June 20, 1S08 



HORTICULTURE 



815 



Roses Under Glass 



Plaxtixg. 



Tlie wi-etclied ooiulitioii of the rose market has 

 doubtless caused many ol' the eastern growers to abandon 

 all hopes of raising a letuin tri[) ticket to Europe on 

 the old plants this season, therefore the general move- 

 ment seems to be toward emptying and refilling the 

 benches and planting the 3'oung stock with a view to 

 being in line for the early fall market. 



The work of planting is at any time tedious, to say the 

 least, but when performed under the full glare of the 

 June sun it is peculiarly enervating. Much of the physi- 

 cal discomfort attending replanting may be overcome 

 by shading the roof with a mixture of soil and water 

 which may easily he a])plie(l with an ordinary spray 

 pump. 



Of great advantage to the men engaged in emptying 

 and refilling the benches is a good and safe runway. 

 It is at once pitiable and ludicrous to see a heavy man 

 trying to walk bow-legged in order to maintain his 

 equilibrium and that of his wheel-barrow on a 4-inch 

 board; a 12-inch plank affords ample accommodation 

 for the pedal extremities of an ordinary workman and is 

 less likely to warp under the influence of the sun than 

 the thin boards, the ends of which are genuine traps for 

 the toes of the man with the wheel-barrow. 



As soon as they are emptied and repaired, the 

 benches, if wooden, should be thoroughly washed with 

 a good force of water and then given an application of 

 hot lime wash. This adds to the life of the wood and 

 destroys fungous growth, insects, etc. The cracks in 

 the bottom of the bench may be covered with old straw 

 from the barnyard. 



When the benches have been filled a sprinkling of 

 bone meal may be added in the proportion of about 

 twenty-five pounds to 500 square feet of soil surface. 

 The planting should then be pushed forward as rapidly 

 as possible, as the soil quickly dries and, aside from 

 being disagreeable to handle, absorbs the moisture con- 

 tained in the ball of the plant and often administers a 

 severe check to the young aspirant for commercial favor. 



Many failures may be traced to overcrowding the 

 stock. This practice, while it may seem economical and 

 proper to utilize every available inch of bench space, 

 cannot but end in disa.ster. Plants, like human beings, 

 require plenty of breathing space, and where this is 

 denied tliem they fall easy victims to the attacks of 

 black-spot, anthracnose and other fungoid diseases. 

 Varieties such as Richmond, Killarney, Fncle John, 

 etc., should have at least one square foot in which to 

 grow, and if grafted stock is used they ought to have 

 at least one-third more room. American Beauties can 

 use one and one-half square feet of space, and if properly 

 attended to will pay for it. 



In planting grafted stock, it is advisable, if possible, 

 to get the graft well under the surface of the soil, as 

 it is there that the conditions of air and moisture best 

 adapted to the welfare of this class of stock are to be 

 found. 



Hydrocyanic Gas for White Fly 



The wliite tly is very resistant to fumigants and for 

 this reason tobacco, which will suffice for some green- 

 house insects, is useless when used against this pest. The 

 oidy fumigaut which has been found to give good re- 

 sults is hydrocyanic acid gas. If this is used strong 

 enough to kill all stages of the fly, the plants will be 

 killed, so a weaker strength, which will kill certain 

 stages and leave the plants uninjured is used, and this 

 is repeated twice at intervals of two weeks to kill those 

 that escaped the first treatment. 



The first step in fumigation is to calculate the num- 

 ber of cubic feet contained in the house, not taking out 

 any space for benches, etc. Probalily the easiest way to 

 do this is to draw an end view of the house and divide 

 this into a number of rectangles and triangles by calcu- 

 lating the number of square feet in each and adding the 

 I'esults together the total number of square feet is ob- 

 tained which multiplied by the length of the house 

 gives the total cubic feet. 



For example, the fig- 

 ure represents an end 

 view of a house 100 ft. 

 long, 18 ft. wide and 12 

 ft. to ridge. This is 

 divided into two rectan- 

 gles 4x18 and 2x5 and 

 two right triangles whose 

 bases are five and thir- 

 teen and whose heights ai'e six and eight. The sum of 

 the square feet of the rectangles is 82 and the sum of 

 the square feet of the triangles is 67. The area of a 

 right triangle being equal to one-half the product of 

 the base times the height. This gives 149 sq. ft., which 

 multiplied by 100 gives 14,900 cubic feet space in the 

 house. 



Hydrocyanic acid gas is generated by the action of 

 sulplmric acid on potassium cyanide. The cyanide may 

 be purchased at almost any drug store and must be 

 98-99 per cent, pure; the inferior 50-60 per cent grade 

 will not do. Sulphuric acid may be obtained at the 

 same place and should be of a sp. gr. of 1.8-3. 



A number of vessels of earthen ware or granite 

 should be obtained ; the number depending on the size 

 of the house. For the example quoted, three would be 

 enough, one at each end and one in the middle. 



Use one-third of an ounce of cyanide per thousand 

 cubic feet, two times as many fluid ounces of acid and 

 four times as many fluid ounces of water as there are 

 ounces of cyanide. Calculate how much of each is to 

 go into each jar, mix slowly the acid and water in each. 

 Have the cyanide in paper bags suspended by strings 

 directly above the jars and have the strings so fLxed as 

 to allow the bags to be dropped from near the door. 



Tlie house should be closed tightly before the gas is 

 generated and one or two ventilators fixed so they may 

 be opened from the outside. The plants should be dry 

 and the fumigating done on a dark night. Leave the 

 gas in the house about three hours, then ventilate. Do 

 not under any circumstances enter the house before it is 

 well aired. 



All residue left in tlie jars should be buried wliere 

 notliing will get at it as it is very poisonous. 



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Mdss. Ai/ri. E.rpor. Sf.'ilion. 



