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HORTICULTURE 



April 13, 190T 



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ROSES 



VIOLETS 



GARDENIAS 



CARNATIONS 

 VALLEY 



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In our WHOLESALE COMMISSION FLORISTS' DEPARTMENT in addition 



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CONSIGNMENTS SOLICITED 



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 and 9 



See our Creens Advertiserrent on pase 507. L. D. Tulaphonm, Main 2B18. 



HENRY M. ROBINSON & CO., \:rc.r;r Boston, Mass. 



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POT CULTURE OF CARNATIONS. 



(Read Btfore tbe Morris Co. Gardeners' and 



Florists' Society, Madison, N. J., Mar. 



13, 1907, by Wm. Duckliaru.) 



What I can say regarding the cul- 

 ture of carnations must necessarily 

 be short, for the reason tiiat I am 

 requested to speak on the method of 

 pot culture only. I do not wish it 

 to be understood that because I have 

 followed pot culture for the past eleven 

 years that it is the best, or that it is 

 better than outside or flelJ culture, 

 but suflSce it to say, I have had fair 

 results, which undoubtedly has led me 

 to continue the practice. Our cut- 

 tings are taken at the usual time, 

 which is as soon as they can be pro- 

 cured after the middle of January, 

 rooted in the usual way, and as soon 

 as rooted, are then potted into 2 1-2 

 in. pots, grown along, but not forced, 

 until the pots are well filled with 

 roots. They are then re-potted into 

 4 to 4 1-2 in. pots. Our plants are 

 just being shifted into .the above sizes, 

 in which they will remain until time 

 to plar.t into the bench. I endeavor 

 to have all the plants pinched once 

 before potting into the larger pots, 

 and that the plant is again active and 

 starting a number of growths. Care- 

 ful watering and the usual require- 

 ments are all that is necessary now, 

 until final quarters are reached. 



About the first week in .June our 

 plants have usually been planted, at 

 which time the pots have become filled 

 with roots, and it becomes a neces- 

 sity to re-pot or plant. Inasmuch as 

 the usual greenhouse bench will not 

 hold any larger pot than 4 1-2 in., 

 planting is in order. I would prefer 

 to plant earlier than the date given, 

 rather than allow the plants to suffer. 

 After planting, great care must be 

 used for a week or two regarding wa- 

 tering. This is most essential, for with 

 so much soil, if watered too freely the 

 whole is likely to get soured. After 

 the plants get hold of the new soil 

 plenty of water must necessarily be 

 given, together with frequent syring- 

 ing, which will encourage growth, and 

 also help to keep down red spider, 

 which must be looked out for at all 

 times. 



Now, what are the advantages of pot 

 culture over field or outside? In the 

 first place, perhaps I might cite that 

 last year out of 700 plants, all that 

 were lost were two plants from stem 

 rot. On the other hand, plants from 



the field would invariably show a 

 greater loss than this, especially in 

 wet seasons. In fact, I have seen 

 big losses, and undoubtedly you 

 have seen the same, but never so with 

 plants grown inside. 



I might claim, too, that indoor- 

 grown plants produce larger flowers 

 with longer stems, at an earlier date 

 in the fall, and taking the average 

 through, I believe this applies for the 

 whole winter. As stated before, I do 

 not wish to infer that my method 

 herein stated is the better way. That 

 would be absurd on my part, for we 

 have only to look around at the ex- 

 hibits here tonight and perhaps I 

 would be safe in saying there's not 

 one of the flowers here but what was 

 produced by the field or outside cul- 

 ture, with the possible exception of 

 the few that I have brought. With a 

 good house, good soil and a little com- 

 mon sense, excellent carnations can 

 be produced from either inside or out- 

 side culture. 



DAHLIAS. 



Green Plants vs. Field Roots. 



I And that some of the small grow- 

 ers who only devote a small part of 

 their time to the growth and culture 

 of the dahlia, are trying to make the 

 general public believe that the green 

 plant is much better than a strong 

 field-root would be to grow, but this 

 is not so in this country, as we have 

 so many insect pests and cut worms 

 to contend with. If a green plant is 

 cut oil: it is lost entirely, but it is not 

 so with a field-grown tuber, for if the 

 grub or cut worm cuts the sprout off 

 of a hardy field tuber it only puts it 

 back a week or so and when it grows 

 again it will have two sprouts in place 

 of one. In some foreign countries 

 where they recommend and sell most- 

 ly green plants they are not pested 

 with these insects. In regard to the 

 .green plants flowering, it is impos- 

 sible for them to flower any more 

 freely than a hardy divided field 

 tuber, if the tuber is properly planted. 

 If six inches deep and laid horizon- 

 tally and kept thoroughly cultivated 

 the tuber will flower as freely as any 

 green plant ever produced and the 

 clumps from a tuber will winter much 

 easier than those from a cutting. The 

 cutting is only fit for a commercial 

 grower who wishes to work up a 

 stock quickly, and can afford to lose 

 a certain per cent, of them, in order 

 to g.ain his stock. But this is not 

 wise for amateurs for if any amateur 

 pays for a cutting and loses it, it is 

 a total loss to him. The commercial 



dealer figures on losing a certain per 

 cent, of all cutting stock. Cuttings 

 can be raised for one-fourtb the cost 

 of strong '.ield tubers and are sold by 

 most dealers for the same price as 

 strong tubers. This is the principal 

 reason why some of the small dealers 

 ,ire trying to force the cutting, finding 

 there is a greater profit in selling 

 this class of stock. 1 have been a 

 commercial grower for over twelve 

 years, and have experimented with all 

 methods of growing the dahlia, and I 

 find that the tuber gives the greatest 

 satisfaction. 



J. K. ALEXANDER. 

 East Bridgewater, Mass. 



OBITUARY. 



John P. Murphy of Saco, Me., died' 

 on April 1, aged 67 years. 



F. L. Temple, a nurseryman well 

 known in Massachusetts and Maine, 

 died on March 30 at his home in Hamp- 

 den, Me. 



C. A. Reed, for the past five years 

 in the florist business in Brockton, 

 Mass., died on March 25, at the age 

 of 40. A widow and two children sur- 

 vive him. 



Quincy L. Reed, 85 years of age, 

 member of the state board of agri- 

 culture, died at his home in South 

 Weymouth, Mass., on April 9. One 

 son and two daughters survive him. 



Patrick Cavanau.gh and his wife were 

 asphyxiated in their room in Brooklyn, 

 N. Y., on April 6. He designed and 

 laid out the grounds for the estate of 

 William Rockefeller in the Adiron- 

 dacks and also the country estate of 

 Timothy Woodruff. 



Henry McGrady, of Newton Centre, 

 Mass., while digging a trench for a 

 water pipe in the rear of his house 

 on April 6, was buried by the sand 

 which caved in from the sides. His 

 Ijosition was accidentally discovered 

 by his sister, Nellie, who, with the 

 assistance of two neighbors, dug 

 through and rescued him. He was 

 breathing when taken out, but soon 

 died. Mr. McGrady was 37 years old. 

 and bad been associated in the florist 

 business with his father for many 

 years. 



George Leadley of Detroit, who was 

 burned out just a week before Easter, 

 could not locate himself for the holi- 

 day trade. It is his intention not to 

 go in business again until talL 



