September 26, 1914 



HORTICULTUBE 



451 



ROSE GROWING UNDER 

 GLASS 



rONDrCTEI) BY 



iyuCyBi^^.^^^J''-^ 



Questions by our readers In line nitb any of the topics 

 presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly 

 answered by Mr. Kuzicka. Such 'ommunication should inva- 

 riably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Broken Glass. 



With the hi^t month of uarni weather, better see that 

 all the gla^s tliat is to be repaired is put in, for once 

 the cold wet weatlier eomes there will be little ebaiice, 

 and it will be eveiTthiiiir Vmt pleasant to ilo it. Do over 

 the houses well, and re])air all glass that is lnose, cracked 

 or broken. By doing this now. there will be a big sav- 

 ing of time later on. It is not too late to ])aint any 

 houses that need it; if done at once the paint will dry 

 quickly, ilake sure that all crevices are well puttied 

 before the paint is applied. When a hou.se is well 

 painted there should not be ver\- many leaks in it, and 

 the less it leaks the better. Anyone growing stuff in an 

 old leaky greenhouse will soon learn under what disad- 

 vantage he is working, it being almost impossible to keep 

 the benches in a right state of moisture, and there will 

 always be spots that are altogether too w-et. Spot will 

 generally start in these places, and it will be a hero's own 

 job to rid the plants of it, and besides it will eat up a 

 lot of money. Three men in a house all day means six 

 dollars, and it will take some roses to make that. 



Supplies for the Season. 



Another item to receive attention now is supplies for 

 the coming season. Twine, wire, lioxes, paper, rope, all 

 comes under this head. If the [ilace is well organized, 

 and the books well kept, it will not take long for grow- 

 ers to ascertain how much of each is wanted, and as a 

 rule it will pay to get it all in a bunch, for generally a 

 better price will be quoted on a large order than on a 

 smaller one. A room should be built in one of the serv- 

 ice buildings, and the su])])lies stored in this room, in 

 charge of a good res]ionsible man. As the growers need 

 the supplies they can be taken, and the amount given 

 each and when, can be recorded, so that it will be easy 

 to ascertain how much each grower owes the firm, or 

 rather how much it costs for supplies in the different 

 sections. 



The Propagating House. 



On many places the propagating house is very badlv 

 neglected from the time that the last batch of cuttings 

 leaves it until it is wanted again. This is a very poor 

 practice for it enables weeds and all sorts of insects to 

 flourish inside. Clean the house at once if it is not 

 clean yet, and devote it to raising something, tlius mak- 

 ing each square foot of greenhouse earn its keep, if it 

 will not make money. There are numbers of things that 

 can be grown and .sold at a ])rofit, this generally de- 

 pending on local conditions, which are .«eldom the same 

 on two places. A little thought will generally find some- 

 thing that may be worth while growing, and thus keep 

 the benches in mntiun all the time. 



More About Curled Leaves on White Killarney 



Sew London Inquirer — Tln' l>-nvesyou sent to ns liy 



mail in damp moss arrived in perfectly good condition, 

 and as you stated in your first letter, they are free from 

 all diseases, and insects, and in perfect shape and health, 

 save for the curling. This is caused by scorching the 

 leaves in some way, tlie brown markings on the upper 

 side of the leaf proving this. You are right when you 

 say that the leaves are not very soft. They are what we 

 would call a good healthy growth. You do not say 

 whether your plants are grafted or own root. If the 

 former, see if the raffia around tlie graft or eye is not 

 choking the plants. We had an experience of this kind 

 and fomid that the grower in charge failed to cut the 

 raffia that had been used in grafting, when the plants 

 were planted, and there were a great many that were 

 being choked, for the raffia proved too strong for the ex- 

 ])anding stem to break. If your plants are own-root 

 plants there is no danger from this, and w^e must look 

 elsewhere for the cause, and remove this, for that will be 

 the only cure. We would advise you to examine the soil 

 three or four times a day, for we have had soils that 

 would be dust dry two hours after watering, for the 

 water would run right through the benches and leave the 

 soil dry. If this would be the case, a mulching would 

 help, using well decayed cow manure for the purpose. 

 We would leave olT the syringing as we advised at first, 

 for this is what scalds or ratlicr scorches the leaves, tak- 

 ing it for granted that no strong fumigants or sprays 

 were used, or that there is no paint, no strong 

 manure or other materials rliat would give off 

 fumes poisonous to vegetation. A dose of liquid 

 manure apjjlied to the plants when they are 

 quite dry would be apt to burn the roots quite badly 

 so that they would not be able to supply the needed mois- 

 ture to the' foliage, and, this lacking, the leaves would 

 'urn W'ith the syringing, not badly, but enough io give 

 them the brown markings on the upper side, and cause 

 tliem to curl. Up to this time we have been thinking 

 of your plants as having been planted quite a while, 

 and having made quite some growth. Should they 

 l)e small plants that have not been planted very long, and 

 are not established very well, scratch away the soil from 

 several, and see if the original ball is wet enough. We 

 have had plants that were shipped to us from places 

 where the soil is very heavy, and these planted into loose 

 light sandy soil, did not take well with ordinary plant- 

 in";;, for the soil would not catch to the hard heavy ball. 

 Sluiidd this be the case, firm the soil around each jilant 

 with a stick that has a flat end, so as not to go into the 

 soil at all, for that woidd cut away a good many roots 

 that arc needed very liadly. It may be too that the 

 plants were not set deep enough if they happen to be 

 grafted plants, and the wood around the joint of the root 

 and scion may have bec:ome .<o liard as to make the flow 

 of sap almost impossible. If this is the case a mulch 

 right around each plant would help soften the wood, and 

 make the sap flow more easily. You say you are sure 

 the |)lants need moisture. Damp down as many times a 

 day as vou think necessary, but keep the water away from 

 the leaves. Water well at the roots, and keep them wet 

 for a while, but do not syringe the plants. Damp down 

 under the benches too, "if necessary. From the leaves 

 you sent, we can see that your plants are free from 

 spider, so that they will not suffer if not syringed. It 

 will take a while for the new leaves to form, and prove 

 whetlier the new treatment will work. All the foliage 

 now has been •damaged, and will curl as soon as con- 

 ditions are right, even though it may open out normal 

 at times. We are very much interested in this ease, and 

 would be pli'P^^.'.T fM h'l-.w from you again. 



