948 



HORTI CULTURE 



June 25, 1910 



Mr. Shaylor has but one plant of it, 

 which is presumably the only one in 

 this country at present. 



And now a fen words about Eugene 

 Verdier, a variety always referred to 

 as a most charming peony. Mr. Shay- 

 lor has stock — over 100 plants — a^ sup- 

 plied to him under this name by at 

 least three of the most prominent nur- 

 sery firms. He also has what has 

 been proven to be the true Eugene 

 Verdier. It is absolutely distinct and 

 no one who ht.s bad an opi ortunity to 

 make comparisons will ever again 

 have any difficulty in recognizing it. 

 It is an exceedingly stocky grower, the 

 stems very stout, short, upright and 

 noticeably uniform as to height, the 

 foliage extending close up to the 

 flowers. Mr. Shaylor has Mr. Dessert 

 as authority tor the assertion that 

 there is no question but that this is 

 the original variety obtained by Mr. 

 Mechin in 1S67 or '68 from Eugene 

 Verdier himself who was then a nur- 

 seryman at Paris. Between it and the 

 others which have been traveling un- 

 der its name, there Is no comparison 

 as to foliage, bud, quality or behavior, 

 its superiority in all these respects, 

 b^ing unquestionable. The spurious 

 variety lacks in all these qualities and, 

 further, 20 to 33 per cent, of the buds 

 "break" — that is, one side bursts out 

 while the other remains undeveloped 

 and frequently rots Some growers, 

 it is said, have pronounced the latter 

 to be EugeiiUi Verdier, but Mr. Shay- 

 lor declares that Eugenia is also quite 

 different. By some it has been sold 

 under the name of Pottsi Alba, which 

 is also manifestly wrong. 



Georgianna Shaylor, a portrait of 

 which appears on preceding page, holds 

 well up to its previous reputation as 

 an American production cf distinct 

 merit. After the heavy rains its thick 

 stem stands perfectly erect, carrying 

 the big blooms well above the foliage 

 and in texture, uniformity and purity 

 of color and thickness and breadth of 

 foliage it has no superior in sight. 

 The only time this variety was shown 

 at Boston it received a first class cer- 

 tificate of rrerit. It is the only one 

 of Mr. Shaylor's seedlings which he 

 has ever named. He says that he 

 doesn't believe in giving a name to a 

 variety unless he feels pretty sure it 

 will live and be cultivated after he 

 dies. 



These notes are intended to be 

 limited to comment on new varieties, 

 but we cannot resist a brief reference, 

 in passing, to that standard peony, 

 yivaiancbe, with its majestic white 

 globes, the inner petals daintly edged 

 here and th^re with crimson purple: 

 to Aurore, "itli ipree loose Petals of 

 beautiful soft blush (this must not be 

 confused with an American variety 

 called Aurora) ; Marguerite Gerard, a 

 pink of noble proportions; Mme, Gal- 

 hau. the ?tar of the recent exhibition; 

 Baroness Schroder, which is a model 

 in hrild and satiny texture, color faint 

 flush deeping towards the centre, than 

 which there is nothing flner. And 

 there are others. 



"WE NEED IT." 

 "Enclosed please find $1.00 for sub- 

 scription to HORTICULTURE. Rush 

 copy along, we need it." 



S. F. CO. 



North Dakota. 



SEASONABLE NOTES ON CUL- 

 TURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK. 

 Asparagus Sprengeri. 



This is such a tremendous feeder 

 that a great depth of soil is necessary 

 — not less than a toot deep for its 

 roots to grow in, using a very rich 

 compost. As they have a tendency to 

 work downward a method in favor 

 with some good giowers is to grow 

 this asparagus in deep narrow boxes, 

 from 3 to 6 feet long, 12 to 18 inches 

 deep, and about 1 foot wide. These 

 boxes can be placed at the side or end 

 of a house, and this method of culture 

 also makes a change of position at any 

 time possible. The boxes should be 

 raised up to full light so as to give a 

 superb grade of finely developed deep 

 green sprays. Watch for indications 

 of stagnant moisture at the roots, 

 which shows itself by the foliage tak- 

 ing on a yellowish color all over. The 

 remedy is to withhold water for a time. 

 When the boxes or beds get filled with 

 roots, encouragement must be given 

 in the form of liquid manure. Give 

 a night temperature of from 56 to 60 

 degrees in winter. 



Bougalnvilleas. 



