August 15, 1914 



HOETICULTUEE 



209 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



CONDUCTED BY 



r~/- 



^.Pa/lA^//' 



BO lANICAl, 

 GARDEN 



Questions by our readers in line witli any of the topics presented on tliis page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Farrell. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTDRE. 



Care of Carnations 



Neglect in watering, syringing or ventilation at this 

 time is sure to cause such damage to young carnations 

 that no matter how well we may treat them later on, they 

 will never be able to fully recover. Keep on cultivating 

 the beds, as too much importance cannot be attached 

 to this work, which should be persisted in until the feed- 

 ing roots make their appearance near the surface. Go 

 over the beds daily to see where they may need water at 

 the roots. Give a syringing in the morning, which will 

 help to keep them clear of red spider, etc. Do not per- 

 mit any laxity in respect to ventilation day and night. 

 Keep a sharp outlook for green fly and thrips and on 

 the first sign of either spray or fumigate. It is a good 

 plan to give a light fumigation once a week. 



Cinerarias 



From the middle to the end of August is the proper 

 time to start the seeds of cinerarias. These gems of the 

 conservatory are worth all the extra labor and watchful- 

 ness demanded in their raising. Well drained earthen- 

 ware seed pans are filled with a veij sandy mixture of 

 turfy loam and partly decayed leaf mold. After a good 

 watering down of the soil the seeds are thinly scattered 

 on the surface. This requires some care, since the grains 

 are very small. With a piece of smooth board the seeds 

 are pressed gently into the soil and the pans covered with 

 panes of glass. The best place now for these pans is a 

 coldframe, with loosely fitting sashes. As soon as they 

 afford a hold to thumb and finger, a pricking off into 

 other pans or flats is in order, and after they have made 

 four or six leaves a potting off into small pots takes 

 place. As they now attain small size, needing a shift 

 into larger pots every now and then, the richness of the 

 compost for each shift should be slightly increased, until 

 at the end of the season a potting mixture of coarse and 

 unsifted, yet porous and mellow, containing fully one- 

 fourth of well-decayed cow manure is used. 



Lorraine Begonias 



All begonias in 2^-inch or 3-inch pots should be 

 potted before they become pot-bound to any extent. 

 Those that arc in 2^-inch will go into 4-inch and those 

 that are in 3-inch should go into 5-inch pots. For a 

 compost use turfy loam three parts, well-decayed cow 

 manure one part and some sand. Pot moderately firm, 

 but not hard. Do not keep them under too great a 

 shade as it tends to make them weak in growth. After 

 August discontinue all pinching on those intended for 



early flowering. These plants should never be allowed 

 to dry out, but on the other hand they should not be- 

 kept in a soaked condition. Give them plenty of venti- 

 lation during hot days, and damp down the house two or 

 three times a day. 



Lilium .candidum 



The best candidums generally come from the north of 

 France. Just as soon as they are received pot them up 

 as they should not be a day longer out of the soil than 

 is absolutely necessary. They do better when grown in 

 8-inch pots placing three in each pot, but where you 

 want to grow them singly use either .5 or 6-inch pots. 

 Give them a compost that has been mixed up some time 

 and runs in proportion one part manure to three parts 

 fibrous loam. If compost is dry give them a watering, 

 but if not it can be postponed for a couple of days. 

 These bulbs should be placed in a frame where they will 

 get full sun and do not need any covering of soil at all. 

 Give general care as to watering and weeding. During 

 heavy rains see that they have some sashes put on. 



Young Palms 



Seedling palms that were sown early in the year 

 should be coming along nicely by this time. Keep pot- 

 ting them Just as soon as they have made a little top 

 growth. Do not let them stay too long in the seed flats 

 as they are liable to make too much root growth and 

 when this is the case they will get a great set back when 

 they are potted. For a compost use any good heavy 

 soil four parts, well decayed cow manure one part. See 

 that each one is potted firm. Keep the atmosphere 

 humid by giving the walks under the benches and all 

 around the whole house a spraying. Use great care in 

 watering at all times. Ventilate every day so as to 

 keep as even a temperature as possible. When the out- 

 side conditions make it impossible to keep the tempera- 

 ture at 70 degrees during the night give them some fire 

 heat. 



Propagating Variegated Vinca 



Now is a good time to work up some of this very im- 

 portant plant. Cuttings can be made of the medium 

 ripened part of the trailers, cutting them so as to have 

 from two to three eyes. They can be put in the propa- 

 gating bench or in flats. They take some time to root 

 so do not try to hurry them. Wlien they have rooted 

 pot them off into either 2 or 2^-inch pots. They can be 

 kept all winter in a house that stands about 50 degrees 

 at night. 



Mr. Farrell's next notes will be on the following: Bouvardias; Smilax ; Chrysanthemums; Geraniums; 



Propagating Ivy Geraniums. 



Providing Compost; 



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