October 22, 1910 



HOKTICULTURi: 



567 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of 

 Florists^ Stock 



FANCY CALADIUMS AND BEGONIAS 



Fanej'-leaved caladiiims should be allowed time to 

 ripen off their tubers in their pots before they are taken 

 out and stored awa}'. When these plants begin to lose 

 their foliage gradualh- withhold water until they have 

 shed all their leaves. Before this occurs it is well to go 

 over and renew their names, using fresh labels. When 

 ripened off the plants can be placed under a bench, lay- 

 ing the pots on their sides, or taken from the soil and 

 placed in sand. They sliould be kept in a temperature 

 of not less than GO degrees during the winter, and care 

 should be observed to put them in some place free from 

 drip. Boots, corms or bulbs of tuberous-rooted begon- 

 ias, vallota?, gloxinias, gesnerias, tuberoses, achimenes, 

 sprekelia, ismene, zephvrantlics. and nmaryllis, can all 

 be treated as advised above. 



FOECING GLADIOLUS 



Before starting to force these bulbs be sure you pro- 

 cure thoroughly cured bulbs which will give fine strong 

 flower spikes. When planting in benches the corms 

 should be placed at least two inches below the surface 

 and if you have room for six inches of soil plant them 

 three inches deep. AVhen planted deep they are not so 

 liable to bend when coming into bloom. Give them at 

 least five inches between the rows. They can also be 

 planted in boxes and between carnations. With ordi- 

 nary weather conditions most varieties will flower in 

 from 14 to 15 weeks after planting. Give them some 

 liquid manure when the flower spikes are forming. 

 This is very beneficial in producing fine blooms. If 

 given a temperature of from 50 to 55 degrees at night 

 they come along all right. The smaller-flowered section 

 of the Colvillei has many beautiful varieties; these small 

 bulbs can lie planted and forced in flats. In addition to 

 these are the large-flowered kinds such as Augusta, 

 America, May, Shakespeare, and Silver Trophy. 



LILIES FOR CilEISTMAS 



You should now remove from the cold-frames your 

 earliest Bermuda lilies. Some of them will have 

 formed sufficient roots by this time. If given an aver- 

 age temperature of 60 degrees they should be in plenty 

 of time for Christmas. One thing to be borne in mind 

 when forcing these lilies for the winter holidays is the 

 necessity that they be well rooted. You can then raise 

 or lower your temperature at any time in the 

 course of forcing without harm. The grower can 

 employ any degree from 55 to 75 degi'ees at night as he 

 may see fit in order to get his lilies in at the right mo- 

 ment. When the plants are from 15 to 20 inches high 

 they ought to be staked and kept neatly, but not tightly, 

 tied. When coming into flower they can be fed with 

 some liquid manure which will improve their quality 

 very much. Place them as near the glass as accommo- 

 dation will permit. Green fly is the cause of consider- 

 able trouble in lily forcing but is easily overcome after 

 the flower buds are well above the upper leaves. 

 Fumigating frequently, say about once a week, will 

 keep the plants free of the pest. 



POINSETTIAS IN PANS 



If you have not made up your pans of poinsettias for 

 Christmas j^ou should do it without delay. Small plants 

 in 21/2 inch pots are just the thing. Select plants of 

 about equal height and vigor, that are short jointed and 



of a firm growth. You will then have plants of uni- 

 form height when the bracts are fully developed. Put 

 about three or four plants in a 6 or 7 inch pan, six plants 

 in an 8-inch pan, seven plants to a 9-inch pan and a 10- 

 inch pan will take nine plants. After planting the 

 plants must be carefully watered. Too much or too 

 little will cause them to lose their foliage. These plants 

 re(iuire a temperature not below 60 degrees at any time 

 to insure fine flower heads. Full sunshine is required, 

 and when the pans are well filled with roots, they should 

 be afforded some liquid manure at least once a week 

 until the bracts are fully developed. If you have more 

 in pots than you can conveniently handle you can plant 

 them out on some bench where the temperature will not 

 fall liclow 60 degrees. Set them ten inches apart and 

 you will get immense bracts for cutting. 



SMILAX 



From this time on there will be really no let-up in 

 the stringing of your smilax beds. The daily cut of the 

 marketable output encourages a vigorous new growth 

 and the stringing of these new growths should take place 

 before you have a mass of entangled vines that will be 

 hard to straighten out. Good strings can only be raised 

 liy the constant and careful attention of a guiding hand. 

 They should never be cut until they have attained that 

 degree of hardiness and durability which alone renders 

 them fit for shipping and handling. When cutting the 

 strings begin at one end of your bed and clear off all the 

 strings as they come along. Little water will be needed 

 until the new growth starts. In cutting always save 

 any young growth as they can be strung and will give 

 you just so much headway. Syringe frequently as a 

 preventive for red spider. To grow smilax profitably 

 it requires a temperature of from 60 to 65 degrees at 

 night. To sustain vigor and productiveness there is 

 nothing lietter in the way of feeding than a mulch of 

 some rich compost spread between the rows. 



TANDAS 



If these orchids require any new material they should 

 be attended to within the next few weeks as a good many 

 kinds are now making new roots. Those that need re- 

 potting should be given liberal drainage. They can be 

 grown in baskets, pots or cylinders. The most natural 

 method is to grow them in baskets as the air is freely ad- 

 mitted to the roots. The best compost to use is chopped 

 live spliagnum moss with some large pieces of charcoal 

 intermixed. This should be pressed in firmly, but tak- 

 ing care not to bury the aerial roots which would surely 

 cause them to decay. These roots should be coiled 

 around and pegged down on top of the sphagnum, where 

 they will branch out and insert themselves in the new 

 compost. These orchids will not require any shade from 

 now until about the middle of February. From 60 to 

 65 degi-ees at night should range during the winter. 

 Don't give too much atmospheric moisture during wet 

 and cheerless weather. Ventilation is very important 

 and should be given whenever possible. A good supply 

 of water is essential at all seasons, with copious syring- 

 ing in bright weather. Don't allow the compost to re- 

 main dry very long. Vanda coerulea, V. insignis, V. 

 sunvis, and V. tricolor are good kinds to grow, 



Mr. FnrreU's next notes wHl be on the foUowlng: Calceolar- 

 ias. Moiisins Primulas, Lifting Peonies for Forcing, Sweet Peas, 

 I'sefiil Erertrreens, Violets. 



