April 15, 1911 



HORTICULTURE, 



567 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of 

 Florists' Stock 



ANNUALS 



While the larger portion of annuals suitable for bed- 

 ding are in flats and many in pots, there is still time 

 to sow to good advantage those of rapid growth, such as 

 acroclinium, alyssum, balsams, candytuft, Centaurea 

 imperialis, cosmos, dianthus, calendula, calliopsis, gail- 

 lardia, mignonette, nasturtiums. Phlox drummondii, 

 scabiosa, stocks, snapdragon, zinnias, etc. A mild hot- 

 bed is just the place to sow these seed now. Give them 

 plenty of room — say 4 or .5 inches between the rows — 

 and don't sow too thickly. The mignonette can be sown 

 in 2%-iuch pots. Some of the hardier annuals can 

 be sown outdoors now. In order to greatly relieve your 

 houses almost any of the hardier or quite tender annuals 

 can now be placed in mild hotbeds or coldframes if at 

 command. They will be better and stockier in every 

 way when grown in frames, with care as to protection 

 on any cold nights and water when needed. Use judg- 

 ment and ventilate with care. 



BOUGAINVILLEA 



To propagate this plant there is no better time than 

 now. Choose half-ripened wood about six inches long, 

 place these in sand where they will have some bottom 

 heat, give them a good watering, and by frequent spray- 

 ings keep up the necessary moisture for their propa- 

 gation. See that they are shaded from the sun. Under 

 ordinary condition they should root in about three or 

 four weeks. When potting them up use a good loam 

 with a liberal sprinkling of sand and give them a syringe 

 twice a day with some shading from the sun's rays until 

 they get established. They will make roots rapidly and 

 should be shifted as the condition of the roots require it. 

 A good compost to use is one that is sufficiently open 

 to allow the water to pass freely through it; mix one- 

 fourth well-rotten cow manure with some loam, and 

 about the same of leaf mold with enough sand to keep 

 the whole open. They like to be continually in full 

 sunshine. Syringe regularly once or twice a day and 

 give them abundance of water at the roots. To have the 

 wood of sufficient substance and ripeness for flowering 

 they will be benefited by occasionally turning them 

 around, thereby admitting every branch to light and 

 air. Keep shifting through the summer and by Septem- 

 ber they should be nice plants in 6 or 7-inch pots and a 

 month later they will need less water, so as to ripen 

 up their growth. 



PRIMULAS 



If you wish to have nice flowering plants for Decem- 

 ber, sow now. Sow on light, porous soil. A good mix- 

 ture is equal parts of loam and leaf mold, with enough 

 of sand to make the whole gritty. Give the pans or 

 flats a good watering previous to sowing the seed. Press 

 and cover with some finely sifted soil of the above com- 

 post, but very lightly — just enough so the seeds are out 

 of sight. Keep in a close, moist house of about 60 de- 

 grees and place a pane of glass over them until the 

 seeds germinate, when they should be kept in the cool- 

 est house you have. Wlien they are sufficiently large 

 enough to liandle prick oft' into flatsi In about five or 

 six weeks they should be potted singly in 2-inch pots, 

 using a soil a trifle richer and heavier at every subse- 

 quent potting. Wlien they become established a cold 

 frame is an excellent place to summer them in. See 

 that the glass is shaded and. as the weather gets warmer, 

 raise the sashes back and front, for it is coolness that 

 they want, with plenty of fresh air. By sowing at in- 



tervals from now until August you can have nice flower- 

 ing plants from December until spring. 



RAMBLERS FOR NEXT EASTER 



This is the proper time to start a good supply of 

 Eamblers for the coming season. There are two ways 

 in which Eamblers may be grown into suitable stock 

 for forcing. The one most commonly followed is to 

 plant out in the open field plants of one or two-year-old 

 stock and give good cultivation during the summer and 

 dig up. and pot in November. Where you want first- 

 class stock — something better than your neighbor — 

 the best way is to grow this class of roses in pots from 

 now on. Procure some good two-year-old plants and 

 pot up into from 6-inch to 10-inch pots according to 

 their size and strength, using a rich, well-composted 

 soil. After they are potted cut them back to two good 

 eyes and place in a cool house at about 50 degrees at 

 night. They should be given careful watering with fre- 

 quent spraying and in a short time they will break 

 away with numerous shoots, which should be reduced to 

 four or five to a plant. As they grow keep them tied 

 up to stakes until July, when they can be plunged out- 

 side. Use the hose freely on them and by the middle 

 of August shorten up on water supply so as to ripen up 

 the wood by cold weather. 



STEPHANOTIS 



Any grower who has a sunny back wall in any of his 

 houses that have a winter night temperature of from 

 55 to 60 degrees can grow this much neglected plant. 

 Wliere there is call for bouquets it will be found a very 

 valuable flower to have. It can also be grown well in 

 12 or 14-inch pots or large tubs and when grown this 

 way they can be trained on a balloon-like trellis. They 

 are quite easily propagated from last season's growth 

 by placing each cutting in small pots of sand and leaf 

 mold in equal proportions and plunging in a propagat- 

 ing bench where there is a good bottom heat with shade 

 until they are rooted. Maintain a humid atmosphere 

 so as to keep the cuttings from wilting. When these 

 pots are fairly well rooted they can be shifted, using a 

 fibrous loam well enriched with manure, re-potting and 

 stopping during the first summer. The best to grow 

 is Stephanotis floribunda. 



SWAINSONA 



This is a very serviceable plant, with its gi-aceful and 

 delicate green foliage in contrast to its pure white 

 flowers, which makes it very desirable for various florist 

 uses. Now is a good time to strike cuttings. When the 

 cuttings are rooted they should be potted into 2i^-incli 

 pots, using a mixture of loam with plenty of fibre and 

 some leaf mold and sand. Pot quite firmly and keep 

 the atmosphere somewhat closer for a week or two until 

 the roots get to work in the new soil. Continued and 

 free use of the syringe is necessary all through the sum- 

 mer. Ee-pot until 5 or 6-inch pots are reached and the 

 soil after the first shift should be more lumpy, but still 

 kept open and porous by a little leaf mold and sand. 

 Pinch out the points of the shoots so as to make them 

 bushy. They like a winter temperature of from 50 to 

 55 degrees at night. Keep them in full sun, as they 

 like abundance of sunshine. During their floweri'ig 

 period give them a weekly dose of liquid manure. 



ivrr. Farrell's next notes will be on the following: Cam- 

 panulas For Next Spring: Care of Evergreens in Pots and Tubs: 

 Gloxinias: Lilies for Peroration Day; Odontoglossums; Pompon 

 Chrysanthemums. 



