September 5. 1914 



HOBTICULTUBE 



353 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



COXDUCTED BY 



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pi.pa^AxZ/ 



Questions by our readers In line witli any of the topics presented on this page wlU be cordlaUy recelTed and prompUy answered 

 by Mr. FarrelL Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HOHTICCLTDEE. 



LWRAKV 



MBW YORK 



BOTANICAL 



QAKUbN. 



Care of Primulas 



Watering must be done once, twice or perhaps thrice 

 a day, unless the pots are plunged, as they seldom are. 

 The sashes should be removed after four in the after- 

 noon; in fact, they are not needed at all, except during 

 heavy rains so long as lath shading are used and frost 

 keeps away. The night dews greatly benefit the plants, 

 and during hot days they should be sprayed over sev- 

 eral times. Pick off any flowers which appear and do 

 not allow the plants to become pot-bound. There is 

 more danger of this occurring with the robust growing 

 P. malacoides and P. Kewensis than with the more 

 moderate P. sinensis P. stellata and P. obconica. Usual- 

 ly 0-inch and 6-inch pots are suitable for obconica and 

 sinensis, but Kewensis and malaeoides, while they will 

 flower in these sizes, are better in 7-inch and 8-inch pots. 

 Give them a compost of fibrous soil three parts, old cow 

 manure rivo parts and the same of leaf mold with a 

 little sand. 



Cyclamen for Next Year 



This seed should be sown now without delay as it 

 takes from fourteen to fifteen months to bring them 

 into flower. Be sure to procure fresh seed of the very 

 best strain from a reliable seedsman. Mix up a com- 

 post of new loam two parts, peat or leaf mold two parts, 

 and one part of sand. See that the pans are well 

 drained Avith plenty of crocks. Upon the crocks spread 

 some sphagnum moss and then fill the pans to within 

 half an inch of the top, with the compost, but the last 

 half an inch should be finely screened. Press the sur- 

 face firm and absolutely level, water thoroughly and 

 after they have drained out scatter seed all over the sur- 

 face. I find it a better plan to sow the seed so that 

 they stand about half an inch apart each way and a 

 quarter of an inch deep. When the plants have made 

 two or three leaves, transplant them into flats contain- 

 ing three inches of light compost. These seedlings 

 should have a warmer house than the plants which are 

 about to flower — 58 to 60 degrees at night is about right. 

 The little seedlings should be kept on a shelf well up to 

 the glass. 



Dutch Bulbs 



It is not at all necessary to box all the bulbs you force 

 as soon as received. Unlike the loose-scaled lily bulbs, 

 these tulips, etc., take no harm from being kept out of 

 the ground for a month or more, providing they are in a 

 perfectly dry cool shed. To have good tulips as early 

 as the latter part of January it is necessary to box some 



Mr. Farrell's neit notes wiU be on the following 



bulbs at the earliest opportunity. They must be rooted 

 or they wiU not force. After filling the flat quite light- 

 ly with the compost squeeze the bulbs into the soil until 

 the top is about even with the top of the flat. A little 

 soil thrown in to fill up between the bulbs and the job 

 is done. Put the flats outdoors on the ground in beds 

 of convenient size and, after a good soaking, cover them 

 with three inches of soil. 



Hydrangeas 

 Hydrangeas yet in the open field should now be lifted 

 and potted. If left in the field much later the large 

 branches are apt to grow to an undesirable length, the 

 plants gaining in spread but losing in shapeliness. The 

 soil most suitable for hydrangeas is a heavy loam, plen- 

 tifully enriched with old manure. The pots should be 

 well drained and a size or two larger than those the 

 plants would seem to require. After being potted up, 

 the plants can still stay outdoors. A place tinder a 

 bench in a cool greenhouse will be all right for them 

 during the winter, when but little attention need be 

 given, and only enough water to keep them from dry- 

 ing out entirely. This period of rest should last at 

 least ten weeks, which wiU put the wood in condition 

 for forcing later on. Tou never can expect hydrangeas 

 to force well where the wood has not had time to come to 

 full ripeness. Those grown in pots all summer will 

 want the same period of rest. 



Sweet Peas 



Do the tliinning out while the plants are small and 

 put up the supports in time. To allow the plants to lie 

 all over the bench is wrong. Don't ever allow five to 

 eight plants per string and expect good results; two to 

 three is enough; and, again, two plants will have a 

 chance to branch out, and it is these branches that will 

 make the plants and furnish the flowers. Heavj- wire 

 across the bench and six feet above, with strings be- 

 tween, forms a good support for the vines. The special- 

 ists consider 48 degrees at night enough and, only too 

 often, failure with peas is due to too warm a house. 

 The largest flowere, longest stems and healthiest plants 

 we get in cool weather, so see that they have plenty of 

 ventilation at all times. They like plentv- of moisture 

 at the roots. Watch out for green fly and fumigate at 

 least once a week. 



Starting: the Fires 



AU warm and intermediate houses will require some 

 heat in the pipes, even if you have to keep on a little air. 

 Warm and intermediate stock are more liable to feel the 

 sudden changes than cooler grown stock, so do not be 

 too long in getting those fires started. 



Planting a Peren- 



Chrysanthem ums: Plantins Peonies; Preparing for Frost 

 nial Border; Orchids; Genistas. 



