^l>r»l 27, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



5S& 



substantial business has been built up by the enterpris- 

 ing and energetic trio. 



CAltNATJON CULTURE 



Mr. A. F. Button, who is a leading carnation spe- 

 cialist, lately afforded me some information as to his 

 methods of culture for show purposes. "The proper 

 time to get the color and size of the tree carnations at 

 their best in England is undoubtedly by November and 

 March," he states, "and the reason can very easily be 

 traced in the condition of our climate at those months. 

 In the summer the flower expands too quickly, to obtain 

 its points perfectly, compared with the autumn and 

 spring, when the growth is considerably slower. The 

 chief points to watch are: firstly, the temperature. This 

 should not vary between day and night more than ten 

 degrees. For night temperature the house should be 

 kept at 45 to 50 degrees. Next in importance to this 

 is the watering. The plants should never be allowed to 

 remain dry after they are established in their pots and 

 have commenced flowering; a feed with some good arti- 

 ficial fertilizer fortnightly is very beneficial. Thirdly 

 and lastly, of all essential points is the ventilating. Car- 

 nations, like human beings, to thrive, must have pure 

 air and healthy surroundings, always giving ventilation 

 when the temperature outside is above 35 degrees. This 

 should be regulated by the outside elements. The 

 blooms should always be cut early in the morning, and 

 kept in water a few hours before travelling, using a 

 good, sharp knife, which is most essential to keep the 

 bloom well, and to be in perfection for the show."' The 

 many successes obtained by ilr. Dutton on the show 

 tables are proofs that he has been working on the most 

 satisfactory syotem. 



DAFFODILS BY THK TON 



The markets are now fully supplied with daffodils 

 grown by the acre on the Scilly Isles, situated about 30 

 miles from the Cornish coast. Scilly's total area is 

 3,600 acres of which rather less than 2,000 are suscepti- 

 ble of profitable cultivation. At the present time every 

 available yard adapted to narcissus culture is utilized. 

 The output has steadily increased until at the present 

 time hundreds of tons of cut bloom are dispatched to 

 Britain. By the extensive use of glass the growers are 

 able to cater for the early m.r.rkct, before the Lincoln- 

 shire bloom is ready. The flowers are picked whilst the 

 tender bud is still protected by the green sheath and 

 placed under glass, whence they are deposited in bowls 

 and vases and allowed to develop. Lilies are treated in 

 the same way. In recent years the prices have not been 

 what the Scilloninn farmer could desire, as the compe- 

 tition is now fiercer than formerly. The growers have 

 tried to cultivate their lilies earlier, so as to have room 

 for a later tomato crop under glass. The industry pro- 

 vides employment for a large army of men, women, and 

 children, who assist in gathering, packing, and despatch- 

 ing the flowers to the various markets. The season 

 lasts from the end of January to the middle of April. 

 The flower growing industry has been a splendid thing 

 for the residents in the islands. Many of the growers 

 had found potato culture unprofitable, and the attention 

 devoted to floriculture, in spite of the drop in prices, has 

 secured an ample reward. The wholesale culture of 

 bloom has enabled the poorest classes in this country to 

 have their homes adorned by the golden harbingers of 

 spring. 



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Gloxinias 



((See Frontispiece) 



Gloxinias are indispensable for greenhouse and con- 

 servatory summer decoration ; they also furnish a source 

 from which the gayest and choicest of cut flowers can 

 be had. Though easily bruised by rough handling in 

 the cut state or on the plants, and therefore not so well 

 adapted for transportation purposes as might be 

 wished, yet when the necessary care is exercised to en- 

 sure their safe arrival where they are to be used as cut 

 flowers they are remarkably long-lasting in cool airy 

 rooms minus excessive draughts. 



Gloxinias can be had for decorative as well as for cut 

 flower purposes for many months at a time provided the 

 necessary amount of bulbs arc at hand for starting suc- 

 cessive batches. Old bulbs are better for the earlier 

 flowering batches, the seedlings taking up the rear of 

 the season, which will be well into autumn. Both seeds 

 and first-flowering old plants should be started, the lat- 

 ter for early June flowering, early in February in a 

 wann moist house of 65 to 70 degrees. 



The seeds being small, and the nature of the plants 

 being delicate and somewhat fragile at first, consider- 

 able care is necessary to attain reasonable success. 

 Shallow boxes or pans are best to start the seeds in and 

 this holds good for the starting of the old bulbs, too. 

 Clean well decayed leafmould and sharp sand in nearly 

 equal proportions, with powdered charcoal in addition, 

 makes a good medium to sow the seeds on; the seeds 

 should be only pressed in this composition with a 

 smooth surfaced board, and moistened from below 

 tliereafter when necessary — that is, the seed pans, as 

 the case may be, in preference should be dipped in a 

 pail of water or any other convenient reception and 

 gently immersed until the soil is moistened. A pane of 

 glass over the seed receptacle is an aid to germination 

 inasmuch as it keeps the seed bed uniformly moist by 

 preventing rapid evaporation. As soon as the seedlings 

 can be conveniently handled they should be pricked off 

 into other pans in much the same compost, otherwise 

 they will quickly vanish with the so-called damping off 

 trouble. Several such transplantings are necessary ere 

 they finally arrive at a sufficiently strong stage to be- 

 transferred to pots, or still better for greater results, 

 transplanted in well-prepared cold frames, which, of 

 course, have to be kept closed at first. 



Gloxinias are very sensitive to bright sunshine and 

 therefore must be protected with a shade of some kind ;. 

 the moveable shade, if convenient, is as a matter of 

 course to be preferred. As they arrive at the mature 

 stage and before flowering with their full and normal 

 vigor intact, stimulating waters vrill be reflected in 

 ampler foliage and nobler flowers. 



It is needless to say tliat as progress towards the- 

 maturer stages is made, whether it be seed or old bulbs, 

 that the texture of the soil should be changed accord- 

 ingly, from the finer compost to an open fibery gener- 

 ously rich one. While gloxinias delight in a genial 

 moist atmosphere when making their growth especially, 

 they do not take kindly to heavy shower baths overhead, 

 and this should be avoided. 



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