576 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



MARCH 3, 1S9S. 



much better for the plants than wait- 

 ing till 10 o'clock, and when the heat 

 is suffocating putting on a foot or 

 more at once. Those who are blessed 

 with steam, or what is next best, hot 

 water, with small pipes, are relieved 

 of this hot 4-inch pipe when least 

 needed. 



Shading. 



The construction and aspect of the 

 house will have much to do with the 

 need of .shade. In any house where the 

 sun can strike it, palms will need a 

 little shade. In a house running north 

 and south there is scarcely anything 

 that needs shading at this time, except 

 the propagating bed. but violets with 

 a south exposure must be shaded; that 

 I have seen strong evidence of the 

 past two weeks, the buds appearing as 

 good as ever, large and dark, bnt be- 

 fore being well developed sadly 

 bleached out. So on went the shade. 

 Speaking of shade, until we get some 

 clever and ingenious man to invent 

 some portable shade to apply when we 

 need it and dispense with when we 

 do not, we have no choice but to use 

 that crude and unsatisfactory method 

 of whitewash. For a shade to last all 

 summer, I do not approve of what is 

 generally known as whitewash, which 

 is quicklime slaked with water, and 

 salt added to make it stick. What is 

 much better, both for light and ap- 

 pearance, is naphtha and white lead, 

 adding the lead until you get it the 

 right thickness, and remember it will 

 dry thicker than it appears when first 

 applied. In cases when you want it on 

 in a hurry, it can be syringed on. but 

 that is not a satisfactory way and by 

 applying with a good brush you will 

 save more in material than will pay 

 the extra labor. 



The Propagating Bench. 



I cannot do more than remind you 

 not to let an inch of your propagating 

 bench be idle. The whole of this 

 month you should propagate sufficient- 

 ly for your spring sales. In the sand 

 I notice this morning we have sweet 

 alyssum fof course the double), sen- 

 ecio, lophospermum, lemon verbena, 

 sedum for baskets, lobelia, coleus,' 

 achyranthes, acalyphas, salvias, sweet 

 stevia for next winter, and a large 

 portion of the bed is devoted to chrys- 

 anthemums. 



The Hot Bed. 



In the way of a reminder there are 

 many florists who depend upon hot 

 beds after April first, not only to re- 

 lieve their overcrowded benches, but 

 depend upon them to grow several 

 bedding plants better than they could 

 in the greenhouse, and this is certain- 

 ly a fact. So get your material as soon 

 as you can. It should not be hauled 

 from the stable and made into a hot 

 bed. It needs turning over at least 

 once, and remember that if you can 

 get your friend, the brewer, to give 

 you a few loads of refuse hops it is a 

 most valuable addition to the stable 



manure, and when thoroughly decom- 

 posed is an excellent substitute for 

 real leaf mould. WM. SCOTT. 



PRUNING HYDRANGEAS. 



I have quite a lot of hydrangeas in 

 large tubs and pots for veranda deco- 

 ration, Otaksa. Thos. Hogg, etc. I 

 keep them in a cold cellar and prune 

 them in February, cutting back each 

 branch to a good large plump bud, and 

 rub off all remaining buds on the 

 branch, except two or three of the 

 largest. Is this proper? Would I get 

 more and better flowers if I did not 

 prune at this time, and saved the ter- 

 minal bud at the end of branch? These 

 branches are of lust year's growth, 

 have dropped their leaves and are well 

 ripened. Would the terminal bud? be 

 more likely to produce flowers than 

 the largest buds along the branch? 



F. P. L. 



"F. P. L." has undoubtedly cut off 

 many of the buds that would have 

 given him his finest flowers, the termi- 

 nal buds usually producing the finest 

 blooms. The trouble then arises if 

 you don't prune at all you soon have a 

 straggling, unwieldy plant; so you 

 must make a compromise. Shorten 

 back the longest growth, only leaving 

 the plant in outline as compact as pos- 

 sible, and saving as many terminal 

 buds as you can. Then cut out the 

 weak growths entirely, but rub off no 

 buds from side of shoots, as many of 

 those, as well as the very bottom 

 growths, will give flowers. W. S. 



