368 



HO RTI CU LTU RE 



October 7, 1905 



0. fragilis is a chvarf growing species; the joints are 

 cylindrical and short; flowers yellow. Caespitosa and 

 tuberiforniis are some of the varieties. 0. Missonrien- 

 sis or polyacantha has long, flat joints covered with dark 

 spines, flower yellow. Erythrostema, Salmiana and 

 Watsonii have the flowers orange-yellow. 



0. brachyarthra flava has the joints small and thick, 



creeping along the ground, much resembling 0. fragilis. 



0. pachyclava, rosea and Spsethiana have the joints 



cylindrical, of a dark green color, and red spines; the 



flowers are light red. 



0. Eafinesquii grows wild in New England. The 

 variety Arkansana has a j'ellow flower, brown in the 

 center; the joints are smaller and more covered with 

 spines; Cymachilla and Greenii are other varieties. 



0. Whadantha has the joints thick and long, of dark 

 green color with red spines; the varieties all have pink 

 or rose flowers. The best varieties are brevispina, flav- 

 ispina, pisciformis, and Schnraanniana. 0. vulgaris, the 

 only opuntia growing wild in Europe and found in New 

 England, has joints nearly round, flat and without long 

 spines ; flower yellow. 



0. Xanthostema has joints egg-shai^ed, flat and creep- 

 ing along the ground; elegans. fulgens, gracilis, nrliicu- 

 laris and rosea are some of the varieties; flowei-s pink 

 and rose. 



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Florida in September 



Some of the gorgeous tropical plants that may be 

 seen now at their best in Florida are the dwarf poinci- 

 anas (Cffisalpinia pulcherrima and C. pulcherrima 

 flava), acalyphas, Gloriosa superba, and hibiscus. The 

 flaming red of the Cffisalpinia pulcherrima is very attrac- 

 tive and one wonders why it is not grown as a bedding 

 plant through the North ; strong plants which are cheap, 

 may be planted out in late Spring and be in flower in 

 August until frost ; tlie foliage is very attractive and 

 tropical appearing also. 



Acalyphas in variety, especially marginata and mo- 

 saica, are commonly four to six feet higli, a perfect 

 bank of color ! 



Gloriosa superba is a lovely climbing lily, perhaps not 

 adapted to the North, but may be planted throughout 

 the Gulf States ; the flowers are of a bright orange crim- 

 son, and a deep yellow, and keep coming for many weeks. 

 It is fine for a screen. 



Hibiscus may be seen everywhere in many colors ; 

 the Chinese type is a splendid subject for open air plant- 

 ing in Florida and the warmer parts of the South as it is 

 of easy growth and continually in flower. 



The plentiful rains of the past summer liave cansed a 

 very luxuriant growth to all crops and in'iiiiinciiial planis 

 through the Soutli this season. 



E. X. ItKASOXKR. 



Rose House Wisdom 



llow to curtail the production of sliort roses in the 

 fall. Tlie question was asked by a party well up in 

 hcirticultural matters. This is a hard nut to crack and 

 the kernel will be perhaps as tough as the shell is hard. 



The average rose grower doesn't care to say he is cut- 

 ting only short stuff and if he should have some, very 

 often he will say, "You should have seen the extras I had 

 last week." Human nature is always prevalent and the 

 rose grower is no exception to the rule. But if the ice 

 chests of the wholesaler are inspected one will generally 

 find all the short roses that can be used. 



A certain amount of this class of goods can he used 

 to advantage; the rest go to the fakir at a price which 

 often suggests that it would be better to throw them on 

 the dump than pay express charges. The wholesaler 

 can't help it, as some of the stuff sent is in such an un- 

 salable condition that it is a wonder that anything what- 

 ever is realized on it. If the grower would go into the 

 wliolesale house once in a while and see how his roses 

 arrive there would be better packing and better roses 

 sent in, which would result in better prices on the tag 

 at the end of each week. The wholesaler gets more 

 kicks than love taps and it is generally from the man 

 with the poor grade of stock that the hardest kick comes. 



Of cotirse we can't have all extras and firsts, but ex- 

 cept from the first crop from the old plants a better per- 

 centage of good stems can be had if a little thought and 

 care are taken earlier in the season. In my notes of 

 August 19th I showed a plan which eliminates to a great 

 extent the short-rose question. We can cut stems over 

 two feet long from young plants put in the bed from 

 3 1-2 inch pots in June. Young plants are never 

 mulched here. We always put in enough manure to 

 keep them going till we begin feeding with liquid. Old 

 plants are mulched with manure and soil mixed, with 

 a little lime through it. We always aim to keep the 

 plants as hard as possible, especially in the fall, to get 

 good breaks, air is kept on all the time. Keep the beds 

 a little on the dry side when the crop is going off, which 

 tends to ripen the wood so as to get good red shoots. 



A good many years ago mulching young plants was 

 usually done in August, the stronger and fresher the 

 manure and the stronger the smell, it was considered 

 just the thing. Getting fresh cow manure on one's hands 

 in August with the flies buzzing round your head, try- 

 ing to ward them off and get the manure wliere it should 

 go was quite a job in itself, and there was a certain art 

 of getting the odor away from one in perhaps less th;in 

 a week. The plants then got too much feed at oner' nml 

 one could notice after the first watering the leaves were 

 paler and weaker looking and in the hot sun they some- 

 times wilted badly. The manure tank with pump is the 

 cleanest and also the safest, as it can l)e given in any 

 strength required. 



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