292 



HORTICULTURE 



March 9, 1907 



WHOLESOME CHESTNUTS. 



Seedlings of all kinds as fast as tliey 

 show fitness should be pricked off in- 

 to flats, and others more advanced and 

 already pricked off and crowding 

 should be either transplanted into oth- 

 er flats or potted. Pots are preferable 

 for many kinds of bedding plants as 

 well as for nearly everything intend- 

 ed ultimately for pot culture for deco- 

 rative purposes. Lobelias, salvias, be- 

 gonias and several other things are 

 better in pots when offered for sale; 

 as for coleus and heliotrope they 

 should of course be potted right out 

 of the sand. Lobelia at first may be 

 pricked off into flats in small clumps, 

 and when these grow to decent size 

 they can be potted and grown on un- 

 til they flower. 



Lettuce for early planting should 

 now be sown. Celery for early plant- 

 ing should now be so far advanced as 

 to make pricking off necessary. Keep 

 celery growing ahead without a check. 

 If you have never tried the experiment 

 of sowing a little onion seed in the 

 greenhouse you should lose no time in 

 doing so; when they are well up over 

 the soil in the flat, prick off into other 

 flats and leave them there until time 

 to plant them out, or later pot them 

 into small pots after they get a fair 

 size in the flats; that is the way to 

 raise exhibition onions. Don't leave 

 cabbage or cauliflower too long in the 

 seed boxes; if you do they will have a 

 hard time recovering after being 

 shifted. 



It is now time to think about dahlias. 

 If you intend buying any of the good 

 varieties recently introduced, do not 

 put it off too long if only the good 

 standard sorts are wanted. By getting 

 strong bulbs now you may be able to 

 increase the stock by propagation be- 

 fore planting time comes. If you own 

 stock from which you intend to propa- 

 gate, take in for that purpose only 

 such bulbs as you are sure are cor- 

 rectly named. Place them on a bench, 

 throw some leaf mould over them, and 

 wait until the cuttings appear, but 

 don't wait until they are long, spindly 

 and soft: take them off when they are 

 short and stocky, with a bit of a heel 

 If possible; put them in the sand to 

 root; shade them for a few days ab- 

 solutely, and after that only when the 

 sunlight directly strikes them; give 

 the cuttings sufficient water to keep 

 them from wilting; pot them up when- 

 ever they have emitted short roots; 

 shade them then for a day or two; 

 after that give them all the light pos- 

 sible and grow them cool. Be careful 

 at all times in labeling, because if you 

 intend selling the plants a neglect In 

 that particular will come back on you 

 after the plants bloom. Don't forget 

 that single dahlias are almost unsur- 

 passed for cutting from all through 

 the late summer, and are always gor- 

 geous to look at whether growing or 

 cut. 



Cyclamen seedlings are now, or 

 should be well advanced in the flats 

 into which they were pricked from the 

 seed pan. On no account leave 

 them to get crowded in those 

 flats; rather transplant them care- 

 fully into others, and then as 

 soon as they have made suffi- 

 cient progress in growth shift them 

 Into pots of a suitable size. 



Pansies in flats in the greenhouse 

 should not be allowed to remain there 

 much longer. Remove them to cold 



frames, flats and all. or in a very lit- 

 tle while plant them in good soil in 

 the frames. Give the frames where 

 pansies were planted in the fall all 

 the air and light possible from now on; 

 give attention to watering; remove 

 dead flowers and leaves, taking care 

 at all times, however, that sufficient 

 covering is provided at nightfall to 

 meet all emergencies. 



Take ofl" violet cuttings and root 

 them without delay. Look over canna 

 roots and put up all required of the 

 French type, examining carefully ev- 

 ery root before potting to avoid pot- 

 ting dead roots. Don't be too severe 

 in dividing choice cannas; rather err 

 on the safe side and It will be found 

 more satisfactory in the end. 



Water azaleas liberally now, but do 

 not syringe. It is much better to have 

 a liberal proportion of the blooms on 

 azaleas only half open when selling 

 time comes. They may not look so 

 gorgeous in that stage, but the major- 

 ity of buyers now know what a plant 

 in that condition means for service. 



Hydrangeas sold well last Easter. 

