MarctL 4, 1916 



HORTICULTURE 



303 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



CONDUCTED BY 



/**^i?^- ;?Vi^^ 



Questions by our readers in line witli any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 



by Mr. Farrell. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



"If vain our toil, we ought to blame the culture, not the soil." — Popt. 



Care of Chrysanthemums 



Get in whatever cuttings are needed at once and just 

 as soon as they have roots half an inch long get them 

 into the soil so that the future plant will not be handi- 

 capped at the start by being weakened in the cutting 

 bench. Do not leave them in the sand a week 

 after they should have been potted. In potting young 

 stock from the cutting bench use no bone or artificial 

 fertilizer wliatever in the soil as it will only sour it. 

 Fresli loam with a third of rotted leaf mold will be an 

 ideal compost for the first potting. If leaf mold cannot 

 be procured some decayed cow manure is perhaps the 

 next best thing. Give ventilation just- as soon as they 

 are rooted, in abundance wlienever possible. 



Geraniums 



Any spare iiiomeuts and available bench space can now 

 be used in getting geraniums potted. From now until 

 May they will do a great deal of growing and plants of 

 most varieties seemingly small and puny, may yet be 

 grown into acceptable size and vigor. Cuttings in need 

 of potting should be attended to before they become 

 potbound. Thoroughly decomposed manure, or that 

 from a spent potbed, may form one-third of the com- 

 post used. Add a -t-inch potful of fine bone to three 

 bushels of compost. When first potted they can stand 

 pot to pot, but they will soon need some spacing. The 

 plants cannot have too light a house. Give plenty of 

 ventilation. While geraniums like to dry out once in a 

 while they should never become in an over dry state. 



Shading Orchids 



Where orchids can be fitted with cloth or lath shades, 

 and these can be removed during cloudy and dark weath- 

 er the plants have a wonderful advantage over those 

 grown under glass which has to be shaded with kerosene 

 and lead or even linio wash. Cypripediums need a little 

 shade and jjlialaenopsis should never be exposed to 

 bright sunshine. Give Miltonia vexillaria and odonto- 

 glossums the full sun until March 10 when a little shade 

 may be necessary. Cattleyas and laelias are better with 

 full sunlight for some time yet. Never mind if they 

 turn a little pale in color, they will grow and flower bet- 

 ter than such as are kept in the shade all the time. 

 Wh.ere any orchids are showing the worst of the sun's 

 rays add a little shade from time to time. 



Next Week: — Achlmencs; Bedding Plants; Gardenias; 



Subtropical Bedding Stock 



Nothing perhaps is of more value for the center of a 

 group than one or more specimens of Musa, of which 

 there are quite a number of splendid sorts. M. ensete 

 is one of the best. M. superba is as beautiful but more 

 compact and so is M. zebrina. The eulalias such as E. 

 japonica foliis striatis and E. japonica zebrina, all fine 

 ornamental grasses, are useful and so are the caladiums 

 and also crotons, palms, bamboos, etc., can be used. Most 

 of these subtropical plants like plenty of heat so in order 

 to keep them at top speed in growth give them not less 

 than 60 degrees at night. The out of town florist usu- 

 ally has customers who have extensive grounds and 

 lawns where such plantings can be made use of to the 

 best advantage. Keep in a temperature of from 65 to 

 TO degrees at night and on a bench where they can have 

 a vigorous bottom heat, all those that are backward in 

 growth. 



Young Carnations 



Just as soon as cuttings have made about half an inch 

 of roots they should be potted. After they are well root- 

 ed, remaining in the sand is liable to weaken them be- 

 cause there is little nourishment in the sand. When tak- 

 ing out the cuttings give them a slight shake to dis- 

 lodge the sand from the roots and don't take out more 

 than you can pot in an hour or two. Press the soil firm- 

 ly and do not fill the pots too full, but be sure there is 

 a little loose soil on top to prevent baking. Use fresh 

 soil that has been exposed to the weather and to lighten 

 it add a little sand and old rotten manure from the hot- 

 bed if you have it. Screen it through ^-inch mesh and 

 see that it is about right in moisture. Place the potted 

 plants in a temperature of about 55 degrees and when 

 well established they can be kept cooler ; 45 to 50 degrees 

 will do at night. Keep shaded until rooted, then they 

 should have full sunlight. 



Outside Frames 



With eai-eful ventilation, protection and watering, 

 there is no better place at this time of the year than the 

 frames for all carnations, chrv'santhemums, pansies, 

 daisies and other cool blooded stock. When spring comes 

 we all find ourselves very much crowded so the fraraei 

 become an important factor 

 Phalaenppsls; Sowing Fern Spores; Propagating Steyla. 



FRENCH HYDRANGEAS. 

 Our cover illustration this week 

 shows a well-grown specimen plant of 

 one of the new French hydrangeas as 

 grown by F. H. Dressel, Weehawken, 

 N. J., for the Christinas trado. .Mr. 

 Dressel says he plants them oulside 

 in May. Some of these he potted in 

 August, cut away half of the leaves 

 and put them in the greenhouse in a 



70-degree temperature in October and 

 they came in just right for the holi- 

 days. The remainder of the plants 

 were taken out of the ground and 

 potted in October and under similar 

 conditions these, too, were in full 

 bloom at Christmas. 



ACTINIDIA ARGUTA. 

 Our illustration of the use of this 



hardy climbing vine as a hedge plant 

 in last week's issue of the Hokticul- 

 Tiisi: has apparently created much in- 

 terest and we are reminded of the un- 

 intentional omission of the very essen- 

 tial information that the hedge por- 

 trayed in the picture is on the grounds 

 of the Mt. Desert Nurseries at Bar 

 Harbor, Me., which places the hardi- 

 ness of the plant beyond question. 



