December 5, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



793 



THE BIG PLANT MART 



The Greatest Trade Convenience Ever Devised for the Busy Grower and for the 



Buyer Whose Time Is Precious 



No long trips to out-of-town greenhouses to see the Christmas plants and make your selection. 

 This can all be done now in the city. In our spacious showrooms we have assembled in large 

 quantities the very finest Flowering, Berried and Foliage Plants produced by the leading specialists 

 of the country about New York. Here you can select your preferred stock and 



HAVE IT DELIVERED WHEN WANTED 



Ardisias, Solanums, Aucubas, Skimmias, Poinsettias, Azaleas, Cyclamen, Lorraines, Heaths 

 Camellias, Kentias, Dracaenas, Ferns, etc., in full assortment and high quality. 



Mail or Telegraph orders will be given careful personal attention. Write for prices. 



WOODRO W & M ARKETOS 



Wholesale Plantsmen and Decorators 



37 and 39 W. 28th Street 



NEW YORK 



American Horticulture, that he have 

 two departments relating to the prop- 

 agation of plants; one from seed, the 

 other to include all other methods. 

 The propagating department should 

 be in charge of a well-equipped super- 

 intendent, who besides following the 

 lead of his employers, should be un- 

 hampered as to methods, — be given a 

 free hand, so to speak, — experiment 

 with new subjects, ultimately or not 

 to be added to the regular list. Some- 

 times subjects have to be abandoned, 

 but it is a progressive way, and every 

 enterprising firm should encourage 

 such a forward move. If you look at 

 nurserymen's catalogues, you will find 

 practically the same things offered in 

 each. I claim the reason for this is 

 to be found in the dependence of all 

 on a common source of supply — Eu- 

 rope. 



The man who raises seeds must 

 know when and where to get his stock 

 supply. He will have to do some col- 

 lecting himself. An interested man 

 will always be on the lookout for new. 

 rare or valuable kinds. He must 

 know how long they take to germin- 

 ate, how and when to sow them, 

 whether in heat, or cold, and especial- 

 ly those that need freezing. 



The care of young plants should be 

 his. until they are ready for perma- 

 nent quarters. There is a time in the 

 life of seedling stock when the mor- 

 tality is great. Prom freezing and 

 thawing in winter time many are lost, 

 not because they are not hardy, but 

 because they need protection to carry 

 them along until they have a perma- 

 nent foothold. Unfortunately, the 

 need of this extra care is given, in- 

 directly, maybe, as an excuse for not 

 venturing in this field of activity. 



For these and all other methods of 

 propagation, proper quarters should 

 be found. 



T. D. Hatfield. 



Wellesley, Mass: 



CHRY.SANTHEMUMS FOR EXHIBI- 

 TION. 



A Paper b.v William Vei't, ul" Castle 

 Oould, Port WasliinRtiin, N. Y., read be- 

 fore the Clirysaiithcniiim Society of Amer- 

 ica, at Indianapolis, Ind. 



After the shows are over, look to 

 your stock for the coming year. Se- 

 lect as many good healthy shoots as 

 required, seeing that each variety is 

 labelled correctly; keep clean from 

 mildew and fly; and when the propa- 

 gating time is at hand select the sturdy 

 cuttings and insert in the bench al- 

 ready prepared, watering in thorough- 

 ly. This will carry them for a few 

 days, besides firming the cuttings. 

 Keep them sprayed lightly to guard 

 against wilting. They should be rooted 

 in about three weeks; then pot up in 

 two or two-and-a-half-inch with a 

 nice light compost, but do not firm 

 sufficiently to injure the roots. As 

 soon as they are established give an 

 abundance of air to keep them firm 

 and sturdy, but never allow them to 

 become root-bound. 



It is essential to have the pots thor- 

 oughly clean in order to transfer them 

 without injury. Repot into 4-inch pots 

 with a nice compost consisting of three 

 parts fibrv loam to one part leaf soil 

 and one part decomposed manure, add- 

 ing charcoal, wood ashes, sand, etc. 

 Place in a house or frame and keep 

 closed for two or three days. Many 

 people bench from 4-inch pots, while 

 others prefer the pot-grown, which 

 latter I am strongly in favor of. When 



they become nicely rooted, repot into 

 6-inch pots, using practically the same 

 compost, but coarser, besides adding 

 a little Donemeal. Keep a sharp look- 

 out for mildew and fly; also to the 

 disbudding. Should they not show a 

 natural break at this stage, it is policy 

 to pinch in order to encourage next 

 break. 



When the pots become well filled 

 with roots an occasional watering with 

 diluted liquid manure, or soot water 

 may be given with advantage. A spray- 

 ing overhead with the latter is also 

 beneficial as an insecticide and stim- 

 ulant. 



See that the plants are hardy and 

 well-rooted before placing into final 

 pots (7-iiich to 9inch). Perfect drain- 

 age is most essential. The soil should 

 be well rammed, allowing a space of 

 2 inche.? for watering and top dressing. 

 For compost use four parts fibrous 

 loam, one part leaf soil, one part de- 

 coinpoocd manvire, adding lime rubble, 

 wood ashes, charcoal, sand. soot, and 

 allowing a 6-inch pot of bone or bone 

 meal to each of loam. Feeding may 

 be commenced as soon as the roots 

 are found to be running freely, by ap- 

 plying weak doses of liquid manure 

 water. Change the feed sometimes as 

 time goes on. using chemical manure 

 such as Clay's. Bon Arbor, etc., which 

 will be found most beneficial it used 

 with care and according to directions. 

 Never apply manure when a plant is 

 dry. 



About the middle of June some vari- 

 eties not making a natural break, such 

 as F. S. Vallis. Harry K. Converse. 

 Mrs. Lopes, etc.. will need pinching to 

 make them produce bud early in Au- 

 gust. This allows about six weeks for 

 the last break; later varieties should 



