December 21, 1918 



H E T I C U L T U R B 



Rose Growing 

 Under Glass 



The Christmas Market 



Xever before m the lu.stury of the rose business did 

 growers realize the prices that roses promise to bring 

 this coming Christmas, and we think it is only right 

 that they should do their part by sending only first-class 

 fresh cut stock to the market and not try to save it for 

 a week or more. That game only hurts the flower 

 business, for if such stock is sold for cut flowers in spite 

 of the careful eyes of the retail store manager, whoever 

 buys such roses will not buy again for a while, or else 

 feel that he had been "stuck," thus putting the whole 

 trade in a bad light, and so the impression spreads that 

 roses axe punk, etc., which does harm to all rose growers. 

 Ship the stock as fast a* it is ready, and do not run the 

 houses more than two degrees warmer, for there will be 

 a good market all January and February', so it is not 

 necessary to kiU the plants for one holiday. Handle 

 aU cut roses "with gloves on," as they' say, meaning verj- 

 gently. They have to be handled several times more 

 before they get into the home where they eventually go, 

 and rough handling will not improve them a bit. When 

 packing for shipment see that the heads are not packed 

 too close to the end of the box. and then pack snug so 

 that the roses will not slide all over as soon as the box 

 is handled. Do not crush them by packing too tight, 

 which would be as bad as packing too loose. Ask your 

 wholesale man for any points that you are in doubt on, 

 and take a trip once in a while to advise how your 

 stuff arrives. Use only good boxes, whether they are 

 paper or wood, keeping the poorer ones for slacker times 

 when the express is less congested, and when there is 

 more time to repair the boxes before they go out. 



Watering 



We see but little of the sun lately, so it will be neces- 

 sary to be very careful with the hose, for much damage 

 can result from bad judgment in watering, especially in 

 houses that are cutting heavy. While the buds are still 

 on the plants they will need plenty of water; in fa«^t. 

 they should never be allowed to get dry while a heavy 

 crop is coming on, but as soon as heav^' cutting starts in. 

 watering will have to be cut out a little and the plants 

 allowed to become a little dry, until they begin to break 

 all over again, when they will once more take their nor- 

 mal feed and water. Avoid feeding when a heavy crop 

 is about to show color, for if the plants had received their 

 amount of feed while the crop was coming on, there will 

 be enough nutrition in the soil to finish the crop. A 

 little soot applied right after watering and then watered 

 in right away will help put color into the buds, but that 

 is about all we would use. 



Drainage 



See that all the houses are properly drained. Poorly 

 drained houses take much more coal to heat and the 

 roses will never thrive so well. It is much like trying to 

 raise garden crops on wet land or living in a very damp 

 house. Well drained houses will dry off quickly after 



-..■— ^ CONDUCTED BY 



Questions by onr readers In line with any of the topics pre- 

 sented on this page will be cordially received and promptly 

 answ:;red by Mr. Ruzicka. Such communications should 

 invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



syringing, and there will be little danger from spot. 

 See that there is no water standing day and night under 

 the benches or in the walks, and see that no surface 

 water gets into the houses when a heavy sliower or snow- 

 storm happen to come. See that all water leaders are 

 free from leaves, etc., so that the water has a chance to 

 run right off instead of standing in the gutters, and run- 

 ning in under the glass' where the houses are connected, 

 as most of the houses are out west. Test the ground 

 for drainage by digging down two or three feet. If the 

 hole thus made fills with water, open trenches wherever 

 possible so the water is carried off. This water is always 

 cold, so the houses are chilly even if they are up to the 

 regular temperature. The benches wiU not dry out, and 

 plants refuse to grow. Mildew will persist in coming 

 in, in spite of sulphur and careful ventilation and the 

 soil will get sour in spite of hme. Many houses will not 

 grow roses, merely because they are built over poorly 

 drained ground. It is still time to correct this, or at 

 least greatly improve the situation by opening trenches, 

 putting in drains wherever possible, using a well planned 

 chart to do the work, and gradually completing the 

 whole project, for with help the way it is now, it is im- 

 possible to finish a job at times no matter how much 

 we may wish to do so. That is also why it is so impor- 

 tant to clean out well under the benches when the soil 

 is changed in the spring and summer. I know a place 

 where the grade is lower now than it was t^^^enty years 

 aso when the houses were built, which contrasts greatly 

 ^^ith another place where on starting out to build new 

 benches we took out over a foot of old greenhouse soil, 

 to find three different sets of bricks on which benches 

 had stood vears gone by, and finally got down to the 

 fourth andoriginal grade. The heating pipes were al- 

 ways hfted every now and then when the dirt got too 

 hieh, instead of "cleaning out the old dirt. Needless to 

 .av this house did not suffer from lack of drainage, and 

 the difference in the growth of the plants was well 

 marked. No plant or animal can thrive on its own 

 excrements, or with parts of its own family dead around 

 it It can thrive and grow on waste of every sort ex- 

 cepting its own and this is more true of the rose in the 

 crreenhouse than anv other flower. With good drainage 

 any waste that does get under the benches will dry up 

 and be harmless, but with water or excessive dampness 

 this waste will decay and cause trouble. To help correct 

 poor drainage before the drains are opened up, use a lit- 

 tle more air, even if it does take a little more coal. It 

 will pay in the end. 



Pots 

 Make sure that the supply of pots on hand will he 

 sufficient to take care of all the young stock that ^^^ll 

 have to V,e grown for the spring planting. Freights are 

 slow, and manufacturers may not have such large stocks 

 on hand as they carried in former years, so all orders 

 should he placed very early, giving plenty of time tor 

 the pots to arrive. 



