March 31, 1917 



HORTICULTURE 



415 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



CONDDCTKO BT 



^*^^%9>^.r'a^A^^^' 



Questions by our readers In line with acy of the topics presented on this pnge will be cordially received and promptly answered 



by Mr. barren. Such coniinunleatlonB should Invariably be addressed to the otHce of HORTICXJI.TURB1. 



"If vain OUT toll, we ought to blame the culture, not the soil." — Pope. 



Ferns 



From now on sow successive batches of s23ores, as it 

 takes from 10 to 13 montlis from the time of sowing to 

 get useful sized plants. All the soil used for sowing 

 spores should be sterilized. Use pans and fill half full 

 of good drainage. Then rill tu within lialf an iueh of 

 the rim with a sifted mixture of soil, leaf mold, peat and 

 sand in equal proportions. Give the pans a good water- 

 ing and allow them sufficient time to drain, then sow the 

 spores thinly over the surface and plunge up to the rim 

 in a propagating frame with a temperature of at least 

 65 degrees at night and protect from the sun. Where 

 it is intended to grow large specimens they should be 

 kept moving as fast as possible now. Most of this class 

 of ferns can be materially assisted by the careful use of 

 liquid manure, but the pots should be well fiUed with 

 roots before applying any stimulants. All kinds of 

 ferns will need some shade from this out, so they will 

 retain their color. 



Gloxinias 



Tubers that have been kept back but are now starting 

 up naturally should be potted, using a mixture of two 

 parts leaf mold and one part fibrous loam and some 

 sand. Plants that are coming into bloom should have 

 a temperature of 60 degrees at night with a rise of 10 

 degrees during the day, but when the flowers are well 

 opened they can be kept 10 degrees cooler. This will 

 make the foliage firmer and tlie flowers will have gi'eater 

 durability. They should be given a light shade and so 

 situated that they will get a requisite amount of air 

 without draughts. The seedlings started early in the 

 year will now be of good size for 3-inch pots. These 

 young plants will flower by the late summer. Tteat 

 them throughout the season with shade but give plenty 

 of light and moisture. Be very careful not to wet the 

 foliage any more than is absolutely necessary as they get 

 scorched. 



Hardy Roses 



The weather this year will prevent very early plant- 

 ing but we should get them in as early as possible. 

 Hybrid Perpetuals should lie replanted or replaced with 

 young two»year-old stock every eight or ten years. It is 

 better to plant a new bed every five or six years as 

 hybrids give very poor results the first season after 

 being planted. Then you can have the old beds to cut 

 from. Trench the ground thoroughly, working in a 

 liberal application of barnyard manure. I think it is 

 wise to give them plenty of room between the rows — 

 say three feet or more and from 15 to 18 inches in the 

 rows. This enables you to work through them during 

 the summer and gives room for winter protection. Now 

 is the time to prune rosfes. Frequent hoeing among the 

 plants to keep the surface loose is especially beneficial 

 in and during dry spells. On old beds give additional 

 stimulant such as fertilizer, pure hone meal or liquid 

 manure. This should be applied about the end of 

 April and on through May. 



Next Week: — Care of Gardenias; Nephrolepls ; Odontoglo 



Lily of the Valley in Cold Storage 



Pips not used up to this time, or only temporarily 

 stored in frames for the winter must go into cold stor- 

 age proper. Repacking for cold storage is not absolute- 

 ly necessary in the ease of valley wintered over until 

 now in cold frames but to be on the safe side with that 

 which is to be held back until late in the season, the 

 bundles if in any way dry, should be dipped up to the 

 crowns in water, and then be stood upright and close 

 together in boxes, and instead of sand or soil, dampened 

 moss should be used in repacking. After the middle of 

 March frames cease to be a safe place for lily of the 

 valley. The stock to be forced soon will be all right in 

 from 26 to 28 degrees, while that to be held longer keeps 

 best in from 23 to 25 degrees. Of more importance 

 than degi'ee is steadiness and while the temperature 

 should never be more than 28 degrees or lower than 23 

 degrees, the mark most easily maintained between these 

 two extreme ])oints should be held to right along with 

 unwavering reguhirity so the pips will retain their 

 strength. 



Plants for Vases, Etc. 



The florist who does a retail plant business adjacent 

 to town or near some leading cemetery, will have many 

 vases to fill. Many growers have only a vague idea as 

 to the amount of stock required. Now is a good time 

 tu sum up. If jjlants are required for a shady situation 

 the following selection^ is good : Fnchsias, begonias, 

 Cyperus alternifolius, Ficus elastica, asfildistras, Farfu- 

 ginm grande, selaginellas and ferns. For centers use 

 Phoenix rupicola, Latania borbonica, Areca lutescens 

 and cordylines. For trailers use German ivy, trades- 

 cantias, Kenilworth ivy, and AsparagTis Sprengeri. 

 Where they will be exposed to the sun the following are 

 verv satisfactory : Geraniums, coleus, ageratum, acaly- 

 pha. petunias, and dwarf nasturtiums. For the center 

 Dracaena indivisa, Chamaerops humilis or any of the 

 Phoenix family. For trailers, Vinca major variegata, 

 Solanum jasminoides, Abutilon vexillarium, nastur- 

 tiums, verbenas, German ivy, ivy-leaved geraniums and 

 many others. As you get room give all these plants a 

 good ]ilace so they will gi-ow. 



Reminders 



There is yet ample time to root an alnindanee of coleus, 

 altemantliera, achyrantlies and similar foliage plants. 

 The early batches will now give plenty of nice tops. 



Do not be in too great a rush to remove winter pro- 

 tection from hardy plants. Better take away a little 

 of the coarser material only. We may yet have some 

 really cold, biting winds. 



A sowing of Cobffia scandens, Ipomoea grandiflora alba 

 or moonflower, Kudzu vine, maurandia and Kenil- 

 worth ivy or Linaria cymbalaria, should now be made. 

 The two "last named are useful for hanging baskets and 

 vases. 



SBums; Poineettias; Ramblere for Easter, 1918; Reminders. 



