April 2, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



785 



I 



THE RETAIL 



FLORIST 



the most vigorous varieties, making the 

 foliage soft and spongy and rendering 

 them peculiarly susceptible to the at- 

 tacks of mildew whenever it becomes un- 

 avoidable to expose them to me first 

 spring breeze that blows, and from 

 which sulphur in any form and all the 

 other nostrums cannot protect them. 



Carefully studying the proper regu- 

 lation of the admission of fresh air 

 without creating a draught and strictly 

 adhering to and practicing it on every 

 favorable occasion, particularly during 



WREATH OF GALAX. 



The accompanying engraving shows a 

 32-inch wreath of galax leaves with a 

 bunch of Bride roses and some cycas 

 leaves, arranged by Mr. Alexander Mc- 

 Connell, New York. The wreath was 

 tied with a large bow of white and pur- 

 ple ribbon. 



This wreath was ordered by Miss Helen 

 Gould and was sent to Washington nii 

 the occasion of the funeral of the late 

 President McKinlev. 



ROSES. 



Seasonable Hints. 



The time is now swiftly approachino 

 when with the lengthened duration and 

 increased intensity of sunshine there will 

 be less demand for firing. When firing 

 has to be dropped occasionally over 

 night great care will have to be taken 

 not to expose the plants to any sudden 

 chill, as this is frequently the cause 

 for an attack of mildew. To determine 

 the real cause of these attacks and how 

 to create conditions, which, while being 

 favorable to the health of the rose, 

 would he inimical to the germination 

 and growth of this pestiferous parasite, 

 should be one of the first and most im- 

 portant studies of the young grower, 

 as until he has mastered this particular 

 phase of rose culture, many, if not all, of 

 his other efforts may be brought to 

 naught. 



That it is possible to keep roses en- 

 tirely free from this trouble from prop- 

 agating time until they have done their 

 full season's work, is a fact, as a visit 

 to many of the modern rose growing es- 

 tablishments at any or all seasons of the 

 year will clearly convince the most skep- 

 tical. 



In order to have our stock clear of 

 this disease at all seasons we must be- 

 gin to safeguard the yoirng stock even 

 ■while yet in the cutting bench and con- 

 tinuing to keep a strict watch so that 

 we may avoid those conditions favorable 

 to its growth through all the stages in 

 which we may have the stock. A thor- 

 ough knowledge of the laws of ventila- 

 tion is the first essential, as by a sensi- 

 ble enforcement of these, plants can be 

 grown so hardy and given such a con- 

 stitution that they are almost immune. 



Ventilators, besides being of use in 

 allowing superfluous sun heat to escape, 

 have other purposes to serve, the most 

 important of which is the regulation of 

 moisture in the house and the distribu- 

 tion and proper circulation of fresh air 

 at all seasons, and particularly during 

 the long period of sunless weather when 

 artificial is the only kind of heat we can 

 command. During this period the inex- 

 perienced grower is usually eager to 

 save as much coal as possible, and con- 

 cludes that by closing the ventilators 

 tightly he is accomplishing his object. 

 He can, of coiirse, easily keep the tem- 

 perature just where he wants it by this 

 method, but the air so vitiated will 

 soon undermine the constitution of even 



lowing the sulphur to settle evenly and 

 giving to each leaf its quota, which can- 

 not be done so successfully if the air is 

 agitated. The higher temperature will 

 also help to release the fumes which 

 are the real destroying elements. If this 

 is practiced once a week and the walls 

 and roofs, particularly along the gut- 

 ters, arc kept in good condition the rav- 

 ages of this scourge are in a great 

 measure minimized. Ribes. 



BIGNONIAS. 



I have a large bignonia in my green- 

 house which grows more rapidly than the 

 famous beanstalk, but it never blooms, 

 and the only answer I receive when I 

 ask advice on the subject is "cut it 

 back." I do so, with the result that the 

 more I cut the more it grows. Wiil Mr. 

 Scott kindly tell me how and when to 

 cut. Southern Florist. 



Southern Florist does not say whether 

 the bignonia is planted out in the border 



Wreath of Galax, Roses and Cycas Leaves. Arranged by Alexander McConneU, 



New York. 



the period of heavy firing, is the surest 

 and most practical way of prevention. 



Precautionary measures are, however, 

 particularly in season just now, so that 

 we may begin the warm season with a 

 clean sheet. Painting the pipes with 

 the sulphur mixture once a week ana 

 keeping the blower going occasionally 

 should be ample protection. When using 

 the blower it is well to select a bright, 

 sunny day when the foliage is perfectly 

 dry, and close the ventilators tight dur- 

 ing the operation, even though the tem- 

 perature goes over 90 degrees, thus al- 



of the greenhouse or in a box or tub. 

 If it is kept the year around in the 

 greenhouse it gets no rest, and that, we 

 think, is the trouble, and the more you 

 cut it back the stronger it grows, but 

 it does not properly ripen its wood. 

 You know, I suppose, that the bignonia 

 is a hardy plant, even on the shores of 

 the great lakes, much more in balmy 

 Alabama. If your greenhouse was kept 

 down to 40 degrees in the winter time 

 (which I know many times would be 

 impossible) and you withheld water for 

 two months during your darkest weather 



