January 13, 1917 



HORTICULTURE 



39 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



Questions by our readers in line with any of the topics prfseuted on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzlcka. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the oflice of HORriCUI^lUKii. 



Tar Paint on Pipes (in reply to inquiry) 



There is no qucstioii that all the heating pipes will 

 last much longer if they are painted so that they will not 

 rust. It is not the winter that is hard on them but it is 

 the summer when it is damp under the benches from 

 frequent waterings, and there being no heat in the pipes 

 they have no chance to get real dry. However, great 

 care should be taken as to the paint that is used for the 

 work. There is only one safe [jaint and that is a mix- 

 ture of linseed oil and lamp black. "Wliite lead can be 

 used, but it should be mixed with linseed oil only, be- 

 ing careful not to put in any turpentine or drier. There 

 will be some fumes from either of these mixtures, but 

 if the work is done in the summer so that the i>aint will 

 have plenty of time to dry there will be no harm done, . 

 as plenty of air is always on in the fall, and all the 

 pipes are not used at once, but one after another as the 

 weather gets colder. Tar is poisonous to plant growth, 

 so are its fumes. We know nf nothing that will kill 

 the fumes coming from tar on the pipes and we know 

 nothing that will remove it save going over the pipes 

 with a gasoline blow torch and burning the paint o£E. 

 This will be a very slow job and it must be done thor- 

 oughly or it will do no good. If the plants in the house 

 are burned badly they could be dried off and started up 

 again and still get a good crop of roses in for the spring, 

 but the tar will have to come off while the plants are 

 being dried off, or the leaves will come off about as fast 

 as they come out when the plants are started again. 

 Keep as much air on as possible, even if the house runs 

 cold, and open the vents away up in the section where 

 the torch will be in use. Sprinkle the plants well and 

 keep them so right in the vicinity where the torch is be- 

 ing used, as the water will keei> the smoke and fumes 

 from the leaves, thus helping them escape without much 

 injury. 



Care of Cuttings in the Sand 



See that these are sprayed with copper right after 

 they are put in so that the danger from spot will be 

 lessened. It will not cure spot but it will keep it from 

 spreading and help the grower control it. Water should 

 always be applied so that the cuttings will be dry at 

 night; that is — their foliage should be dry. Proper at- 

 tention will have to be paid to temperature and at no 

 time should the cuttings be allowed to get cold. This 

 would be a bad check for them and there would lie a 

 great many that would never recover from it. 



Selection of Wood for Second Batch 



This will apply also to the first batch of cuttings. 

 for smaller places wdiere propagation has just started. 

 It shouTd be remembered that the future of the plants 

 largely depends on the stock they come from and care 

 should be taken to select only wood that is clean and 

 healthy, from freely growing plants. It may save a lit- 

 tle in the beginning to take wood from plants that are 



poor and not paying, but in the long run it will not pay 

 as the plants will be getting worse and worse as years 

 go by and finally the whole variety will have to be 

 thrown out, all because the plants were bred down in- 

 stead of up so that the plants following would have in- 

 creased vigor and bear more flowers than the ones be- 

 fore them. Take care to get as many heel cuttings as 

 possible. These will always root better, and as there 

 are any number of small eyes at the heel tliere is plenty 

 of chance to get bottom shoots after the plants are pot- 

 ted or growing in the bench, and it is the bottom shoots 

 that will produce the flowers even though the first bud 

 is seldom good. When taking wood from Beauties use 

 regular flowering wood rather than blind wood. ItwiU 

 make much better and stronger plants and will cut far 

 more flowers. When taking Tea wood, see that only 

 such wood as can be used is taken from the plants as 

 it is useless and wasteful to cut the plants all to pieces 

 for nothing. With the varieties now grown wood is 

 none too plentiful, as nearly all of it is flowering wood 

 and as soon as more than so much is taken the plants 

 are being robbed and will be hurt if they are cut too 

 severely. By careful cutting of the wood, there should 

 be but very little waste, and outside of a few discarded 

 leaves and tops of shoots there should be nothing left 

 after the cuttings are taken out. As fast as the wood 

 is cut it should be ducked into water and immediately 

 taken do^vn to the cellar or packing room where it is 

 cool, and where the wood can be kept damp until it is 

 used up. It is best not to keep it in water as this water 

 soaked wood will not root as well as that which is kept 

 moist and yet not soaked all the time. 



Hadley vs. Hoosier Beauty 



Mr. Arthur Ruzicka. 



Dear Sir: Will you kindly advise me as to which is the 

 better red rose of the two varieties, viz., Hadley and 

 Hoosier Beauty. I read last week's HoRxicirLTUKE ac- 

 count of the New York flower market. It stated that 

 Hoosier Beauty is no match for the irresistible Hadley. 

 Kindly inform me of the merits of both. Also, growing 

 Ophelia side by side with Shawyer, I find the latter is the 

 best in cool weather, poes Ophelia require more heat? 



Thanking you in anticipation, W. A. 



New York. 



The report you read in Hokticultdke was correct, 

 I have not as much experience with either variety as 

 some growers who specialize in one or the other, but 

 were I to choose the better one it would be Hadley every 

 time. I have seen both in the prime and both at their 

 worst, and Hadley was always better both as a grower, 

 where it held its foliage lietter, and in the markets 

 where it sold much better, being, as Horticulture's 

 report stated, "in a" class by itself." There is no doubt 

 ■ that Hoosier Beauty when well grown, carefully watered 

 and fed, and kept cool in the houses all the time will 

 make a veiy nice rose, but we are sure that if this same 

 care and pains were taken with Hadley the results would 



