June 4, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



851 



SEASONABLE NOTES ON CULTURE 



OF FLORISTS' STOCK. 



Bench Soil. 



Turfy soil that has been thrown over 

 once or twice and is easily breakable 

 but not in a fine or powdery state 

 will suit nearly all crops cultivated on 

 benches under glass. Don't neglect 

 this all-important requisite of your 

 business until the actual time arrives 

 when you must have it. It is well to 

 have it ready as soon as possible, mix- 

 ing and adding manure — more or less 

 as the case may require. It would be 

 better to retard planting for two weeks 

 than attempt to use the soil in an 

 unfit condition. Good soil, well mixed 

 and uniform in character is the very 

 foundation that makes success in all 

 crops that florists have to grow. 

 Celestial Peppers. 



These plants are much in favor for 

 holiday trade. All solanums are badly 

 checked by being lifted. Those grown 

 under continuous pot-culture will do 

 finely in a frame during the summer. 

 They should be repotted as they may 

 need it until the latter part of August 

 when they should be in their selling 

 size, either 6 inch or 7 inch. Neglect 

 in the matter of timely repotting when 

 they are growing is sure to be of great 

 injury. Solanums should never be al- 

 lowed to become thoroughly pot-bound 

 before full bearing size has been at- 

 tained, if you want first class plants. 

 The pots should be plunged in order 

 to guard against frequent and severe 

 drying out. During the hottest hours 

 of the day a little shade is good for 

 them. Some prefer to grow them in 

 the open ground during the summer 

 and then lift them, but I find they lose 

 much of the fine growth in the trans- 

 fer from the field to the pot. A fine 

 lot of these plants is ready money for 

 next winter. 



Laelias. 



When well grown, laelias always find 

 a ready sale in most of our large cities. 

 Many of these orchids thrive best in 

 suspended baskets or on blocks of hard 

 wood. As to compost they like a ma- 

 terial composed of clean peat, live 

 sphanum and some charcoal. As the 

 season advances and the temperature 

 gets higher they will have to be given 

 more air, and consequently more fre- 

 quent damping of the floors and bench- 

 es to provide the moisture during the 

 hot dry weather, which will insure 

 good growth for next winter's flower- 

 ing. As the new growth matures the 

 quantity of water must be lessened, but 

 syringing overhead in bright weather 

 will be found very beneficial. Laelias 

 such as anceps, albida. autumnalis, etc., 

 when in spike, can be held back with 

 safety by placing them in a tempera- 

 ture of about 50 degrees, and then 

 bringing them forward as desired by 

 shifting into a temperature of from 60 

 to 65 degrees. By this means a longer 

 .season of bloom can be kept up. The 

 plants must be carefully looked over 

 for white scale. 



Planting Out Young Roses. 



Progressive growers now favor earl- 

 ier planting because they can produce 

 more blooms per plant during the sea- 

 son, and of a higher grade, than from 

 later planted stock. The houses should 

 have a thorough cleaning after being 

 emptied as cleanliness is essential to 

 health of the young plants. Select and 

 plant only the very best stock, dis- 

 carding any that appear sickly. See 

 that the plants are firmly planted with- 



out damaging the hall. When the 

 bench has been planted water careful- 

 ly around each plant without soaking 

 the whole bench. Careful watering is 

 of the greatest importance at all stages 

 of their growth. When evaporation is 

 rapid because of a dry atmosphere the 

 plants can hardly be over-watered, but 

 watering must be done very carefully 

 if the atmosphere is moist. Much of 

 the success or failure of this crop can 

 be attributed to care taken of young 

 roses. Healthy, stocky growth can only 

 be had by timely cultivation, ventilat- 

 ing and watering. When time can be 

 spared the plants should be staked and 

 tied so that the light and air can have 

 free access among them. 

 Smilax. 



From now on up to the middle of 

 July smilax can be planted with suc- 

 cess, but I prefer as early as possible. 

 Without question it is still the most 

 useful as well as the most easily grown 

 of decorative greens. It may be grown 

 in either solid beds or raised benches, 

 the former giving the most satisfac- 

 tory results. Vigorous plants from 3 

 to 4^nch pots make the best size for 

 planting out. Allow at least from 12 

 to 15 inches between the rows and 

 from 9 to 12 inches between the plants. 

 You will need anywhere from 8 to 10 

 feet of headroom. After they are 

 planted Silkaline strings should be run 

 up for the young plants to twine on. 

 The soil should be composed of two 

 parts of strong fibrous loam to one of 

 cow manure. Syringe once a day to 

 prevent red spider from securing a 

 foothold. 



Stock Plants. 