PRIMULAS. 



"Some of my primulas decay at the 

 surface of the soil. Can you tell me 

 why? Others of the same varieties 

 close by grow finely." 



We suspect that those decaying 

 have been in a drip and got overwat- 

 ered. We saw the result of that by an 

 accident early this winter. A primrose 

 does not like dampness at any time. 

 and although it should never be al- 

 lowed to get killing dry it likes an 

 airy, dry house without being too 

 warm. w. S. 



BOTTOM VENTILATORS. 



"Are there ventilators which can be 

 set in greenhouse glass near th? 

 eaves for extra ventilation? What do 

 they cost, and where are they to be 

 purchased, and how are they set in 

 place?" 



I have a faint recollection of seeing 

 such ventilafon used in a very an- 

 cient greenhouse. In a new structure, 

 if desirable, they could be provided 

 for without any great additional cost, 

 and could be furnished by any horti- 

 cultural builder or those supplying 

 greenhouse material. I scarcely think 

 it worth while to go into detail of how 

 to arrange them, because I see none 

 used in modern greenhouse structures, 



nor do I think they are in any way de- 

 sirable. Side ventilation, which would 

 have the same effect, is very desira- 

 ble for many plants, namely, violets, 

 carnations, a great number of bedding 

 plants, cool orchids and plants sum- 

 mered over under glass. If the sides 

 of your house have two feet of up- 

 right glass it can be in the shape of 

 sashes and hinged at top under plate. 

 If the walls are wood, a continuous 

 section of it, say one foot broad, cou.d 

 be hinged; when closed it would be 

 simply part of the wall; when open it 

 would be the best of summer venti- 

 lation, w, g 



SWEET PEAS. 

 From "J. E. B." comes the following: 

 "My sweet peas died early in Septem- 

 ber—those in new section of the 

 ground as well as those in the old 

 places. My neighbor, who had the 

 same kind of seed, cut fiowers until 

 November, as I have always done. The 

 vines appeared to dry up, but there 

 was more moisture than usual." 



This drying up may have been 

 caused by more conditions than one. 

 Sweet peas, if wanted to last through- 

 out the summer, should have a deep 

 soil, not too rich in manure, but deep- 

 ly dug or trenched, that their roots 

 may not be dWed out in long spells of 

 dry weather. If sown in a trench or 

 a slight depression, you can occasion- 

 ally give them a good soaking, which 

 will help them greatly. Last August 

 would certainly dry them up if not 

 watered. Another cause of their go- 

 ing off would be allowing them to g> 

 to seed. If the flowers get verv cheap 

 and you thought they did not' pav to 

 pick, they would bear a heavy crop 

 of seed, and that is more exhausting 

 than six months of flowering. They 

 are simply fulfilling the most import- 

 ant function of all annuals, and are 

 then ready to die and leave their seed 

 for reproduction, w. S. 



RATS AND MICE. 



I note an inquiry for a poison for 

 lats and mice. The following clean, d: 

 our place of the pests in quick orde ; 



Get some of the old-fashioned black 

 sulphur matches, now generally called 

 eight-day matches. Cut oft the black, 

 ends and put six or seven of these 

 black tips in some bread that has been 

 moistened in milk, and roll the bread; 

 into marbles about the size of c:m- 

 mon playing marbles. Have six or 

 seven tips in each marble. Rats s^em 

 crazy for this poison, and after eating- 

 one marble they will not live to see 

 another day. SUBSCRIBER. 



We note the inquiry as to how to get 

 rid of rats and mice. We were troubled 

 with them last winter and they de- 

 stroyed a great many flowers. We tried 

 all sorts of poisons and traps, and the 

 best results were from equal propor- 

 tions of corn meal and plaster of par's. 

 We filled small plant saucers with this 

 mixture and p'aced them every fifteen 



