912 



TheWeekly Florists' Review. 



April 23, 1903. 



ments should be applied. To be of im- 

 mediate and lasting use this materia 

 should be of a concentrated form, and 

 of a sufficient richness to maintain the 

 plant during the remainder of the sea- 

 son. ' . 



Well decomposed cow manure contains 

 most of the requisite elements. To pre- 

 vent it from shifting during the process 

 of watering and to give it stability, it 

 should be mixed with one-third of its 

 bulk of good fibry loam, and to each 

 bushel of the compost should be added 

 one and one-half or two pounds of des- 

 sicated bone flour. This helps mate- 

 rially in giving strength to the stem and 

 foliage and substance and color to the 

 petals. At this season the mulch can 

 be given in greater quantity than at 

 anv other time, one and a half inches 

 being none too deep, if the compost is 

 thoroughly incorporated. 



As the manure in the mulch will ab- 

 sorb and retain the moisture, the bench 

 will often present the appearance of be- 

 in" wet enough, when a careful examina- 

 tion will often show us that it is the 

 mulch only that is moist. The careful 

 thrower should not fail to make a thor- 

 ough examination daily, the mulch re- 

 quiring an abundance of water to dis- 

 solve the ingredients so necessary to sus- 

 tain the heavy growth now being pro- 

 duced. 



A light top dressing of wood or vege- 

 table ashes will also assist in retarding 

 the deterioration in size and quality 

 incidental to the advent of warm 

 weather. The liquid food should also 

 be increased in strength but not in fre- 

 quency, once a week being quite suffi- 

 cient, a more frequent use having a 

 tendency to engender a weak and flabby 

 growth which ^yill produce flowers of a 

 very inferior quality. 



By carefully studying the conditions 

 of our soil and stock and ascertaining 

 their requirements and by judiciously 

 supplying the lacking elements to the 

 soil at the proper time we can prolong 

 the period during which we may have 

 blooms of a high grade. Tliis oppor- 

 tunity if neglected or delayed now will 

 result in a crop of poorly developed and 

 worthless flowers which will scarcely 

 pay for packing and shipping. 



ElBES. 



KAISERIN. 



What can I expect from Kaiserin trans- 

 planted into the field from bench planted 

 last fall ? They have made weak growth 

 but are beginning to make some flowers 

 now. I need the room and would like 

 to have the flowers through the sum- 

 mer. Should they be dried o(T before lift- 

 ing? " F- S. 



Tliese roses do not require to be dried 

 oflf as this would have the effect of de- 

 laying their blooming seasoft. They can 

 be' transferred from the bench to the iield 

 at once. A rich mulch of decomposed 

 stable manure spread over the surface 

 of the bed when hot weather begins will 

 greatly assist them in making wood 

 and forming buds. They also require 

 copious supplies of water during their 

 growing season. RiBES. 



BLACK SPOT ON ROSES. 



Please give formula for making the 

 spraying solution for black spot on 

 roses. Aek. 



Prof. Halsted some years ago recom- 



mended the following mixture as a pre- 

 ventive. I have frequently used it with 

 success. Three ounces carbonate of cop- 

 per, one quart of ammonia and fifty gal- 

 lons water. Spray once a week with a 

 nozzle that gives a fine spray. 



A good plan is to pick off all affected 

 leaves and burn them. A careful use of 

 the hose is also essential as the usual 

 cause of this trouble is some sudden 

 check to root action, frequently brought 

 about by overwatering. RiBES. 



CARNATION NOTES-WEST. 



Stmding. 



During the past few weeks we have 

 seen the advantage of having a tempo- 

 rary shade on our houses, that is a shade 

 that will come off readilj-. The last part 

 of JIarch ^^•as very warm and the sun 

 made a light shade" necessary, but a few 

 days before Easter it turned cool and 

 cloudy and it rained a good deal. The 

 rain soon washed the shade off of the 

 glass and the houses were not nearly so 

 dark as they would have been with a 

 shade on the glass. Not only were we 

 several hundred blooms ahead at Easter 

 time, but the plants suffered less from 

 the high temperature that was main- 

 tained for several days. It is far easier 

 to put the shade back on a few times 

 during the season tlian it is to get a 

 sticky shade off when you want it off. 

 It does not take long to put a light 

 shade on a house with a hand .syringe if 

 you know how to work it, and I believe 

 this way of putting it on is better than 

 to put on a streak downi the center of 

 the glass. A little practice and com- 

 mon sense will soon teach you how to 

 work it. 



Firing. 



