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II () K T I cuLTU in-: 



Kfbniiiry ;•(», 1«16 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



<ONDfCTKU UV 



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QuMtloDi by our readers In lliienrltb any of tbe topics presented on tills pnge will be cordially reielved nnd iirumuily answered 



by Mr. FarrelL Sucb commnnlcatluns sbould Inrnrlnbly be nddresscd to tbe offlce of HORTICULTURE. 



"U tbIb our loll, ue oncfat to blmme the enlture, not tbe soil." — I'tifr, 



Dahlias 



'l'ul)iTs iimv now lie stnrU-d in dee]) boxes or in a 

 ln'iirh where there is a nifilit teiii|)er!itiire of about 60 

 (le;.'rees. Thev may lie plaecd close toffetlier and covere<l 

 with soil and if kejit moderately moist they will soon 

 throw up a line growth. Wiien the slioots liave readied 

 ji height of aliout 4 Indies they can be taken olT and 

 I'laeed in a ]>i-opagatinf; bench with bottom heat of 60 

 degrees, and atmosphere about 5 degrees less. Give 

 care in shading and noorssnn- watering. 



Lily of the Valley 



For cut flower pui-jjoses a fresh batch of jjips should 

 be planted in the cases once a week. They should flower 

 within three weeks now. It is too early yet to start 

 plants for Easter unless they are brought along in a 

 moderately cool house. Six weeks in a teinperatjure of 

 50 degrees will flower lily of the valley now, or foui- 

 weeks in 10 degrees more heat. This refers to plant* 

 ill pots which do not now iieetl to be drawn up in the 

 diirk. but can go int.o the light at once. Be very careful 

 when watering not to wet the bells; the diTer they are 

 kept the better, ^\^len the bells are fully out they can 

 I,.. I.:,.i,t ,-,... Ir.i- \\liicli will hnnlon tliem up. 



Calanthes 



.\ow is the proper time to start the bulbs for mid- 

 winter flowering of ealanthcs. A good way is to place 

 them in a flat with .some moss on the bottom. On tliis 

 tliey can te arranged close together. Fill in and cover 

 them all over with about an inch of sand and place in a 

 temperature of from G.5 to 70 degrees at night and on 

 a bench whei'e they can have a vigorous bottom heat. 

 Ke verj- careful in watering until they are well staiied; 

 they should only lie kept moderately moist. When they 

 have made a fair amount of roots they can be potted in 

 a mixture of two parts coarse fibrous loam, one part well 

 drained and dec-ayed cow manure, and some gi'itty sand. 

 They do well in moderately (lee]i ]>ans. but pots will also 

 do. You eau eitlier use three .strong bulbs to an 8-inch 

 pan or pot, or one bulb in a .'i-inch rec-eptacle. Fill the 

 pots one-third with broken crocks to insure good drain- 

 age and pot as firmly as possible. 



Next Wc-t'k:— Az;ile.is: Hiilb.s for Ejusler ; Cbrysantbemums 



Subtropical Bedding Stock 



'J'lie oiitoftown florist usually has customers who have 

 extensive groumls and lawns where such jihuitingB can 

 be made use i>f to the best ailviintage. Nothing, per- 

 liaps is of more value for the center of a group than one 

 or more specimens of Musa, or bananas, of which there 

 are quite a number of splenilid sorts, M. en.sete is one 

 of the best, JI. superba is as beautiful but more com- 

 pact and so is AI. zebrina. Such beds are well adapted 

 to the display of large flowering cannai*, as well as those 

 with beautiful foliage. The different eulalia*, such as 

 K. Japonica foliis striatis and E. Japonica zebrina, all 

 line ornamental grasses, are useful and so are the 

 caiadiums. .Most all these subtropical plants like plenty 

 of heat, so in order to keej) them at to))-speed in growth 

 give Ibciii not less than 60 dr'trrees al night. 



Propagating Violets 



When projiagating violets it pays weU to examine the 

 plants that cuttings are taken from, and discard any 

 that .show the least trace of diseai^ or sjjot. Conditions 

 will be right from now and up to the first of April for 

 the projiagation of violets. AAHicn taking off cuttings 

 see that they are not allowed to wilt at any time before 

 or after they are iii.sei-ted. They can be put in sand in 

 a propagating bench in a cool house not any higher than 

 45 to -IS degrees. They also root well in boxes that are 

 well-drained and filled with sand. Do not overwater 

 tile cuttings and on the other hand see that they do not 

 become too dry. Give frequent sprinklings, but always 

 see that they have a chance to diy off before night fall. 

 When rooted they can be boxed off. Give plenty of ven- 

 tilation whenever possible. Wlien they become firmly 

 established shading will only be necessaiy on very bright 

 days. 



Propagate Heliotropes 



Cutrtings can now be taken from the stock plants and 

 with care and attention another batch will soon foUow. 

 When they are rooted pot into ?%-inch pots and grow 

 on. 



Easter Lilies ; Gladioli for Mciuoriul Day ; Sowing Mooufluwers. 



PROPAGATING CALIFORNIA 

 PRIVET. 



Edili.r iif IIOKTKJLLTLRE: 



Will ynn or some of your readers please 

 jrive me SiHne iiiform:ition as to how the 

 C;ilif"rni:in Privet ( I.icuslrnin ovallfolluin) 

 r-aii lie. prf>p:i;;:ite(l In (|Uanlitv? 



rionil Park. X. V. ' C. 



The method pursued by those who 

 propagate California privet in quantity 

 is simply to cut the 1-year wood into 

 lengths of three or four inches and 

 line them out in drills. The cutting is 

 done by a machine, similar to a stalk 

 cutter and there is. we believe, also a 

 machine for placing the cuttings in 

 the furrows. They can be cut in fall 



and buried until spring, when they 

 can be placed in the rows 2 to 4 inches 

 apart and will grow readily. To make 

 bushy plants pinch in the young 

 growths frequently. 



BOSTON FERNS TURNING BROWN. 



Can some one lell me the causae of the 

 leaves of Hoslon ferns turninc lirown at 

 the ends after making a growth of nearly 

 two feetV Temperature of the house about 

 ■t'i° nights anil GO" to 05° days, with con- 

 sideralile moisture, on fine days always 

 syringed in the ninrning. They are very 

 Inrge idd plants in tubs. C. N. 



S|iriiigfield. ^i[ass. 



Your ferns are undoubtedly losing 

 their energy because of their age. The 

 temperature of your house is about 



right and the treatment seems correct, 

 so we can place the cause of the fronds 

 turning brown only to the age of your 

 plants. It would be advisable to 

 break up the plants into smaller plants 

 repotting in fresh soil and thus re- 

 juvenating them. 



THE GREEN ROSE. 



IMilor of IIOKTICILTURK: 



Kindly inform me through your valuable 

 Journal where 1 ean liuy the green rose, 

 also the name of same, and oblige, ,T. T. 



X. .T. 



The green rose is not very generafly 

 cultivated, but we believe you can pro- 

 cure it from W. A. .Vlanda of South 

 Orange, N. .J. 