The plants that were rooted in 

 March or April should now be nice 

 strong plants growing vigorously in 

 4 or 5-inch pots. Shift as they may 

 need until September when they should 

 be in their flowering size, say 6 or 7- 

 inch pots. They like the fullest light 

 possible and delight in a high tem- 

 perature, providing the atmosphere is 

 not kept too moist during the summer, 

 which would interfere with the wood 

 getting well matured. Without well- 

 ripened wood you will not succeed in 

 having good blooms. Care should be 

 taken that the soil does not get too 

 dry, otherwise many of the shoots will 

 receive a check which will cause them 

 to set a few bracts of flowers pre- 

 maturely in place of producing a full 

 crop. If plunged in some material on 

 the benches the pots will not dry so 

 often, thereby saving much labor and 

 the plants will thrive better as the pots 

 will be kept cooler. When the growth 

 shows signs of ripening in October a 

 slight drying off can be practiced, but 

 be careful not to dry them off too sud- 

 denly. 



Care of Planted and Plunged Out 

 Stock. 

 A large part of the florists' stock is 

 raised into salable or flowering size 

 by field culture. Good cultivation is 

 essential to all glass-house plants. It 

 helps to give them vigor and size dur- 

 ing their few months' sojourn in the 

 field. Keep the ground clear of weeds 

 by frequent hoeing, with proper care 

 as to trimming, stopping and tying 

 where needed. Being now fully ex- 

 posed to the sun and air, plants that 

 are plunged will require a constant 

 supply of water. It would be impos- 

 sible to say how much or often as the 

 weather, the constitution and habits 

 of the plants, and also the size of the 

 pots, will make a material difference 

 in that respect. Crotons, dracaenas, 

 ficus, hydrangeas, roses, vincas and 

 other plants in a dry season require 

 plenty of watering and are also bene- 

 fited by a spraying after every hot and 

 sunny day. Pots that are plunged 

 should be turned full around in their 

 seats at least once a week to prevent 



the roots from striking through the 

 bottom of the pots into the outside 

 soil. 



Cinerat ias. 



It is well to make three sowings — 

 one early in July, another about the 

 middle of August, and the last sowing 

 the middle of September, The two 

 last dates are the best for most grow- 

 ers as they will have them from Feb- 

 ruary on to Easter, which will be late 

 next year, April 16. Be sure and ob- 

 tain your seed from some reliable firm 

 as it is an unpardonable mistake to 

 invest in a cheap and poor grade of 

 seed. Prepare well-drained flats or 

 pans of soil, three parts loam to two 

 parts leaf mould, with one-sixth of 

 sand. Press the surface smooth, plunge 

 the pan or flat in a tub of water till 

 the water appears over the top, and 

 then sow the seed evenly on the sur- 

 face. Cover with a piece of glass, 

 then shade the glass with' paper and 

 place in cold frame. When the seed- 

 lings are large enough to handle, prick 

 out into flats of similar soil. Give fre- 

 quent shifts, using a stronger soil each 

 time. Keep moderately moist at the 

 roots and under a heavy shade to be 

 made lighter as the fall advances. 

 Keep them out as long into the fall as 

 possible, guarding, however, against 

 frosts. Fumigate often as they are 

 liable to green-fly. Give plenty of fresh 

 air. 



Pelargoniums. 



Those who grow pelargoniums 

 should now prepare the plants to pro- 

 duce cuttings to be taken in August. 

 They should be kept rather dry for 

 the next six or eight weeks. Then 

 cut them back hard and moderately 

 water until they have broken. The 

 top growth can be cut off with three 

 or four eyes which will root readily 

 with a slight shade and moderate 

 amount of moisture. They will not 

 root as quickly as most plants, but In 

 five or six weeks will be ready for 

 2i;4 inch pots. Grow them on in very 

 light and airy house well up to the 

 glass. Due attention should be paid 

 to pinching to keep the plants sym- 

 metrical. Strong and fine plants can 

 be grown from these if they are re- 

 potted as required and should be flow- 

 ering by next April or May. 



Poinsettlas. 



You should be getting ready to 

 propagate your stock of poinsettlas 

 now, rooting cuttings for benches or 

 pots. It is too early yet to prop- 

 agate for pans intended for Christmas 

 sales. About July 10th is a good date 

 to proi)agate for pan culture. Any or- 

 dinary greenhouse or frame can be 

 used for propagating purposes. Never 

 let them wilt for the want of water. 

 If you do they will shrivel up and per- 

 ish in the sand. It is also necessary 

 to keep them shaded from the sun- 

 shine. Guard against sunshine and 

 draughts and see that bed is kept sat- 

 urated and you will have no trouble 

 in rooting a high per cent. The best 

 cuttings are those rubbed off with a 

 heel. See that the leaves are 

 trimmed off fairly close before insert- 

 ing the cuttings. 



JOHN J. M. FARRELL. 



Mr. Farreli's next notes will he on the 

 following: Hollyhocks; Housing Carna- 

 tions; Ivies; Nepenthes: Piimuias; Oucid- 

 iums. 



