602 



HORTICULTURE 



April 3, 1909 



The Hub of the Market 



The newest, lightest, best equipped and best located Wholesale 

 Establishment, right in the centre of the 



Cut Flower Market District of New York 



With a life -long experience in the Flower Trade and every needed facility, 

 I am prepared to serve you by supplying 



THE BEST STOCK IN THE MARKET 



at reasonable prices, or selling your product for you on commission to 



the best advantage. 



Please call or write for information. Shall have a full line of best 



Easter Flowers and Plants 



Charles Millang, 



444 Sixth Avenue, cor, 27th St. 



NEW YORK 



points have been obtained and the 

 color is undesirable, the plant is only 

 good for re-crossing, because of its 

 desirable habits; then one must work 

 for the necessary stem and strong 

 calyx to hold the flower erect; size, 

 form, substance and last but not least 

 fragrance, must all be considered — 

 fragrance I regard as indispensable. 

 The process of cross-fertilization is so 

 simple that I need not go into it in 

 detail. 



Applying the Pollen. 

 One must study the various vari- 

 eties to be used, and fine judgment 

 is .sometimes required to know when 

 the flowers have reached the proper 

 stage for the experiment. In some 

 varieties the pollen is perfectly ripe 

 and ready for use as soon as the 

 llower expands, while in others it does 

 not appear for several days after the 

 bloom develops. On the ends of the 

 stamens are the anthers which, when 

 they burst, produce the pollen. When 

 ripe it is in the form of a powder. 

 The stigma is the part to which the 

 pollen is applied and as it reaches the 

 proper stage for fertilization the upper 

 surface assumes a rough, hairy ap- 

 pearance. Is is now ready for crossing, 

 and upon this surface the pollen 

 should be spread, being careful that 

 it is properly ripe and dry, when it 

 will be seen to adhere easily. If fer- 

 tilization has taken place, the petals 

 of the flower will wilt and fade within 

 from one to two days, and often in a 

 few hours, . which is a sure indica- 

 tion that the operation has been a 

 success. 



.\fter the petals dry np, they may be 

 removed without danger of injury to 

 the seed pod forming, and to prevent 

 accumulation of moisture which might 



otheiwiff i;iii-i- I he pod to decay. 

 Flower.s fertilized early in October 

 and November will usually ripen their 

 seed in about 6 or 7 weeks. 



Gathering the Seed. 



The seed pods should be picked with 

 4 to 6 inches of stem attached, careful- 

 ly wrapped in paper, or enclosed in 

 envelopes and allowed to dry thor- 

 oughly. This usually requires about 2 

 weeks. The seed should then be care- 

 fully removed and planted at once. 



Flats thorou.^hly drained with a lay- 

 er of 1 to 2 inches of ashes, over 

 which a like quantity oif sifted loam 

 of a light sandy nature has been 

 spread, makes an ideal compost. Level 

 oft carefully, press moderately firm, 

 sow in rows 1 to 1 1-2 inches apart 

 and 1-2 inch deep, which can be made 

 by pressing a narrow strip of wood in- 

 to the soil, cover carefully with about 

 1-2 inch soil, water with a fine 

 sprinkler and place upon a shelf in 

 a light situation out of the reach of 

 mice, who are extremely fond of car- 

 nation seeds— one mouse, if he "gels 

 busy" will destroy hundreds of seeds 

 in a night. This happened to me one 

 season when I had sown the seeds in 

 4-inch pots, which were placed on a 

 bench, and I had omitted to cover 

 them with a sheet of glass, as was my 

 custom then. 1 lost almost an entire 

 season's seeds by my neglect in one 

 night, and I confess I did not feel 

 very kindly toward that mouse next 

 morning. 



Care of the Seedlings 



ilreat care should be taken to keep 

 the soil moderately moist. If the sun 

 is bright: a paper should be spread 

 over the flats during tne day, and re- 

 moved towards evening. This prevents 



too rai)id evaporation. The seed will 

 usually germinate in from four to ten 

 days, when all shading should be le- 

 moved and the fiats kept in a light 

 airy position free of draughts. It re- 

 quires good judgment in watering to 

 prevent damping off ny excess of 

 moisture, or injury by becoming too 

 dry. When the seedlings have devel- 

 oped their second leaves, they should 

 be transplanted into small pots or 

 flats: 1 prefer the latter as there is 

 less danger of a check by becoming 

 too dry. They should be kept in a 

 light, airy position to insure a com- 

 pact growth, in a night temperature 

 of 45 to 50 degrees. Then they can 

 be planted in the field during IVIay 

 when danger of check trom frosts has 

 passed. Plant in rows similar to gen- 

 eral varieties. Those making a com- 

 pact, bushy grov.-th should not bq 

 stopped back but allowed to blootn, 

 to determine whether it is worthy of 

 being trasplanted into the greenhouse 

 later for a further test. Those in- 

 clined to run up with a single stem 

 and no side growths should have the 

 centres pinched out, so as to induce 

 a bushy growth, so valuable later, 

 should the variety prove an acquisi- 

 tion. The idea of encouraging the 

 seedlings to bloom early is to be able 

 t(! select from the field those worthy 

 of further trial in the greenhouse. 

 This enables one to save much valu- 

 able space that might otherwise V.e 

 taken up by worthless sorts. 



Selection. 



It is often desirable to save single 

 varieties exhibiting profuse bloom- 

 ing qualities and healthy, vigor- 

 ous constitutions,— select those with 

 a strong well formed calyx, and wide 



