April 19. 1913 



HORTICULTURE 



589 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



COJTDCCIBD BY 



I^A^^.pf.pa^A.a/' 



Questions by our readers In line with any of the topl<» preiented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Farrell. Such communications should invarlatily be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



NEW 



Allamanadas 



Allamanda Williamsii is one of the most vahiable of 

 summer-flowering pot plants. With the rush of the bed- 

 ding-out season and Memorial Day they are liable to be 

 neglected. If they have been somewhat crowded, now 

 that space is most abundant, spread them out and where 

 necessary give them one or two short stakes. They will 

 now need water ahnost every day and liquid manure 

 two or three times a week. Continue the use of the 

 syringe. The night temperature may be kept at about 

 70 degrees with a rise of 10 or 15 degrees in the day. It 

 is essential to give ventilation so as to keep the temper- 

 ature at the right mark. Damp down two or three times 

 a day to keep the atmosphere of the house in a moist 

 state. If you are short of Allamandas they are easily 

 propagated from soft-wood cuttings of this season. Place 

 in sand over a bottom heat of 75 degrees. Probably the 

 better method is that of putting each cutting into a 

 thumb pot, first filling the pots with sand and peat, or 

 sand and leaf mold in equal proportions. Shading will 

 be necessarj- for a while. In about three weeks the cut- 

 tings will be rooted. 



Coelo8:yne cristata 



When these orchids are through flowering give them a 

 good sponging with some good insecticide. At this period 

 is a proper time to repot or top dress those that have out- 

 grown their pans or pots or to give them new compost 

 where it has become exhausted. They do well in a com- 

 post of equal parts of fresh sphagnum and fibrous peat, 

 intemiixed with some broken charcoal. Give the pans 

 or pots plenty of clean broken potsherds, say about half 

 full ; this will allow the water to pass away freely. When 

 potted up place them in a moist house that is kept rather 

 close and keep quite a heavy shade ; this will induce them 

 to make new roots. When the roots have started to take 

 hold of the new compost they can be placed in theio 

 summer growing quarters. As growth advances they 

 can be given abundance of water at the roots as these are 

 a thirsty class of plants when making their growth. They 

 can be given manure water after they have become thor- 

 oughly established about once a week but start to use it 

 in a weak form at first. Give plenty of ventilation 

 through the sunnner and syringe overhead once or twice 

 a day. 



Ramblers for Next Easter 



The best plan to follow in order to have fine Ramblers 

 by next Easter is to plant one-year-old stock now. Give 

 them either 6 or 7-inch pots and see that each pot has 

 good drainage. It is well to prepare your compost with 

 care as you want tliom to make fine wood by next fall. 



For a compost use fibrous sod that was cut last fall three ^ ^K^ 



parts, well decayed cow manure one part. To a barrow "■ 



load of the foregoing you can add a 5-inch potful each 

 of bone meal and wood ashes. When potting work the 

 soil well in and around the roots so that when finished 

 they will be good and firm. They should be cut back to 

 three or four good eyes which will make them break 

 away into five or sis strong canes. Place them on a 

 bench in a house that is kept as cool as possible and all 

 through the summer they should have plenty of ventila- 

 tion. Give water carefully at first, but when top growth 

 and root action start ofi: they require plenty of it. Leave 

 five or six of the strongest canes, removing the rest. 

 Syringe two or three times a day in bright weather and 

 keep them under glass until the end of July. 



Poinsettias 



Stock plants of poinsettia which have been resting 

 under the benches for the last ten weeks should be over- 

 hauled some time during the present month. Shake the 

 soil away from the roots, cut the tops back well and place 

 in as small a pot as the roots can be comfortably squeezed 

 into. Place on a sunny bench over steam or hot water 

 pipes, give a good soaking of water and then keep them 

 rather on the dry side until the plants start to break into 

 growth and produce a fine lot of cuttings. These root 

 inost easily when rubbed off with a heel, care of course 

 being taken to allow no sun to strike them and to water 

 well daily. Sand of a moderately coarse nature from 

 which water passes away at once is preferable to the finer 

 sort which is more liable to scum over. As soon as the 

 roots are an inch long pot up. Care must be taken not 

 to break the roots and it is a great mistake to allow them 

 to make long roots before removing them from the cut- 

 ting bench. It always results in a loss of foliage. When 

 potting them give a good rich soil, say to three parts of 

 fibrous loam add one of well rotted manure wjiich will 

 ])ush them along in growth. 



Peonies 



Beds of peonies that received last fall a good applica- 

 tion of manure can be dug over, but where they did not 

 liave this they should have about three inches of well- 

 rotted manure spread on and worked in with an ordinary 

 Jinrcrincr fork. In about three weeks they should have 

 some additional plant food that is quickly available such 

 as dried blood, pulverized sheep manure, or fine bone. 

 For peonies to do well you want to keep the ground rich 

 by these yearly mulches of manure as it is hard to overdo 

 the peony's greedy appetite for plant food. Keep the 

 ground well cultivated every week as this constant culti- 

 vation is just what they like. When the buds are big 

 enough for disbudding give liquid manure once a week 

 until they show color. This treatment will produce fine 



