December 19, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



St^ 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



^ . CONDlCTEl) BV 



Questions by our renders in line with nnv of the topics presented on this pnge will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzkka. Suih tomnrunlcations should invariably be addressed to the ollicc of HORTICULTURE. 



Christmas Notes 



A Merry Christmas ! Once again the holidays have 

 come around although it seems only yesterday that we 

 said the very words. Time flies, life is short, and the 

 rush of business makes the days appear shorter yet. 

 Therefore, let us all tiy to east away any ill feeling that 

 we may possess somewhere in us for any of our fellow 

 men, and make ourselves agreeable even to the most dis- 

 agreeable persons, and we may add customers. Because 

 one person's nature is to be grouchy, and see nothing 

 but black in even,'thing, is no excuse whatever for us to 

 show these same faults, and then satisfy our conscience 

 with the thought that there are others that are worse, 

 or that we are not as bad as some people we know. "The 

 voice with the smile wins" is a phrase used in advertis- 

 ing, and it contains more truth than we may imagine. 

 Let us not worry about the steam l)oiler that is liable to 

 blow up, or the glass that tlie wind is liable to break, or 

 the coal that is delayed and may not arrive on time. 

 There are a thousand other things we might burden our 

 lives with if we chose to, but they will not do us any 

 good. The things that never liappen cause some people 

 more trouble than the troubles that really come. Would 

 you worry, sitting down in a bad fit of blues if a storm 

 was raging and threatened to blow one of the houses 

 down, or something of the kind ? No, of course not, and 

 neither would any other florist that was worth calling 

 that name, for he would be too busy doing everything 

 possible to prevent the disaster, and would therefore 

 have no time to brood, and after it was all over he no 

 doubt would stop and wonder how he ever got through 

 all of it. This is true of all other troubles, and if they 

 do come we are so busy trying to avert or amend them 

 that we feel little of the gloom that we pictured our- 

 selves surrounded by when we worried over this and that. 

 There is a limit to gayeties but it pays to drop around 

 to see your neighbors right in their greenhouses in the 

 daytime, and perhaps at some quiet social at night. 

 They are not trying to swindle you or get your trade by 

 crooked means; they would not do that, and expect to 

 remain in business long. Neither would any other 

 florist. If in the country, do not be afraid to drop in 

 and see the big florists, such as those on Fifth avenue in 

 New York. They will not snub you in the least, but 

 will be glad to stop for a chat. Of course their time is 

 valuable, but they will not turn anyone down. It is 

 the same all over, and any florist or gardener is glad to 

 see you, if you are glad to see him. We find it so. 

 Therefore let us cast away all gloom and let there be a 

 good feeling and understanding among all of us. Christ- 

 mas time, and let Jealousy, etc., quickly disappear until 

 there is no such thing. Tiic way busino.-s is going, it 

 will be neeessarv for nil florists large and small to take 



hold of a rope and all pull together toward the one end 

 — better business methods, better distribution of our 

 product, better advertising; everything must improve. 

 But one man or several men will not do this; it will take 

 all of us in the business together, working for the same 

 thing, to bring it about, but it is coming. The progress- 

 made in the last few years is wonderful, compared to 

 ul'.at things were years ago. But. still more wonderful 

 will l)e the imiirovements made in the near future. So 

 let us all do our share, and not wait for the other fellow 

 to start something, and tlien knock it down without even 

 investigating what it really is. May it be a Merry 

 Christmas even though Beauties will not bring $1.50 per 

 special, for with the improved methods we can grow 

 more of them to the plant, so that we get about the 

 same in the long run. And now for a note on rose 

 growing. 



Care of Houses in General 



Houses that were in, or rather - will be in for 

 Christmas, will need very good care to make them come 

 back. The weather will play an important part in this, 

 and with clear cold weather it will be quite easy. If 

 the wood of the plants cut off is inclined to be a little 

 hard, frequent syringings will help soften the wood, and 

 cause the plants to break. As soon as they are fairly 

 well started, a mulch of manure or liquid will then 

 help lengthen out the stems of the new growths. It 

 would not be wise to start this too soon, for the young 

 growths would then be likelv to turn very weak, and on 

 Beauties would be likely to run blind. Wait until they 

 are three inches long or so, and then .start the feetl, using 

 cow manure if possible. Run the house a degree or two. 

 cooler if the plants are badly cut off. This will insure- 

 a hardy growth, and that is very essential, for if the 

 houses produce a crop for Christmas and then stop, they 

 will not pay. Stuff along in Januan-, February tind' 

 even March will count 'a good deal in the profits. Clean: 

 up some of the dead leaves, tie the plants up, especially 

 the Beauties, and they will feel just so much more like 

 growing. 



Propagation 



In taking Beauty cuttings, do not make the mistake of 

 using all blind wood for this purpose. This would not 

 encourage the plants to become more floriferous, and 

 besides the plants from wood of this kind are weak as a 

 rule, when compared with those taken from selected 

 wood that would set and bear flowers. Make sure that 

 there are no spiders on the leaves and that they are per- 

 fectly healthy, and free from spot. Try to use wood 

 that has nice live thorns on it, as this will root easier, 

 and start quicker as well, after the cuttings are potted. 



