagating roses, as it must have commenced before 

 this and the propagating bench must be kept well tilled 

 for the next few weeks. Do not for a minute think 

 that any old bench or out of the way corner will suit 

 for a place in which to start young stock. A propa- 

 gating house must be a nice, light, airy structure with 

 plenty of heating and ventilation to which the good 

 old saying, "Cleanliness is next to godliness'* is essen- 

 tially applicable. A raised bench with plenty of heat- 

 ing pipes under it to regulate the sand, and a heawj 

 canvass to (-online the beat under the bench, is all 

 right. After giving the board on inside of bench a 

 good coat of whitewash consisting of hut lime ami 

 about two handfuls of Portland cement to the pailful, 

 we are ready for the sand. Some people have a slate 

 bottomed bench, some a concrete and others use differ- 

 ent material. I prefer a wood bench with two inches 

 of rough gravel or crushed stone on the bottom, and 

 four inches of good sharp bank sand on top of that, 

 well watered and pounded down. 



In propagating American Beauties two-eyed euttings 

 of good flowering wood or three-eyed of harder and 

 more ripened wood are just right to make a good plant. 

 Too soft or pithy wood will not root well but turn 



black m the sand and if they do root they will produce 

 what we call "black legs." and not good plants. 



Temperature fur sand should not vary more than 

 two degrees and should lie kept as near sixty-two as 

 possible and with an outside or house temperature of 

 fifty-six to fifty-eight degrees about ninety-five per 

 cent, of them should root in from twenty-five to twenty- 

 eight days. The cuttings should always be shaded 

 should the sun shine on them, but if the sun's rays 

 do not come in contact with them shading can be 

 dispensed with entirely. 



Watering cutting- is a very particular job and should 

 be looked after with the utmost vigilance. They must 

 not be permitted al any time to suffer for want of 

 water. When watering do it thoroughly and as they 

 begin to callous, which will be in about ten days after 

 benching, you can withhold the water a little, but on 

 no account let the sand get dry at the bottom, for 

 should this happen your cuttings will have gone up 

 and you will have labored in vain. 



After twenty-sis days of good treatment the cuttings 

 should have made roots about half to one inch long. 

 and then is the time to get them into pots, for the roots 

 grow very quickly in the sand after this and soon be- 

 come black and brittle and it takes more care to get 

 bbern all into a two inch pot without breaking some of 



