February 27, ]9]5 



H R T I C U L T U E E 



871 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



^ . CONDLCTED BY 



Questions ^ou. ...e. jn '>- -t.^an, o.^.Ue^to^cs^^^..^ - --^Sj!^ ^-^gj^-i^i^g^g-^^^ ""^'^ 



Crowding Roses 



With the coming >\>\-\\vji. Uurc will be a big demand 

 I'or bedding stock and many growers will be tempted 

 to crowd as much of it as they can among the roses. 

 This may pay the small grower with two or three gi-eeu- 

 houses, but we have reason to doubt it, and if we were 

 to grow stock of this kind we would take out a poor 

 bench of roses, and devote the entire space to it. The 

 plants thus grown will l)e a credit to the place, for with 

 any care at all tliey should come along nicely. Plants 

 ihat are placed in among the roses will soon run up 

 thin and sprawly, and will be lacking in quality that 

 is so essential to gain a reputation or name in business 

 these days. The roses will not be helped any by the 

 stock being crowded in on them and will soon show that 

 tliey do not like it. Better give the benches to the one 

 thing, and grow that one thing well. It pays, as has 

 been proved time and time again. Growers who grow 

 one thing and grow- it well, or grow several in separate 

 houses, and grow these well, arc the most successful, as 

 we can see by watching some of the most prosi)erous 

 places. 



Ventilation 



With the warm weather approaching, we get a 

 warm day now and tlien, yes, several days in a group, 

 tliat will be like spring, and if the houses are not looked 

 after well, they ^^^ll get quite warhi. This should be 

 avoided, and the thermometer should not be allowed to 

 rise to over 78 degrees at the most or the plants will 

 get soft, and will be worn out much before their time 

 in the spring. Then, too, the flowers will be small if 

 the houses are too wami, wliich will help reduce the 

 quality of the stock, and the price will drop. Do not 

 close the houses down tight at night unless there is a 

 storm raging or a heavy wind blowing. A crack of air 

 with heat turned on in the liouse will do wonders in 

 keeping the plants hardy and vigorous, and will go a 

 great w-ay to prevent mildew, which is very common 

 early in the spring. 



Mulching 



.Vlthough it is still eariy to depend on getting any 

 real good weather, it will be necessary to watch the front 

 of all benches to see that there are no places that are 

 needing mulch veiy badly. Should there be it will be 

 best to mulch these places, as the soil will dry out so 

 fast that it will always be dry, and the result will be 

 that the plants in these parts will become stunted, and 

 will be very hard to get going again. It would be harm- 

 ful to mulch the whole house, and will be better just tx> 

 touch up. Bone meal can be applied now, for the plants 

 will get the good of it before they are removed. 



Houses for Summer Flowering 



If there are an\- houses that are not doing very 

 well, and roses are wanted eariy in the summer, it wiU 

 be a good idea to cut plants down, and then let them 

 come np fresh. Before this is done, dr>^ the plants off 

 gradually, also drop the temperature gradually untd the 

 houses run 54 at night if it is possible to get them as 

 low as that. Then cut the plants off, and remove all 

 loose soil and old mulch from around them, and let 

 them drv off quite well. Begin first to water right 

 around the plants and syringe very lightly two or three 

 times a day on clear days until the growth starts. Then 

 be careful with the water, and trj- to keep the plants 

 on the dn- side all the time. When the growths are an 

 inch long mulch lightlv with good manure, taking care 

 not to put on too tliick. This vrill send the shoots right 

 up. after which it will be quite easy to keep them going. 

 As soon a-s anv buds appear, pinch them out while they 

 are small, until the plants have quite a little wood, or 

 until the stems are the desired length. The plants can 

 then receive liquid manure a.? fast as they will take it, 

 and thev, certainly will talce it, once they start growing. 

 Do not' be worried over their sickly appearance right 

 after thev are cut dowr. As long as they are not over- 

 watered they will come along very good. Keep them 

 cool until after they are well leaved and branched. 



MELONS UNDER GLASS. 



Gentlemen: — Last year I planted several 

 varieties of EngUsli and the .'\nierican Em- 

 erald Gem melons on the same bench, and 

 wliile the former varieties (tave a f;n<jd crop, 

 the Emerald Gem did not prodnoe n fruit, al- 

 though It made a fine growth. Both had 

 same treatment, and the .same experience 

 happened on everv hatch. Outside the 

 Emerald Gem did fine, from the same pack- 

 et of seed. Will he pleased to get the 

 opinion of some of your re.iders on the 

 above. Faitlifully yours. 



'I'. A. L. 



In answer to T. A. L.'s inquiry. 1 

 would say that the reason for the dif- 

 ferent results as described lies chiefly 

 in the type of melon. The English 

 Emerald Gem Is raised from a type 

 that has been selected and hybridized 

 to produce a high class melon for use 

 in the greenhouses in England, the 

 climate being unsuited for raising 



melons outdoors except in frames, the 

 hot season not being long enough to 

 mature the fruit. The American Em- 

 erald Gem is a melon from a type that 

 has been improved for outdoor use. 

 being of a more hardy nature suitable 

 for outdoor conditions, consequently 

 when it is planted in the confined and 

 humid atmosphere of the melon house 

 the change of conditions result in a 

 fast growing plant with the tendency 

 to produce a mass of foliage, in prefer- 

 ence to a fruitful type of plant. If an 

 early crop of .\merican Emerald Gem 

 is desired the best way would be to 

 sow in April and plant out in trame.s 

 in May, removing the sash after the 

 hot season has commenced, making a 

 gain of a few weeks in the crop. As a 

 companion to the English Emerald 

 Gem, T. A. L. would be well repaid to 



grow Sutton's Perfection, which, when 

 well-grown, is as near perfection as a 

 well grown melon can be. 



J. W. Smith. 



Referring to the inquiry about the 

 green rose in our last week's issue, we 

 learn that this curious freak R. virida;- 

 flora can be supplied by Conard & 

 .Tones Co., West Grove, Pa., who make 

 it a point to carry a few of all these 

 uncommon and odd things to accom- 

 modate all who call for them. 



An interesting communication from 

 "A Reader" has just come to hand. 

 Dut the writer thereof failed to send 

 his name which, under our rules is 

 indispensable with any article we pub- 

 lish. Will "A Reader" please comply? 



