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HORTICULTURE 



March 25, 1911 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of Florists' Stock 



ANTHUBIUMS 



Those who grow this genus of stove aroids should 

 see that they have copious supplies of water now and 

 during the summer, as this is their growing period. 

 As the season advances give them more air, but when 

 the temperature drops to 72 degrees see that the air is 

 taken off, as they don't enjoy anything lilie a chill in 

 the atmosphere. Atmospheric moisture in plenty is 

 essential for this class of plants. They should now be 

 given a temperature during the night of 65 to 70, and, 

 as the season advances, raise it to 75 with a solar heat 

 of from 85 to 90 degrees. Give them shade so to pro- 

 tect them from the powerful sun. Use care in syring- 

 ing so as to keep the foliage beautiful with that gorge- 

 ous tropical appearance. During dark and muggy 

 weather less water should be used. Plants that have 

 not been potted should have a resurfacing of one part 

 each of peat fiber and sphagnum moss. Cone this up 

 3 or 3 inches above the rim of the pot around the 

 plant. 



ASTERS 



Early varieties that were started in February and 

 transplanted into flats should be given a temperature 

 of about 50 degrees at night. The flats should be placed 

 as near the glass as possible. This stock when ready 

 can be potted into 3-inch pots and plunged in a cold 

 frame until May, when they can be planted out and 

 these will be earlier than if planted directly from the 

 flats. For the medium and late varieties a mild hotbed 

 is the thing. From now on until the middle of May 

 seed can be sown. A great deal depends on the weather 

 during late Summer and early Fall as to what success 

 you may expect from late sowings. Give the ground 

 in which you propose to plant them a liberal dressing 

 of cow manure, if possible, or thoroughly rotted stable 

 manure. The gi-ound should have a sprinkling of lime 

 —say about 25 to 30 bushels to the acre. When buds 

 show work in some good fertilizer at the rate of 150 

 to 200 lbs. to the acre. They should receive no check 

 in their growing period. 



CANDYTUFT AND STOCKS 



These are always very useful for Memorial Day. A 

 spare bench, which is generally found in the violet 

 house or any other cool house, will do to bench both 

 these plants. Soil that will produce good violets, car- 

 nations or roses will answer for them. Plants that 

 were raised from seed sown in February should be^just 

 right to plant now. With the lengthening days and in- 

 creased solar heat they will not need any forcing, but 

 should be grown as cool as possible. They will not re- 

 quire a higher night temperature than 50 degrees. 

 Plants that are intended for flowering in pots should 

 be put into 4 or 5-inch pots as soon as possible. A 

 good compost is one-third of decomposed mushroom 

 manure or some spent hot-bed manure mixed through 

 the soil. A 4-inch potf ul of bone meal to every barrow 

 load will make a generous compost. Grow cool and 

 airy so as to preserve a pure atmosphere. Fumigate 

 at least once in two weeks, as they are very subject to 

 green-fly. 



NEPHROLEPIS 



After Easter when there will be more bench room 

 start to increase your stock of this fern and also to 

 grow into salable size by next fall. Select a bench that 

 is well drained and cover the bottom with lumpy sod 

 and place on this about four inches of a tolerably rich 



sandy loam. Young and thrifty stock can be planted 

 out into this bench and by September or October will 

 attain a fine desirable size to be potted up for winter 

 sales. The fierce sun during midday should be inter- 

 cepted by some device as a screen so as to afford a 

 measure of shade, but at other times of the day, say 

 from sunrise until 9 or 10 o'clock and after 3 o'clock 

 in the afternoon they should have full and unrestricted 

 light. For stock, plant out of 5 or 6-inch pots and 

 these produce a fine lot of runners, which can be potted 

 up into 214-inch pots, and with a reasonable amount 

 of atmospheric humidity they will soon establish them- 

 selves. 



CARE OF ORCHIDS 



The best time to repot or topdress Cattleya Trianae 

 or C. Schroederae is just before the new growth starts. 

 This also applies "to dendrobiums. After they have 

 Ijeen potted water should be given with great care for 

 several weeks until good root action is in evidence, 

 when they should never be allowed to get dry at the 

 roots. From now on during their growing season the 

 atmosphere of the house should have a high degree of 

 moisture, but the amount and frequency in watering 

 and damping down will have to be regulated by the 

 weather condition. Ventilate so as to avoid sudden 

 changes and cold draughts. Attend to shading during 

 the bright hours of the day, but let them have the sun 

 during early morning and late afternoon hours. In 

 nine out of ten cases shading is overdone. 



PREPARATION FOR EASTER 



Give all the stock which is near ready or promising 

 to finish up for Easter good care. All flowering hard- 

 wooded plants such as roses, hydrangeas, azaleas, spi- 

 reas, deutzias, plums, ericas, rhododendrons, genistas, 

 flowering almonds, cherries, peaches and wistarias, even 

 if kept in ever so cool a place, must be watered regu- 

 larly and faithfully for one drying out at the roots is 

 sure to result in the loss of some bloom. If you are 

 not supplied with a good lot of made-up pans, pots, 

 baskets and dishes of plants that sell well, such as ger- 

 aniums, begonias, marguerites, pansies, primroses, Eng- 

 lish daisies, forgetmenots, and such bulbous stock 

 as hyacinths, tulips and daffodils — there is time yet to 

 make up into tasteful arrangement. If taken from 

 flats or frames they can be made up eight to ten days 

 before Easter and will be in good condition if proper 

 judgment and attention are given. Where your stock 

 is backward you can employ severe forcing in lilies, 

 pot grown roses, azaleas, hydrangeas, etc. It is more 

 expedient to have them in bloom five or six days before 

 Easter, as they can then have a cool treatment of about 

 48 to 50 degrees, which will harden them up so they 

 will give more satisfaction to the buyer. There are still 

 two good weeks in which to replenish any deficiencies 

 in plants, baskets, boxes, pan?, pot covers, ribbons, etc., 

 by buying through the manv arowers and supply houses, 

 that advertise in HORTICULTUEE. 



South Norwalk, Cort/n. 



Mr. Farrell's next notes will be on the following: Amaryllis; 

 Hnrcly Roses; Hardy Stock for late Spring Sales; Salvias; Sbad- 

 iUK; Verbenas. 



