.MAY 11'. isns. 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



917 



to retain a degree of moisture for tlu' 

 sustenance and growth of the plants 

 in dry weather. We all know the ef- 

 I'ect of wet and dr.v weather on the 

 welfare of the plants. While in wet 

 weather the plants may make a more 

 rapid growth, they are in danger of 

 being r.fl'ecled by fungous diseases; in 

 diy weather we notice the healthiest 

 growth, and to preserve and retain the 

 requiicd moisture is the first and fore- 

 most object of cultivating. 



in the so-much recommended meth- 

 od of sub-watering on the benches in 

 the house, we find the surface of the 

 soil remains in the same condition at 

 <>ne time as another, that is dry but 

 loose and mellow, open to the air. But 

 this is only on the surface: it is moist 

 1 cr V/-, inches below the soil, 

 being Ivcpt so by that capillary action, 

 drawing the water up from the bottom 

 through a layer of brick so long as 

 there is a supply of water. Now to in- 

 sure tlie same action in the field, to 

 draw up the moisture from below, the 

 surface has to be in the same condi- 

 tion as on the bench, loose and mel- 

 low, accessible to the air. Now on 

 the other hand, the roots of the plant 

 revel near the surface; there they find 

 the most food, caused by a more rapid 

 decomijosition of the nutritious ele- 

 ments in closer contact with the air. 

 So it is conclusive that we should cul- 

 tivate only superficially, say to the 

 depth of about two inches; we desire 

 to facilitate that capillary power, 

 Avithout injuring the roots of the 

 plants. To cultivate judiciously we 

 must never touch the soil when too 

 wet, nor wait until it becomes dry and 

 baked. The soil should be in a condi- 

 tion so it can be reduced to the con- 

 sistency of ashes. 



The necessary rains to supply moist- 

 ure to the soil, at the same time de- 

 stroy our provisionary work intended 

 to retain the same during dry weath- 

 er: so it has to be renewed after every 

 rain, as soon as the soil is in a proper 

 condition to do it. It is poor policy to 

 wait for another probable rain, to save 

 the w^orlv of doing it over again; a 

 delay will prove very harmful if that 

 expected rain should not materialize. 

 There is another object in cultivating, 

 that is, the destruction of weeds, ig- 

 norantly often supposed to be the 

 main object of cultivating, but if the 

 first mentioned is thoroughly carried 

 out, weeds will certainly have no 

 chance to grow, and need no further 

 consideration. 



I mentioned in my notes on plant- 

 ing that I prefer hand cultivating to 

 horse cultivating, and my reason for 

 the same is that the horse cultivator 

 generally runs too deep and leaves the 

 soil in too rugged a condition to my 

 taste, while with hand cultivating the 

 rows can be planted closer, the same 

 number of plants occupying less 

 ground, consequently less to cultivate; 

 and, as with a good hand cultivator, 

 one man can do the work of six with 

 hoes, there is little difference in the 



saving of time and labor, and besides 

 makes better, more careful and more 

 satisfactory work. 



We use the "Gem" hand cultivator. 

 a very satisfactory and cheap imple- 

 ment, and when the little shovels are 

 worn off they can be replaced with a 

 new set at small expense. As a. culti- 

 vator will not touch the soil between 

 the plants in the rows, this has nei'cs- 

 sarily to be gone over with a hoe, and 

 never allow any ground to be hilled up 

 around a plant, for this is even with 

 deep planting and invites stem rot. 



I may mention here the relative sub- 

 ject of watering. With a rigid adher- 

 ence to the principle of cultivating, 

 there is no necessity for watering in 

 the field, and the results far surpass 

 that of watering. To my experience 

 watering has proved with me a use- 

 less, ineffective work, and at times has 

 been a positive injury, and expensive 

 liesides. To my impression watering, 

 during a time of drouth, will only be 

 of benefit by a system of irrigation or 

 better by sub-watering with the aid of 

 tiles, FRED DORNER. 



Cuttings. 



You should take advantage of the 

 last week or two of firing to put in a 

 good batch of cuttings that may yet 

 be useful. In our latitude there is 

 considerable bedding out done as late 

 as middle of June, and coleus and oth- 

 er quick growing bedding plaitts will 

 make acceptable plants in i weeks. 



Chrysanthemums. 



Above all you should put in at once 

 a large lot of chrysanthemums. A few 

 varieties like BonnalTon, Jerome Jones 

 and Ivory should have been propaga- 

 ted six weeks ago to obtain the best 

 flowers, but sorts like Niveus, Maud 

 Dean and Lincoln can be propagated 

 this month. Many florists will be so 

 busy for the next 4 or ."i weeks that 

 chrysanthemums not planted in the 

 beds are liable to get negleoted. Many 

 will be in 2-inch pots and as shade is 

 not at all desirable they will often suf- 

 fer for water. 



Although a chrysanthemum will 

 evolve from a wiry, abused plant into 

 a fairly good healthy growth and pro- 

 duce a good flower, yet it is not fair 

 to expect that it will do this in all 

 cases, and before you get so busy that 

 you can think of nothing but filling 

 orders you should try and get them in 

 shape to withstand a month's com- 

 parative neglect. Two inch, that have 

 the pots filled with roots, can l)e 

 shifted into .'i-inch, and y-inch propa- 

 gated early into 4-inch. If you don't 

 have bench room, you will be sure to 

 have room out of doors, and a board 

 r. inches deep and the beds not over 

 (! feet wide, with the pots plunged in 

 coal ashes, will be just the place for 

 them. The sun and air will give 

 them the firmness and partial ripening 

 of the wood, essential in many varie- 



ties, much better than being under 

 glass, in the glaring sun and starved 

 for root room. Whenever you can 

 spare a bench for mums and want fine 

 flowers, you should plant at once. 



Some years ago, we were told to 

 put an inch of cow manure on the 

 bench and 4 or 5 inches of soil on that. 

 We did not find it a good plan. The 

 bench should be constructed so that 

 water will pass freely between the 

 boards, at least a good half inch be- 

 tween the boards or planks. Five 

 inches of a rather heavy loam is, I 

 think, just as good as 10 inches and 

 more easily managed. A fifth of half 

 decomposed animal manure and one 

 quart of bone flour to 2 bushels of soil 

 will be an excellent mixture. I will 

 just add that they arc often planted 

 needlessly far apart. It is a waste of 

 most valuable space and of little bene- 

 fit to the plants. The rows nine inches 

 apart and the plants <> inches from 

 each other will grow just as fine 

 mums, as you are likely to get a de- 

 mand for. If you intend to have 2 or 

 ',', flowers to a plant then 10 inches be- 

 tween rows and 8 inches between 

 plants will be sufficient. 



Hydrangeas. 



There is always a good demand for 

 these every spring. As an Easter 

 plant we don't think them quite so 

 satisfactory as many other plants, but 

 it wanted on that occasion you may as 

 well have them as to buy them. For 

 Easter sales cuttings should have been 

 struck as early as end of January and 

 be now in 3-inch pots. When well 

 rooted in these, and having made a 

 growth of 4 or -"i joints they should be 

 stopped by pinching out the center 

 growth. Tow-ards end of month they 

 should be shifted into O-inch pots or 



