144 



The Weekly Florists^ Review, 



I>Eri:.MBi:ii IS. I'MfJ 



cuttings can l>e obtained from a vigor- 

 ous plant and when we consider the qual- 

 itj' of the stock, instead of there being 

 a sacrifice, we liave made a gilt-edged 

 investment. It is not good policy to 

 hold a cent so close to the eye that a 

 dollar can not be seen at arm's length. 



Kcfcrring to my notes of September 

 18, }^ou will notice under "cutting back" 

 that in cutting a slioot before the bud 

 is well set. tlie result is apt to be a 

 clump of weak shoots on account of the 

 stem being short-jointed. These are not 

 ideal cuttings any more tlian a bloom 

 tliat has not been disbudded is an ideal 

 one. thei-cfore in cutting back let the 

 buds attain a diameter of at least three- 

 eighths of an inch before putting them 

 under the knife. 



Hope to give vou more on this sub- 

 ject next week. ' ^^^_ g^ q^^^^^_ 



ROSES. 



Seasonable Hints. 



Propagation of roses foi- indoor cul- 

 ture by grafting being comparatively new 

 in this countr}-, is as yet very limited In 

 its practice, and has been resorted to 

 with the view of increasing the root ac- 



rose of a very vigorous habit. These are 

 imported in large quantities in a dor- 

 mant condition and usually reach this 

 country early in November. They are 

 now also raised in this country. There 

 are other stocks which many growers 

 claim are "just as good." 



The ilanettis should be potted in 2J- 

 incli pots early in December and placed 

 on a light and airy bench in a tempera- 

 ture of 40 degrees, syringing them free- 

 ly every bright day, and keeping the 

 roots rather on the dry side. These are 

 not fit to be operated upon until root ac- 

 tion is well started and the eyes begin 

 to swell. 



The wood to be used as scions should 

 be of similar size and quality as that 

 used for cuttings and should be selected 

 with the same discrimination and care. 

 The stock should be cut back, leaving 

 ju.'it suflicient wood to be easily worked 

 on. 



The nwde of grafting used is largely a 

 matter of taste, each grower having his 

 own favorite style, the main object being 

 to effect a neat union as expeditiously 

 as possible. A fundamental principle 

 which applies to every method of graft- 

 ing is the necessity of forming a direct 

 communication between the layers of in- 



Basket of Carnations. No. 2. 



tion of those varieties which are natu- 

 rally weak on their own roots or which 

 have begun to deteriorate from continual 

 forcing, 



Tlie first essential towards successful 

 grafting is to have a properly construct- 

 ed frame or pit in which to place the 

 stock after the operation is performed. 

 A frame suitable for this purpose can 

 be built at a very small cost by board- 

 ing up a bench back and front in such 

 a way as to conserve the heat and make 

 it practically air tight, and which has 

 sufficient piping to maintain a tempera- 

 ture of 75 or 80 degrees under any con- 

 ditions, and having tight-fitting glass 

 sashes to cover it with, as during the 

 first ten days they must be kept very 

 close and warm. 



The stock for grafting on most gen- 

 erally used is the Manetti, an Italian 



ner bark in each of the parts to be 

 united. 



The style most generally in use is side 

 grafting, cither with or without the 

 tongue, and is performed somewhat in 

 the following numner: In order that 

 the parts may be quite fresh the stock 

 should not be cut until the graft is 

 ready for insertion; the scion should be 

 cut obliquely, the cut to be from } to 1 

 inch in length and the cut on the stock to 

 be of a similar length, shape, and if pos- 

 sible of the same width. A thin tongue 

 can be cut on the scion with an upward 

 cut and one of similar size on the stock 

 with a downward cut in such a position 

 that the tongue will fit in its place and 

 hold the scion. 



Care must be taken that the inner 

 barks come in direct contact with each 

 otlier when pressed together. It is nec- 



essary to have a keen edged knife so that 

 the cuts are cleanly made, a.s this fa- 

 cilitates perfect fitting and union takes 

 place much more readily. Wlien the 

 parts have been fitted as accurately as 

 possible they should be bound together 

 with raffia or some substitute that can 

 be wrapped firmly without cutting into 

 the bark. They should then be placed 

 in the frame, the tops of the plants 

 about six inches below the glass of the 

 sash, and syringed lightly. 



The frame should be kept closed for 

 the first ten days and a steady temper- 

 ature of 75 degrees maintained, opening 

 the frame each morning for a few' min- 

 utes to freshen the air and get rid of su- 

 perfluous moisture in the frame. Shad- 

 ing will also have to be carefully at- 

 tended to during this period. At the 

 end of ten days they will be in a fit state 

 to stand a little ventilation, and should 

 only get about one inch, which can be 

 gradually increased for the next fifteen 

 days, when they can be taken out of the 

 frame and placed on a bench in a tem- 

 perature of 05 degrees, which can be 

 gradually decreased until 58 degrees is 

 reached. They ought to be shaded for a 

 few days if the weather is bright. The 

 whole operation occupies about three 

 weeks' time. Ribes. 



ROSE TROUBLES. 



I send you a plant of Bridesmaid 

 Rose, which appears to be diseased. 

 Please let me know through the Review 

 what is the trouble. I have lost about 

 20 plants out of 275. They have died 

 out in patches and the plant sent is 

 from a corner that has once before been 

 replanted. Several that were taken up 

 and potted have recovered, W, H. 



After a very careful and minute exam- 

 ination of the specimen sent I failed to 

 find the slightest trace of any disease. 



If the drainage is in any way imper- 

 fect one part of the l)ench may dry out 

 more rapidly than others, especially in 

 the corners where the heat is partly con- 

 fined, and may become so dry as to in- 

 jure the roots before it is detected. I 

 may be mistaken but the specimen bears 

 every e\idence of having died simply from 

 want of water. 



It would be much easier to give cor- 

 rect .answers to questions submitted if 

 the inquirer when stating his trouble 

 would mention the varieties he is having 

 trouble with, and give a little informa- 

 tion about attending conditions, such as 

 quality of compost, taniperature and gen- 

 eral treatment. BiBES. 



ADIANTUM CUNEATUM. 



There is no_ better nor more useful 

 fern for florists' use than A, cuneatum, 

 and there is a large and ever increas- 

 ing demand for well grown fronds. To 

 produce these in profitable quantities it 

 is better to devote an entire house to 

 this purpose, as it is nearly impossible 

 to obtain the conditions suited to its 

 proper culture in any other way. 



As it requires abundant supplies of 

 water when producing a crop of fronds, 

 it is essential that the drainage of the 

 bench should be as nearly perfect as 

 possible. Between crops water has to 

 be given sparingly to keep the soil from 

 souring. The bench should be at least 

 six inches deep and filled flush. A com- 

 post of two parts fibry loam and one 

 part peaty soil, with another part com- 

 posed of leaf mould, well rotted cow 



II 



