August 23, 1913 



HORTICULTUBE 



261 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



rONDtCTED BY" 



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Qoeatlons by onr readers In line with any of the topics presented on this page will te cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Farrell. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTDRE. 



LIBRARV 



few voi^, 



Adiantums 



Bench-grown adiantum tliat has been denuded by con- 

 tinual cutting should have a good cleaning up and a 

 period of rest. To bring this about let up on water 

 supply to their roots. This should be done gradually 

 and at no time should water be entirely witliheld. Keep 

 the atmosphere in a dryer state, bringing the atmos- 

 pheric moisture down to the minimum point. When 

 they show signs of renewed activities they should have 

 a rich mulch of equal parts of well-rotted cow manure 

 and new soil spread on the surface about half an inch 

 deep. When new fronds are showing well all over the 

 beds give them plenty of moisture both at the roots and 

 in the atmosphere. Give only enough of shade to keep 

 them from burning or losing their deep green color. 

 When they have made three or four inches of growth 

 give regular liquid manure feeding. 



Care of Chrysanthemums, Etc 



The plants by this time have taken a good hold of the 

 soil in the benches, and should now begin to make rapid 

 growth. Proper attention to watering and sprinkling, 

 to weeding and working among the plants, to ventilation 

 and purity of air, and to the maintenance of neatness 

 and cleanliness, will now take up most of the grower's 

 time. The market value of cut flowers nowadays is 

 largely gauged by the length, strength and straightness 

 of their stems. Supports of some kind are needed in 

 the raising of most plants to sustain the dense leafage, 

 to give firmness to stem and branches and to guide the 

 flowering shoots in their upward growth. Steel rods, 

 wooden stakes and devices of various designing in wire, 

 string, or both, are called into service for the purpose. 

 Too tight a fastening of the plants, as they push up- 

 ward, is not advisable. There should be room enough 

 between stake and living wood to allow of expansion in 

 growth and free sway of foliage. Always leave the upper- 

 most undeveloped growth entirely unhampered by any 

 string. 



Cyclamen for J 914 



To have plants of good size for the winter of 1914 



seed should be sown now without delay as it takes from 



fourteen to fifteen months to bring them into flower. 



Be sure to procure fresh seed of the very best strain 



•i from a reliable seedsman. The seed of cyclamen is al- 



J> ways very irregular in starting so give them sweet and 



Q rather sandy mixture to germinate in. A good compost 



rv} is a mixture of fibrous loam, leaf mold and peat in equal 



J parts with a little sand. Give the pans or flats plenty 



of drainage in order to keep the soil from becoming 

 sour. I find it a better plan to sow the seed so that they 

 stand about half an inch apart each way and quarter of 

 an inch deep. When sown this way you can keep the 

 surface of the compost sweet by a little cultivating off 

 and on. Keep them shaded and moist and you will soon 

 see them beginning to come through the soil. 



SIiow Pelargoniums 



Pelargoniums that have been resting should by this 

 time have their wood well ripened. To propagate well 

 the wood should have undergone a rest of three or four 

 weeks. Make cuttings from the tops, leaving a couple 

 of joints to each cutting; place in a cutting bench and 

 with shade and a moderate amount of moisture they will 

 soon root. They can be potted up into 2^/2 or 3-inch 

 pots. For a compost use three parts of fibrous loam to 

 one of well-decayed cow manure and enough sand to 

 lighten it up. Keep shaded for a short time and then 

 give them a bench where they will have plenty of light. 

 When all the cuttings have been taken, these old plants 

 can be pruned back moderately hard which will compel 

 them to break into a sturdy growth. These can be re- 

 potted into a new compost like the one mentioned above 

 and grown on. Be careful not to overwater them until 

 they have started new root action and top-growth. 



Sowing Pansies 

 From now up to the first week in September is the 

 best time to plant pansy seed. Procure the best strains 

 in mixed or separate colors. Pansies at all stages of 

 growth like good soil so take a little trouble with the 

 seed bed. If only a few thousand plants are wanted it 

 is better to sow the seed in a cold-frame if plenty of leaf- 

 mold is at command. Mix a good quantity of it through 

 the soil with some well-rotted cow manure. Sow the 

 seed broadcast or in shallow drills and keep the soil in 

 moist state. Whenever the seedlings are large enough to 

 handle they should be transplanted so that each shall 

 have abundant room. Keep the plants well watered and 

 the surface of tlie soil stirred frequently. 



Seed Sowing 



In order to have plenty of nice flowering plants of 

 daisies and myosotis no time should be lost in making a 

 planting of these very important plants. Do not sow 

 too thickly as one is liable to do it nine times out of ten. 

 Sow outdoors in a cold frame and let them have the 

 same treatment as for pansies. When pricking them 

 out select a frame where you can easily protect them 

 with covering during the winter. 



Mr. Farrell's next notes will be on the following: Bouvardlas; Care of Carnations; Housing Tender Plants; Odontoglossums; 



Propagating Geraniums; Stevlas. 



