January 27, 1917 



HORU'ICULTUEE 



103 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



^ CONDICTED BY 



with any of the topics pr<seuted on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 communications should invariably be addressed to the oflice of HORTICULTURE. 



Get the Pots Ready 



It will uut be long before the first batch of cuttings 

 will be fit to come out of the sand and will be ready 

 for the pots. But will the pots be ready for the cut- 

 tings ? Do not delay getting the pots washed up if they 

 are still foul from last season. Soak them well in water 

 and run them through the pot washer and get them 

 clean. While washing it will be well to keep in mind 

 that the most important place to clean is right near the 

 top where the surface of the soil will come to when the 

 cuttings are potted. This ring around the pot will be 

 the hardest to wash, too, as here the scum will be the 

 thickest. See that it is all washed off clean so that the 

 new soil will not start getting green on top as soon as 

 the cuttings are potted. Do not use soap or other prep- 

 arations in the water while washing as these would only 

 soak into the pots and stop up the pores, something 

 which should be guarded against. It will also be best 

 to go over the stock of pots and make sure that all that 

 will be needed later are on hand. The way the pot fac- 

 tories are busy now, and the way the freight lags, orders 

 cannot be placed too early. I'se two-and-a-quarter-inch 

 pots for the first potting. The two-inch are too small, 

 as no sooner do tJie cuttings start, than they have to 

 be sifted into larger pots, where with the larger size they 

 can remain for a while. Two-and-a-half-inch pots are 

 too large to use now early in the season. They will be 

 just the thing around the first of April, when the plants 

 can be shifted riglit into fours from them in ^fay. 

 The Potting Soil 



One cannot be too careful in selecting soil, especially 

 for the first potting. Under no circumstances should 

 old soil be used. Growers who work ahead all the time 

 will have a nice heap of soil stored away, or else covered 

 with straw% leaves or manure, so that the frost will not 

 get into it and make it very hard to get when it is 

 wanted. The best soil we find for potting is a sod heap 

 that is at least a year old. Generally we make one heap 

 much larger than neecssai7 for filling the houses, and 

 then take the remainder for potting soil. Freshly 

 mixed soil is not as good as soil from an old heap, as the 

 manure has had no chance to work through it. Plants 

 will start quicker in the right soil. Where the soil is 

 known to eontnin manv weed'; or fungus it will be best 



through 

 through 

 potting. 



to sterilize it with steam. To do this a bin is required, 

 which must be tight. A coil of small pipe is run back 

 and forth through it. Drill small holes every six inches 

 in the pipe before it is put in. The bin is then filled 

 with soil, closed, and the steam turned on. The time 

 required to thoroughly sterilize the soil will depend on 

 the size of the bin and the amount of pipe in it, also on 

 the pressure of the steam. At least half an hour 

 should be allowed to work after it has penetrated all 

 the soil. Screen the soil well, running it 

 a one-quarter-inch mesh screen for the first 

 Coarser soil can be iised later for larger pots. 

 Syringing 

 Syringe as often as the weather will permit. The 

 days are already a little longer, and it will not be long 

 before spring will be here. If there is any spider any- 

 where, be sure to mark the place well, so that the plants 

 affected will be sure to get a good syringing. If this is 

 not done, with spring coming, the spider will get be- 

 yond control, much damage resulting. The same may 

 be said of greenfly. Try to fumigate Ijefore syringing 

 and then give the plants a good one. If there are any 

 fly here and there, that are not quite dead the water 

 will be sure to do what the nicotine left undone. This 

 pest, too, if neglected now will increase .so fast when 

 the warmer and longer days come that it will be hard 

 work to keep them down. Use plenty of pressure, but 

 not so much as to tear the leaves all to pieces, and 

 syringe as rapidly as possible, being careful to direct 

 the stream so that most of the spent water will hit into 

 the walks and not on the bench. This will accomplish 

 a double purpose; first it will leave the bench much 

 drier, second it will throw all insects into the walk 

 where they are likely to perish instead of leaving them 

 on the bench to crawl back on the plants as soon as 

 they are able. For this reason it is necessary to get 

 well under the bottom leaves, these being always the 

 first to harbor both fly and spider. As soon as the 

 syringing is done the plants should be well shaken, so 

 that the plants may have a chance to dry before night 

 comes. Do not neglect to use air slacked lime, espe- 

 cially in the Beauty houses. Fill the house up well with 

 dust", blowing it tinder the plants and letting it rise 

 anions- tbom slowlv, taking moisture with it as it goes. 



OUR COVER ILLUSTRATION. 



For the inspiring picture which 

 serves as our cover ilUistration this 

 week we are indebted to C. W. Ward 

 of Eurelca, Cal. Mr, Ward writes: — 



"Can you do this in Boston? Can 

 you do it in England? Looks like the 

 way we grew Begonia Gloire de Lor- 

 raine at Queens, doesn't it? Eureka 

 Giant sweet peas are coming out some 

 day as a distinct type. No Cupids at 

 Eureka. 



"If any florist believes azaleas will 

 not bud up at Eureka, he only has to 

 look at this hedge of Illuminator 

 sweet peas. Ask William Sim or any 

 English grower if he can beat it. 

 They h.ad been blooming three months 

 when this picture was taken. These 

 plants stand eighteen inches apart. 

 Note the bloom from base to peak. All 

 other plants bloom, berry and set seed 

 with a profusion that I have seen in 

 no other place where I have ever 

 grown plants before." 



CORRECTION. 



Chas. E. F. Gersdorff calls our at- 

 tention to some errors in the descrip- 

 tion of his new rose in our issue of 

 Dec. 23, viz.: The description as given 

 says "flowers generally borne singly 

 though always in clusters of two to 

 four" and "foliage very durable." The 

 word alwas's should be also, while the 

 word foliage should be flowers. 



