October 9, 1915 



HORTICULTURE 



471 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



^ . tONDlCTED BY 



Questions by our readers in line witii any of the topics presented ou tbis page will be ooidially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzicka. Sueh communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORlICULTUKi/. 



?ueh communication 



Asparagus and Smilax 



These two greens are so coinmon on a rose growing 

 establishnieut that a word or two on them will not be 

 out of place in these columns. Where there is enough 

 headiwjm in the cross houses smilax is usually grown, 

 the remainder of the space being devoted to asparagus. 

 If a little attention is given these greens the returns 

 will be found a good deal more tlian if they are merely 

 planted and watered once in a while. In the first place, 

 these greens will tlu'ive better if allowed a little more 

 heat, then more moisture, not at the roots so much as 

 in the air, so it will be well to damp down in the cross 

 houses that are hot and dry as a rule. This should not 

 be allowed to get into the rose houses, however, as roses 

 have different habits and the wet warm atmosphere will 

 not be beneficial to them. For fertilizer horse manure 

 will be found better for asparagus and smilax than cow 

 manure would be, and the greens will make a quicker 

 growth if this is used. A little nitrate of soda every 

 now and then as the plants need it will also hasten their 

 growth. As a rule asparagus is not planted every year, 

 but kept going as long as it will produce greens for 

 cutting, and if tliis is the case with yours it will be well 

 to use a little lime now while the chrysanthemums will 

 be in season and greens will not sell so well. If the 

 greens have been forced all summer it will be necessary 

 to dry them off a little now applying a dose of lime to 

 sweeten the soil and to kill what earth worms there 

 may be in it. If there are too many of these they will 

 be largely responsible for the plants not drying out well, 

 as they fill the bottom layer of soil witli slime and stop 

 up the pores, thus preventing air from getting in much, 

 and this will keep the soil wet and sogg}'. When apply- 

 ing the lime make sure that the greens are dry so that 

 none of the lime will stick to the tops and thus render 

 it useless for market. Lime can also be slacked and 

 used in the form of liquid manure and if made strong 

 enough will be even more ett'ective in ridding the soil 

 nf worms. Sow bugs and thrips also bother asparagus 

 and smilax, but these can be killed with Slug Shot for 

 the first, and any good insecticide advertised in IIokti- 

 ci'i.TL'Ri:. Tiie work of thrips on smilax can be noticed 

 by the small white marks all over the Imttom leaves, 

 and often it is possible to catch the thrips at work. 



Mildew 



S. little sulphur applied tu pipes will generally rid 

 the houses of this disease, but should the plants have 

 become very soft because of being forced too much or 

 for any other reason, mildew will set in the very first 

 opportunity it gets and will be hard to eradicate for a 

 while. In a case like that sul[)hnr fumes would have to 

 be made quite strong to kill the disease, and a continued 

 use of this would be apt to blca( h the flowers to a certain 



degree, depending on how long the plants are exposed 

 to the fumes. In cases that promise to be bad at all, 

 and with buds nearly showing color we would not use 

 sulphur for the reasons stated but would spray the 

 plants with Fungine, advertised elsewhere. Many 

 growers use it regularly as a preventive, and where 

 this can be done it is better than the sulphur treatment 

 although a trifle more expensive. However, with care- 

 ful attention paid to the ventilators and to the feeding 

 of the plants there should be little trouble with mildew. 

 Roses enjoy plenty of air so it is best to keep the air 

 in the houses fresh and sweet, even though it does take 

 a little coal to do it. Keep air on all night except in 

 severe storms or when the temperature outside falls 

 below 26. 



Cover Crops 

 The proper preparation of soil for the roses before 

 planting is playing a more important part in the grow- 

 ing every year, for, with keen competition, low prices 

 for roses grown, high cost of labor and raw materials, 

 growers cannot aflord to let go anything that can be 

 done to give them better roses and sooner, for the sooner 

 the plants start cutting after jjlanting the better. To 

 have proper soil for the plants it will be necessary to 

 look after the fields well, even if this does seem to be 

 out of our line. The ground that is to be seeded to 

 grass to grow sod in the future, should be plowed up 

 as soon as possible and seeded to rye or wheat. It 

 would have been better to have done this earlier as then 

 a little winter vetch could be added, and this would 

 enrich the soil a good deal by storing nitrogen which 

 the bacteria on its roots take from the air. In the 

 spring this can be plowed under and the field seeded 

 to grass, or to some cover crop to be plowed under later, 

 and the grass seeded in late summer. If the ground 

 is weedy it would be well to let the weeds grow up 

 and plow them under before they go to seed, repeating 

 this operation until the soil is nearly free from weeds. 

 Avoid using old greenhouse soil on lots where the sod 

 is to be taken for the heaps in the near future. There 

 are certain insects and fungi that take several years to 

 die so it will be best to use the soil for fields where 

 fai-m or garden crops are to be grown. Xever allow 

 any soil to lay exposed to the weather over winter. A 

 large amount of plant food is wasted in this way every 

 year, especially on sloping ground where the soil is 

 bound to wash. -Ml growers know the important part 

 played by good soil in successful rose growing, and the 

 ideal soil can seldom l>c had from natural liclds. Most 

 of the soil has to lu' made, so if this end has not been 

 looked after in. the past it can be turned into profit 

 to look after the sod-growing fields, and beginning right 

 now. 



