1000 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



May 7, 1903. 



(lire when growing Jacques, Papa Gon- 

 tiers, Safranos and Bon Silcncs. we 

 would have had better results. 



Amongst a host of other advice, a lui.x- 

 I ure of hard eoal ashes in the compost 

 is recommended. It is just possible that 

 in twenty-five years from now our pres- 

 ent methods of culture may be consid- 

 ered equallj' primitive and crude. 



EinKS. 



COMPRESSED AIR VS. SYRINGING. 



Bring a student in tlic art of rose 

 growing, especially of Beauties, Meteors, 

 and others of the hybrid tea and H. P. 

 lypes, I have come to the conclusion that 

 the large amount of syringing that is in- 

 dulged in by the majority of growers is 

 \ery often detrimental to their proper 

 growth, and especially so duiing the dark 

 days, as the florists generally after 

 s\Tinging the plants are anxious to get 

 them dry before night, using various 

 methods to dry them, even to shaking the 

 moisture oft' the plants. 



I have often thought there should be 

 a method of keeping down red spider 

 without wetting the foliage, and a short 

 time ago the thought struck me that by- 

 using compressed air to aerate, instead 

 of syringing, all the advantages of 



especially on days not favorable to venti- 

 lation. Mealy bug and thrips could be 

 cleaned off' plants bj- its use, and the 

 rose beds could be swept clean of all dead 

 and yellow leaves. The houses would 

 last longer, as there would be no excess 

 of moisture. It would be more comfort- 

 able for the men, as they would not get 

 wet in aerating as they do in syringing. 

 These are onlj- a few of its possibilities. 



My idea of putting this system into 

 practice is to place a valve on water 

 system, shut off water, and connect pipe 

 system with air ]ium]i, the pmnp to be 

 lun bj' steam or other power, the air to 

 be taken from outside, and part of air 

 pipe to run through cylinder filled with 

 st«am to heat air to temperature desired, 

 and the aerating to be done with hose 

 (as in syringing) with suitable nozzle 

 attached to hose. (Perhaps some of my 

 fellow florists can improve on this.) 



Another point in its favor is that air 

 costs nothing, whereas the water bill for 

 sj'ringing is quite an item. 



As regards other possibilities, a cham- 

 ber could he filled with tobacco smoke if 

 fiunigation be necessary. (But the aerat- 

 ing will blow off aphis.) Fumes could 

 Ix; sent into houses and fumigation made 

 easy by simply turning on faucets. Sul- 



May Suggestions. No. 2. 



syringing could be accomplished without 

 its disadvantages, viz.; having wet 

 foliage and very often more A\'ater on the 

 beds than necessary, also being able to 

 syringe only on bright days. 



Now, with the compressed air the 

 aerating could be done at any time, 

 bright or dark days, morning or after- 

 noon, and with the unlimited amount of 

 ]iressurc that can lx> obtained by using 

 compressed air red spider would soon be 

 a pest of the past. As regards black 

 spot, any good grower of Beauties and 

 other roses of this type will agree with 

 me that the foliage lieing wet at night is 

 the condition most favorable to its 

 spreading; consequently by aerating the 

 plants black spot would soon come under 

 iiui control with very little trouble. 

 Mildew also spreads rapidly by excess of 

 moisture and it could be handled nuu-h 

 easier than by the present system. 



As to other benefits to be derived by 

 aerating, the houses could Ik- filled ^^'ith 

 fresh air every morning, and this no 

 doubt would be beneficial to the plants, 



phur fumes could also be sent into 

 houses by the same process. Possibly 

 air could be charged with chemicals and 

 a new source of feeding plants be 

 obtained. Of course this would mean 

 work for the experiment stations. But 

 I am satisfied that the use of compressed 

 air would open a new era in plant and 

 cut flower growing. 



I would like to conduct expcrimellt^ 

 along this line myself, but being an cni- 

 ))lo_yc have neither means nor facilities 

 for so doing, so I lake this means of 

 making it known to my l>rother florists, 

 trusting that some enteri)rising florist 

 will give it a fair trial. 



Harry McISTaugiiton. 



BEGONIA GLOIRE DE LORRAINE. 



A. O. ]). asks: "Give uu: some infor- 

 nuttion regarding the propagation of the 

 above." This subject has been very well 

 written up before now and by experts at 

 the business. 



One way of propagating this beautiful 



plant is to take the mature but sound 

 leaves, leaf stalk and all, and put them 

 in sand at a temperature of CO or 65 

 in the month of October, November or 

 December. At the end of the leaf stalk 

 a bunch of roots will form and several 

 young shoots will start. These will 

 make fine plants. The first time I saw 

 them propagated this way. instead of 

 sand, coal ashes was used and it seemed 

 to do just as Avell. 



Another way is to take the young 

 growths from old plants as we do any 

 cuttings. Tliese young growths usually 

 can be found on the plants in April, 

 and these young shoots root quickly and 

 surely and make fine plants. 



William Scott. 



CARNATION NOTES-EAST. 



Preparation for Indoor Culture. 



If the plants you intend for trial of 

 indoor culture have been kept in pots 

 and shifted as became necessary they are 

 probably now in 3 or 3i-inch pots. In 

 any event they should ha\e a shift about 

 a week before standing outside, using 

 new soil that was laid up last fall and so 

 enriched with manure that it will be 

 somewhat richer than field soil. Also 

 add a slight sprinkling of air slaked 

 lime. I would not advise using any 

 bone meal at this time nor any so-called 

 complete chemical manure or predigested 

 concoction. 



All our plants being in flats and having 

 previously- been established in pots, it 

 will be ail ea.s\- matter to cut them out, 

 as when planting in the field, and pot 

 into -t-inch, using soil as aljove, setting 

 them into a slightly shaded house a 

 couple of days when the shade will be 

 rcmiivcd. In a week's time the roots 

 will bo active in the new soil when the 

 plants will bo stood in frames outside. 



Oil the whole, I lielicve the plan of 

 cutting from flats and potting at plant- 

 ing time, which with us is about May ri 

 to 10, is the better method (o follow. 

 l.css watering is needed while in flats, 

 the roots have more freedom, producing 

 a larger plant, besides there is no risk 

 of tlicir becoming pot-bound or the soil 

 lie as apt to sour. 



It is not necessary to have <w con 

 struct regular cold frames. Eight or 10- 

 iiich boards you may have or can procure 

 clieaply that will answer every purpose, 

 the object being to enclose the pots to 

 prevent rapid drying out. especially of the 

 outside rows, also to be able during long 

 continued rains to cover with sash. Se- 

 lect a level spot where sun and air have 

 full play, set the boards on edge, butting 

 the ends, driving a 4-inch board in the 

 ground at each joint and at ends of 

 frame, nailing ends to these. Of course 

 tlicrc will be two rows of boards at such 

 distance apart as will suit your sash. 



The 4-inch boards, or posts, as they 

 may be called, should project a foot 

 above the top edge of front boards and 

 about fifteen inches above back ones when 

 driven. Intermediate posts may be re- 

 quired according to length of boards, 

 also to stiffen the whole. At the top 

 nail strips from post to post, forming 

 a support for sash, the back support 

 lieing higher, as provided when driving 

 posts gives a pitch to the sash when 

 used. Two or three inches of coarse 

 gravel, cinders, or ashes on the bottom 

 will provide drainage. 1 would advise 

 whitewashing the inside of frame, also 

 to sprinkle a good quantity of air-slacked 



