May 10, 1913 



HORTICULTURE 



705 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



^ CONDUCTED BY 



Qnestlom by our readers In line with any of tbe toplci preaentad on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzlcka. Such commnnlcatlons should lnT*4«bly be addressed to the office of HORTICULTDKB. 



Watering 



Now that the summer weather has arrived, the water- 

 ing of the houses should receive careful attention. Many 

 growers will let the old houses go, paying more attention 

 to the young plants, with the excuse that roses are 

 bringing low prices. Yes, low prices indeed, but grow- 

 ers should remember that the expense now is the very 

 lowest, as all that is necessary is water and tying, with 

 an occasional dose of liquid manure. Do not let red 

 spider get the best of the plants at any costs. Good 

 roses will bring a fair price in spite of the over-crowded 

 markets. Above all do not allow the plants to become 

 so dry that they will shrivel up and lose all their foliage. 

 Keep the water to them and watch out for dry spots in 

 the benches. If the plants have any growth at all there 

 is but little danger of over-watering, and the results 

 will well repay the cost of the care. 



Tying 



This too is often sadly neglected and is one of the 

 worst causes to have a dozen diseases which the rose is 

 subject to. Red spider will always be found in houses 

 where tying has been neglected. When tying to stakes 

 be careful not to tie the plants too tight as this would 

 be as bad, yes even worse than no tying at all. American 

 Beauties are very apt to go bad if allowed to go untied, 

 and are among the very first that would receive a dose 

 of spider or spot as well. At the same time the stems 

 will not be very good, and we all know what an Ameri- 

 can Beauty without any stem means. The buds will 

 also be of a very poor quality if the shoots lay all over, 

 and then of course it is not a wonder that the roses are 

 not bringing any kind of a price. 



Shading the Houses 



Many of the deep colored roses will do much better 

 if shaded the least little bit. It must not be overdone, 

 however, or it will be worse than letting the houses go 

 altogether. We find good stiff clay mixed with water 

 makes the very best possible shade, that washes off very 

 easily and will not injure the paint in the least. Lime, 

 unless applied to the glass just a certain way, will stick 



so hard as to be a regular nuisance when it comes to 

 removing it from the glass, and it is not only that, but 

 the paint is bound to sufi'er a little no matter how care- 

 fully the lime may be removed. There is a way of 

 applying lime to the glass, and it comes ofl! very easily, 

 but "this is hard to put into words, and can best be 

 shown in practice. 



Early Planting 



At times we wish to havt- a house or two come in real 

 early, and there is no better way than an early planting. 

 To write a long article on this would 'be quite useless 

 as all 'Tinow" the best way. However, we will say that 

 it pays to have all the benches thoroughly cleaned, white- 

 washed, and all the soil, leaves, etc., that may be under 

 the bench, cleaned out. Do not forget to add a little 

 copper sulphate to the lime as it will be a great help in 

 conquering many of the fungous diseases that at times 

 appear in the least expected ways, and ruin many plants 

 before they can be stopped. Of course the plants sel- 

 dom die outright, but usually they get such a set-back 

 that it takes a long, long time for them to recover from 

 it, and even when they do they are never the same as 

 when the plants are kept perfectly healthy by good care 

 in the beginning. As to the depth of soil in benches 

 our experience teaches us to use the least soil possible, 

 as more can always be added any time it may be re- 

 quired, whereas if too much soil is iised in the begin- 

 ning none can lie removed, without raising havoc with 

 all the plants. 



Coarse Bone 



This is a very good material to mix into the soil when 

 planting, and will remain in the soil for practically the 

 whole season. It is well to mix quite a quantity of it 

 as it cannot do any harm. By coarse bone we mean bone 

 about the size of a lima bean, such as is used largely by 

 fruit growers growing fruit under glass. This should 

 b}' no means take the place of the regular bonemeal, as 

 this is too important an item to be left out of the soil 

 composition. We simply add this coarse bone to help 

 out in supph'ing the necessary nourishment to the 

 plants. 



garden subject. The Wilson introductions from western 

 China, some three hundred in number, are for the horti- 

 culturist, easily the most interesting objects to be seen 

 here. They run all the way from tiny cotoneasters to 

 walnuts and ashes that in years to come will attain to 

 giant size. For the general public who are looking for 

 spring floral splendor, the pyruses are at present a pic- 

 ture never to be forgotten and the lilacs will soon be in 

 their full glory. The strange part is that so few com- 

 paratively of the Boston people seem to Imow or to 



realize this great unique possession of theirs. Visitors 

 from afar would not think of returning home from 

 Boston without a sight of the Arnold Arboretum yet 

 there are tens of thousands within a half-hour's riding 

 distance who have never passed through its gates. But 

 it is being planned and planted with broad forethought 

 for the future and the time will surely come when grate- 

 ful recognition will be accorded the men whose lives 

 have been given to the upbuilding of this noble educa- 

 tional institution. 



