210 



HORTl CULTURE 



February 15, 1905 



INDOOR CULTURE OF CARNA- 

 TIONS. 



Ucad licl'oi-e tlio I'Unists' I'luli of I'hilailel- 

 pliln I'el). 4, imiS, l>y Esmond A. Ilarvcy. 



Tliere is probably !no cut flower of 

 which chp methods of culture have 

 changed more in the past six or sevoh 

 .\ears thiin the carnation. When we 

 began growing carnations, si.x years 

 ago, we benched from the field about 

 the middle of September, as this was 

 the univ(^rsal custom among Chester 

 County carnation growers, and gen- 

 erally so throughout the United States, 

 although some of the large growers 

 around New York were practicing ear- 

 ly planting. Now, from the middle of 

 .Julj' to the middle of Augiist is gen- 

 erally conceded to be the proper time 

 ' to house from the field. 



Indoor Culture. 



The next development would natu- 

 rally l)e indoor culture exclusively. 

 To the writer's knowledge the firet 

 .grower who practiced this method to 

 any extent was Mr. Chas. W. Ward of 

 Queens, L. I., who has always been a 

 leader in the development of the "di- 

 vine flower." I well remember seeing 

 in IHO:! nt Mr. Ward's range a house of 

 Enchantress that had been grown in- 

 side over summer and was struck with 

 amazement at their magnificence. 1 

 do not think that I have ever seen 

 them surpassed by any variety. 



To succeed with indoor culture, 

 strong, healthy cuttings should be put 

 in the sand not later than February 

 first: thfjse potted up before February 

 fifteenth are preferable. We first use 

 two-inch pots, and when, the.se are 

 well fiUiHl with roots, plant in a bench 

 four inches apart each way. Some 

 growers again repot from three to 

 four-inch ix)ts and hold them in these 

 until they are finally planted in the 

 benches. When many plants are 

 grown this method makes a great deal 

 of work in watering, as the pots dry 

 out very rapidly when it comes hot 

 weather, and the young plants are also 

 liable to become pot-bound before the 

 benches are ready for them. When 

 their growth is once stunted they are 

 practically useless. At each trans- 

 planting all the weak plants should be 

 set aside. A weak cutting may recov- 

 er in the. field but will never pay for it- 

 self grown inside. 



.\s soon after Decoration Day as pos- 

 sible the old plants should be thrown 

 out, the houses refilled with a good, 

 rich compost and the young plants put 

 in their final place. 



Care in Summer. 



Care nuist be taken with the water- ' 

 ing. There is not much danger of 

 over-watering in summer, still the 

 benches should not be allowed to be- 

 come so.ggy; far greater danger is in 

 allowing the soil to get too dry. As 

 soon as it begins to appear a light col- 

 or on top it should be wet thoroughlv, 

 otherwise the plants will become hard 

 and woody, and -will not break freely. 

 Although it is generally advised 

 against shading, we believe a light 

 shade is beneficial, and put a thin coat 

 of whiting on every other row of glass 

 about the first of .Tuly. and remove it 

 early in September. This will aid ma- 

 terially in keepin.g down the tempera- 

 ture and will not cause a weak growth 

 unless the plants are over-watered. 



Full ventilation should be given 



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both day and night, except when a 

 stron.g dry wind is blowing immediate- 

 ly on the plants, which dries out verv 

 rapidly both plants and soil, and is 

 very likely to bring on an attack of 

 red spider. This insect is about the 

 only one that will cause trouble in the 

 summer and a thorough spraying with 

 cold water twice a week will, we have 

 found, keep down this pest. Should 

 they appear, however, the plants 

 should be sprayed every day until they 

 are clear, as the spider will cause ;; 

 .great deal of damage in a very short 

 time, from which it will take a long 

 time for the plants to recover. 



Pinching. 



The same care sliould be taken in 

 pinching as in the field. Do not break 

 back too high as this will cause a 

 top-heavy growth, and the plants will 

 be broken up by the spraying. As 

 soon as the shoots begin to elongate 

 and show the stem between the leaves, 

 the top should be taken out, leaving 

 three or four joints. Do not leave 

 the plants two or three weeks and 

 then break off all the shoots at once, 

 but go over them every week, topping 

 all the longest ones. This will make a 

 more even growth and lessen the ten- 

 dency toward cropping. 



The benches should be frequently 

 cultivated during the summer, boUi to 

 keep down the weeds and to prevent 

 the surface of the soil from becoming 

 hard and baked. | 



Feeding. 



If the soil was well fertilized with , 

 cow manure and bone meal before ' 

 it was put in the benches, no feeding 

 will be necessary during the summer. 

 Through the fall we use top dressings i 

 of bone meal and sheep manure every I 

 two or three weeks, omitting all feed- | 

 ing through December. In January I 

 when the days become longer and we i 

 get more sunshine, we use a stronger 

 and quicker-acting commercial ferti- 

 lizer. Feeding with liquid manure 

 would doubtless be beneficial, but we 

 have never used this method. 



If by the first of .Tuly the plants 

 in the houses are as large as those 

 in the field, you may consider that 

 you have been successful, for, although 

 through July and August the field 

 plants will make a faster growth than 

 the indoor stock, these will catch up 

 later. There is always some check 

 upon plants benched from the field, 

 and often it is very severe if the con- 

 ditions are not right. This is especial- 

 ly the case in a wet season. 



Advantages of Indoor Culture. 

 One of the greatest advantages of 

 indoor culture is the fact that we have 

 control of the watering, and this is 

 especially important since stem-rot has 

 made its appearance. How often does 

 it happen that half of the plants die 



in the field and again half of those 

 remaining, after they have been 

 planted in the houses, and it is nearly 

 spring before we begin to cut good 

 llowers. With proper indoor culture 

 the ravages of the dreaded stem-rot 

 are reduced to a minimum. Another 

 advantage of this method is that large 

 flowers with long stems can be cut ear- 

 ly in the fafl, when they bring good 

 prices ard when none of the profits go 

 into coal bills. A steadier cut is also 

 assured through the winter, and the 

 danger of getting a heavy crop, when 

 prices are low, is diminished. 



Some varieties are undoubtedly bet- 

 ter suited to indoor growing than 



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