June 24. 1916 



HORTICULTURE 



853 



t» 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



^ CONBCCTED BY 



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

 by Mr. Rnzicka. Such commanlcatlons ghonld InTariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Planting 



AVith prospects of a wet c-loudv sea.?on ahead, grow- 

 ers cannot afford to delay planting any longer than is 

 absolntely necessary. We hope the weather will not con- 

 tinue as it is at present. Heavy showers at night, ac- 

 companied witli fog when it is not raining, do not make 

 ideal weather for growing roses.- It is therefore advis- 

 able to plant early, even though the old plants have to 

 be sacrificed, and unless the old plants are doing real 

 well it will pay to do so. Last A^ear spring business was 

 so good that many growers planted very late, and with 

 the dark rainy summer and fall the stock did not root 

 well and the result was that the cut was light all winter, 

 the winter itself being very severe making matters much 

 worse. When cleaning the houses after wheeling all the 

 soil out, see that eveiytliing is cleaned thoroughly as 

 fungus will thrive during tlie dark weather and there is 

 likely to be more disease than during clear weather. 

 Even though the time is short and work behind the reg- 

 ular schedule it will pay to do things well as we go 

 along and avoid trouble later. See that the benches are 

 well gone over witli hot lime wash as the plants will 

 not root very fast during the cloudy weather, and if 

 there is fungus in the soil to attack and destroy the roots 

 it will take quite a while to make more and meanwhile 

 the wood on the plant will go to sleep and may not wake 

 up until spring. 



Planting Shawyer 



This one rose does not mind being planted late and 

 if nice plants are used planting can be done away up 

 into Augu.st. A house planted la-st year in late .July, 

 cut nice stuff on the first of September, receiving its 

 first dose of liquid manure one month after planting. 

 Nice stock wa.s cut all winter, with a heavy cut in the 

 spring. To do well the idants must be vigorous, free 

 from spider and spot. The sod should be at least one- 

 third cow manure, well decayed, so that it will not burn 

 the new tender roots that the plants will send out as 

 soon as they begin to settle in their new quarters. Under 

 ordinary conditions we would not advise iising liquid 

 manure so soon after jilanting but this house was an e\- 

 ceptidii and the ]ilaiiis were well able to take it. 



Watch Out for Spot on the Young Plants 



With dark raiii\' wcallier it will be advisable to he 

 very careful in watering and syringing young plants, 

 more so those that are pi'etty well up and more or los"-' 

 crowded. Go over the plants every now and then, tak- 



ing off all yellow leaves and all spot that may be lurking 

 here and there. As this is done set all small plants to 

 the south side of the bench and the taller ones to the 

 north, so there will be no poor plants among the good 

 ones. The good ones take water oftener than the poorer 

 ones and more of it, and if there was a weak plant here 

 and there among the good ones, it would naturally be too 

 wet all the time and would surely start spot, which 

 would easily spread to the plants surrounding it. We 

 do not worry much about spot except when it appears 

 here and there on the Beauties and Ophelias. It will' 

 go right through these and take many leaves with it un- 

 less checked. The other roses will generally have a spoi 

 here and there, but with good care that is as far as it 

 will get on them unless conditions for its spread are 

 made very favorable by careless syringing or watering. 

 Water as' early in the morning as possible so that the 

 plants will have every chance to dry off by night, the 

 same being true of syringing. During the cloudy spells 

 sec that the plants are not over watered. This could 

 onlv happen with potted stock with heavy close soil and 

 poor drainage. With open soil and plenty of porous ma- 

 terial under the pots the plants should not sulTer from 

 too mucli water, unless they are watered too frequently. 

 When thev have to be watered on cloudy days it will be 

 well to run through the houses last thing at night and 

 blow plenty of air-slacked lime around, which will dry 

 out the air thus making conditions unfavorable for spot. 

 With potted stock, the lime should not be blown under 

 the plants but into the air above the walks so that the 

 plants will not be whitewashed. Be very careful to keep 

 the rain out should there c-ome a shower, and night men 

 should be instructed to put the vents down in the houses 

 with voung stock first. It is best to be on the lookout 

 for storms, and put the houses down so they shed until 

 a little before it starts to rain, and then lower them 

 more. In this wav the vents will not be closed up too 

 suddenly and it will be better for the plants. It is not 

 always "possible to do this however, and no chances 

 should be taken. If the storm comes up too quickly, the 

 houses had better be lowered away down at once. 

 During mild rains it is best to lower the vents so they 

 shed, and if the rain comes in, lower them some more. 

 On chilly nights steam should be kept in the houses. 

 With such seasons as the last few we have had, it is 

 best to keep the main boiler on all the time as it will 

 save coal in the end, for it takes both coal and time to 

 start a fire again and again. 



gretted as there is much that the college people can do 

 to help along the florists' cause. Our expert specialty 

 growers can hardly be expected to look to the colleges 

 for much practical instructions on cultural methods — 

 in fact, the relationship might well be reversed in many 

 cases. But it is different when we come to problems 

 that call for scientific research and laboratory investiga- 

 tion, sue]) as ])lant diseases, insects, soil projjerties, etc. 

 as they affect any department of plant growing. Here 



we should take fuller advantage than has been done 

 thus far of the painstaking work that the agricultural 

 college people are prosecuting and these studious in- 

 vestigators should be consulted and listened to with all 

 the respect due to knowledge so acquired. The Ameri- 

 can Rose Society seems very much alive of late and the 

 movement under consideration together with the Rose 

 Garden effort and the Rose .\nnual publication afford 

 cumulative evidence to that efTect. 



