J 042 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



)Uv 14, 1903. 



One must have an education that would 

 fit him for many of the higher walks of 

 life, be constantly studying the secrets 

 of plant life and how to combat the 

 various diseases and pests which are 

 ever ready to attack his stock. 



In some commercial places the grow- 

 ers' duties commence at 4:30 or 5 o'clock 

 in the morning and continue with short 

 intervals for meals till p. m. In some 

 establishments it is looked upon as a 

 favor if work is discontinued even then. 

 Coupled with this is the absolutely neces- 

 sary Sunday labor, but in many. places 

 there is a good deal more called for than 

 is necessary, such as Selling, making up 

 designs, etc., and all for what? Not 

 so much coin of the realm as his next 

 door neighbor, who is perhaps not so 

 well equipped mentally or physically, 

 brings home on Saturday night, or per- 

 chance at noon, who has worked forty- 

 eight to Hfty-four hours against his sev- 

 enty-two to seventy-four hours, and who 

 has the certainty of spending an unin- 

 terrupted Sunday in the bosom of his 



famih', because he belongs to his union. 



Now are the owners of greenhouses 

 under any handicap, as compared witli 

 other enterprises, that they should call 

 on their help for such services, and can 

 they lay the blame on the shoulders of 

 the employe if he tries to escape ihem? 



This article is not designed to favor 

 unionism among florists, as at present 

 practiced in other industries, as, if af- 

 tiliated with the American Federation of 

 Labor, as it likely would be, the condi- 

 tions imposed could scarcely be carried 

 out witli advantage to the profession !;t 

 large. However, I trust the movement 

 will have the effect of ameliorating some 

 of the conditions under which the help 

 have labored so long, 



I regret that a certain class of em- 

 ployes can see nothing l)ut degradation 

 in this movement. That tlie florist 

 Inisiness can Ije run and made to pay 

 handsomely by confining the labor to 

 ten hours a day, starting at 7 o'clock in 

 tlie morning and witli no unnecessary 

 Sunday labor, is' beyond the possibility 

 of a (loiibt. .T. .T. C. 



CARNATION NOTES-WEST. 



By tliis time you nuiy have all your 

 carnations in the" field if the weather has 

 been favorable. In our section we are 

 having a dry spell just now, which has 

 compelled some to stop planting until 

 we get a rain and the soil is moistened 

 up again. Those plants which were 

 moved to the field up to a day or two 

 ago are not suffering, as it was possible 

 to dig up plenty of moist soil to set the 

 roots in, Tliis is where your side hill 

 plant comes in nicely, as you can plow 

 up moist soil and go right ahead plant- 

 ing. 



Regular cultivating should begin as 

 soon as the plants are in the ground. 

 Nearly every place has a band cultivator 

 of one kind or another, or at least it 

 should have. It will save you much 

 time and money in a season, as it will 

 take only an hour or two to go through 

 a patch that would take all day to go 

 over with a hoe. Of course you can't 

 dispense with the hoe altogether, as 

 you will need to loo-sen the soil and 

 cut out weeds close to the plants and 

 between them in the row, which you 

 cannot do with the cultivator. 



How often you should cultivate de- 

 pends on your soil and the weather, 

 but there is no danger of going over 

 them too often. We make it a point to 

 cultivate as soon after each rain as we 

 can work the soil, and if we do not have 

 a rain for a vv-eek after having cultiv-at- 

 ed, we go over them again anyway. Dur- 

 ing midsummer we sometimes cultivate 

 two or three times between rains, and 

 it certainly does the plants good. 



Have you never noticed how the sun 

 will dry a crust over soil that seemed 

 quite drv even when you cultivated be- 

 fore? This crust must be kept broken 

 up. and if you do keep it broken up you 

 will not find any necessity for watering 



or irrigating during tlie summer. Two 

 years ago it was so dry here that many 

 plants were burned by the heat of the 

 sun and the drought, but by continual 

 cultivating we kept our carnations 

 growing nicely. The plants were not so 

 large as other years, but they were well 

 matured and stocky and when they got 

 into the moist soil in houses they took 

 right hold and grew wonderfully. By 

 December you would not have known 

 that there had been a scarcity of rain 

 the summer before, so don't be afraid 

 to cultivate. A. F. J. Baur. 



CARNATION NOTES-EAST. 



