September 8, 1917 



HORTICULTURE 



275 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



CfC^U'yi^^J*--'<^ 



The First Cool Night* 



It is seldom necessary to start the fires under steam 

 boilers in August but such has been the case this year. 

 With the thermometer outside down as low as 50, the 

 temperature in the houses would drop too low for 

 liealthy growth of roses. Therefore if the nights are 

 cool in your section, waste no time in getting a pipe 

 of steam around the houses at night. Do not close 

 the ventilators tight. Carry at least an inch of air, 

 with heat, and try to keep the houses up to 64 at night. 

 This will not be too warm as the days are still hot, but 

 carry plenty of air. This will not be wasting coal as 

 the increased vigor of the plants wiU soon pay for all 

 coal thus burned. A little sulphur applied to the pipe 

 every efght or ten feet will put an end to all mildew 

 that may be starting. If pressure exceeding five 

 pounds is carried in the steam pipes be sure to add a 

 little lime to the sulphur so that it wiU not vaporize too 

 rapidly and do some damage. 



A Hint to Small Private Growers 



Growers on private places who have no steam and 

 only small houses of roses will do well to put a lantern 

 or two in their houses at night turning the light about 

 half way up and putting a nice layer of sulphur over 

 the top of the lantern. There is no danger in doing 

 this as long as the light is not turned too high and if a 

 little air is left on while this evaporator is at work it 

 will make it just that much safer. This will quickly 

 kill all mildew and with a little heat from the hot 

 water system, there should be little trouble in keeping 

 it in check. Dc not use oil stoves to burn the sulphur. 

 These are bound to get too hot and set fire to the sul- 

 pliur and ruin the whole house with the fumes. Be 

 careful not to turn the lantcnis up too high. A little 

 experimenting will soon show how the work should be 

 ' done. Have the plants wet enough at the roots when 

 vaporizing sulphur. 



Watering 



Growers cannot be too careful with the hose from 

 now on. Plants with plenty of top will take plenty of 

 water and should never be allowed to become too dry 

 but at the same time they cannot be kept soaking wet 

 all the time. As soon as the soil dries out enough to be 

 merely moist the plants can receive a good watering. 

 Let the water drip freely through the benches, going 

 over them twice if necessary, licing careful not to use 

 too much pressure, so as not to wash the surface of the 

 soil around. Applying the water gently will leave 

 the surface open so the roots can breathe. If the water 

 is applied with force, a film of mud will form over the 

 soil, and unless the benches are scratched over at once 

 tha plants will suffer. Then, too, a great many little 

 roots will be torn and destroyed by the force of the 

 waior and this alone means quite some damage. Wlion 

 watering old plants that have been cut back and trans- 



planted be careful not to water those that are not very 

 strong. These will come along nicely if kept dry, but 

 wotild die should thev be overwatered the least bit. If 

 they are among tall ])lants that are growing freely it 

 will be well to mark them 'by scattering a little lime 

 around them on the surface where it will show, and 

 serve as a guide when using the hose. 



Blackspot 



See that all spot that is visible here and there is 

 picked off and burned. This can be done while cut- 

 ting, watering, disbudding or tying at any time. 

 Usually spot will start with one large one here and 

 there, and then some night when conditions are es- 

 pecially favorable it will spread through the plants like 

 lire through dry straw. There is no real cure for it. 

 If plants are not afl'ected bad, it can be picked off by 

 hand and a dose of ammoniacal cojiper carbonate 

 given. Then with clean culture and proper attention 

 to watering and syringing the plants will soon grow 

 out of it. Avoid syringing while the disease is spread- 

 ing. With Beauties it will be best to run them a little 

 on the dry side, and if the plants are cut off badly, 

 l>inch all short growth to make some top. With Teas 

 it will be necessary to give a little more water, but 

 care should be taken to keep the foliage dry and to 

 water only in the morning. Use lime freely blowing 

 plenty of it around each night after watering and dur- 

 ing cloudy weather. As soon as the plants are on the 

 mend and spot is in check, apply more watei- and syr- 

 inge as often as deemed safe in order not to harden 

 the plants too much liy keeping them dry a long time. 

 Burn all affected leaves as soon as they leave the green- 

 bouse; do not dump them outside the door but take 

 them to the boiler room and feed them under the boilers 

 with the coal. 



Cover Crops 



It is high time to get the cover crops in so that they 

 will have some cliance to make a little top and root 

 before cold weather. Leave no spot of ground exposed 

 to the weather this winter; plant it to something. Rye 

 makes the ideal cover as it will grow almost anjrwhere 

 and is suitable for plowing under in the spring. Plow 

 deeply and harrow well; it will pay in the long rim. 

 Rye for cover crop can be sown quite thick to make a 

 good mat of roots which will hold every bit of manure 

 that reaches them. A little vetch scattered among the 

 rye will make the blanket even better and enrich the 

 soil in nitrogen which it draws from the air through 

 the little bacteria hihIuIcs on the roots. 



Asparagus and Smilax 



These two greens will now take quite some feed 

 as they must be fairly well established with plenty of 

 roots, and if fed they will go by leaps and bounds. 

 It is easy to get a good Ininch of stuff on the plants 

 now, and then cut it as it is needed. It will grow much 

 faster while there is jilenty of sunshine and the days 

 are still long. Apply horse manure as mulch; it is 

 cheaper and better for the purpose. A little nitrate 

 will go good also if it is on hand. Chicken manure 

 used "veiy sparingly will be very good. Apply it in 

 less quantity than you would bone or tankage as it is 

 very strong and will likely do some damage if applied 

 too heavily. Besides it is too valuable to be wasted. A 

 little everv two weeks will he about right. 



