August 15, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



211 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



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

 by Mr. Ruzlcka. Such commuulcations should invariably be addressed to the office of HOETICULTUKl!-. . 



The War 



Although it may not involve this country at all, it may 

 at the same time make hard times here, and should this 

 be the ease, the florists will be the first to feel it, for 

 the people will generally turn down the flowers the very 

 first thing. It will be well for all growers to handle 

 everything carefully, and try to cut expenses down as 

 much as possible, also see that there is no waste at any 

 part of the range. Do not cut the wages of the men to 

 reduce expenses — rather increase these, encouraging all 

 the men to take more interest in their work and thus 

 saving in the long run. Look after every little detail 

 thoroughly, so that even if prices are very low, tliere 

 will still be profit enough to pay running expenses, with- 

 out any loss. 



The Coal Supply 



Right now is the time to think about the coal supply 

 for the coming season, even though the weather is still 

 hot. Growers should have ample room in the cellar 

 to avoid storing the coal outside in heaps exposed to all 

 sorts of weather. Then, too, the coal will have to be 

 handled twice if stored away from the boilers, and that 

 means double expense. Expenses have a good deal to 

 do with profits, and all men employed should be made to 

 earn more than their pay, therefore keep them at some- 

 thing useful and not at any odd job that is not worth 

 doing. Growers who are a distance from the railroad, 

 and still have to ship all their stock, should take advan- 

 tage of this good weather when the roads are dry, and 

 get their coal in. A motor truck cannot be beat for 

 this work, when the roads are good, but do not rely on 

 one to haul your coal in the winter, or you may regret 

 it, for they are useless for roads such as we generally 

 find around country places in midwinter. 



Fumigating 



Never leave this important item undone for any length 

 of time, for when the plants once get overrun with 

 greenfly it will require heroic efforts to get rid of the 

 pest this hot weather. And then there is the check 

 that the plants will get if the fly is bad. It will take a 

 long time for them to recover, after all the fly is done 

 away with. The best time to fumigate is at night, es- 

 pecially if a thunder storm comes up, and it rains. The 

 houses should never be smoked unless they are below 70, 

 for they are very likely to get scorched if fumigated 

 when the temperature is any higher. It is also essential 

 that the houses be wet, so that there is not a plant that 

 will be real dry at the roots. The smoke will be more 

 effective if the air is damp, and so will gas. Where gas 

 is used it will require even more care than smoke. 

 Spraying regularly will keep the plants free from all 

 insects but this will require care too, and should never 

 be entrusted to a person with little experience. There 

 are some very good preparations on the market, and if 

 properly used will be found very satisfactory. For fumi- 

 gating material we use tobacco stems while the plants 

 are real small, and there is no danger of damaging 

 flowers. The stems should be fresh, and no old moldy 

 stems should be used. See that they are not allowed to 



burn with a flame, for then the smoke would be very 

 likely to burn the plants. Where it can be done, or 

 where it is not possible to get good stems, some of the 

 fumigating compounds that are offered to the trade will 

 be found as cheap and far more pleasant to use. If the 

 houses are not much below 70 they had better be opened 

 after an hour or two, so that the plants will not take 

 liann from tlie close air that will fill the houses while 

 they are shut down tight. With tobacco papers the 

 smoke will clear away in about an hour and the houses 

 should then be opened a little bit, and shortly after, a 

 little more. 



Daphne Cneorum 



The ease or difficulty of propagation makes plants 

 common or rare. It also largely determines the price 

 of plants; plants dilficult of propagation always cost 

 more than those which may be readily multiplied. Un- 

 fortunately on this account some of our most beautiful 

 garden plants are rare or not as well known as they 

 deserve to be. Daphne Cneorum is one of these. It 

 belongs to that select little family Thymelaeaceae, one of 

 the few families of plants that "hasn't any poor rela- 

 tions" ; it has but one protoplasmic relative in the East- 

 ern States at least, and that is the Leatherwood or 

 Wicopy, Dirca palustris. 



Daphne Cneorum is a native of the mountains of mid- 

 dle Europe, and, like many plants which hail from high 

 altitudes, is of a low, prostrate or spreading habit. It 

 is an evergreen and shrubby in character. The branches 

 are supple or inclined to be leathery and are well clothed 

 with small, narrow, sessile leaves, oblanceolate in outline, 

 and alternately arranged. The bright pink, deliciously 

 fragrant flowers are produced in terminal clusters 

 abundantlv in May (often earlier) and continuing more 

 or less freely till September or October. It does not 

 appear to produce seeds in this country, probably be- 

 cause we have not the insect to bring about fertilization, 

 and the method of propagation most commonly prac- 

 tised is that of layering, which should be done in June. 



Daphne Cneorum has proved perfectly hardy in 

 Massachusetts. It thrives in any fairly good soil, but 

 prefers a rich peaty soil, either in full sun or shade, al- 

 though it does its very best if planted where it can re- 

 ceive some shade during the hottest part of the day. It 

 is an excellent subject for the rock garden, or it may be 

 planted in the hardy perennial border, or in beds by 

 itself, or it may be used as a ground cover among com- 

 pact growing shrubs in shrubbery borders. It is also a 

 good plant for cemetery lot planting, since it is ever- 

 green and exceedingly persistent or tenacious of life; 

 the writer knows of a bed which was planted nearly 

 forty years ago and is today healthy and vigorous and 

 looks capable of rounding out a century. Few shrubs 

 possess as many good qualities as this charming Daphne 

 Cneorum. 



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