34 



HORTICULTURE 



January 9, 1909 



in fact many varieties are positively ugly by reason of 

 harsh contrasts of color. "Freak" singles, such as the 

 cactus geranium I also consider highly objectionable and 

 not worth house room. 



Double geraniums seem to me to be the most popular 

 geranium in America but why they should be more pop- 

 ular than the English round tlower section I could never 

 quite make out. I have always held that if the public 

 were given an opportunity to see a collection of singles 

 in full flower, the popularity of the doubles would suffer 

 a severe relapse. One reason for this is the fact that the 

 singles have a greater variation in color than the 

 doubles, and are much more graceful, and better adapted 

 for decorative effect. 



During the last ten or fifteen years so many ime new 

 varieties have been raised as to almost make one wonder 

 wlien they will reach the limit of perfection ; in fact, we 

 can almost see raisers beginning to despair whether im- 

 provements can be effected on them. As a rule we look 

 for new varieties in this class, from such growers as 

 Cannell, or Lemoine, but there is at least one well- 

 known American fimi who make a specialty of gerani- 

 ums and who in the future may be depended upon to 

 give us varieties fully as good as the Frenc-li oi- Knglisli 

 importations. 



If one wants a good show of flower during the early 

 winter months or for Christmas week, we must start 

 propagating about the beginning of February. The 

 method which we follow and which I think is about as 

 good as any is to put the cuttings singly into small pots 

 of light sandy soil and place them where they will get a 

 little bottom heat. Give them one good watering and 

 then keep them to the dry side until they are rooted. 

 Geraniums of the round-flower type may be grown to 

 almost any size by keeping the plants well pinched, and 

 growing them in a house moderately warm, as they like 

 a little warmth, but plenty of air should be given when 

 it can be done, and the plants should have plenty of 

 room at all times, else they are apt to become scraggly 

 and drawn. Great attention should be paid to watering. 

 It is better to find a dozen plants too dry than one too 

 wet. There is a remedy for the first evil, but none for 

 the latter, which often causes decay and death. A good 

 compost for geraniums is one made up of fresli fibrv' 

 loam, well decomposed cow manure, with a little leaf 

 soil and sand. As a rule I think six-inch pots are found 

 to be the most suitable and serv- - 



iceable size to flower them in, as a 

 geranium will bloom more freely 

 in a medium sized pot than in a 

 large one. 



For any one who wishes to grow a 

 few varieties of real merit I can 

 strongly recommend the following : 

 Paul Crampel, bright scarlet ; 

 Jaquerie, crimson; Ian McLaren, 

 salmon : Gertrude Pearson, pink ; 

 Duke of Bedford, dark crimson 

 with white eye; Juste Oliver, rosy 

 cerise ; Emile Zola, a rich salmon, 

 one of the very best; J. M. Ban-ie, 

 a peculiar shade of pink, flowers 

 very large : Tlie Seider, red ; The 

 Queen, pure white : Eeformatnr, a 

 very compact grower, witlt large 

 trusses of reddi-sh flowers. 



Roses Under Glass 



SBLEUTIUN Ol' WOUD FUR CUTTINGS. 



It may safely be said that in the selection of wood 

 for cuttings lies a good deal of the future success or 

 failure of tlie plants, yet, how few of us while engaged 

 in cutting off wood give a thought to this most im- 

 portant point. Among almost all varieties of roses there 

 will be found a 2iercentage of plants which, while very 

 vigorous in growth and with a wealth of foliage, per- 

 sistently refuse to nurke buds during the winter and 

 seem, in spite of the best treatment we are capable of 

 giving them, to devote tlicii- entire vitality to produc- 

 ing blind wood. 



As a plant raised from a cutting is merely a perpetu- 

 ation of the original stock, in order to avoid perpetu- 

 ating disease, wealcness, or any other undesirable feature, 

 we should be very careful in selecting wood. Those 

 plants which have failed to make buds will, of course, 

 offer an abundant supply of wood, wliicb, producing no 

 revenue, invites one to use it in preference to denuding 

 tlie plants that show an inclination to produce flowers. 



Eobust, healthy plants that have , proved themselves 

 free bloomers should always be selected, as these char- 

 acters will undoubtedly under careful cultivation, be 

 maintained and possibly accentuated in the young stock 

 if this system of sclcetiou is followed year after year. 



Close-jointed, well-ripened wood from this class of 

 stock will produce plants of a more uniform size and 

 habit, and under normal conditions, the productiveness 

 seldom fails to satisfy. By confining as much as poss- 

 ible our selection of wood to short-jointed growths we 

 secure cuttings of a more uniform condition of ripeness 

 than if long stems are taken, as it is quite obvious that 

 only a limited number of eyes on such a stem can be in 

 proper condition for propagating. Particularly does 

 this care in selecting- wood apply to Beauty and Rich- 

 mond. These varieties make none too many flowers at 

 their best, therefore it is to one's interest to exert every 

 influence that can be brought to bear in encouraging the 

 growth and proper development of flowering stems. 



North Easton. Mass. 



lldUSK OK .SINGLK GkT!AXIUMS 

 _ Grown by W. N. Crais, Xorth Es.stOTi, Ma? 



