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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



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I The Month's Work in the Greenhouse | 



I HENRY GIBSON | 



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FURCI-\'(^i bulbs that are rooting outdoors under a 

 covering of ashes or other material will lie hard to 

 get at during the severe weather we are experienc- 

 ing at this writing, and extra care will be needed to avoid 

 breaking, both pots and plants. In attempting to get the 

 frozen covering off one is very likely to break a good 

 many of the young growths thus preventing them from 

 flowering. So long as the pots or flats can be loosened. 

 and taken indoors, it would be well not to trouble about 

 the covering until it has had an opportunity to thaw out, 

 when it may be readily removed without doing any dam- 

 age. Most gardeners have a system of their own to 

 work upon them bringing in the bulbs to maintain a 

 succession, yet wherever it is at all possible it will be 

 found good practice to get them in during moderate 

 weather, even if one has to get in a few extra flats in 

 order to carry over an extreme cold spell. 



It is just as well to get any of the early flowering shrubs 

 that are to be forced under way as soon as i>ossible now. 

 A temperature of 45 degrees is enough to start them, 

 and if they are to have any hard forcing they should 

 have it at least ten days before they start to open their 

 buds. A moderate supply of moisture at the roots, and 

 frequent syringings overhead, will soon bring about an 

 all round swelling of the buds, and the starting of active 

 root fibers. A gradual rise to 60 degrees, with 5 to 10 

 degrees higher on bright days, will finally fix the even 

 course of regular forcing, promote luxuriant growth, and 

 perfect development of foliage and flowers. Should the 

 condition of the plants indicate that they are not going 

 to be in flower just when they are needed most, the tem- 

 I>erature may well be raised every ten days or so, until 

 70 degrees is reached at night. When the flowers are 

 fairly well out a drop to 50 degrees will add materially to 

 their keeping qualities. 



While the propagating bench is kept pretty well occu- 

 pied with bedding plants, it would be well to give a little 

 space to a batch of Boitvardias. They are useful and 

 l>eautiful jilants and are easily grown. Root cuttings 

 are to l>e preferred to young top growth. .Some or all 

 of the strong roots of the old ])lants are cut up into pieces 

 of half an inch or more in length. These are strewn 

 upon the jiropagating bench, slightly covered, kept moist, 

 and somewhat close. After the appearance of the young 

 growths, sashes or anything used in covering the bed 

 may be dispensed with if a steady heat can be main- 

 tained wuhout theni. \o shading is needed while the 

 cuttings are in the sand. When the growths have at- 

 tained a size large enough to be handled with facility 

 they may l>e potted into small pot§, where they will re- 

 main until planted out in a favorable spot in the garden 

 when all danger of frost has passed. By giving the 

 plants a warm house, plenty of light, and frequent pinch- 

 ing back, they will grow into nicely branched plants with 

 firm root-balis that will hang together when lifting for 

 the final potting next Fall. 



If sown at once Cannas from seed will flower by the 

 middle of Summer. A very practical way of securing a 

 quick germination is to soak the seed for 24 hours in 

 warm water, then with a pair of pliers slice off a piece 

 of the hard covering. Sown in flats, simply as you would 

 peas outdoors, covered with half an inch of sand, and 

 placed where they will get a strong bottom heat, at least 



2."^ per cent of the seed will grow quickly. The others 

 will come up at intervals. They need pleiity of strong 

 heat, and when they are large enough to handle they 

 may be potted, grown in a warm house and shifted into 

 four- or five-inch pots as their vigor may determine. 

 About the middle of June they may be planted out. 



Clumps of the old Canna roots dug from the flower 

 beds last season may now be taken out and cut ready to 

 be started in pots or flats later on. 



Stock plants of Chrysanthemums should be placed in 

 a temperature of 45 degrees, with all possible light so 

 that they will begin to furnish material for cuttings. 

 The roots of any varieties of Dahlia that one is desirous 

 of increasing the stock of mav now be planted in a bench, 

 where they will soon throw up a supply of cuttings. 



The first batch of Carnation cuttings should be rooted 

 ]jy this time and ready to go into pots. They should be 

 potted up at once for if left in the sand their vitality soon 

 wanes. This is far more so with Carnations than with 

 any other plants that are propagated today. A carnation 

 plant, once allowed to get stunted in the sand, will 

 remain so for some time to come aiid is far more subject 

 to disease of all kinds than is healthy vigorous stock that 

 has been kept growing right along. Don't make the mis- 

 take of using highly manured soil for the first potting ; 

 the little roots are not yet able to utilize the plant food 

 at this time, and if you add a small proportion of well 

 decayed manure you have done enough. A clean sweet 

 fibrous soil is more important than an excessively rich 

 one. The young plants will do well enough in a tem- 

 perature of 48 degrees, and let the bench be a siuiny one. 



Pelargoniums should be kept growing from now on. 

 Give them a sunny position, and a night temperature of 

 about 45 degrees. Feed them liberally with liquid 

 manure, together with alternate top dressings of Clay's 

 fertilizer, or other concentrated plant food, which will 

 assist in making the wood firm and cause the plants to 

 flower freely. When they are very badly pot-bound they 

 should be repotted in a compost made up of two-thirds 

 fibrous loam, and one-third dry cow manure, with enough 

 sand to make the whole porous, and a little fine bone meal. 

 Drain the pots well, and pot firmly leaving a good margin 

 at the top to hold water. Green aphis is the arch enemy 

 of .'>how Pelargoniums and should never be given any 

 quarter. Xot infrequently we see what were otherwise 

 very fine plants simply alive with these pests. A heavy 

 smoking is usually given, which more often than not 

 removes the flowers as well as the aphis. The point is 

 to fumigate light and often. Keep the plants spread out. 

 and as light as possible, and on warm days give them 

 a syringing overhead. Treated thus one can expect to 

 have healthy, stockv plants that are a credit to the cul- 

 tivator, and well worthy of the attention bestowed upon 

 them. 



.-Vfter the middle of the month a batch of fancy leaved 

 Caladiums. those gorgeous colored foliage plants, may 

 be started up where they are likely to be needed for dec- 

 orative purposes in the conservatory. .About as expe- 

 ditious a method to employ in starting them as any is 

 to place them in flats on a layer of spaghnuni moss. In 

 this way they can be placed close together. Fill in and 

 cover them all over with about an inch of moss, then 

 place them in a house where thev can have a temperature 



