April 8, 1916 



HOETICULTUKE 



485 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



'CSi^A^^zA^^ 



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

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



Earth Worms in the Benches 



In the spring of the year there may be benches that 

 do not dry out as they should and the result is that the 

 plants do not thrive. The cause of this can generally 

 be traced to earthworms in the soil in such large num- 

 bers that the soil is f\ill of them, and their plying 

 through it makes it sticky, stopping the pores, exclud- 

 ing the air and preventing proper drainage. To rid 

 the soil of these pests a dose of fresh air-slacked lime 

 will have to be applied and watered in at once. Or to 

 save a good deal of labor and time, a barrel of lime can 

 be dumped into the manure tank and well mixed and 

 then applied same as liquid manure. After this the 

 benches should be let go until they are fairly drj' and 

 then watered again with clean water, or follo^\ang this 

 with liquid. As long as the number of earth worms is 

 not verj' large they will not do any harm ; in fact, many 

 growers claim them to be good for the plants as they 

 take the manure down into the soil. Some will remain 

 after the lime, as it is impossible to get them all the; 

 first time, but their number will be reduced so tliat they 

 will not do any harm. To test the soil for wonns lay 

 a lump of partly decayed cow manure on the bench here 

 and there and if there are very many worms in the soil 

 the}' will quickly collect in this manure, so that it will 

 be alive with them. 



Shading the Cross Houses 



Cross houses devoted to greens will soon have to be 

 shaded, especially those on the east side which are ex- 

 posed to the sun from early in the morning. There is 

 nothing better than a little whiting and kerosene, with a 

 drop of drier added. This ^\ill not injure the paint and 

 will last much better than lime. A little green paint 

 can be used instead of the whiting, and this will make 

 the shading green and much more soothing to the eyes, 

 at the same time making the houses a little darker than 

 the white sliading. To remove this in the fall, a little 

 caustic soda put into water and applied carefully with 

 a brush on a rainy day will take off all the .shading. If 

 applied carefully it will not come into contact with the 

 sa.«h bars, so that there will not be any danger of taking 

 the paint off these too. 



Disbudding. 



As the plants will be making a rapid growth, follow- 

 ing the feeding which they should be getting, there will 

 be more disbudding now than ever. The davs will be 



much warmer and the buds will get smaller even if not 

 burdened with several side buds. Go over the plants 

 regtdarly and carefully and see that all these side buds 

 are removed. It will also be well to see that some growth 

 remains on every plant, and if while disbudding a 

 plant should be found with only a short bud on it, take 

 this bud out so that the plant will have better chance 

 with the otheis. It may also pay to take the top out 

 of the bottom shoot while it is only about ten inches 

 high, for if the shoot is a strong one three top eyes will 

 break and there will be three nice roses on the one stem 

 in almost the same tune that it would take to grow the 

 one. Then the growth following after the three roses 

 are cut off will be greater than if the bottom shoot were 

 allowed to grow to maturity. There will be a great many 

 of these bottom shoots from now on, and if they are 

 pinched out on time and not too high the roses cut 

 will not only be better quality but there will be more 

 of them. 



The Young Plants. 



It will be necessary to look over these carefully every 

 day to make sure that they are not coming to any harm, 

 for it is these little plants that will make or break the 

 place the coming season. See that all the plants in the 

 small pots are repotted on time so that they will not 

 get pot bound and thus receive a check, not only to the 

 roots but to their growth as well. The plants that were 

 shifted into larger pots early in Februar}' may need 

 more space at this time, and they should get it if they 

 are to stay healthy. In giving more space to four-inch 

 stock it is best to sink the lower half of the pot into the 

 ashes and if there is not enough ashes in the bench to 

 do this, apply some more. If the pots are not plunged 

 it will be very hard to keep them wet and the plants will 

 suffer. Even if it may not be possible to give more 

 space it may be possible to go over them and clean them 

 up a bit, taking out any weeds that may have started 

 and removing any gi-een scum that may have formed, 

 with a wooden or steel scraper. When setting the plants 

 back on the bench see tliat all the taller ones are set to 

 the rear and all the smaller and weaker plants to the 

 front of the benches. T have frequently explained why 

 this should be done and yet there are many growers who 

 lose a good many plants because this does not receive 

 attention. Set the pots firmly on the ashes or sand and 

 make sure they are level, and by all means keep them 

 in straight rows. The work will look much better when 

 it is done and it will be better for the plants. 



THE LIFE OF A CATTLEYA. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



"Would llkp to know from .vour orchid 

 e,tpcrts how lonp cattleyas may l)e kept In 

 a paying condition with avorafrc ordinary 

 good care, and what per cent, loss annually 

 can be expoctcd that has to be replaced in 

 order to keep up the stock. 



I am well aware that one can do a prreat 

 deal better than another, lint merely want 

 to eet -Tf a fnir basis. 



New Jersey. A. J. P. 



In reply to Mr. Paul's letter would 

 say that cattleyas can be kept for 



eight to ten years in a paying condi- 

 tion with ordinary care. Some will do 

 better and others not quite so well but 

 this is about the average. The annual 

 loss in plants after the first five years 

 would average about 20 per cent for 

 the next five years. 



Yours very truly, 



F. J. DoLANSKT. 



Lynn, Mass. 



At the regular meeting of the New 

 Jersey Florioullural Society, Orange. 

 N. J., on Monday evening, March 20, it 

 was voted that a Rose night be held 

 in .lune, prizes to be offered for the 

 best collection of outdoor roses. 

 Awards for the evening were as fol- 

 lows: Max Schneider, violets. 25 

 points: Begonia Cincinnati, 75 points: 

 carnations, 90 points: Golden Spur 

 narcissus, 85 points. Emil Panuska, 

 cultural certificate for Seilla Clusii. 



