September 12, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



387 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



' CONDUCTED BY 



Qaestlons by our readers In line with any of the topics presented on this page wUl be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzicka. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HOKTICULTUBB. 



Worms and Ants in Compost 

 In cutting down my compost pile, I notice that it is 

 filled with young wire worms, white ants (possibly black 

 ones just hatched out), and common earth worms. Please 

 advise through your columns how I can rid the soil of these 

 pests. 



If you are going to use the soil for potting, or for 

 some tender crop that would likely be damaged by the 

 worms and other insects you mention, we would recom- 

 mend using carbon bisulphide, making holes in the heap 

 with a crowbar, about eight inches apart, and then pour- 

 ing about a tablespoonful of the bisulphide into these 

 holes and stopping them up at once with earth. The gas 

 issuing from the liquid will work through the soil, and 

 do away with the greater portion of the insects. This 

 gas is very inflammable, and great care should be taken to 

 keep all lights or fire away. "Vermine" advertised in 

 another section of this paper will kill the worms and in- 

 sects you mention, but the soil must be saturated with 

 the solution as directed on the package. We as a rule 

 seldom bother about the insects or worms unless they 

 happen to be in great numbers, or else when we intend 

 to use the soil for potting or some such purpose. If the 

 soil contains only a limited amount of vermin we trust to 

 our ability to get rid of this after the soil is in the 

 benches. Of course where tender crops are grown this 

 could not be worked so well, but with roses or carnations 

 lime can be applied for the benefit of the plants, and this 

 will kill all the worms, or at least reduce their number 

 so that they will not be able to do harm. Ants always 

 disappear as the season goes on, for they have no protec- 

 tion against water that is applied regularly to the 

 benches. Wire worms are hard to kill, but these, too, 

 will disappear, unless they are not the real wire worm 

 but the brown gray centipede. We have had these in 

 rose houses by the hundreds, but they never did any 

 visible damage, possibly because they had plenty of 

 manure to work in. If you are on a small place and 

 could have the soil sterilized, it would be about the best 

 way to clean out all the insects as well as germs. This 

 would also kill all weed .«eeds, and leave the soil all 

 clean. To explain the sterilizing: any air tight box or 

 bin with steam pipe? in it into which tiny holes have 

 been drilled every foot or so. The soil is piled into this 

 bin, and then the steam is turned on, subjecting the soil 

 to a pressure of about 15 Ihs.. for at least fifteen min- 

 utes, after which it is ready for use as soon as it cools off. 



Packing 



No matter how low the [irices are in the market, you 

 will not gain anything at all by packing the cut roses 



carelessly or in too much of a hurry. Use all the paper 

 that is necessary to keep the roses comfortable and in- 

 sure their carrying safely to the market. If it must be 

 that two layers of roses are packed to the box, never pack 

 anything over white roses. Put some pink or any other 

 color in the bottom layer. The very slightest bruise will 

 show on a white rose, while the colored ones will not show 

 the bruise so much if at all. It is also advisable not to 

 pack any roses over the better grades, for the slightest 

 bruise on these will decrease the price, and the buyers 

 will have a good excuse for not paying the full value for 

 these. 



Cutting 



As the weather grows cooler, the buds can be allowed 

 to remain on the plants a little longer, so that they will 

 be of a little larger size. This will make them a better 

 quality, and coax better prices. All blooms should be 

 well graded, and all weak stuff or poor buds put into the 

 seconds, regardless of the length of the stem. With 

 Beauties we always cut two eyes above the bottom wire, 

 unless it happens to be in the front row, where the 

 plants get a little more sun. Then we sometimes cut 

 the roses off two or three eyes above the surface of the 

 soil. This of course must not be done where the plants 

 are suffering from lack of wood. It would be ruinous 

 to cut them down as low as that, to gain a few inches of 

 stem, if the plants could not afford to lose tlie wood. A 

 little judgment will tell where to cut and where not to 

 cut. 



Keeping the Plants Clean 



Never allow the plants to become covered with dead 

 leaves, for there is nothing more harmful. Leaves will 

 get broken here and there when syringing or tying, and 

 these should be picked off. Some leaves will naturally 

 turn yellow, and if allowed to remain on the plants or 

 on the benches will make excellent material for bugs 

 and diseases to breed in. While the leaves are being 

 picked keep an eye open for blackspot, and see that it is 

 all picked off and destroyed along with the leaves. 



The Walks in the Houses 



Now that all the planting is done see that the walks 

 are fixed up wherever they need it, and in the wide 

 houses where all of the walks are earth or ashes, see 

 that these are dry. A coat of sand will put them into 

 nice shape, althougli it is rather hard on the hose, yet 

 with care the wear on this will hardly be noticeable. We 

 have seen walks in houses so slippery that they were real 

 dangerous. Better keep the walks dry and safe to walk 

 on. 



