August 7, 1915 



HOKTICULTURE 



IGl 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



CONDCCTBD BY 



^»^%.99^.Ta^A^A/' 



Qne«Uon§ by our readers In line witb any of the topks presented on this page will be cordlaUy ■■e"'^*^ "P^-B'^^^U^ answered 



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



"If vmlB our toll, tve ougbt to bbune tfae culture, not tbe aoU." — I'ope. 





Callas 



To flower well during tiio early winter callas should 

 be started now. Shake off all the old soil and pot into 

 6 or 7-inch pots in fibrous loam three parts and well 

 decayed cow manure one part witli good drainage. Place 

 in a cold frame until the first week in September. Any 

 that are soft and flabby or show spots of mouldy decay 

 and perhaps have already started a thin, spindly bit of 

 growth should be discarded. New roots are cheap enough 

 and most growers use none but fresh roots every year. 

 Callas-, although mighty thirst)- when doing their best, 

 are not aquatic plants and overwateriug is harmful, so 

 care should be exercised at this stage as they make roots 

 slowh' and are very likely to receive too much water. 



Carnations 



Xo further delay should be allowed in getting the 

 houses refilled. Just now most carnation growers are 

 busily engaged in replanting their houses or at least 

 refilling the Ijenches preparatory to replanting. It is 

 surprising how quickly a plant will respond to the effects 

 of moisture when it is clry and I think it is better to 

 let the plant draw its first moisture from the new soil 

 rather than to saturate it before planting. If your car- 

 nation field in clo.se to the house do not dip the roots 

 in water but get them planted just as soon as you can. 

 Tf, however, they will have to be out of the soil four 

 or five hours it is l)ctter to dip them. 



Cattleyas 



It is always safer to allow plants of this genus to 

 get quite dry between waterings. Have you ever noticed 

 how healthy a plant will look when it has been over- 

 looked for several days at a time when you were soaking 

 the other plants around it? If not, try the experiment 

 and it will demonstrate how easy it is to overwater 

 orchids, even in the summer months. On clear, warm 

 days a syringing will be beneficial. Be sure, however, 

 that the foliage is dry before nightfall. Do not close the 

 ventilators at night if the nights get rather cool. Never 

 mind if the temperature drojis to .55 degrees, it will not 

 hurt the plants half so much as shutting up the house 

 and creating a stuffy atmosphere. Always keep the 



Next Week: — Chrysanthemums: Mulching Mixture; Roman Hy 



ventilators open as these orchids want air and the surest 

 way to ruii. them and make them send out quantities of 

 roots into the air rather than into the pots is to keep 

 them close and slufl'v. 



Primulas 



Now is a good time to make a sowing of primulas 

 that will bloom good from the end of Februaiy and 

 until Easter, From the date of sowing until the time 

 of blooming primulas usually require about seven 

 moutlis. In sowing use shallow boxes or seed pans filled 

 not quite full with a mixture of light loam, leaf mold 

 and sand. If the seeds are soaked in water for a day 

 and night more even germination will be obtained. If 

 the seeds are fresh, which is of vital importance, the 

 young seedlings will be ready for pricking out in five 

 or six weeks from time of planting. For this instead 

 of pots use flat boxes or seed pans filled with a mixture 

 of one part common soil and two parts of peat. When 

 the young plants have three or four leaves pot them in 

 small pots rather loosely and not too deep. These 

 primulas can be placed in a frame where they can have 

 lots of air. 



Seeds to Sow 



Now that we are coming to the end of summer we 

 will have to think of seed sowing. Pansies intended 

 for outdoor blooming next spring, English daisies and 

 forget-me-nots may be sown now. They can be sown in a 

 frame where the top surface has been made fine and 

 light by the addition of some leaf mold and sand. 

 Myosotis dissitifiora is one of the best forget-me-nots 

 for earlv blooming and it pays to have a few at least of 

 Giant Flowering BcUis. Transplant the little ones when 

 large enough to handle to about four inches apart and 

 they may remain that way without much protection 

 through the winter. 



Propagating Sand 



This is the time of the year to lay in propagating 

 sand. From now on there will always be something to 

 propagate. Figure out how much you may need of this 

 very important article and place the order. Prepare a 

 place under shelter where it can be kei)t dry and clean. 



adnths; Polnscttias; Stock Geraniums; Supply of Leaf Mold. 



A Beautiful Rose Garden 



Our cover illustration this week gives a gliiiipse into 

 the rose garden of Miss S. B. Fay at Woods IIoL-, Mass. 

 This garden contains what we believe to be the finest 

 collection of roses in this country. It is under the care 

 of the renowned rose hybridist, M. H. Walsh, and here 

 are to be seen unrivalled examples of the adaptability 

 of his wonderful hybrid Ramblers to arch and pergola 

 use. Excelsa, Debutante, Sweetheart and Lady Gay 

 are among the varieties that so gaily festoon the arches 

 seen in the picture but at the time the photograpli was 

 made they were not yet bloomed out into their full 



glory. Through the vista may be seen the plantation of 

 Hybrid Teas, which is worth' going a long distance to 

 see because of the great number of varieties under culti- 

 vation and of the luxuriance of their growth and per- 

 fection of the blooms. Woods Hole has a remarkably 

 fine climate for rose growing. It is. in fact, the ideal 

 spot in which to bring to perfection the Queen of Flow- 

 ers and the rose loving proprietor of this beautiful 

 garden and her skillful gardener have takeil fullest ad- 

 vantage of it. Poses growing in this Rose Eden never 

 experience what a really dry atmosphere is and scorched 

 or discolored petals are hero practically unknown. 



