October 4, 1913 



HOETICULTUEE 



46» 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



i/l/C4t^i^^-yi-CA-^<^ 



Questions liy oui- readers in line witlj any of the topics presented on tins page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Rnzicka. Sucli communications should Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Cuttting: 



Xow that the cook')' weather is here to stay, as we 

 may .safely say, you caunot make a greater mistake than 

 to cut your roses too tight. A trip through the cut 

 fiower market last week displayed a large amount of 

 roses cut practically green, tliat would take a long time 

 to look anything like what fresh cut roses should. They 

 will o])en, of course, Init they will never be near as large 

 as the roses that have been allowed to develop their full 

 size before they are cut and shijiped off to the markets, 

 where they will no doubt liring much less than the large 

 buds. American Beauties, esjjecially, will be found 

 harder to dispose of than the ones that will be cut when 

 they ought to be. Do not, however, let them go too far, 

 for the market has no use for overblown roses. 



Packing 



As much as has been said and written un this suliject, 

 much stock is practically ruined by being very carelessly 

 packed for .shipment and, as a result, the roses appear 

 in the market bruised and broken. Growers should re- 

 member that the roses have to be handled a number of 

 times before they finally arrive at the homes of the peo- 

 ple who buy them, and then they can picture how they 

 would look if they leave their greenhouses all bruised. 

 Handle them as carefully as ])ossible, and instruct all 

 your men to do the same. Men who really take interest 

 in their work, and who have the welfare of their business 

 at heart, will hardly have to be instructed in their ways. 

 With new and inexperienced help, it is different, and 

 tile training of the jiroper methods should begin at once, 

 for once the .system is learned the men will not do wrong, 

 as a rule. 



Mulching the Early Houses 



The early planted houses will now be pretty well cut 

 off the first crop and as soon as tlie l)reaks begin to ap- 

 jiear a little bone meal may be applied, followed by a 

 light mulch of manure. This being the second, the dose 

 need not be as heavy as the preceding nmlch. After 

 watering it into the benches it is well to allow the ])lants 

 to become a little dry before the second watering is given. 

 The object is to allow the new breaks to strengthen suffi- 

 ciently before they are forced to grow up fast. Should 

 they be forced from the time that they are starting, a 

 large number of them will be weak and will not have the 

 stem that well-grown stock should possess. 



The Proper Height to Cut Beauties 



In cutting Beauties it is well to remember that the 

 higher they are cut from the bench the harder the wood 

 below the cut will become. And the harder the wood the 

 more difficult it will be for the sap to flow up to the 

 growths above the so formed joint. Also the plants will 

 be more inclined to break from the bottom, tlian wliere 



the wood can be kept soft all the way down to the soil 

 in the benches. We try to have the first wire about a 

 foot above the bench, and then we cut two eyes above the 

 first wire, except in the very front row, where the breaks 

 coming from below can be cut two eyes from the nearest 

 joint, as is the case with Teas. We would even have the 

 wire lower but for the fact that it is hard to get at the 

 l>ench, where tlie plants are planted four row-s to the 

 bench. 



The Yellow Leaves 



It is almost too early in the season to look for these, 

 and yet they will be likely to appear here and there. 

 Keep these picked off the plants as much as possible. 

 Special time should be given to this work, for although 

 it looks very useless, still it does away with a hiding 

 place for insects and fungtis spores. It will also add 

 ajipearance to the plants, as is needless to say. Keep a 

 close watch for the spot, and you will be killing two 

 birds with the one stone. 



Feeding the Plants with Manure Rich in Nitrogen 



In using manures which are known to contain large 

 amounts of nitrogen great care shoidd be exercised so as 

 not to apply too much of this manure at one time. Thi.? 

 would not hurt the plants very much later in the season, 

 ^\hen the temperature of the houses can be controlled, 

 but now when the thermometer is bound to run up on 

 the clear warm days, it is better to go slow, for an over- 

 dose of this would mean .soft plants, and soft plants are 

 very hard to keep clean during the dark, damp spells 

 that our climate seems to be subject to. Another reason 

 for withholding the nitrogen is that the plants will likely 

 produce weak stems, which are very undesirable in the 

 flower trade as a rule. And the weak stems do not end 

 there either, for they can be traced into the next crop, as 

 the gTowths will not be as strcmg as the ones from good 

 strong eyes, on good sturdy wood. 



Repairing the Broken Glass 



Only a few weeks left in which tliis can lie done right, 

 and growers should lose no time in getting their houses 

 repaired. Happy the man where a pane of glass is put 

 in at once, right after being broken, and the job is not 

 put off until sometime when there is little to do. Tliis 

 usually means when the first snow begins to blow in and 

 then the night fireman is usually the one who has the 

 honor to do with all kinds of remarks that which should 

 have been done long ago. Lantern light, and cold 

 weather does not go with glass repairing very well, and 

 generally a few panes of glass are broken, for as is very 

 likely there is not a decent glass cutter on the place, and 

 the glass will not fit. A good glass cutter can be had 

 for ten cents, so invest a dollar now and then in glass 

 cutters, and reduce the amount of glass used on the place 

 for repair work. 



