January 23. 1915 



HORTICULTUEE 



103 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



tONDlCTED BY 



Questions by 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 oQice of HOKllCLLlLUt.. 



Preventing Washing of Soils 



Grmvers whose places are situated in a hilly couutry, 

 will save money by not letting any portion of their 

 grounds iie exposed to the weather during the winter 

 months. There is a great loss of manure to liave the 

 soil hare and subject to the action of wind and rain 

 which will waste the best portion of tha soil, leaving 

 notlniig but the coarse grams behind it. This may not 

 ue visible tlie first year, but if it continues for a number 

 of seasons, the soil will be robbed of much of its humus, 

 as well as of its \-ery fine narticles, Just such as are 

 necessary to grow good stuff'. It is waste to buy hun- 

 dreds of dollars' worth of manure every year and then 

 let it wa,«h out of the soil every winter. If it 1ms been 

 impossible to sow- some good cover crop such as rye or 

 vetch, then go over the hills, and make ridges of coaree 

 ><triiAvy n.anure or leaves or anything that can be made 

 to s-ay put, and this will keep the water from washing 

 out deep trenches all through tlie soil, and canying the 

 best portions of it down to some road or somebody else's 

 lot. When the ground is not frozen, this danger will be 

 verv snuill, unless the liills are steep, but even tlien there 

 will be loss of good plantfood. for the best portion of 

 the soki.ilc fertilizers will sink far down into the earth 

 where it will be of little use to the plants. If the field 

 had been covered with rye or grass the roots of these 

 would hold the food particles together, and when the rye 

 was turned under in the spring, these would be released 

 and once more available to the following crop. The 

 stalks of rye would decay, and add a lot of valuable 

 organic matter, which most soils lack. We have yet to 

 see a field where there was an oversupply of organic 

 matter or humus. 



The Dull Weather 



After the cold sna]i that we have had we get a spell 

 with the thermometer up to -40 outside, with heavy rains. 

 Til is is a trying time for rose growers. Watering, feed- 

 ing, and ventilation will ha\e to receive the very best of 

 care, for the roses are easily ruined in this weather, 

 when a mistake is made in either of the three, and will 

 receive such a set-back that it will take a lot of time 

 for them to recover. Do not use any liquid manure 

 unless the plants need it very badly, and be careful not 

 to get the houses too warm. It is very seldom that the 

 houses will get too diw, and yet this is possible, where 



the walks and benches and floors are all of concrete. 

 Do not cany too much air, as this would be apt to 

 descend directly on the plants, and give you troubh! with 

 mildew. 



Leaky Houses 



During these wind and rain storms it will be time 

 well spent to go over the hotises and mark the places 

 where they lealc very bad. If the houses are going 

 to be painted and puttied the coming season, then 

 this will not be necessary, but if this painting is not to 

 be done for a while to come, then it will be good to 

 mark these places as suggested and then putty, and even 

 paint them in the summer. It will be time well spent, 

 for these places will cause more damage than one can 

 imagine at fiist thought. Blackspot will start here as 

 a rule and then spread to the whole greenhouse if it 

 is not stopped in time. Tlien, too, if care is not used 

 in watering there will ahvays be places wiiere the plants 

 will be too wet, and these will not produce as much as 

 they should if they w'ere growing under good conditions. 



Tying 



With the rush of propagation, this item in the grow- 

 ing end should never be neglected. This applies espec- 

 ially to American Beauties for these will feel the effects 

 of this neglect much sooner tlian any other variety, and 

 if they are allowed to lie around a good deal they will 

 go blind. Spider is always veiy apt to make headway 

 in houses that are allowed to go untied for any length 

 of time, as syringing will be very diflieult. Do not let 

 them go too long and it will be rapid work to go over 

 them once a week and tie them up. Houses that are 

 kept tied all tlie time will produce far more flowers 

 than houses that are allowed to grow as they best can. 

 Bend all the tall Beauties down, and try to keep them 

 in a nice line. This will give all the shoots the same 

 show, and will make the house look nice and neat at the 

 same time. Shoots that show buds will better be allowed 

 to grow on. Cut out all sticks tliat remaa'n on the wires, 

 after the specials have been cut off. This applies to 

 the ones tliat have been bent down and then flowered 

 and were cut off at the wire. If these were cut in tJie 

 proper place at cutting time, it would take too long to 

 do it, thus wasting a lot of valuable time. Do not let 

 these sticks stay on for that would hamper the plants 

 from starting a new crop of shoots for flower?. 



Horticulture Indispensable 



Jan. 19, 1915. 

 Editor Horticulture: 



Dear Sir — Enclosed please find 

 $1.00. my subscription to your valuable 

 paper for another year. Cannot do 

 without it. 



Conn. 0. A. H. 



Dear Horticulture: 



We can't keep house without youi 

 and you can't travel without money, 



to 



therefore I enclose money order 

 keep you coming for 1915. 



Yours admiringly, 

 Iowa. E. S. 



January 8. 1915. 

 Horticulture Publishing Company, 11 

 Hamilton Place, Boston, Mass.: 

 Here is my dollar for the 1915 trip 

 with HORTCULTURE. HORTICUL- 

 TURE is all right. P. F. 

 New York. 



Jan. 18, 1915. 



Horticulture Pub. Co. 



Dear Sirs — Enclosed please find one 

 dollar for another year of the HORTI- 

 CULTURE. My time is not up yet, 

 but it won't be long. All I can say 

 about your paper Is that it is the best 

 of its kind, and I read them all. 



J. B. 



R. I. 



