December 22, 1917 



HORTICU-LTURE 



653 



CARNATIONS 



Timely Thoughts 



Selpctinsr (he varieties foi- next season is one ul' tlie 

 inii"irtant matters eallinu- tor the growers' decision at 

 tiiis time. One is apt to he intluenced hy the condition 

 of the plants of the ditVerent varieties at the time of 

 makinji dut tlie list. 'The writer has found that lists of 

 ne.xt season's requirements in cuttinus made ont on three 

 different dates, say Octoher, January and ^larch, show 

 a wide swini: from one variety to another. The grower 

 for the wholesale mai'ket can cut this list to a very few 

 .sorts, hut with a mixed call, and especially with regular 

 shipments to retail cnstomers and the extra holiday de- 

 nniml whirli must he met to hold a good cnstoaiier, the 

 selecting of a well halanced set of varieties for next 

 season requires some thought. Visits to successful car- 

 nation I'anges and attending all the ilower shows within 

 reach to watch for new sorts help; but a study of the 

 records of each variety in past seasons tells most. 



What did Jfatchless do to the square foot? When did 

 the blooms come ? 



Compare Xancy. Pink Delight. Supreme and Alice 



as to total cut, date and quality and your ability to han- 

 dle the flesh pinks late in the season. 



Can you aiford to grow reds or can you subsiiUiic 

 bright pink and get a more steady call? 



Of the standard kinds are you getting as good quality 

 as the best growers? If your whites are unsatisfaetoiT 

 are you or the varieties at fault? 



At the coming annual exhibition of the American 

 Carnation Society in Boston, January 30-31, 1918, a 

 class of six or more vases has been provided for by a 

 generous premium offered by the Gardeners' and Flor- 

 ists' Club of Boston. The premium, $25 in gold, is de- 

 signed to draw out a large showing of good standard 

 sorts as old favorites of exceptional cultural merit will 

 score as high as fancies or new seedlings. This class 

 should appeal to many growers of New England and 

 furnish data of especial value in making up the list for 

 next season. 



There seem to be problems in this line for the grower 

 all along the list. Pink Delight or Nancy? What white 

 to help out Matchless in the dark days? Is Beacon still 

 the scarlet? Several new varieties are looming np and 

 a close study of their respective merits is in order. For 

 these and other reasons the January meeting at Horti- 

 cultuial Hall should be of especial interest. 



SEEN AND LEARNED AT WAVER- 

 LEY. MASS. 



Enphorbia Jacquiniceflora appears to 

 be at last coming into its own in the 

 leading plant markets of this country. 

 Many years ago It was quite common 

 in some localities as a cut tlower but 

 it gradually disappeared and only re- 

 cently has come into the light again. 

 A very large stock has been grown by 

 the W. W. Edgar Co. for Christmas 

 this year, for cut bloom and the plant 

 trade and it makes a beautiful sight 

 with its arching racemes of bright 

 coral stars. -Mr. Bartsch overcomes 

 the defect of thinness and lack of foli- 

 age body in the plants, when made up 

 in pan form by using small late-struck 

 cuttings and planting them very 

 thickly in the pans. They cannot be 

 made to fill out satisfactorily by the 

 usual method of pinching back. To- 

 gether with the poiiisettias, which are 

 very fine here, they spread a brilliant 

 Christmas glow in the holiday plant 

 display. 



Mr. Bartsch expected to have a good 

 supply of azaleas for this Christmas 

 from the stock held over last year but 

 the sudden freeze of September 10 

 ruined the buds. The later blooming 

 varieties were not hurt and a fine 

 azalea stock is assured for Easter. 



Begonias in the four leading sorts. 

 Lorraine. Cincinnati. Melior and Mrs. 

 Peterson are the main holiday plant 

 crop here. Melior is the best liked of 

 the green foliaged varieties for its 

 compactness, flower substance and 

 floriferousness in the small sizes. Mr. 



Bartsch is very successful with July 

 and August-struck cuttings of Melior 

 in 3 1/2 in, pots. These are very popular 

 for basket combinations. One house 

 now full of Begonia Cincinnati, most 

 gorgeous to look at. will be filled with 

 hybrid roses after being emptied. 



The last of the lily bulbs have finally ' 

 been received after two or three 

 months delay in transit and were pot- 

 ted last week and are now in a warm 

 house, for with Easter coming at end 

 of March, the lilies must move lively 

 if they are to be on time. Formosas 

 are breaking good and giganteums 

 planted November 10 are now well un- 

 der way with good roots and tops 

 showing up strong. Mr. Bartsch says 

 that lilies do not require any prelimin- 

 ary cold treatment before going into 

 the growing house as some growers 

 have made a practice. Lilies grow 

 tops and roots together and the short 

 rest in the cases is all they need in the 

 way of preparedness. 



One of the prettiest sights here for 

 the experienced eye is a batch of 

 10,000 young cyclamen for next year's 

 Christmas. We have never seen a 

 prettier lot. Cyclamen and Chinese 

 primroses are holding their own as 

 popular favorites for this season of the 

 year. 



Reverting to the begonia topic, Mr. 

 Bartsch's practice and also Thomas 

 Roland's in the culture of the dark- 

 foliaged Mrs. Peterson is to push it 

 along rapidly in warm shaded quarters 

 during .lune. .July and August which 

 will bring the plants to good size and 

 then they can be gradually cooled off 

 and the foliage will soon acquire the 

 desired dark bronzy color. All grow- 

 ers do not yet know this and have 

 been unsuccessful in getting this 

 variety up to good sized plants, These 

 little cultural " knacks" are the off- 

 spring of specialization intelligently 

 pursued. 



NURSERYMEN OFFER THEIR 

 SERVICES. 



Representative nurserymen of the 

 north central and Mississippi Valley 

 States met in Des Moines, ' Iowa, the 

 first part of December and passed 

 broad resolutions pledging their assis- 

 tance to the government's food pro- 

 gram. Calling attention to millions of 

 trees in old orchards that have become 

 barren or nearly so from lack of care, 

 the nurserymen agreed to render their 

 services gratuitously in the matter of 

 instruction to restore these trees to 

 full production as quickly as possible. 

 The most practical means of rejuve- 

 nating old orchards is systematic 

 pruning, spraying, cultivating and fer- 

 tilizing. 



THE FOREIGN PLANT OUTLOOK. 



We learn through authoritative 

 sources that, in consequence of the 

 suspension of the Holland-America 

 Line service, Oudenbosch shippers are 

 proposing to send plants to this coun- 

 try via London, a rather expensive 

 way. As a modification of the em- 

 bargo placed by the Dutch Govern- 

 ment on bulb shipments we are In- 

 formed that export licenses are grant- 

 ed on convallaria crowns and spiraea 

 clumps. Also roses and shrubs are 

 not included in the embargo. One of 

 the largest Belgian! azalea and palm 

 shippers writes that all his plants of 

 first quality have been put In the 

 greenhouses and will be kept alive by 

 the use of wood as fuel in place of 

 coal, which is very expensive and 

 scarce. 



