February 10, 1917 



HORTICULTURE 



171 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



CONDCCTBD B¥ 



^^'^%.9^.ThytA^^/' 



Questlone by our readers In line with any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 



by Mr. Karrell. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the oiUce of HORTICULTURE. 



"If valo oar toil, we oairbt to blaaio the eiiltitr«p not tlie soiL" — Pope. 



Bedding Plants 



It is always better to alluw the growth on stock plants 

 to make enough of headway so that there can be left a 

 couple of eyes of the young wood to follow with another 

 batch of cuttings. If given close attention from now 

 on they will furnish fine material for the cutting bench 

 for weeks to come. Give all your stock plants good 

 light, close to the glass as they want all the sun that 

 can reach them now. The majority of bedding plants 

 will thrive in an intermediate temperature of from .55 

 to (JO degrees at night, and 70 to 75 with sunshine but 

 those that are of warmer blood will need 8 to 10 degrees 

 more. 



Carnation Cuttings 



For potting up cuttings use new soil that has been 

 exposed to the action of the weather. Screen through a 

 half-inch mesh and it is important to have it moist 

 enough. Cuttings should be taken in the morning while 

 they are fresh and crisp. Dip them in cool water and 

 trim up in a cool place. Insert as soon as possible in 

 the propagating bench. Spray lightly early every bright 

 morning to keep the foliage moist during the day, but 

 try to havie it dry by night. As soon as a cutting is 

 well rooted it does not improve by remaining in the 

 sand any longer. Before potting harden them up a lit- 

 tle by gradually giving more sunlight each day, until the 

 roots have pushed far enough to enable them to stand 

 full sun. Cuttings thus treated will take hold much 

 quicker as there will bo less wilting after potting. 



Chrysanthemums 



All slow growing varieties and good new ones should 

 be put in sand and rooted. Keep the sand at near 50 

 degrees bottom heat with 5 to 8 degi'ees more top heat. 

 In a north jiropagating house, one good watering will 

 carrv them through until rooted, but where in an ordi- 

 nary house more or less exposed to sun and ventilation 

 they will take more water and spraying to keep them 

 from wilting. In making a cutting remove the bottom 

 leaves and trim the upper leaves back a little which will 

 allow tlie air to circulate among the cuttings, thereby 

 lessening the loss by damping. Wien rooted, pot and 

 place them in a cool house, 45 or 50 degrees at night. 

 Pinch two or three times. They will give an abundance 

 of fine cuttings during April and llay when your old 

 stock plants are going to the bad. Pot them as soon as 

 rooted into good fresh soil and keep shaded for a day 

 or two. 



Next Week : — Asparagus : Crotons ; Early 



Fibrous-Rooted Begonias 



The following are all good varieties to grow; Erfordii, 

 \ernon in its several colors, Snow Queen, and semper- 

 tlorens rosea, Fairy Queen and others. They can be 

 sown in pans that have been well drained, in new loam 

 and leaf mold in equal parts wdth a fair dash of sand. 

 Fill the pans to within half an inch of the top and on 

 this place a little finely sifted compost and press mod- 

 erately firm and water. When they have drained, sow 

 the seed evenly over the surface. They do not need to 

 be covered. Place glass and sheets of paper over the 

 pans until the seedlings germinate. Then the pans can 

 be placed in a temperature of about 60 degrees at night. 

 They will want very careful watering until they are big 

 enough to pi'ick out into other flats. 



Primulas 



It is better to supply the demand, which is good from 

 early in the fall until spring, with stock reared in suc- 

 cessive batches, than to rely on the outcome of one or 

 two sowings. From the middle of this month until the 

 end of April sowings should be made at intei-vals of 

 about four weeks. The first lot, to be sown now, 

 sliould be seeds of such as Kermesina-splendens, rubra, 

 Chiswick Bed and Rosy Morn ; also at least one flat of 

 the best strain of Primula obconica ; this latter to he fol- 

 lowed by another sowing of the same in April. Prepare 

 a mixture of equal parts of new loam, leaf mold and 

 some sand. For the top, sift finely and on this sow the 

 seed and cover very lightly and press firmly. Keep 

 shaded with paper until the seeds start to germinate, 

 which should be in two or three weeks. Place in a 

 close moist house at about 60 degrees at night. When 

 sufficiently large to handle prick out in flats and keep 

 well up to the glass in a temperature of about 50 degrees 

 at night. 



Reminders 



Keep Spanish iris in a cool house as it resents hard 

 forcing. Do not let the night temperature exceed 50 

 degrees. 



Spiraea japonica and its varieties will now force quite 

 readily. Start them in a brisk heat. 



Single violets are now making an abimdance of run- 

 ners. Select the best and root in clean sharp sand. 

 Doubles may be similarly treated. 



Repot autumn struck fuchsias and insert more cut- 

 tings if they are likely to be needed. 



Asters : Orchids ; Sweet Peas ; Reminders. 



BOOM YOUR BUSINESS 



hy adoertising your goods in the 



HorticTuiItare 



Publicity among the kind of readers reached 

 by this paper is THE SORT OF PUBLI- 

 CITY THAT PAYS. 



