May 3, 1913 



HORTICULTUEE 



665 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



CONDUCTED BY 



Questions by our readers In line with any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially r/"^*'?!,'' «°^'2!^^*" »18W"«<* 

 by Mr. Farrell. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the office of HOETICDI>iUKl£. 



Cafe of Carnations 



Houses of carnations which were planted late last year 

 will give fair returns up to the end of June if given 

 attention. Give them a top dressing of half loam and 

 half cow manure; or a coat of all manure may be ap- 

 plied. Any other fertilizer you are in the habit of using 

 may be also used. Give all the ventilation now that 

 the weather will permit so as to keep the air pure and 

 dry. Every morning syringe thoroughly, or red spider 

 will be very troublesome; if this pest gets foothold at 

 this time of the year it will be hard to get rid of it. Keep 

 fly and thrips down by timely fumigation; never relax 

 your watchfulness but keep up the fight at all times. 

 See that the young stock has good care until planted out. 

 Give plenty of ventilation, so that the plants will be 

 sufficiently hardened off. Keep them well watered as 

 they should not be allowed to become dry for any length 

 of time. 



Dieffenbachias 



These plants require plenty of heat and moisture. 

 Now that the warm weather is with us increase the tem- 

 perature up to 70 degrees during the night with from 

 10 to 15 degrees more during the day. They cannot be 

 kept too near the glass, if not absolutely touching it, but 

 must be protected from the sun with a thin shade, or the 

 leaves will lose their healthy color. They like a daily 

 syringing overhead through their growing season. 

 Young plants that were propagated early in the year and 

 are in small pots should be shifted, as they will make 

 roots rapidly. A good mixture is fibrous loam three 

 parts, leaf mold and peat one part each, and well rotted 

 cow manure one part. Syringe regularly once or twice 

 a day and give them abundance of water at the roots. 

 A high degree of moisture should be maintained from 

 this out. When the desired size pot is reached they can 

 be kept in good condition by the use of manure-water 

 once a week during the summer. 



Forcing Lily of the Valley for June 



Cold storage pips are now used exclusively for this 

 purpose. Place them where they can have a brisk bot- 

 tom heat and keep close and dark until they are half- 

 drawn up when light should be gradually increased. 

 Where you want good foliage give them full light from 

 start to finish ; the stems may be shorter but the foliage 

 will fully counterbalance this. After the middle of May 

 lily of the valley can be grown in frames that are built 

 good and close. For the next couple of weeks bottom 

 heat will be necessary, but from that out they will do 

 without it. Place about six inches of sand on the ma- 

 nure and in this plant the pips the same as one would in 

 the frame in the greenhouse. It is a good plan to have 

 the frame partitioned off then one can plant two or more 



batches which will be coming on from time to time. It 

 will be comparatively easy to maintain enough of heat 

 in the frame. Keep close until they are well up and 

 then give air so they will not become too leggy. When 

 the bells are well out give shade with plenty of air 

 which will help to keep, them longer. 



Growing Palms from Seed 



To grow palms from seed successfully always make it 

 a point to get fresh seed. It is better to procure the vari- 

 ous kinds as they are imported from their different 

 sources and plant from time to time as received. The 

 seed can be sown in pans or flats, but pans are to be 

 preferred as the flats are liable to rot before they are 

 large enough to pot off. Fill the pans with a mixture of 

 equal parts of loam, leaf mold and sand, and provide am- 

 ple drainage for each pan. The seed should be covered 

 twice their depth and pressed down firm. To help re- 

 tain the moisture the pans should be covered with moss. 

 All palm seed will germinate better when kept over bot- 

 tom heat and under closed sashes. The temperature can 

 run anywhere from 70 to 80 degrees. Give just enough 

 of water to keep the compost moist, but never wet or 

 soggy. From now on an ideal place for palm seed is a 

 mUd hot-bed where they will germinate good. Do not 

 become discouraged if they do not appear in four or six 

 weeks, as the germinating period varies anywhere from 

 four weeks to six months. Pot off at the first signs of 

 growth. 



Nephrolepis 



It is now time again to turn our thoughts to nephro- 

 lepis, bearing in mind their importance during the win- 

 ter and spring sales. A side bench will make an ideal 

 place for these ferns to grow in. When planting allow 

 them at least 15 inches of space. Give the soil a good 

 soaking after the ferns are planted out and when they 

 need water again Just water around the plants imtil 

 they make roots through the soil after which water all 

 over the bench. On all bright days they should have 

 gentle sprayings twice a day and a frequent damping 

 down of the walks. They will require some shading, 

 l)ut not too heavy and keep plenty of ventilation. 



Sowing Annuals 



Now is the time to make outdoor sowings of annuals 

 such as sweet alyssum, calendula, calliopsis, candytuft, 

 cosmos, eschscholtzia, marigold, mignonette, nastur- 

 tiums, poppy, salpiglossis, scabiosa, zinnias, etc. They 

 can be sown in neat shallow drills, with some fine soil 

 to cover them and beat down a little with the hoe. Where 

 it is possible keep them moist until they are above the 

 ground. When large enough they can be thinned out 

 to the proper distance apart. 



Mr. Farrell's next notes wUl be on the foUowing: Care of Old Azaleas; Gladioli; Growing Ferns During Summer 



ing Out Carnations; Wintering Flowering Marguerites. 



Lycastes ; Plant- 



