Marcn. 4, 1916 



HORTICULTURE 



305 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



' (f^X^<:l'^-t>CV^-^C^ 



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

 by Mr. Ruzicka. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the office of HOKTICULTURB. 



Tying Beauties 



With the rush <if potting and repotting, and other 

 work that always crowds in toward spring, the houses 

 are likely to be a bit neglected. This may not be very 

 harmful to Teas, Imt Beauties will have to have proper 

 attention if they are to pay their way. In most eases 

 if they are not neglected they will make a neat sum of 

 money for tb.e growei- from now until the time that they 

 are taken out. The most important of all is tying. If 

 this is not attended to the plants will lie all over and 

 many of the shoots will go blind, and it will not be 

 possible to syringe ]}roperly. They are almost sure to 

 get a dose of spider, and spot usually comes with it, 

 making it doubly liard to bring them back again, it 

 will no doubt be lu'cessary to bend a good many of the 

 longer shoots down, and in doing this bend them to 

 the west, making sure that they are tied gently yet 

 firmly to the bottom wire. Also see that they are kept 

 on the same side of the wire all the way up and down 

 for if they are on one side at the bottom and on the 

 other in the center, and back again on the top, it will 

 be difficult to tie should it be necessary to tie them 

 down once more. To make a neat job see that the tops 

 are all even. Not only will this make the finished 

 benches look much nicer but it will give all the shoots 

 an equal show and they will not shade one another as 

 they would if they were allowed to grow tall here and 

 there. In bending down the high growths see that they 

 are not put below the top wire, for it would be far more 

 difficult to make them set. All growths that are bent 

 down should be left six inches above the top wire. Make 

 sure that all knots are well tied, with the string around 

 the wire at least once, so that they will not slip around 

 when they are being syringed. Beauties that are being 

 tied to stakes will be far more difficult to handle as 

 the growths will have to be bent from stake to stake 

 and the plants will always be more or less bunched, 

 making it hard to syringe and to keep the plants free 

 from spot. Better get wires for Beauties. They will 

 do better and make far less trouble and work in taking 

 care of them. 



Cutting Out Blind Wood on Beauties 



With the sun much sti'uiiger and the days longer it 

 will be safe to remove the weak wood that hangs here 

 and there on the plants. This wood is short as a rule 

 and can sometimes be traced to the mother shoot whi'r'h 

 had not been cut away down in the fall of the year. It 

 can be taken out now thus giving the other growths a 

 much better show and making it more difficult for red 

 spider to gain a foothold. I have reference to only the 

 very short wood which generally is too weak to hold its 

 head up and will fall over before it reaches the second 



wire. Some growers will use this for cuttings but w( 

 would never advise this, as if this is done year after 

 year it will reduce the vitality of the plants also their 

 flower bearing quality. They will bloom less and less 

 until the grower finds a lot of plants on his hands that 

 will not flower but just grow and grow with thirty feet 

 of stem at times. Careful selection of wood will prevent 

 this. If there is not much wood on the plants, none 

 should be removed as it will hurt the plant more than 

 benefit it. With plenty of strong healthy wood in thi- 

 house these weakling shoots had better be taken out. 



Taking Out Old Sticks While Tying 



When tying the Beauties be sure that all the stick;: 

 from specials that have been bent down and cut off are 

 taken out. If this is not done a lot of weak wood 'S 

 likely to result and that is not wanted. Cut the old 

 ■shoot down to two eyes above the bottom wire and 

 throw the old piece away. The two eyes that are left 

 will shoot out as a rule and amount to something, 

 whereas if the whole piece stayed there, there would 

 be a weakling or two or no growth at all. In tying it 

 is also well to watch for plants that may be struggling 

 along without any top or with only a short growth ot- 

 two. The buds of these short growths should be re- 

 moved, thus giving them a better chance to lengthen 

 out and take up some of the moisture and food that 

 the roots are gathering. Take the buds while they are 

 very small, as soon as they can be seen, and take them 

 out with one leaf — two leaves wherever it can be done. 

 If no leaf were taken with the bud, the eye whicli would 

 start to grow would produce a bud almost at once so 

 that the stem would lengthen hardly any. 

 Disbudding Young Stock 



See that all the buds are removed from tiie young 

 plants as soon as they appear. The sooner they ar.; 

 taken the better, especially the Beauties, for they will 

 ruin the plants if they are allowed to develop. It will 

 be best to keep the young plants wet all the time and 

 this will do much to" keep them from setting buds. It 

 is nature's law that all plants before dying must pro- 

 duce seed and as soon as the plants get dry they feel 

 the end near, and so fonn buds. We have found this 

 to be so time and again, especially with little plants 

 just started in ;iJ:-inch pots. It is equally bad to over- 

 water, but with, good porous soil such as should always 

 be used for potting, and good drainage, there will be 

 no trouble to keep the plants right. Of course there 

 will be a certain amount of buds and of poor plants 

 even with the best of care, but the percentage will be 

 nowhere near as great as it would be were the plants 

 neglected. 



A SPLENDID PUBLICATION. 



The American Rose Society shovild 

 be proud of its first Rose Annual — an 

 advance copy of which has just 

 reached us. It is a book of 180 pases 

 and a triumph of editing and printing. 



J. Horace McParland in his labor of 

 love has covered himself with glory, 

 and the society has marked a mile- 

 stone in its history that will be ever 

 memorable. This is not a review of 

 the book (which will occur in due 



course in the regular routine) but a 

 personal appreciation from the writer. 

 If you are not already a member send 

 in your subscription to Benj. Ham- 

 mond and get the book. One dollar 

 associate; three dollars active. 



Gkohge C. Watson. 



