February 6, 1915 



HOETICULTURE 



171 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



UyCyf^i^A^^^J^^-^ 



Questions by our readers in Hue with any of the topirs presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzioka. Such communications should invarlalily be addressed to the othce of UOETICULTUUE. 



Drainage 



The recent veiy rainy weatlier shows that it is neces- 

 saiy to make piovision for draining off the water that 

 has no chance to sink into tlio frozen earth, and would 

 run into the cellars at the verj- first chance. In the 

 summer when all things are high and dry, is a poor 

 time to figure out just where the water will run to, or 

 where it will come from. At this time of the year, 

 however, it does not take a man long to see just where 

 it is necessary to locate catch-basins, and cesspools to 

 keep the water from flooding the place. We know of 

 an instance where this came near ruining tlie whole 

 place for several men, and it was only the mild weather 

 that saved the grower's crops. With all that could be 

 done, water rose and rose in the cellars until the fires 

 were put out, and then the whole place was cold. During 

 a rain storm go over the place and see w^here the water 

 collects. The ground is frozen now so that it cannot 

 be done at once, but mark the places where it will be 

 necessary to fill or to dig out. This work can easily 

 be done next summer when it will be too warm to work 

 inside. The men will enjoy a little work outside and 

 the money expended will be well invested. It is a good 

 plan to have several ICinney pumps on hand. These are 

 very inexpensive, and will take out water in very little 

 time. They work with city water pressure, and can be 

 used in watering witli liquid manure. They are a very 

 good investment on any place where there is the slisrht- 

 est danger of water nnmiiiu- into the cellar. 



The Novelties 



There are, as usual, a number of new roses that will 

 be .sent out this sea.son. Many promise to be very good. 

 Try them out in small quantities and see what they will 

 do. Some growers vvill have a Icnack of handling any 

 variety tliat comes along, and get it to respond to their 

 treatment, wliile others can only grow certain varieties 

 real well. We find that almost eveiy variety has certain 

 peculiarities of its own, and if these are complied with 

 when growing, the variety vaW. do twice as well as when 

 it is given just ordinary culture. To find these out it 



is impossible to write just how to do it, as conditions are 

 diflerent at nearly every place. But a good grower will 

 "see things" as soon as he enters a house, and this will 

 enable him to give these little touches that certain varie- 

 ties require to do real good. 



Clean Pots for Young Stock 



If the pots \X\'dX were used last season have not been 

 washed up during the summer months, do not use them 

 if the plants are to remain in them for any length of 

 time. We never use dirty pots at all, even washing tlie 

 pots that have been used and from which plants have 

 been shifted to the larger sizes. It is ver}' little trouble 

 to do this, for if it is done at once as soon as 

 the plants are taken out and while the pots 

 are still moist, they can be washed very rapidly, es- 

 pecially where a pot-washing machine is used for tliis 

 work. These machines are such time-savers tliat we do 

 not see why they are not installed on more places. A 

 small electric motor will run these to perfection, and 

 the work that they will turn out is surprising when 

 compared to the old way of washing all the pots by 

 hand. 



Crocking the Pots 



This seems so unimportant that it is done at times 

 without any consideration whether it is done well or 

 not. When the plants are to be shifted into larger sizes, 

 it is well to see that tlie pots are well crocked to insure 

 perfect drainage. There is notliing that will hamper 

 plants more in growing tlian poor drainage, especially 

 when accompanied with dirty pots. The plants will 

 always have a sickly look when these are together. 

 Cliarcoal makes ideal drainage material, and there are 

 places where it can be made without any extra cost. 

 Wiere this is so, there is nothing better. However, it is 

 not absolutely necessary and any clean, coarse materials 

 will do very nicely, sudi as screened gravel, broken pots, 

 cinders and so on. Do not use fresh cinders unless it 

 has to be. These have a certain amount of foul gases 

 in them, that will not do the j^lants any good. 



RAISING HOLLY FROM SEED. 



HORTIcri/rrRK, Boston: 



Can yiiu advise m<^ as to how. when and 

 where (o sow holly seeds and raise the 

 youn;; plants? '^^- -A. 



Virginia. 



In reference to the holly sood sow- 

 ing, I wish to slate that the soed should 

 be treated the same as Beiberis Thun- 

 bergii, hawthorn and many similar 

 seeds of stony nature. When collected 

 good and ripe in the fall, the seed 

 should be buried in sand— or "strati- 

 fied"— until the following spring, and 

 then sown in drills in a well pulver- 

 ized bed and covered with ;iii inch of 

 soil and some pine or spnic<; branches 

 10 protect them from the hot sun when 

 they begin to sprout; or inio a frame 

 as nurserymen usually do, with some 

 lattice work for shading. Plants should 

 remain two years in the seed bed, and 



afterwards can be transplanted into 

 nursery rows with ample distance, to 

 remain as much time again, when they 

 should have become fine specimen 

 plants. .1. F. His.s. 



Hartford, Ct. 



suits on green fly or otlur inscc.a pu6U 

 of the snapdragon. 



FUMIGATING ANTIRRHINUM. 



l)t»ar Sirs; 



Kindly state what Is the best fumlgator 

 for Antlrrhinnm. 



Yours very truly, 

 Pa. S. A. 



Some tobacco preparation is gener- 

 ally the best and safest fumigant to 

 use for antirrhinums. K\\ fumigation 

 should be done moderately and often 

 — heavy smoking will burn the foliage. 

 There are several commercial prepara- 

 tions put up in liquid, paper or dust 

 form that are advertised in HoKTicri.- 

 TURE that can be used with good re- 



DO YOU KNOW THAT— 



The carnation was known in Greece 

 2,000 years ago as the Gillifiowcr. 



About 98 per cent, plant food is se- 

 <-ured from the air. 



Leaves are the special organs of 

 plants for throwing oft water taken 

 in by the roots. 



Too much nitrogen weakens stems 

 and causes rank growth. 



Sulphate of ammonia will impart a 

 very rich, dark color to the foliage of 

 plants. 



.•\ll boilers should be provided with 

 a blow-off pipe at the bottom, which 

 should be opened once or twice a 

 week to clean out any sediment which 

 may accumulate. 