 It is of course now too late to suggest 

 them if they are not already under 

 way, but if they are look well after 

 them and get the bloom in as good 

 condition as possible. There are many 

 devices within the range of possibility 

 to tempt buyers of miscellaneous bulb- 

 ous flowers. I remember that last 

 year a great many pansy plants were 

 sold in small fancy baskets and dishes; 

 there will likely be more sold this 

 year. Small hampers and baskets 

 filled artistically have an irresistible 

 charm. Pans of tulips ai'e never long 

 standing unsold. It will be of interest 

 to know that Messrs. R. & J. Farquhar 

 & Co. have something new in Primula 

 obconica that is not only a novelty but 

 a sensational one. That firm has given 

 us many good things, such as the Far- 

 quhar rose, Lilium philippense, red 

 Begonia Erfordii, and ever so many 

 other things, and to my knowledge 

 they never gave the stamp of their ap- 

 proval to anything that turned out a 

 failure. "Pacts are chiefs that winna 

 ding." 



A DESIRABLE GIFT FOR YOUR 

 EMPLOYEE. 



There can be no more useful and ap- 

 propriate present than a subscription 

 to HORTICULTURE. The more he 

 reads HORTICULTURE the better 

 service he will render you. If you 

 want to give five or more we will be 

 glad to make a special discount, on 

 application. 



Other Useful Books. 



The Dahlia. By L. K. Peacock. 

 Price, 30 cents. 



The American Carnation. C. W. 

 Ward. Price, $3.50. 



Manual of the Trees of North Ameri- 

 ca. C. S. Sargent. Price, $6.00. 



The First Countv Park System. P. 

 W. Kelsey. Price, $1.25. 



The Horticulturist's Rule-Book. 

 Bailey. Price, 75 cents. 



Chrysanthemum Manual. Smith. 

 Price, 40 cents. 



The Chrysanthemum. Harrington. 

 Price, 50 cents. 



How to Make Money Growing 

 Violets. Saltford. Price, 25 cents. 



Dwarf Fruit Trees. Waugh. Price, 

 50 cents. 



AT THE WIDENER CONSERVA- 

 TORIES. 



One of the most palatial country 

 seats in the vicinity of Philadelphia 

 is that of P. A. B. Widener at Ogontz. 

 The gardens and conservatories have 

 been under the care of William IClein- 

 heinz for many years and have become 

 famous under his superintendence, not 

 only in this vicinity but outside also 

 by reason of success of their products 

 on the exhibition tables in distant 

 cities. 



At the present writing (mid-Feb- 

 ruary) there are many interesting 

 items in the conservatories which will 

 well repay a visit by the horticultural 

 student. The several houses of carna- 

 tions are in prize-winning shape. 

 Lady Bountiful we have never seen 

 finer; Haines is also in magnificent 

 shape; Patten is fine but rather late 

 being reluctant and unsatisfactory un- 

 til January; Robert Craig, Harlowar- 

 den and several other varieties are no- 

 ticeably good. John Kuhn's new pink 

 seedling is being tested here and looks 

 promising. The flower is a soft rose, 

 a pure self when first open but paler 

 on the outer half of the petals when 

 the flower is older. Mr. Klelnheinz 

 considers this the best keeper of any 

 variety he knows. 



A house of antirrhinums is in splen- 

 did shape at present with flower 

 spikes a foot and over in length and 

 of reflned colors — mostly selfs, al- 

 though there are two very choice varie- 

 gated sorts. 



One would say that there could not 

 be much to admire in a bench of such 

 a common thing as double Von Sion 

 daffodils; but our attention was ar- 

 rested by one which was the largest 

 and most perfectly formed we have 

 ever seen — an ideal flower. The cycla- 

 mens are a good strain and well 

 grown. There is a white variety es- 

 pecially which for size and purity is 

 simply magnificent. If this is carefully 

 watched we have in it the forerunner 

 of a race of giant flowers that will 

 make our present giganteums and 

 grandiflorums look like pigmies. This 

 is no exaggeration. The writer may 

 claim with all due modesty to have 

 seen as many fine cyclamens during 

 the past twenty-five years as any and 

 more than most. 



Sweet peas are grown here quite ex- 

 tensively, the varieties being mostly 

 Florence Denzer for white and Christ- 

 mas for pink. A number of new 

 Zvolanek seedlings are on trial, one of 

 the best being Mrs. E. Wild, a ruby. 

 There is also good pale blue — un- 

 named. 



The rose houses are in fine condi- 

 tion, but there are no novelties calling 

 for special mention. The palm houses 

 and fern houses are extensive and the 

 stock unusually fine. The fruit houses 

 will be a blaze of bloom very soon. 

 I asked Mr. Kleinheinz if Mr. Widener 

 took a keen interest in all this glory 

 and he answered that he did. That 

 Mr. Widener came as often as he could 

 to walk around — and then added with 

 that charming naivette for which he Is 

 famous — "but you see Mr. Widener 

 must go to town pretty often too, so 

 he can make some money to pay for 

 all this with." 



GEORGE C. WATSON. 



You'll find something worth reading 

 on every page of this paper. 



