September 5, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



355 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



(US^Ji^yXA-^ 



QuesUons by our readers In line with any of the topics presented on thU page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Knzlcka. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICLLTUBE. 



The Old Soil 



With the planting all done the big heaps of old soil 

 that have been taken out of the benches had better be 

 carted away as soon as a chance presents itself. This 

 old soil is excellent material to put on gardens or fields 

 as it contains a good deal of nourishment, and will make 

 good soil for all crops save roses. It is best not to 

 allow this old soil to remain in heaps along the green- 

 houses, for not only does it look very bad but it should 

 be taken away to make room for the new sod heaps that 

 should be put up this fall so as to be in good shape for 

 the planting time next spring. Many will let it wait 

 until winter, but it will be frozen then, and the roads 

 and fields will be muddy, and the soil even if not frozen 

 will be soaked with water so that it will be about twice 

 as heavy as it is now, and whatever is saved on cheaper 

 teams in winter will be lost again on the cost of doing 

 the work, for it caimot be done as quick or as well in the 

 winter as now when the soil is loose and dry. 



Manure for Mulching 



Do not neglect tliis, but see that it is turned over at 

 least once a week and kept wet enough to keep it from 

 burning. Do not apply any water unless it is needed, 

 for if water is applied it is bound to leach the manure 

 and that would be waste, to say the least. Leave the 

 heaps of manure nicely shaped, and about two and a 

 half or three feet deep. In turning start on one end 

 and take a strip across tbe whole heap, taking care to 

 break up all the big lumps, and thus get the manure 

 down as fine as possible. Any long straw that will not 

 decay had better be taken right out, for it will only 

 make a lot of trouble all along. Keep the manure under 

 cover if possible, so that the lieavy showers do not get 

 into it. Where it is possible to have a concrete floor 

 under it, have the liquid all drain into a cesspool, and 

 then use this to wet the manure with, or else use it as 

 liquid manure. 



Potting Soil 



If none too much of the soil heaps were left after all 

 the houses were filled it would be advisable to look 

 around for a nice piece of sod, and turn this into a com- 

 post at once, keeping it wet all the time to encourage 

 decay. As soon as the sods and manure are fairly well 

 decomposed, turn the whole heap over once or twice to 

 break it up, and get it into sliape for potting soil when 

 the propagating season comes around again. Needless 

 to say, all glass and other refuse which is quite plenti- 

 ful in soil at times should be removed as soon as it is 

 seen, for it will make trouble some time or another. 

 Growers who have ever experienced a shortage of soil 

 for potting will know that there is nothing like being 

 right there. 



Curled Foliage 



As I am a reader of HoKTictLriRE and see by it that you 

 answer questions, I wish to aslv if you can tell me what is 

 the matter with some Double White Killarney roses which 



are badly curling in the leaf. These have been planted 

 since June and they look like healthy plants. Have tried 

 several methods, but they seem to curl just the same, both 

 the young and some of the old foliage, and more the front 

 benches than those at the back. In regard to watering, 

 they have never been neglected, and they get syringed two 

 and sometimes three times daily. Our other roses don't 

 seem to be affected at all. and we grow Shawyer, Russell, 

 Pink Killarney, Sunburst and Richmond: only the whites 

 curl, so if you could give me a remedy through your col- 

 umns, I would be much obliged. We grow in four inches of 

 soil. New Lo.nuu.n. 



As near as we can tell from your letter, there is noth- 

 ing the matter with your plants, and the curling can 

 easily be remedied by treating them a little different. 

 You say the plants have been syringed as often as 

 three times a day. This is a mistake, and is probably 

 the cause of all your trouble. Plants that are free from 

 spider will do very nicely if syringed once or twice a 

 week, and then only on a clear day. The amount of syr- 

 inging you speak of doing, would be apt to keep the air 

 far too moist to produce good hard growth on the plants, 

 and the new foliage as well as the old would be bound to 

 be very soft and will burn as soon as the sun hits it on 

 a clear day. If you are experienced in roses you will 

 know what mildew is, and would know if this was what 

 makes your plants ail. We would advise you to leave 

 off all syringing for two days, keeping the plants plenty 

 wet enough at the roots, and then syringing on the third 

 day if the weather was all right. Air the plants freely, 

 beginning with little air on the first day, and then grad- 

 ually increasing the amount as they get accustomed to it. 

 Do not shut the houses down at night, but carry at 

 least an inch of air, especially if the houses are new and 

 almost air tight. Do not let the temperature drop be- 

 low 64 degrees at night even though heat has to be 

 used. When syringing make sure that the plants are 

 wet enough. If your soil is heavy it is dry quite often, 

 although "it looks as though it were quite wet. Water 

 the plants along the front rows if necessary, about an 

 hour before syringing. If watered and syringed imme- 

 diately afterward they are liable to burn just the same, 

 for they will not have had time to draw the water into 

 the leaves where it is needed. If you are feeding any 

 fertilizer that is rich in nitrogen we would advise you to 

 stop it for a while until your plants harden up enough to 

 keep their leaves from burning. Do not change every- 

 thing all of a sudden, for then the plants would likely 

 receive a serious check, but work the change around 

 gradually, and then keep the plants a little cooler than 

 usual for a while. We could tell better if you had 

 mailed a few branches of the curled leaves wrapped in 

 damp moss, so that they would arrive in a natural con- 

 dition. If the plants have not had any lime since they 

 have been planted, a light dose would help harden them 

 up a little. Apply just enough to whiten the benches 

 nicely, and then water it in. Blow a little air-slacked 

 lime around tbe houses at night after each watering or 

 syrindng, and on wet drizzly days. This will help 

 keep the plants hard enoudi to resist the rays of the 

 sun, and not hurt them in any way. 



