March 11, ltil6 



HORTICULTURE 



337 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



^ CONDL'CTED BY 



Questions by our readers in line with any of the topics preseuted on this page will be cordially "ceiled and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzicka. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICUUiUKifl. 



Repotting 



Do not allow the young potted plants to become pot- 

 bound. This applies especially to the young Beauties, 

 but all varieties will suffer more or less if they are 

 allowed to become pot-bound. It is best to keep the 

 young plants on the move all the time, giving them a 

 size larger pot as soon as they need it. Usually we pot 

 from the two-and-a-quarter inch pots direct into the 

 fours, unless we are pressed for room and then we pot 

 into three's, and if the plants are not to be planted soon 

 they are shifted into larger pots later when they need it. 

 The soil that is used for this second potting can be much 

 richer then the soil used at first. Much more manure can 

 be added but this should be well decayed and run 

 through a fine screen before mixing it with the soil. 

 Where the manure was composted with the soil, the soil 

 will be in much better shape, as the liquids from the 

 manure will have penetrated and made it much better 

 for the plants. A little more bone can be added then was 

 added to the soil for the first potting. A little soot is 

 nice too but the amount should be very small, not more 

 than a four-inch pot full to a wheelbarrow load of soil. 

 See that the pots are well crocked, especially if the 

 plants are to remain in the pots for any length of time. 

 A little fine cinders makes cheap crocks although clean 

 broken pot or charcoal is better. The latter is ideal 

 but costs money, unless it can be made out of branches 

 from trees and such waste found around greenhouses as 

 a rule. "When potting see that plenty of soil is put in so 

 that there will be no empty spaces around the ball of 

 the plant. Press the soil in gently but firmly, and see 

 that the pots are filled up about the same all through 

 the batch. Leave the surface roughened up a bit so that 

 it will not cake and thus prevent water and air from en- 

 tering. It is also best to pot a little deeper. Unless the 

 plants are very short, we like to drop them almost to the 

 bottom of the pots .«o that there will be no danger of 

 the old ball sticking out of the soil and keeping the plant 

 dry nearly all the tiinc. I'lanfs that are potted deep 

 will also do niucli better wlicn they are planted in the 

 benches tlian those that arc potted so high that they 

 get knocked from side to side when they are syringed. 

 When knocking the plants out of the smaller pots for 

 repotting, make it a point to clean them well. Remove 

 all the green scum that may liavc formed on top and 

 also all yellow or diseased leaves. When setting the 

 newly potted plants on the bench remember to put the 

 smaller plants to the front or south side and the taller 

 ones to the north or rear. They will do mucli better this 

 way, as they will have equal chance. Any poor plants 

 that will never be much should be thrown out. Small 

 healthy plants should be cleaned and set to one side, 

 until they grow big enough for re-potting. 



Hauling Away Old Greenhouse Soil 



It is not possible every winter to haul away old soil 

 but in this winter, with plenty of snow to keep the frost 

 out, it has been possible, and growers should take ad- 

 vantage of the weather while the ground in the fields is 

 still frozen and the teamsters not very busy. We have 

 been able to get teams a dollar a day cheaper in the 

 winter. If manure is to be bought by the car, it is well 

 to do so now while the roads are still good, ae later they 

 will likely be soft and the teams will be forced to take 

 only half loads, besides cutting the whole field up with 

 the wagon wheels. It is as well to spread the soil evenly 

 over the fields. To do the thing right the field should 

 be laid off in strips and numliered, so that it will be an 

 easy matter to rotate crops and fertilize the field to the 

 best advantage, thus putting the gi'ower in a position 

 where he knows pretty nearly what to look for in his 

 soil. 



Drainage 



Right now in the winter when the thaws c-ome and a 

 large volume of water is set free is the best time to mark 

 out any new ditches that may be necessary to keep the 

 water away from the greenhouses. There is always dan- 

 ger of the waler flooding the cellars and putting the 

 fires out, especially on places where there are no cellar 

 drains Even on level Long Island we have seen a time 

 when heavy rai.Vs and melting snows filled the gi-een- 

 house cellars so full that the fires went out and the 

 houses were only saved from freezing by oil stoves and 

 burning tobacco stems If possible stake out places that 

 have to have trenches, or else make sure where they are 

 to go and let the boys malce them next summer after the 

 houses are filled Even if it is necessary to get extra 

 men, a few dollars expended this way will usually bring 

 gi-eat returns l>y saving trouble and annoyance 



Save the Ashes 



Although coal ashes arc nearly worthless as plant 

 food, still if they are screened and properly spread on 

 the field the soil will be mucli better off for it. There 

 always are spots where the soil is wet and soggy or bakes 

 very hard, or it may be too sandy and open. A little 

 coal ashes applied to these spots and worked into the soil 

 will have a wonderful effect. They must be spread 

 evenly, not too thickly, and screened through a fairly 

 fine screen The cinders can usually be sold or used in 

 concrete and will more than pay for the labor of screen- 

 ing. A good way is to make a long screen and have a 

 runway to it from the cellar, and as the ashes are 

 wheeled out they can be dumped on the screen and as 

 they roll down they will screen themselves thus making 

 it an easy matter to separate the cinders from tlie fine 

 ashes. Never apply the ashes to the field as they come 

 from the cellar, for they will make a nuisance of them- 

 selves for years to come. 



