630 



HORTICULTURE 



April 29, 1911 



top laterals grow and careful watering. Do not let the 

 border get dust-dry and then suddenly soak it. As 

 coloring commences cover the border over with clear 

 straw to help retain the moisture; keep a steady tem- 

 perature and a crack of air on right along. This will 

 be found a good acquisition to grow as an early or 

 second early gi-ape. Its freeness makes it worthy to be 

 bracketed with Black Hamburgh, if the other difficul- 

 ties can be overcome. The same flavor is not found in 

 any other variety. 



CUCUMBERS 



From now on cucumbers will need a light shade on 

 the glass, as a growth will be made faster. Pinch a 

 little harder and make the beds firmer. Cucumbers are 

 best cut in the early morning and plunged in cold water 

 in a cool cellar or ice box for a few hours before ship- 

 ping. 



OUTSIDE MELONS ANI> SWEET CORN 



Two or three weeks can be gained on outside melons 

 by making a sowing inside in pots and planting them 

 out on the hills as soon as warm enough, which probably 

 would be the day of making the first sowing otherwise. 

 Allow about three weeks from date of sowing until time 

 of planting out. A quantity of seed can be sown in a 

 seven or eight-inch pan and potted off into threes and 

 when rooted through shift on into sixes. This will give 

 a good-sized plant at time of planting. Grow as cool 

 as possible, which will harden them t<> the outside con- 

 ditions they may meet when going out. 



The same is applicable to sweet corn; insert five or 

 six seeds in a six-inch pot which has been filled loosely 

 with good soil and give a temperature of 60 degrees. 

 Keduce the num))er of plants to four, should all come, 

 and gradually hai'den off. It is very injurious for the 

 plants to become root bound in these ]X)ts, so gauge the 

 time of planting out as near as possible. Allow the 

 plants about three weeks in the pots. 



*^fe--v^ 



-^0^r\^. 



Mr. Penson"s next notes will he on the following: Canlier 

 of Melons; :Muscat Vines in Flower; Packing reaches; Ice Roxes. 



Laelia Gouldiana 



(See Cover Illustration.) 



This beautiful and brilliantly colored Laelia flowers 

 in the middle of the winter with 18 to 34-inch long 

 spikes, carrying from tliree to seven large flowers of a 

 beautiful crimson purple color, with a velvety hue. 

 The flowers sometimes exceed 4 inches in diameter. 



The form and the intense color of the petals and 

 sepals are superior to all other Laelias known. The lip 

 is divided into three lobes, the middle one being pur- 

 plish crimson of a very dark shade, and having a golden 

 fleshy crest in the center. In fact tliis Laelia is the 

 most beautiful in existence. Its fine robust foliage is 

 about a foot long, and born in pairs on the round 

 spindle-shaped slightly corrugated bulbs. 



The rich coloring of this noble orchid is of dazzling 

 effect. Our collector who found these plants in flower, 

 writes that the sight was marvelous, 'i'lie contrast with 

 the flowers of the white l^aelia anceps was really fairy- 

 like. 



ED. ROEHRS. 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of 

 Florists' Stock 



CAMPANULAS FOR NEXT EASTER 



If you want nice, large plants by next fall, it is not | 

 too early to sow some of Campanula Medium, or its sub- 

 variety calycanthema (cup and saucer). The seed may 

 be sown in a cold frame where the soil has been made 

 rich, fine and mellow. Draw shallow rows across the 

 surface of the frames, three to four inches apart, and 

 sow the seed evenly, but not too thickly; cover with 

 fine soil and press it all over with a board, then water 

 gently with a fine rose. Shade with cheese cloth until 

 the over-drying sunshine passes, when it can be taken 

 off. This is an excellent way to do with all seedlings 

 until germination appears as it is a great preservative 

 of the moisture. When the seedlings come up give them 

 full light and sunshine and when they are two or 

 three inches in height they can be potted into 2i/2-iQch 

 pots. Wien they have filled these pots with roots they 

 can be planted out in the open ground about 18 inches 

 apart, and with good cultivation they will make large 

 clumps by October, when they can be dug up and potted. 



POMPON CHRYSANTHEMUMS 



Those who lifted a batch of pompons last fall and 

 stored them in frames during the winter will have good 

 stock to propagate from now. Florists should grow 

 quite a few of these, for they come in handy. They are 

 sufficiently hardy to be recommended to any customer 

 as a profuse autumn-flowering perennial. They can be 

 grown either in the open ground and dug up and potted 

 early in September or grown under continuous pot cul- 

 ture. To be really at their best they should be allowed 

 to come into flower under glass. In order to grow fine 

 sprays, especially the taller varieties, they should be 

 grown on a bench in a well ventilated house from start 

 to finish. This is a good time to plant a border from 

 divided plants or from cuttings, as these will give you 

 fine material to cut from. 



AZALEAS 



Plants that were left over should be attended to at 

 once before the new gi'owth has made much advance- 

 ment. Some of them will probably need repotting. 

 Use a compost of equal parts of fibrous loam, peat, leaf 

 mould, with addition of some clean sand. Give the 

 roots a careful examination before potting to see if the 

 ball is dry, and, if so, stand them in a tub of water 

 until they are wet through, and then let them drain be- 

 fore you pot them. After potting they should be kept 

 a little close for a couple of weeks and syringed regu- 

 larly every day. In the case of plants that don't need 

 potting, that have flowered with perfect and uniform 

 development of bud, just clean them of any faded flow- 

 ers, and if out of balance prune them into shape. Place 

 them on their sides and give them a hard syringing "o 

 as to strike the under side of Ijranches and foliage and 

 give them a cold frame and gradually harden them off 

 previous to jratting outside. They are better to be 