Soil for Indoor Culture. 



In preparing soil for this method of 

 culture, particular care should be taken 

 that the best quality only be employed, 

 for it must be taken into account that 

 this soil is to complete the growth of 

 the plants after their short stay outside 

 in pots, also must do duty during bloom- 

 ing season. Also, in view of the fact 

 that a plant making growth alone for 

 future demands to be made on it, the 

 requirements are different than when 

 both growth and bloom are wanted. So 

 then, it is obvious that the soil must 

 needs be somewhat differently composed 

 and handled. 



Tlie term "best quality" as applied to 

 soil, must not be taken to mean that 

 it should be extremely rich, but rather 

 that its mechanical and plant food giv- 

 ing qualities be so adjusted that sturdy 

 growth will be produced. Turf from 

 good land piled up with alternate lay- 

 ers of cow manure (six parts soil to 

 one of manure) or good top soil upon 

 which were grown crimson clover or 

 other nitrogen gathering crops, the same 

 being plowed in. allowed to decompose 

 and using a like amount of manure when 

 throwing into piles, will give good re- 

 sults provided it is laid U]) the summer 

 previous to its being use<l. allowed to lie 



all winter and turned over at least twice 

 before putting on the benches. 



Cow manure is to be preferred on ac- 

 count of its slow action and consequent 

 lasting powers. Frequent turning breaks 

 up the manure and soil into fine parti- 

 cles, thus securing the proper mechan- 

 ical condition. 



Soil prepared in this manner contains 

 all the elements necessary for the plants 

 to BEGIN life under glass. Suppose the 

 plants are set .June 1.5: in a month apply 

 a top dressing of hard wood ashes that 

 you know to be unleached. allowing a 

 3-inch pot full to a row of six plants. 

 About August 15 repeat the operation, 

 using the same quantity of ashes. 



Wood ashes are very beneficial, "sup- 

 plying potash in a form which is at 

 once available, also containing lime in 

 good percentage, the soil is kept sweet 

 and the surface free from the green 

 growth resulting from frequent water- 

 ing. Phosphoric acid is also present 

 in wood ashes, and with what is nat- 

 urally contained in soil and cow manure 

 it is in sufficient supply to meet all 

 requirements during the growing period. 

 Nitrogen will be in good evidence if the 

 soil is prepared in the manner given 

 above. 



I would not advise the use of bone 

 meal in any way until the point is 

 reached where it is decided that no- 

 further stopping be done, the plants 

 licing allowed to run into bloom. At 

 that time apply at the rate given for 

 wood ashes at intervals of two weeks 

 until such an amount is used as will 

 equal the quantity usually mixed with 

 soil prepared to receive field grown 

 plants. Tlie bone should be lightly 

 worked into the soil, being careful not ' 

 to disturb any roots. 



There is a vast difference in bone 

 meal, some brands being almost worth- 

 less. As it is not in my province to- 

 advertise any particular kind I will only 

 state that the brand we use is not the 

 lowest in price, but the guaranteed an- 

 alysis is given as follows: 



Nitrogen, 4.12 per cent. 



Ammonia. 5 per cent. 



Phosphoric acid, 20 per cent. 



Bone phosphate, 4.5 per cent. 



Good results have always attended its 

 use and as to its not being available 

 for the plants when applied as advised, 

 to which question may arise, I will state 

 that not only do the plants show its im- 

 mediate effect, but the soil on being 

 taken from the bench a year later and 

 used in an experimental way to gi'ow 

 various other plants, failed to furnish 

 proper nourishment, and this, too. after 

 still later applications of liquid manure, 

 top dressings of sheep dung and bone 

 mixed with soil. 



My reasons for not using bone until 

 late are, first, it is not necessary, and 

 is not only a waste, but may result in 

 the plants being overfed. Second, val- 

 uable elements are lost when wood ashes 

 and bone meal are used nearly together. 

 Tliird, it is carrying out the idea ot" 

 "proper rotation of the chemical bill of 

 fare" referred to in notes of March 12. 

 Recollect, this article is devoted wholly 

 to indoor culture, or rather a compromise 

 between field and under glass contin- 

 uallv. Geo. S. Osborn. 



BENCHING FROM POTS. 



I am short of field room and would 

 like to plant my carnations directly 

 from the pots to the lienches. Here in 

 Colorado we have nothing like a warm 



