October 2, 1915 



HORTICULTUEB 



437 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



CONDl'CTBU BV 



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QuMtlena br oar readers In lln* with any of the toplca pre*«ntcd an thU page will be cordially received and promptly answered 



by Mr. Farrell. 8nch communications sbould Invariably be addressed to tbe office of HORTICULTURE. 



"If T»la our toil, we oaght to blame the culture, not the soil." — Pope. 



Chrysanthemums 



Keep everything clean. A little lime spread below 

 the benches, especially in damp or cold houses, is of the 

 greatest benefit at the time the flowers begin to open. 

 This and plenty of ventilation prevents the petals from 

 damping off. A moist atmosphere is not beneficial to 

 the expanding flowers and to prevent this and yet supply 

 sufficient moisture to keep the plants in good condition 

 should be the object. Watering the benches should be 

 attended to in the forenoon so as to give the foliage 

 a chance to dry off properly before the close of the day. 

 And always start the disbudding on top of the plant. 

 If through carelessness or by accident you should break 

 off the top of the plant there is a chance of getting a 

 side shoot or bud to take the place of the one which 

 was to be selected. 



Christmas Cyclamen 



In order lo have well flowered plants for Christmas 

 they should be well supplied with buds that can be 

 readily seen by the 10th of October. Place all those 

 wanted for the holidays on a light bench well up to the 

 glass. Do not keep the atmosphere too moist as they 

 will come along better with bud when the air is dryer. 

 Give a night temperature of from 50 to 55 degrees with 

 a rise of from 10 to 15 degi'ees with sunshine, but 

 during dark weather about 5 degrees of a rise will be 

 enough. Keep giving the pots more room from time 

 to time so they will get the air and sun to each plant. 

 Don't crowd them. Spray in the morning but not in 

 the late afternoon as the foliage should be dry by night. 



Carnations 



No crop under glass is more impatient of neglect than 

 this queen of flowers and any grower who fails to put 

 his soul energy and skill into the subject had better be 

 out of it. He must become an ardent and careful ob- 

 server, noting every failure and trj'ing to trace its cause. 

 The act of searching for a cau.se will be the means of 

 obtaining additional knowledge regarding the wants and 

 character of each variety and also lead to a systematic 

 study of the diseases to whicli they are liable and the 

 most effectual method of combating such. A tliorough 

 knowledge of the theory of ventilation is also necessary 

 to the carnation grower and the reduction to an exact 

 science should be practiced as there is great danger to 



even the fiiu- 

 resorted to. 



LJBKAI 



st crops if indiscriminate ventilation iS^^W YC 



BOTANU 



Christmas Lilies 



The earliest Bermuda lilies should now be removed 

 from the cold frame to a warm house. Some of them 

 will have formed sufficient roots by this time. No 

 actual forcing is necessary. If given an average tem- 

 perature of 60 degrees they should be in plenty of time 

 for Christmas. Water carefully so as not to sour the 

 compost. Let them show signs of dryness first and then 

 give enough water to soak the whole ball through. 

 Frequent and slight waterings are dangerous. Syringe 

 regularly. The grower can employ any degree from 55 

 to 75 degi-ees at night as he may see fit in order to 

 get his lilies in at the right moment. Fumigating 

 frequently, say about once a week, will keep the plants 

 free of the pest. When the plants are from 15 to SO 

 inches high they ought to be staked and kept neatly 

 I)ut not tightly tied. 



Planting Trees and Shrubs 



At this season the uuriseries are not overcrowded with 

 orders and the stock will be freshly dug and not taken 

 from storage sheds where it has been packed in sand 

 for several months. The ground is usually more moist 

 at this season than in spring and there is more time 

 to do planting properly. Nearly all deciduous trees and 

 shrubs can be just as well or better planted in fall than 

 in spring. The roots, also, are far less likely to get 

 dried up now than in spring. People are so much in 

 the habit, however, of leaving all planting until spring 

 that they rarely think of doing any now. Possible ex- 

 ceptions to the success of fall planting might be due 

 to too dry a condition of the soil at planting time and 

 the freezing up of tlio gro^ind while tlie roots were in- 

 adequately supplied with moisture. Artificial watering 

 would be necessary in such cases. Such shrubs as 

 spiraeas, philadolphus. syringas, mo^t of the viburnums, 

 etc.. do much boUer if pliintpd in the fall. 



Wasted Bench Space 



Keep the greenhouse benches from end to end cob- 

 stantly in use. Wasted bendh space is the direct cause 

 of thousands of dollars loss annually in the florists' 

 business. The grower who produces the largest amount 

 in cut flowers and plants per annum in a irivpn sjiace 

 is the best grower. 



Next Week:— Care of Mignonette; Double Tulips for Easter; Ericas; LlUum Longlflorum; Plil..\; I'.inperature. 



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