April 10, 1915 



HORTICULTURE 



489 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS* STOCK 



CONDUCTED BY 



^*^^^.9^.rk^A^^ 



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



by Mr. Farrell. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTDRE. 



**!( vain our toil, we ought to blame the coltare, not the Boil.*' — Fopt. 



LlbKAl 



botank 



Care of Ferns 



Shading should now be increased but not too heavy 

 — ^just enough to prevent burning or taking the color- 

 ing out of the foliage. Ferns will not do well where 

 there is not plenty of moisture, so dampen down two 

 or three times a day, and see that they have plenty of 

 air without causing cold drafts. The general run of 

 ferns will do well in about 60 ■ degrees at night with 

 10 to 15 degrees higher with sun. Ferns that are pot- 

 bound can be materially assisted by moderate doses of 

 liquid manure once a week. Be sure that none of them 

 become dry at the root. 



Callas 



Callas should now be generously fed, not onl\- with 

 liquid manure, but good top-dressings of a rich mulch 

 on all those grown in benches. By this time the work- 

 ing roots will have used up the best part of the avail- 

 able food from the soil so an occasional top-dressing 

 worked over the surface lightly will greatly benefit. 

 Keep the temperature up to at least 60 degrees at night. 

 Give plenty of water at the roots and keep up a vigor- 

 ous syringing every day to keep the plants clean of 

 thrips and red spider. Callas will want to be fumi- 

 gated once a week from this out as flies and thrips in- 

 crease verv fa.st at this time of the year. The one 

 thing to be bonie in mind is to ventilate on all jwssi- 

 ble occasions. 



Bedding Plants 



Propagation of bedding stock by cuttings and seed 

 should have attention. Geraniums that were shifted 

 into 4-incli pots three or four weeks ago will be much 

 in need of spacing. Seedling annuals, particularly 

 asters, will need to be transplanted into other flats, one 

 inch apart and when doing this do not forget to insert 

 the little plants down to the seed leaf in the new soil. 

 The cannas which were started in flats are now five or 

 six inches high. They must be lifted and potted at 

 once. A 4-inch pot is large enough to make a good 

 bedding plant. The big C'aladium esculentmn started 

 in flats three weeks ago is already wanting a 5-inch pot. 



Next week — Care of Chrysanthemums; E^ricas; Nephrolepls; Ram 



Orchids 



Move cattleyas in flower into a cool, airj' and well- 

 shaded house. In order to keep down the temperature, 

 rolling lath blinds are preferable to whitewash on the 

 glass. Give Oncidiuni Hogeisii plenty of air at all 

 times during the summer months and wet down the 

 benches, paths and walk three or four times daily dur- 

 ing ver}- hot and dry days. These orchids from now on 

 should have sufficient shade to help keep down the tem- 

 perattire, but without excluding tlie indirect sun. All 

 Brazilian orchids will enjoy plenty of diffused stm- 

 light. In applying shade for the Miltonias care should 

 he taken not to overdo it. For this month it should be 

 only enough to produce a light clouded streak over the 

 glass. 



Adiantums 



Large plants can be divided, but these divided por- 

 tions do not give as satisfactory returns as younger 

 plants potted on. While the adiantums take kindly to 

 soil containing considerable leaf-mold and this is par- 

 ticularly good for young stock, larger plants want 

 something heavier, and good pasture loam with some 

 thoroughly decomposed mantire added, and a good dash 

 of sand will grow excellent plants. Where pot adian- 

 tums have been resting for a few weeks they can now 

 be overhauled and where necessary, repotted. Large 

 sized plants will cany for several years in the same 

 pots if occasionally fed with liquid manure, but smaller 

 sizes are liable to become stalled if not sliifted, and 

 furthermore there is more or less danger of their dry- 

 ing out and losing much of their foUage. One severe 

 drying off is generally sufficient to ruin the appearance 

 of any adiantums and this is most liable to occur with 

 the smaller plants. Be careful in watering for a few 

 weeks and keep them in a rather close and humid at- 

 mosphere and they will soon start off anew. 



Ripening Freesia Bulbs 



When fresia buUjs are through flowering keep giving 

 tbeni water for a while, but withholding gradually. 

 When the tops have died down, they can be shaken out 

 and stored away until the season comes for planting 

 again, 

 biers for Next Blaster; Propagating; Stock In Frames. 



BOOM YOUR BUSINESS 



hy aJvcrttsing your goods in the 



Horticiuiltiuire 



Publicity among the kind of readers reached 

 by this paper is THE SORT OF PUBLI- 

 CITY THAT PAYS. 