The right time to cease firing i.s a 

 question that you will have to decide 

 right soon now. Tliose who grow roses 

 will have to have fire heat for some time 

 yet and as it is no more work, and I 

 might say no more expense, to run a line 

 or "two extra in the carnation houses, it 

 will pay you to turn on a pipe in each 

 house and if necessary raise the ven- 

 tilators an inch or two on damp nights. 

 When the nights are warm and the days 

 are sunny I would rather have no fire 

 heat at all in my carnation houses. Car- 

 nations like a cool, fresh, bracing atmos- 

 phere, and if you can have this without 

 the aid of fire heat the plants will be 

 much better off. Fire heat should only 

 be used either to keep the temperature 

 from dropping too low or from getting 

 too damp in case of a rainy spell. When 

 I say dropping too low I do not mean 

 the 'temperature which you maintain 

 during the winter months. During the 

 winter when the days are short the 

 growth is soft and the blooms are very 

 double and a slight check caused by a 

 lowered temperature will cause the ca- 

 lyx to split; but now the days are longer, 

 the sun is stronger and the growth is 

 better matured and not affected as eas- 

 ily by these little changes as it was in 

 the winter. As the weather gets warmer 

 the blooms come less double, too. and 

 the danger of splitting is diminished 

 still more. So that a drop from 80 de- 

 grees at high noon to 45 the next morn- 

 ing will do no harm, and no serious 

 damage will result even if it should go 

 down to 40^ degrees, if it is not too 

 often. 



Of course the buds will not open up 

 so fast under these conditions and pos- 



sibly it would pay you well to fire up 

 and keep the temperature up to 

 50 all night, and if you have 

 to have steam up anyhow for 

 roses or some such crop it will cer- 

 tainly pay you well to do so. I am 

 speaking, however, of what is best for 

 the health of your plants and I feel 

 certain that if you hold your plants back 

 just a little now while the weather is 

 so bracing j'ou will be taking sure steps 

 toward cutting good blooms until well 

 into the summer mouths and you will be 

 the gainer at the end of the season. I 

 might say that this is the last chance 

 you will have to give your plants a 

 breathing spell to» fortify themselves 

 against the hard spell of growing that 

 is to come during May and the trying 

 hot days of June. Unless Easter comes 

 extra early we usually let our regular 

 fireman off soon after the temperature 

 is reduced to normal, and we get up 

 steam only on such nights as it is need- 

 ed, and it often happens that it is need- 

 ed only on very few nights after that 

 time. But don't let this cau.se you to be 

 neglectful and to think that a night or 

 two at 35 degrees will do no harm to the 

 plants and to neglect getting up steam 

 when it is really needed. That is where 

 your good judgment and integrity will 

 need to play an important part. The 

 health of your plants comes first above 

 all other things, and if it requires that 

 you give up a little sleep and comfort, if 

 you are a true gardener you will not hes- 

 itate to give it. 



Be sure that you do all your watering 

 in the forenoon so that the houses will 

 not be damp by evening. Also be sure 

 that you leave at least a crack of nir on 

 each house to heliT keep the air in 'ving. 

 A house standing at 40 degrees with a 

 crack of air on is better for the plants 

 than 44 degrees with no air at all and 

 no fire heat. 



The Young Plants. 



Look over your young plants every 

 few days and top what needs it, so that 

 if possible every plant will be toppe_(l 

 several days before planting out time 

 and the young shoots may start before 

 the roots are disturbed in transplanting. 

 It is a great benefit to the young plants 

 to make their first break before planting 

 out time. They can make more growth 

 and become better established in the field 

 before they are checked by another top- 

 ping. These little things may seem triv- 

 ial, but the}- count in the season's work. 



If it is possible the houses in which 

 you have your young stock should be 

 run quite cool and with lots of ventila- 

 tion until you plant them out in the 

 field. This is to harden them off a lit- 

 tle. If you have a. house filled with this 

 stock you can easily do this. Also with- 

 hold the water just a little and they 

 should have the full sun right along. 

 A. F. J. Batje. 



CARNATION NOTES— EAST. 



As 

 with 

 under 

 wec-k. 



My 

 rado, 

 the c 

 inch 

 when 

 lihiiit 

 June 

 count 



Experience Under Glass. 



promised last week my experience 



some of the varieties I have grown 



glass will be the subject this 



first attempt was made with Eldo- 

 the method consisting of potting 



uttings into 2-inch, shifting to o- 

 cutting back perhaps once, and 

 well established the most shapely 



s were benched, tiie date oeing about 

 15. EMorado was chosen on ac- 

 of its being so liable to rust and it 



