338 



HORTICULTURE 



September 3, 1910 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of 

 Florists' Stock 



AMARYLLIS 



Hippeastnim vittatum can easily be forced into 

 flower by Christmas and would be a very attractive 

 plant for the holidays. A greater number of these bulbs 

 will throw from two to three spikes, which will bear from 

 four lo six fine flowers. Hippeastrum vittatum by this 

 time has completed its season's growth and can be given 

 a rest of five or six weeks, the regular watering being 

 discontinued so as to keep them quite dry, but not 

 enough so as to cause a shriveling of the roots. If you 

 start now and give them this needful rest, by the middle 

 of October the bulbs will have attained a ripeness that 

 should give a fine stand of flowers for the holidays. 

 M'hen the season of rest is at an end — which is gen- 

 erally marked by the appearance of a new growth — they 

 can be repotted in any fairly rich sandy soil. Give them 

 a steady temperature of about 60 degrees. 



SOWING CYCLAMENS 



Cyclamens can be sown from now until December. 

 By sowing the seed now you will have plants for early 

 winter flowering and the later date will do for March. 

 It takes from 12 to 15 months until they reach their 

 blooming period. Sow the seed in shallow f)ans or 

 boxes, using a compost of good loam and well decayed 

 leaf mould in erpuil parts, with a dash of sand. Good 

 drainage in the bottom of the pans or flats is essential 

 for their well being. Keep shaded and moist and they 

 will germinate in from four to six weeks. Wlien they 

 make their appearance give them plenty of light, and 

 keep as near the glass as possible and with a uniform 

 state of moisture at the roots. Wlien the bulbs are 

 about the size of a small pea they can be transferred 

 into other pans or flats, using loam, sand and leaf 

 mould, and in about seven to eight weeks they will be 

 ready for 2 or 21/2-inch pots. Exercise care in watering 

 and syringing. 



CUTTINGS OF VINCAS 



This is a good time to put in a stock of Vinca cut- 

 tings. AVhen taking tlie cuttings use the long growth 

 that is spread out along the ground. The growth that 

 is very tender and soft should not be used. Let there 

 be two eyes to every cutting. If kept shaded and the 

 sand moist they should be rooted in about four to six 

 weeks. These will make a very useful size in 3 or i-inch 

 pots by the following May for vases, baskets and veranda 

 boxes. Plants that were planted out in the field in 

 ilay should be lifted now and potted in 4 or 5-inch pots 

 and, if kept a-gi-owing, will make fine specimens by 

 next spring. A fine ])lace for these plants is on the 

 front of a bench in a sunny bouse, ])lacing them near 

 edge so the growth can hang over the side. Yinca 

 major and its varieties are the most useful for the com- 

 nievrial florist. 



DRACAENA INDIVISA 



The stock in the field of Dracsna indivisa should be 

 lifted now. Use just a little care and pot them up ac- 

 cording to their size from a 3-inch to a 5-inch. They 

 can be placed in a cool house or, if you have not room 

 just now, a deep cold frame will make a good place for 

 them for the next four or five weeks. Keep them well- 

 sprayed and they will soon become re-established in their 

 pots. Give them a temperature of 50 degrees at night 



during the winter and keep them well syringed. Seed 

 can be sown now and will germinate cpiite freely. The 

 seed should be sown in light sandy soil and kept in a 

 temperature of 60 to 65 degrees. When large enough 

 they can be put in 3 or 2i/4-inch pots and grown during 

 first season under glass, and the second season they can 

 be planted out in the field. These plants when lifted in 

 tlie fall will make fine plants for 5 or 6-inch pots. 



LORRAINE BEGONIA 



Begonia Gloire de Lorraine at this season is making 

 its fastest growth and should get every care that is 

 necessary for its well being. Those that have not been 

 shifted as yet into their final pots should be done with- 

 out delay. A good compost is good turfy loam tliree 

 parts, sand two parts, and well-rotted cow manure for 

 one part. The best kind of pots to use is azalea pots in 

 5, 6 or 7-inch according to the size of your plants. Give 

 them attention as to watering, airing, and they will con- 

 tinue to grow rapidly. They should have a tying now. 

 This can be done by placing one stake in the center, 

 and looping with raffia each shoot loosely and repeat as 

 often as the plants may require it. Be sure and give 

 the plants plenty of room between themselves so as to 

 make symmetrical specimens. 



LILIUM CANDIDUM 



This lily should be potted as soon as the bulbs are pro- 

 cured, which is about this time, in order to have the 

 best success with it. Bulbs that are kept as late as the 

 end of September make both roots and leaves, and while 

 they will still make fairly satisfactory flowering plants 

 they cannot equal the earlier potted ones. AVhen re- 

 ceived they should be immediately potted up. Any good 

 fibry loam enriched to about one-fifth of its bulk with 

 some well-rotted manure will grow them. The best 

 place for these bulbs is a cool airy frame until the foli- 

 age becomes green and firm. Leave them out until they 

 get a good freezing. Many failures in the culture of 

 this lily are due to the growers persisting in treating it 

 as they would Harrisii, which is entirely wrong. It 

 forces better after January 15 and if good results are 

 expected it should not be attempted before that date. 

 The temperature should run at night to about 50 to 55 

 degrees. 



PANUANUS VEITCHII 



This is one of the very best variegated plants for 

 decorative purposes. In general it is not difficult to 

 grow and when managed under favorable condition it 

 will make a fine plant for commercial uses. During the 

 winter they require a high temperature of from 65 to 

 TO degrees with little or no shade. Plants that are 

 \'ery much pot-bound should have a shift now. A good 

 compost is, say, two-thirds of light turfy loam, and well- 

 rotted manure, to which some sharp sand lias been 

 added. See that they have good drainage in the pots 

 so that the water will pass away freely. Avoid during 

 the winter months overhead syringing for if coupled 

 with a drop in temperature it is very liable to produce 

 an attack of spot. The suckers that are freely produced 

 can be easily rooted at any time. A good method in 

 rooting these plants is to put each piece into a pot — say 

 21/0 or 3-inch. Place a little soil in the bottom and fill 

 the remainder up with sand, and plunge in a warm prop- 

 agating bench. After they are rooted they will stav in 

 tiiefe pots many weeks without injury at this season. 



STEVIAS 



This is a very useful flowering plant for the florist 

 around holidays. It should be lifted and potted now 

 liefore there is any danger from frost, using 6, 

 7 or 8-inch pots. After potting give a good soak- 



