October S, 1910 



llORTICULTURE 



499 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of 

 Florists^ Stock 



CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 



This is tlie time of all others when our plants must 

 not be neglected. They will need tying and disbudding 

 as the}' come along. As soon as the buds are set, liquid 

 manure should be applied once a week. Half a bushel 

 of cow manure or about a peck of sheep manure is suffi- 

 cient for .50 gallons of water. Do not use the same 

 manure twice in succession, as these plants like a va- 

 riety of food. For a change use a three-inch pot full 

 of sulphate of ammonia, or the same cjuantity of 

 nitrate of soda, to 50 gallons of water. AVhen the cool 

 nights come it is better to run a line of heat through 

 ,your houses and have on several inches of air than to 

 close your house up tightly in order to keep up the de- 

 sired temperature. You should never let your houses 

 fall below 4.5 degrees at night. Fumigate often, for 

 if the black and gi-een fly get a headway now they 

 are certain to spoil your crop of flowers later. 



DUTCH BULBS. 



The sooner these bulbs are boxed or potted after 

 being received the better. No matter at what time hya- 

 cinths, narcissi, tulips and other Holland bulbs are 

 wanted for forcing, whether for an early or late trade, 

 it is at all times best to plant them as soon as possible. 

 For early use it is absolutely necessary, because it will 

 take any of these bulbs at least eight weeks to form 

 roots. Use any good friable soil liberally enriched with 

 old and thoroughly decomposed stable manure. The 

 old bench soil that was taken from the rose oi carnation 

 houses earlier in the season is as good as any. After 

 the boxes, pans and pots are planted they should be 

 given a good soaking clear through, and then covered 

 with a layer of, say, four or five inches of soil or sifted 

 coal ashes, whichever comes the handiest. An addi- 

 tional covering of long manure, hay or straw will be 

 required later on to protect against a solid freezing up. 



ENGLISH IVY. 



Any old plants of this ivy now doing duty out- 

 doors in vases or boxes can be utilized for propagation. 

 Now is a good time to root a batch that will grow into 

 a fast selling and serviceable stock by next May. Every 

 florist should have a good supply of this ivy for vase and 

 veranda use, as they stand the heat, drought, and wind 

 well 



FICUS PANDURATA. 



This is a comparatively new species, a very strong 

 grower, with large foliage, which gives it especial value 

 as a decorative plant. Its foliage being of a very tough 

 texture, it can stand much abuse, such as dust, dry air 

 and draughts, and unquestionably stands the test as an 

 invaluable plant for the decoration of public halls, oSice, 

 and house. It can be propagated just as readily as 

 those of the common Ficus elastica, by mossing or cut- 

 tings. They will flourish on a bench in a light house 

 that can be kept at from 55 to 60 degrees at night. 

 After they have reached a 5 or 6 inch pot and are well 

 rooted through, they will stand a great deal of liquid 

 manure, which will grow them rapidly into fine speci- 

 mens. 



LILT BED. 



Every florist, if he has the ground, should have a 

 lily bed. A succession of flowers can be had from .Tune 



until Septemljer. Lilies prefer a light soil, as a rule, 

 enriched with some very old manure. The principal 

 requisite is that the soil is well drained. They also like 

 some shelter from the severe winds as well as the mid- 

 day sun. When planting, set the bulbs at least 6 or 7 

 inches deep and from 12 to 15 inches apart. Replanting 

 should be done at intervals of 5 or 6 }-ears. If left 

 longer the bulbs get smaller and smaller, ultimately 

 dying from starvation. This work should be commenced 

 as soon as their tops die down. Throw out the soil to 

 the depth of about 8 or 9 inches, replacing it with some 

 well-rotted manure or leaves to the depth of 4 inches, 

 after which dig it in with the soil. Then replace the 

 bulbs, setting them from 12 to 15 inches apart. Cover 

 the beds upon the approach of winter with coarse ma- 

 nure to the depth of 5 or 6 inches. The rains will carry 

 the plant food down to the roots, which is the best way 

 of maintaining their vigor. If beds are protected in 

 this manner both summer and winter, better and more 

 flowers will be the result. For a succession of bloom 

 I would advise getting the following: Lilium davuri- 

 cum erectum, L. davuricum incomparabile, L. Thun- 

 bergianum, L. candidum, L. longiflorum, L. martagon, 

 L. auratum. L. speciosum roseum, L. tigrinum, L. 

 tigrinum splendens, L. tennifolium, L. chalcedonicum, 

 L. monadelphum, L. concolor. and L. eanadense. 



iriLTONIAS. 



Botanically, Miltonia is closely allied to Odonto- 

 glossum, but in many ways their culture is very differ- 

 ent. The allied species, Miltonias Candida and cune- 

 ata, do well in liberally drained pans or pots. A good 

 compost for these is rough chopped sphagnum and 

 fibrous peat, with quite a few pieces of broken charcoal 

 mixed through. These plants should not be allowed 

 to become dry in their growing season and, even when 

 at rest, they should never become dry for any length of 

 time. Syringing is necessary at all seasons, for this 

 group is a subject for thrips. Miltonias flavescens and 

 spectabilis do better when suspended from the roof in 

 baskets or pans. These require a temperature of from 

 60 to 65 degrees by night and about 70 to 75 degrees 

 by day during the winter. One of the most beautiful 

 of Miltonias is M. vexillaria. It does very well in a 

 house with a northern exposure. It will not stand a 

 close, stuffy atmosphere. Always have a constant cir- 

 culation of top and bottom air on all possible occasions. 

 A winter temperature of 55 to 60 degrees seems to suit 

 well. This species should be more grown commercially 

 as it is unexcelled for table decorations. 



Mr. Farrell's next uotes will be on the following: Allaman- 

 das; Coreopsis grandiflora; Lomarias; Oxalls; Rhododendrona; 

 Storing Roots and Tubers. 



, Calceolaria hybrida 



This showy favorite of the spring conservatory is par- 

 ticularly well done by several eastern gardeners, promi- 

 nent among whom is J. E. Shield, superintendent of the 

 "Model" Farm Gardens at Dalton, Mass. The hand- 

 some specimen sliown in our cover illustration is from 

 the strain of seed known as "Boddington's Perfection." 

 Mr. Shield has promised to send us some notes on 

 Calceolaria Culture in the near future. 



