April 29, 1916 



irORTICULTUBE 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



CONDUCTED BY 



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



by Mr. Farrcll. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICUI/TDHB. 



"If vain onr toll, we onght to blame the cnltnre, not the soil." — Pope. 



Care of Orchids 



Use judgment now in shading so the foliage will not 

 burn. The amount and frequency of the watering, 

 sprinkling of the floors, etc., will depend largely upon 

 the weather. As the season advances more air will be 

 needed and consequently syringings overhead once or 

 twice a day will be necessar\-. Air should be left on 

 during damp weather to prevent the young growth from 

 rotting. Cattleya Trianae, Percivaliana and others, 

 starting action in poor material should be repotted. 

 Coelogyne cristata will now have finished blooming and 

 will soon start into new growi:h. A free cool atmosphere 

 with spraying overhead once or twice a day should be 

 given. Keep all the plants clean by sponging as- orchids 

 are veiy liable to be overrun with insects. 



Gardenias 



Stock that was propagated in January should now 

 have a shift into 4-inch pots, which will hold them until 

 planting-out time in June. A good compost is fibrous 

 loam three parts, very old cow manure and leaf mold 

 one part each and some sand. Damping down will now 

 be necessary, morning, noon and night, and the plaut.- 

 must be examined each day and watered only if they 

 need it. for even whilst growing, they should not lie 

 kept in a saturated condition. Keep temperature of (i.i 

 to 70 degrees at night with about 10 to 15 degrees 

 higlier with sunshine and have an abundance of moisture 

 in the atmosphere continuously. To attain success with 

 gardening atmospheiii- onnditions play a most important 

 part. 



Pot Evergreens 



Bo.xes, laurels, aucubas, holiii's and many other ever- 

 greens that have been kept in a rather damp shed or 

 house should be placed in a very cool house where they 

 can have plenty of ventilation. Just before the new 

 growth starts they should have some judicious pruning 

 and trimming to correct any imperfections. Syringe 

 freely and give them occasional liquid feeding. Give a 

 top-dressing of loam and cow manure in equal quan- 

 tities, with a liberal sprinkling of fine bone. Remove as 

 much of the old surface soil as possible and replace 

 with tliis mixture. The iiwcet bay — or Ijaurus nobilis — 

 is preeminently ahead of all otiier ever\'greens. 'J'herc 

 is an increasing and continuous demand for ever- 

 greens in pots or tubs for inside and outside decorations. 



Next Week: — Asters; .\nthurh11n3 ; Chrysanthemums for Large 



Poinsettias 



Old plants that havi> been resting since the new yenr 

 can now be started, sliortening back the stems and re- 

 potting in as small pots as the roots wUl permit. Re- 

 move all stock plants to a well-lighted bench where then> 

 is a temperature of about 65 degrees at night. They 

 can be potted into any good compost. Give each pot 

 good drainage as they will not do well without it. Give 

 them a good soaking of water and then keep rather on 

 the dry side until the plants start into growth and they 

 will soon produce a quantity of cuttings. When cutting 

 in you can use the old-wood cuttings and by placing in 

 a warm frame and keeping the temperature from (55 to 

 70 degrees, in about three or four weeks they will be 

 rooted. Pot them into three-inch pots using a good 

 loam with one-fourth of rotten manure. Cuttings can 

 be rooted at any time from now until the middle of 

 August. Those propagated in July and August are fine 

 for making up pans, but the earlier ones will give the 

 finest bracts for cutting. 



Primulas 



Tlie earliest sown primulas are now nice little plants 

 with several leaves. Timeliness in transplanting is a 

 point principally to be observed. Use a compost of 

 equal parts of new .soil and leaf mold, with a little well 

 decayed cow manure. Give a light shelf or bench where 

 the temperature will not run over 50 degrees at night. 

 Xever let them suffer for want of water and syringe on 

 all fine days. A comfortable spacing out once a week 

 will give them more room to grow. Look every ten 

 days or fortnight for aphis, and where they are seen 

 fumigate immediately. In about six weeks they should 

 be ready for two-incli pots, using a compost of fibrous 

 loam four jwirts, cow manure and leaf mold one part 

 each. They arc benefited by a light shading during the 

 hottest part of the day. Give air daily whenever pos- 

 sible always avoiding cold draughts and do not try to 

 force them. 



Late Propagation 



All such stock as coleus, pelargoniums and zonale, 

 variegated or rose geraniums, lautanas, bouvardis, ver- 

 l)enas, etc., can be rooted within the next ten days and 

 make fair stock for late sales. Also put in cuttings of 

 liydraTigcas, chrysanthemums, fuchsias, heliotropes, etc. 

 Where these are not sold they will make fine plants for 

 planting out. 



Specimens; Stephanotls ; Seedling Amaryllis; Planting Seed Outside. 



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