May 6, 1916 



nORTICULTUEE 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



CONDCCTED BY 



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Questions by our renders In line with any of the topirs presented on this pnce will be cordially received and promptly aniwered 



by Mr. Farrell. Smli communications should Invariably be addressed to the offlce of HORTICULTURE. 



"If vain oor toll, we ooElit to blame tbe caltore, not the solL" — Pope. 



Asters 



Young asters should have every care now. Pull the 

 sashes off every good day and when the night promises 

 to be free from frost they are better left uncovered. They 

 like a rather heavy loamy soil, enriched with a liberal 

 amount of thoroughly rotten manui'e (cow manure pre- 

 ferred) with the addition of wood ashes scattered over 

 the surface at the rate of 30 to 40 bushels per acre. It 

 is better to change the ground each season. Give some 

 extra preparation to the soil now and the asters will re- 

 pay you with more profuse and finer blooms, and better 

 stems. When they have been planted three or four weeks 

 it will pay to sow guano or some other good fertilizer 

 about 100 to 150 pounds to the acre. After they are 

 planted out give them frequent cultivation which will 

 keep down the weeds and leave the surface of the soil 

 open. 



Anthuriums 



Anthuriums that have not been potted should have a 

 resurfacing of one part each of peat fibre and sphagnum 

 moss. Cone this up 2 or 3 inches above the rim of the pot 

 around the plant. Give them shade to protect them from 

 the sun. Use care in syringing so as to keep the foliage 

 beautiful. During dark and muggy weather less water 

 should be used. Atmospheric moisture in plenty is es- 

 sential. They should now be given a night temperature 

 of Go to 70 and, as the season advances raise it to 75 

 with a day heat of from 85 to 90 degrees. As the sea- 

 son advances give them more air, but when the temper- 

 ature drops to 72 degi'ees see that the air is taken off. 

 See that they have copious supplies of water now and 

 during the summer, as this is their growing period. 



Chrysanthemums for Large Specimens 



When growing show-plants it is a good plan to start 

 enough of them so that if a few kinds turn out faulty you 

 can afford to discard them. They should be pinched and 

 three shoots allowed to grow, .\fter they have made 

 about si.x inches more growth pinch again and allow 

 three to each again and so on according to the size of 

 the plant required. Never allow chrysanthemums to 

 have to beg for water and wilt, yet too much may also 

 be just as injurious. Syringe every sunny morning and 

 again in the afternoon on very warm days. Look out 

 carefully for aphis and fumigate regularly. In order to 

 have large plants in the fall they should now occupy at 

 least a si.x -inch pot. It is very important that the plants 



Next Week: — AUamandas; Cycas Stems; Dendroblums 



should not suffer from being pot-bound, but at the same 

 time it is best to allow the pots to fill up well with roots 

 before repotting. Turfy loam with one-third well-rooted 

 cow manure and a sprinkling of bone is a good compost 

 to use. 



Stephanotis 

 These old time plants are well worth growing if only 

 for their fragrant flowers. Where there is call for bou- 

 quets it will be found a very valuable flower. Any grow- 

 er who has a sunny back wall having a winter night tem- 

 perature of from 55 to 60 degrees can grow this much 

 neglected plant. It can also be grown well in 12 or 14- 

 inch pots or large tubs and when grown this way can 

 be trained on a balloon-like trellis. The best to grow is 

 Stephanotis floribunda. They are quite easily propagated 

 from last season's growth by placing each cutting in a 

 small pot of sand and leaf mold in equal proportions and 

 plunging in a propagating bench with a good bottom 

 heat and shade until they are rooted. Maintain a hu- 

 mid atmosphere so as to keep the cuttings from wilting. 

 Wlien fairly well-rooted they can be shifted, using a 

 fibrous loam well enriched with manure, re-potting and 

 stopping during the first summer. 



Seedling Amaryllis 



Amaryllis from seed can be flowered in as short a time 

 as fifteen to eighteen months, but as a general rule grow- 

 ers manage to flower a certain number when two years 

 old, and others not until the third year. In puchasing 

 seed, that handled by specialists should be secured. There 

 is much cheap trashy seed sold which will only prove dis- 

 appointing. It should be sown in pans or flats and 

 placed in a wann, moist house using a light sandy com- 

 post. A little leaf is not long in appearing. When two 

 leaves have been produced pot into 2-inch pots, still 

 growing them moist and warm. As the plants need larger 

 pots use a heavier compost. For the tinal pottings, two 

 parts of a rather heavy fibrous loam, one part of cow ma- 

 nure, some gritty sand and a dash of soot and fine bone 

 makes a good potting medium. 



Planting Seed Outside 



Late flowering annuals can Ix' planted out in the open 

 ground now in drill and thinned out later. Balsams, 

 celosia, marigold, calliopsis, g}-|>sophila, helianthus, he- 

 lichrysum, annual jjblox, poppy, salpiglossis, scabiosa, 

 zinnias, etc., given a piece of good ground will give a 

 fine lot of flowers for late cutting. 



Plants for Vases and Window lioxcs: I'ropaRnt- 



Forcing Lily of the Valley 

 ing Winter Marguerites. 



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