November 1, 1913 



HORTICULTURE 



595 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BV 



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Questions by our readers in line witli sny of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzlcka. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



The Propagating House and Sand 



If your propagating house has not been cleaned out, 

 lose no time in having this work done, for not only do 

 the benches suffer but it is none too good for the cut- 

 tings that will be put there later on. There is such a 

 thing as starving the old fungus by giving it no place to 

 remain, and there is no better way of doing this than 

 by allowing the benches to dry up well during the sum- 

 mer months. Where the house is situated so that chrys- 

 anthemums can be crowded in in the fall, this is usually 

 done, and then the soil removed and the house cleaned. 

 If this is the case with your place then lose no time 

 cleaning the old soil out of the benches as soon as the 

 chrysanthemums are out of the way, and wash them at 

 once and then give them a good coat of whitewash to 

 which a little liluestone (copper sulphate) has been 

 added. This will help do away with many of the germs 

 that are in the habit of loafing around in the cracks and 

 crevices, ready to spring out and damage the young cut- 

 tings or the roots of the same, as soon as they are formed. 

 If you have to go any distance for sand, now is the time 

 to have it hauled and stored where it will be handy to 

 get at in the winter when it is wanted. We would not 

 advise putting it right in the benches, as it is best to do 

 this just before tlie cuttings are to be put in. This in- 

 sures clean sand for the start and there is a good deal in 

 that. If you have no place under a roof, heap the sand 

 and cover with straw, upon which can be placed leaves 

 or any coarser material that may be had. The object of 

 using the straw is that there is nothing cleaner, and the 

 sand must be kept clean. Good sharp sand that is not 

 too fine nor too coarse will be the best for the purpose. 

 Eiver sand will usually contain plenty of very fine mud 

 which should be washed out, by watering it thoroughly 

 after it is placed in the benches. If there is good drain- 

 age this water will carry away all the mud, and if the 

 sand is so treated two or three times it will be almost as 

 clean as the natural sand that is found here and there 

 in strata. 



The F'ower Shows 

 Do not be satisfied after visiting the shows to say, 

 "We have something just as good at home." Go out 

 into the fight and let other people know it if you can. 

 It will help your business, and help the trade as well. 

 There is much more joy in winning when competition 

 is close, so do not stay home because of that. Select 

 your blooms with the greatest care, letting them remain 

 on the plants to develop as large as possible, and then 

 put them into the ice box for a while. Do not attempt 

 to exhibit stuff that has been kept too long, for it will 

 go back on you, and the chances of winning will be 

 much smaller. Do not try to exhibit in the big classes 

 if you have only a few plants. The growers who have 

 many thousand- to select from will take care of that, 

 unless of course your stock is very well grown. It is 

 surprising how many flaws you can find when you come 

 to look for a perfect bud. One bloom will be perfect 

 but for some leaves that have been bruised while syr- 

 inging. Another will have a bud that lacks the finish 

 that goes with a perfect rose. Look over your blooms 



very carefully and you can then know how good your 

 blooms really are. Be sure to clean the foliage by rub- 

 bing it very gently with the softest of the wax papers, 

 being very careful not to bruise it. Never lay the ex- 

 hibition stock down, unless there is paper there first, 

 and clean paper at that. In shipping, wrap the buds in 

 "fine paper, and place tissue wax and newspaper between 

 the layers, so that the thorns of the one do not have any 

 chance to run into the foliage of the lower layer and 

 tear it. Always take at least two extra blooms along, 

 so that if for any reason you should have to discard one 

 you will have another to take its place. Observe well 

 the rules governing the show, and see that they are not 

 violated in any respect. In exhibiting roses in quantity 

 make sure that you have the required number, no more, 

 no less. Often it happens that roses that are really 

 better do not get the credit, for they may have a coating 

 of lime on the foliage, as they came out of the rose 

 house. Or there may be a few pieces of string still 

 clinging to them. Now this is no way to exhibit roses, 

 and the grower that is as careless as this, deserves to 

 be beaten. 



Covering the Soil for Use in Winter. 



Now that the autumn leaves are falling it is a good 

 idea to rake up a lot of them and cover over the soil 

 heaps that are to be used in the winter for potting pur- 

 poses. Do not put this off, for you will have a good 

 chance to regret it when the winter is here and the men 

 will waste any amount of time digging up the frozen 

 earth and bringing it into the potting sheds to thaw and 

 dry, in order that it may be used. Of course it is very 

 nice, and far cheaper in the long run to have a shed 

 where soil can be stored but there are many florists who 

 have no such luxury, if you choose to call it that. We 

 would rather call it a necessity and would not do busi- 

 ness without it very long. To go on, turn the soil over 

 many times as may be necessary so that it is about ready 

 to use. It can be done much quicker and better now 

 than later in the winter. Then make a nice square heap 

 of it and pile the leaves on. They can hardly be put on 

 too quick, for {he frost will at times go through two feet 

 of the leaves. If you can, pile some old shutters or 

 something over the leaves so that all the water that falls 

 will not go down into them. This is a good way to keep 

 the frost out, for the drier the leaves are the less chance 

 will the frost have of getting down into them, and 

 through them into the soil. Where bog hay is plentiful 

 and cheap this can be used along with the leaves and the 

 results will be much better. 



Notes in General 



With the competition keener than ever and many new 

 and very good indeed roses, this coming season will be a 

 busy one for the gi-owers. Like farming, which had 

 always been looked upon as no business at all, rose grow- 

 ing is certainly a business, and the place that is not run 

 on business principles will soon be torn down or sold to 

 someone who can run it so. Those happy-go-luclcy days 

 are gone. With the continual rise in the wages and the 

 cost of other necessities which are required commercial 

 rose growing is certainly no play. 



