June 21, 1913 



HORTICULTURE 



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NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



( ONDICTED BY 



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Questions by our readers in line with any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

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



Care of Cyclamen 

 Cyclamen should be placed as soon as possible in cold 

 frames, where the)' will grow much better than in the 

 greenhouses. Where you have the houses occupied prac- 

 tically all the year around but would like to give them 

 a thorough cleaning and drying out, which, by the way, 

 is an excellent thing to do, make use of frames for the 

 cyclamen. Place a coating of fine coal ashes at least 

 three or four inches thick so the pots can be partially 

 plunged. Shade during the summer with lath or cloth, 

 which will keep the plants cooler than when they are 

 covered with glass that has been whitened. Stock that 

 is in 3-inch pots should be shifted before they are pot- 

 bound. A good mixture to use is well-rotted fibrous 

 loam, three parts, leaf mold and well-decayed cow ma- 

 nure one part eacli. Add enough of sand and fine char- 

 .coal to give porosity and sweetness. On hot days syr- 

 inge the plants overhead two or three times which will 

 assist in lowering the temperature. 



Chrysanthemums 



Xeglect in cultivating, tying, syringing or ventilating 

 at this season is certain to cause such damage to the 

 young chrysanthemums that, however well we may treat 

 them afterwards, they will never recover the ground 

 lost. Too much importance cannot be attached to culti- 

 vation and this should be persisted in until the feeding 

 roots begin to approach the surface of the soil, when 

 further cultivation would be injurious. In soils which 

 are deficient in calcareous matter — and most soils are — 

 a sprinkling of air-slaked lime on the soil previous to 

 stirring will help to strengthen the stem and give tone 

 to the foliage. Ventilate freely, both night and day, but 

 guard against sudden fluctuations in the temperature 

 for any laxity in this respect may nullify all our efliorts 

 during their growth. By keeping the shoots tied neatly 

 to the supports, syringing is made easy and effective 

 and it also allows free access of the sun's rays to the 

 .soil and gives opportunity for a free circulation of air 

 which keeps the leaves hard and of good color. 



Care of Poinsettias 



Poinsettias that were started early sliould now have 

 some fine material for propagating purposes. . Don't 

 break tJiem off the wooded stem but use the knife, and 

 let one or two eyes of the soft wood remain on the plants, 

 to give more cuttings again in about four weeks. No 

 bottom heat is required for the propagating bench. 

 ^A"ith proper watering and shielded from the sun the 

 cuttings will be ready for "Jib inch pots in about 25 

 days. " Wlien they are rooted you can pot into a com- 

 post of stiiT loam mixed with about one-third its quan- 

 tity of well-rotted manure. A mixture of this kind will, 

 to a large extent, prevent yellow leaves on the young 



be on the following 



Mr. Farrell's next notes wll 



.\cacias ; 

 Now; 



Stock next fall. Keep the plants watered and syringed 

 all summer and in full sun. Never has the poinsettia 

 been more popular than now,- and there is hardly a 

 place where one does not find a batch grown for Christ- 

 mas, and yet the average retail grower does not pay 

 enough attention to their culture. 



Cleaning', Painting and Repairing 



As usual there is plenty to do in setting things right 

 for winter. Look over the benches and give them any 

 needed repairing so as to make them sound for another 

 year. With the full glare of the sun on the glass, 

 almost blinding, the work is anything but pleasant, but 

 we can make it more tolerable by shading the house or 

 liy placing some covering over the roof during torrid 

 weather. There is nothing worse than leaky and 

 draughty houses. To make a thorough job and an easy 

 and rapid one too, the removal of all the glass before 

 planting is necessary, to be followed up with a good job 

 nf reglazing into a new bed of putty. There are many 

 liouses with shaking, rattling, putty-loosened glass 

 where such a radical measure in doing repairs would do 

 a world of good. Now is a good time to go at it. The 

 wood-work will be all the better for a coat of white 

 paint, which wHl lighten up the houses and help de- 

 stroy any insects as well as preserve the wood. While 

 this work is going on give the glass a shading of whit- 

 ing which will make the houses more comfortable to 

 work in. 



Palms 



If there are large palms that need repotting get at 

 them now. If larger pots are not required remove some 

 of the old soil from the roots and replace with fresh. 

 Go over the old stock, remove every defective leaf, clean 

 the base of the plants and wash both sides of the leaves 

 thoroughly. For a compost use fibrous loam three parts, 

 well-rotted cow manure one part, and about a 5-inch pot 

 of bone meal to a ban-ow load. This is an excellent 

 time to do this work, as nearly all the palms and other 

 decorative stock make a heavy growth during the sum- 

 mer and the more they are encouraged the better. 

 Place the stock in a shaded house where you can main- 

 tain a rather close atmosphere. Attend to watering 

 carefully and spray several times every day. 



Solanums 



Berried solanums that are planted out should be 

 kept well pinched to form nice bushy plants. Keep the 

 soil well stirred by weekly cultivation and where we have 

 a continued dry spell it will be wise to use the hose 

 if possible. When watering these plants do it good 

 and thorough and it will last them at least two weeks. 

 Never let these plants suffer in any way if you want 

 nice plants by next fall. 



Young Primulas; Decorative Plants; Sow Perennials 



Pelargoniums; 

 October Work 



