May 20, 1911 



horticulture: 



739 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of 

 Florists^ Stock 



ANTIRRHINUMS FOR NEXT WINTER 



It is time now to put in cuttings to secure nice young 

 stock for benching in August or September to flower 

 during early winter. Don't let them become potbound 

 before they are planted out, but shift even into 4 or 5- 

 inch pots. When these plants are produced by seed 

 they should be sown any time from now up to 10th of 

 June for winter blooming. These would begin to flower 

 in December. Prick them out into flats when large 

 enough and then pot off into 2y2-inch. AVhen these 

 pots are filled with roots shift so as not to allow them 

 to become too potbound. It is better not to pinch un- 

 til the stem has reached a medium height, as you then 

 will get better breaks. It is very important not to let 

 green-fly get a foothold or your plants will get stunted. 

 Fumigate moderately and often. Place them in a cold 

 frame and grow along, giving attention to watering, etc. 



CINERARIAS FOR CHRISTMAS 



Seeds of Cineraria hybrida should be sown within the 

 next two weeks if you want good strong flowering plants 

 for the winter holidays. Get fresh seed of the best 

 strains and sow in pans on a mixture of leaf mold two 

 parts, soil one part, intermixed with enough of clean 

 sharp sand to make the whole porous. Cover the seed 

 thinly with finely sifted compost of tlie above mixture 

 and water so as to moisten the soil. Cover with a 

 pane of glass and lay some papers over these to keep 

 them shaded until they germinate. A cold frame is the 

 most suitable place for these plants. When the seed- 

 lings are up lay off the sashes, during good days, but 

 replace them when heavy rains come, leaving on a few 

 inches of air as they must not be coddled at any stage 

 of their growth. Wlien the seedlings have made their 

 third leaf they can be pricked out into flats, and when 

 they begin to crowd one another in these flats they 

 should be potted up into small pots. When these pots 

 are filled with roots they should have several shifts into 

 larger pots either 5, 6 or ?-iuch. Have sash convenient- 

 ly near to protect them from heavy rains. They should 

 have movable screens placed over them from 9 A. M. 

 until 3 P. M. to moderate the fierce sun heat. 



CALLAS 



The season for callas is practically over. While a few 

 growers may market flowers later they are really not 

 wanted after the end of May. The foliage will by this 

 time show signs of ripening up, but don't start to dry 

 your plants off too suddenly for it is unwise. Place 

 them outdoors where they will get the moisture during 

 the night for a couple of weeks; after this they can 

 be laid on their sides and kept there until August when 

 they should be repotted. Where the plants have been 

 grown in beds they should be dried out gradually and 

 then dug up carefully placing them close together in 

 boxes, filling in the spaces with soil. They should be 

 kept under glass for a week and syringed over-head so 

 as not to dry them off too suddenly for that will injure 

 the tubers. Then place in a frame until the tops disap- 

 pear, but during wet weather keep the sash on. When 

 the tops have died down they can be put .in dry sand and 

 stored in your shed. All the small offsets can be planted 

 out in the open ground and by fall will make fair-sized 

 tubers. 



OYCAS 



Now that the dried stems of cycas are here you can 



start some by putting them in as small pots as possible, 

 using a compost of turfy soil three parts, leaf mold 

 and sand one part, and about a fourth of well-rotted 

 cow manure. Place in a house where there is a brisk 

 bottom heat, even if you have to plunge them in hot 

 manure to supply it. See that they are freely syringed 

 two or three times daily. In the course of time they 

 will produce a whorl of leaves, and, in their period of 

 summer growth they should have a partial shade of 

 some kind during the hot part of the day, but during 

 early morning and late afternoon the sunshine will 

 insure a more vigorous and stocky growth that will 

 later on put them in shape to stand full sun. 



MILTONIAS 



Wlien cultivated under proper condition these orchids 

 make a beautiful show especially Miltonia vexillaria, 

 which is one of the most valuable for summer flowering. 

 As these orchids go out of flower they should be re- 

 potted. A good potting material is osmunda fern fiber 

 and sphagnum moss. After potting water should be 

 supplied in very careful quantities, just enough to keep 

 the compost moist. They should be supplied with more 

 shade for at least five weeks, after which they should have 

 plenty of diffused sunlight through either lath or bam- 

 1300 shading. They should be grown in an airy house. 

 Do not allow a direct draught to strike them, but keep 

 as free a circulation of pure air as possible. Keep a 

 sharp look out for thrips and pay strict attention gen- 

 erally to cleanliness, for at this season thrips do increase 

 at an alarming rate. Give a slight fumigation once a 

 week and during their growth give them occasionally a 

 does of weak liquid cow manure. 



ROSES 



From now on the rose growers' whole time will be 

 taken up practically in preparing for another season. 

 See that all your compost heaps are given a good turn- 

 ing over as the soil will be in better condition for plant- 

 ing. Wlien the old soil is removed from the benches, 

 and any needed repairs may be done, give your houses a 

 thorough washing down of the walls, glass, and benches 

 as there is always an accumulation of dirt and scum 

 from the last year. Give all wooden benches a good 

 coating of hot lime to destroy any insects, and also as 

 a preservative for the wood. Make your house more 

 comfortable to work in by giving a shade of whiting and 

 water; the first rain will remove it. When filling your 

 benches see that the edges are well packed and the beds 

 leveled off nicely. Set Bride and Bridesmaid about 15 

 to 16 inches apart and Kichmond and Killarney 14 to 

 15 inches as these latter produce but little blind wood. 

 American Beauty should have from 17 to 19 inches. 

 Before planting see that balls are nice and moist for it 

 never pays to plant a dry rose. Give the soil around 

 the ball a good flrming leaving a small depression 

 around the plants to hold the water. After planting 

 give a good soaking around the ball of the plant and 

 syringe frequently during favorable weather. When 

 the weather permits keep the ventilators open full dur- 

 ing the day, and leave air on all night; this will make 

 the plants sturdy. When cool enough fumigate regu- 

 larly for green fly. 



Mr. FarreU's next notes wiU be on the foUowing: Allaman- 

 das; Geraniums; Growing Carnations Indoors; Planting Out Gar- 

 denias; Single Stem Clirysanthemums; Summer Care of Primulas. 