Plants that are needed for future in- 

 crease of stock will now need the full- 

 est attention. Some will be improved 

 as bearers of cuttings for propagation 

 by a judicious pinching or cutting back 

 in order to make a sturdy growth dur- 

 ing the summer, which will give abun- 

 dant crop of strong cuttings. Plants 

 such as abutilons, begonias, daisies, 

 geraniums, fuchsias, lemon verbenas, 

 lantanas and many others will with 

 ordinary care and constant indoor cul- 

 ture produce cuttings much to be pre- 

 ferred to outdoor-grown stock. See 

 that the different varieties are not al- 

 lowed to intermingle, thus causing a 

 mix-up, a source of considerable an- 

 noyance every spring. 



JOHN J. M. FARRELL. 



Mr. Farrell's next notes will be on the 

 following: .\spnragus plumosus. Chrysan- 

 themums For Cut Bloom, Begonias, Dra- 

 caenas, Hydrangeas, Solauum eapslcas- 



BALTIMORE NOTES. 

 Park Management. 



There is a ripple of excitement in 

 our Park Board. Citizens have pro- 

 tested the manner of trimming trees 

 in parks, and the general neglect 

 prominently observable in the parks. 

 Work commenced over two years ago 

 is in a chaotic state seemingly aban- 

 doned. Mr. Manning, Superintendent 

 of the Parks, has been put on the de- 

 fensive by sharp letters in the press 

 criticising existing methods. One park 

 official has made charges which a 

 member of city council has taken up 

 and presented to the Park Board, and 

 in consequence the Park Board are 

 now "investigating themselves." The 

 Park Board of Baltimore are not ap- 

 pointed on account of anything they 

 know about parks, trees, landscape 

 gardening, the floral kingdom or any- 

 thing of that nature; but just because 



they are good prominent citizens. It 

 a civil service examination was re- 

 quired the Board could not tell a dan- 

 delion from a daisy except they know 

 one should be yellow; nor an oak from 

 a chestnut tree — yet they pose as ex- 

 perts and do not hesitate to put up a 

 bluff against the knowledge of men 

 who have served a score or more of 

 years and whose work proclaims their 

 practical knowledge. Shoemakers and 

 laboring men after a few months' work 

 as laborers in the parks were pro- 

 moted to be superintendents. The two 

 most proficient and recognized experts 

 connected with the parks, the Board is 

 making strenuous efforts to get rid of. 

 Knowledge regarding park work, flori- 

 culture, etc., is not required. 

 Club Doings. 



The Gardeners' and Florists' Club at 

 its last meeting gave a very interest- 

 ing entertainment. The club concludes 

 "Mothers' Day" is something that 

 should be encouraged, but that the 

 white carnation should be worn for 

 departed mothers, and bright colored 

 ones for the living mothers. The club 

 donated a lot of plants for the Endo- 

 wood Hospital patients. Mr. Richard 

 Vincent, Jr., who has been abroad, 

 wrote some very interesting letters to 

 a member who read them to the club. 

 One describing a 400-acre bulb farm 

 was of unusual interest. 



The Flower Market. 



This week the flower market Is over- 

 stocked with carnations, peonies and 

 other seasonable blooms. Wet weather 

 has also lessened the general excel- 

 lence. 



OBITUARY. 



Mrs. E. A. Riehl. 



Mrs. E. A. Riehl, wife of E. A. Riehl 

 of Evergreen Heights, Alton, 111., died 

 May 20th, aged about 70 years. She is 

 survived by a husband, two sons and a 



daughter. 



William E. Kelley. 



Wm. E. Kelley, former president of 

 the Horticultural Society of Chicago, 

 died at his summer home at Oconomo- 

 woc, Wis., May 30, after an illness of 

 a year. A special train left Chicago 

 bearing his friends and business asso- 

 ciates to Oconomowoc May 31st, and 

 they will accompany his remains to 

 Chicago, where interment will take 

 place at Graceland. The Horticultural 

 Society of Chicago sent a large wreath 

 of orchids and asparagus. 



Jason Sexton. 



Jason Sexton died suddenly, aged 

 76, on Memorial Day while mak- 

 ing a patriotic speech at North 

 Wales, Pa. He had already joined 

 in a G. A. R. parade and made 

 a speech at Lonsdale. He was not 

 only an agriculturist of note in the 

 great farm of the late William M. 

 Singerly, but was closely in touch with 

 horticulture in the institute work of 

 the state — especially In connection 

 with Edwin Lonsdale's good work in 

 that direction during the last twenty 

 years. He made many good addresses, 

 which were always characterized by 

 breadth of view and a progressive 

 spirit. Also was a member of the state 

 legislature and of the state agricul- 

 tural department. He was a fine, big, 

 broad man in every department of hu- 

 man endeavor near the soil — and that 

 is the ultimate measure of all men. 



G. C. W. 



