October 3, 1914 



HORTICULTUBE 



481 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



rOVniCTKD BY 



lf^^%p1. ^OA^/^ 



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

 oy flir. Darren. Such commnnlcatlous should Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICUIjTUBB. 



Care of Adiantums 



Now that the roots have become active through the 

 bench adiantums should have a top dressing of good loam 

 and well decayed cow manure equal parts. Give about 

 half an inch at a time, and repeat about every sLx weeks. 

 They will be better to have some artificial heat right 

 along now. Wiile these ferns like plenty of water at the 

 roots the beds should not be in a saturated condition all 

 the time. Make it a point to guard against extremes 

 either way. They like a temperature of from 55 to 60 

 degrees at night. 



Cyclamen for the Holidays 



Around Thanksgiving and Christmas there is always 

 a good demand for nicely flowered cyclamen. It is some- 

 times hard to have them heavily flowered at Thanksgiv- 

 ing, but where they have ten or twelve blooms open and 

 backed up with good foliage they will find a buyer. 

 Plants intended for early flowering should now be re- 

 moved from the frame to a light and airy house. Do 

 not keep them any higher than from 50 to 53 degrees at 

 night, otherwise they will only draw and spindle up. 

 After the middle of October they will not require anv 

 shading, excepting perhaps during a spell of exceptional- 

 ly warm weather, in which case a little cheese cloth can 

 be hung over them. On all good days give free ventila- 

 tion, and when the pots are full of roots give them weak 

 manure water once a week. 



Care of Poinsettias 



Do the watering early in the day so the house does not 

 contain an excess of moisture at sunset. Avoid a stuffy 

 atmosphere over night and keep the house just a little 

 over 56 degrees. Wliile the poinsettia is a warmhouse 

 plant, it would be wrong to turn on too much heat at 

 present. More poinsettias are spoiled during the months 

 of October than before or after, by either overdoing the 

 firing or waiting before firing until the stock suffers. 

 One is as bad as the other. Attend to the staking and 

 keep the stems straight for any other are worthless. 

 Plants that have been grown in pots or pans long enough 

 to be pot-bound or partly so appreciate an occasional dose 

 of liquid cow manure and seem to prefer this to any 

 other food I know of, so let them have it. 



Mr Farrell's next notes will be on the followinff: Arclisi.1 Cren 



Propagation; Potting 



Carnations 



There will be many nights in the next few weeks when 

 you wll have to run steam around and keep the ventila- 

 tors up a little. An experienced man will know how far 

 to go with this. It would be wasteful to keep the steam 

 around all night and keep the ventilators up six inches. 

 Open them about an inch or two and then run the steam 

 around often enough to keep the temperature right. On 

 a damp night this will be better than to allow tlie tem- 

 perature to drop very low. Supports should now be in 

 place, the beds all mulched and everything in trim con- 

 dition. When there is lots of sunlight they will want 

 plenty of water and plenty of fresh air, but when the 

 sun hides its face the plants grow slower, evaporation is 

 slower and less water is needed. Fresh air is always 

 beneficial, as it helps to keep the growth from becoming 

 soft. 



Shrubs For Forcing 



Now is a good time to lift and pot all such shrubs as 

 deutzia, spriraea, Japan quince, snowball, flowering 

 abnond, forsythia, lilacs, etc. Use just as small pots as 

 will conveniently hold the roots, and be sure to use 

 sufficient crocks in the pots so as to make good drainage. 

 Potted now they will have sufficient time to make new 

 roots before hard weather. Give them shade for about 

 a week, after which they can stand in full sun. The 

 only care they will need is some water and a syringing 

 now and again. They can stand outside until there is 

 danger of the pots breaking when they should be placed 

 in some deep frame or pit, with some protection until 

 wanted for forcing. 



Fancy Leaved Caladiums 



Withhold water from day to day from the caladiums, 

 a little at a time until they have shed all their leaves. 

 Do not place them in a cool house. They should have a 

 temperature of not less than 60 degrees. When they 

 have thoroughly ripened they can be placed in sand and 

 put away in a dry place in the same temperature men- 

 tioned above. See that they are all newly labeled before 

 storing away. 



ulntn: OroMds: Pnndnnus Veltchll; Preparing Fields for Next Ye.ir; 

 Evergreens for Winter. 



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