February 24, 1917 



HORTICULTURE 



233 



Last Call for Cuttings 



iSTow with the first of Marcli right here it will bu 

 iiecessai7 to go carefully over all the young stoclv and if 

 there is a shortage of any variety, cuttings should be 

 taken at once and crowded into the sand. If this work 

 is not done at once, it may prove difficult to root the cut- 

 tings later, as the weather may get warmer, making it 

 very hard to control the temperatures in the propagating 

 house. It may not be difficult to keep the sand cool 

 enough but the top temperature will surely go up, which 

 will make the cuttings start top growth, and if they do 

 this before the roots start it is very unlikely that they 

 would root. If some did root the plants would never 

 have the vitality that the cool rooted plants have, and 

 which all plants need so much to be profitable in tlie 

 greenhouse. When making the cuttings do not allow 

 them to carry too much foliage. If three-eyed cuttings 

 are made then two leaves with two leaflets loft on each 

 stem will be plenty. If too much foliage is left the cut- 

 tings will have quite a time to hold it, and a good many 

 will drop their leaves and amount to a very little as a 

 result. If the sand that this last batch is put into has 

 already been used once, see that it is perfectly clean, 

 free from old leaves and dead cuttings. It will also be 

 advisable to give the sand several good waterings so 

 that it will have a chance to get washed out. After this 

 it can be firmed and the cuttings put in. As all other 

 lots, these should receive a spraying of copper to elim- 

 inate the danger of spot. Care should also be taken not 

 to spray any more than is necessary to keep them up, so 

 that there will be little cliance for the leaves to he wet all 

 the time. This applies especially to all red roses whicli 

 are more apt to get spot in the sand than other colors^. 

 All grafting that i.s to be done should be mshed right 

 through, too, so that the plants will be in shape when 

 planting time comes. 



Lime 



If there are some benches which are showing bad 

 cdlor, will not dry out readily, and the growth is weak 

 and sickly, the plants will be greatly helped by a good 

 application of lime. The benches should be cleaned off 

 well before the lime is applied, and the surface rubbed 

 over a least bit in order that the lime may not stick to 

 the surface of the wet soil and fonn a water proof crust. 

 Air-slacked lime or hydrated lime should he used — not 

 ground up limestone, which is too slow in action for 

 greenhouse use. After the lime is applied it will be as 

 well not to water at once, but to rub the lime in and let 

 it remain a day or two. This way it will cling to the 

 crumljs of soil and form a rough surface, after which it 

 will gradually rub off and get into the soil. This will 

 also prevent too much of the lime getting in at once. If 

 there are too many earth worms in the benches, water as 

 soon as the lime is applied. This operation will kill a 



i;i 1(1(1 many of them. Too many worms in the Ijenches 

 will make the soil all slimy and sticky so that it will be 

 almost impossible to have good drainage. 



Repotting 



As soon as the young stock is fairly well rooted so that 

 the ball of the plants will hold together nicely, do not 

 wait for the i>lants to get pot bound, but begin at once 

 and shift them to larger pots. The soil can be made 

 much richer than it was for the first potting, containing 

 at least one-fourth of finely decayed manure. A pot-full 

 (four-inch) of bone meal to each wheelbarrow of soil 

 can also be added, being very careful to see that the bone 

 is well mixed into the soil so that there will be no dan- 

 ger of getting too much of it in any one place. See that 

 the three-inch pots are clean and well crocked. Finely 

 broken old pots or fine cinders will be the cheapest crock 

 to use, although elia.rcoal makes the finest crocking ma- 

 terial. If time will permit, it can be made at home, as 

 most places have hardwood trees around with plenty of 

 .spare branches which need cutting anyway, and these 

 can be easily burned into charcoal. See that the plants 

 are potted deep enough. There should be at least a 

 tliin layer of soil over the old ball. Fill up with soil all 

 around and press this. Do not press the old ball into 

 the new soil. Such an operation would surely crush it, 

 tearing the roots all to pieces and ruining the plants 

 completely or else giving such a severe check that it will 

 take weeks for them to recover. If tlie plants are prop- 

 erly potted they .should take hold of the new soil at once 

 and sliow an imj)rovement in the color of the leaves about 

 the third day. When knocking the plants out of the 

 small pots clean them off at once. This should include 

 taking off all the scum that may have formed on top of 

 the soil, all yellow and diseased leaves so that the plants 

 will he clean wlien they go into the new pots. See that 

 the plants have been watered several hours before they 

 are to be repotted. If they were potted dry, it would be 

 impossible to get the ball wet through pro])erly, as the 

 >\ater would drain right through the new soil leaving the 

 ball dry. If the pots are very dry see that they are 

 dipped into water before they are used. Were this not 

 done, difficulty might be experienced in knocking the 

 plants out of ithe pots later, as the soil would stick fast 

 to the pot. Another important thing to watch for is 

 earth worms. See that there are none in the soil of the 

 ]ilants and none in the new soil. If the one Imocking 

 the plants out is quick enougli he can catch all the worms 

 that mav be in the Ijall as tliey are generally between the 

 soil and the pot, and when tlie plant is knocked out they 

 are left exposed, thus giving the grower a chance to 

 catch them before they have a chance to hide l^ack into 

 the soil. These worms may be of benefit to plants in the 

 benches but they are a nuisance in pots, for jwtted plants 

 will seldom do anything if there are earth worms in the 

 soil. 



