November 6, 1915 



HORTICULTURE 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



NDUCTKD BY 



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



by Mr. Farrell. Such communlcuUons should invariably be addressed to the ofllce of HORTICULTUKB. 



"If vain our toil, we ousht to blame the cnltare, not tbe boIL" — Pope. 



Azaleas 



The best azaleas for early forcing, to be had in bloom 

 easily by Christmas, are Simon Mardner, Apollo, 

 Deutsche Perle, Pauline Mardner and Vervaeneana. Be- 

 fore the azaleas go into their pots a thorough soaking 

 of the root balls is necessary. The inner core of the 

 ball when once dried out, remains in that condition 

 ever afterward, no matter how regularly and thoroughly 

 the pots are watered. The failure of plants to do well 

 may in nearly all instances be traced to dry roots. 

 After being potted they should not be exposed to sun- 

 shine for eight or ten days, nor to frosty weather at 

 any time although a very cool and airy place suits them. 

 Those that are needed for Easter can be plunged in 

 cold frames until later when you will have time to pot 

 them up. 



Cinerarias 



Plants from seed that was sown from August 15 

 up to the first week in September and grown in flats, 

 should now be ready for 3-inch pots. Use a soil com- 

 posed of three parts of fibrous loam and two of leaf 

 mold with a good sprinkling of sand for the first pot- 

 ting. Keep close for a few days until the roots take 

 hold of the new soil, when they should be given a place 

 near the glass in a house where the temperature runs 

 near 40 degrees at night. For the second potting and 

 others that are to follow leave out all leaf mold, but 

 give them a rich compost of two-thirds fibrous loam 

 to one-third of well-decayed cow manure with a dash 

 of guano and soot. Fumigate often for the a[ihis. 

 Never let them approach anything like a pot-bound 

 condition before giving them a shift until flowering 

 size is reached. Those that are intended for Christmas 

 should be kept in a temperature of about 40 degrees to 

 45; anything higher will ruin your crops of flowers. 



Cyclamen 



Every good florist has lots on his mind at all times 

 so it is Tery easy for him to overlook some of his plants. 

 Cyclamens that you sowed the first half of Sep- 

 tember should be nicely above ground now. See that 

 they are placed well up to the glass so as to keep them 

 sturdy, and when they are large enough to handle 

 shift into other flats. Here they can grow without Ijc- 

 ing disturbed for another two months. Let them have 

 a light compost for which one-half each of loam and 

 leaf mold with plenty of sand will be suitable. Kocj) 

 in a warm house at 55 to 60 degrees at night. Keep 

 the surface soil frequently scratched. In transplant- 

 ing these little cyclamens don't leave the little bulb on 

 the surface, but put it just below. They will soon work 



Nc.\t week— Ardlsias; Callns; Crotons; French 



tlieir way to the top. Be careful in watering so as not 

 to sour the compost. 



Orchids 



Watering should be done fairly early in the morning, 

 so that the moisture dropped on foliage and benches 

 will dry up before night. Syringing overhead should 

 be gradually discontinued. When done at all, let it be 

 on the mornings of clear days. Do not play the hose 

 directly on the plants as this makes too heavy a stream. 

 Always use a fine misty spray. A decreased water sup- 

 ply all around will be necessary now. It is always safe 

 to underwater rather than overwater. Tliis question 

 of ventilation is not half considered. It is the rock 

 on which many would-be orchid growers perish. Too 

 many still persist in keeping orchids too hot and stuf- 

 fy. Outside of the purely East Indian, tropical kinds, 

 all like air in abundance. Cattleyas and Laelias above 

 all enjoy plenty of fresh air. There are really but few 

 days in the year when neither top nor bottom ventila- 

 tors can be open. In the case of strong winds, enough 

 will get between the laps of glass to satisfy them. 



Poinsettias 



These plants are not so easily kept in good condition 

 when the late fall ai)proaches. We have arrived at the 

 critical time for poinsettias. Careful attention is re- 

 quired as to ventilation, firing, etc., and watering care- 

 fully from now on is of great importance. It cannot be 

 good policy to apply water which is near the freezing 

 point. Some plants may not be as particular in this 

 respect as others, but poinsettias will not stand for 

 sudden changes in temperature or for water much below 

 the temperature of the house they are in. It is better 

 to go over your pans, pots and benches often to prevent 

 any from remaining too dry and on the other hand it 

 will give a chance for any that are wet to dry out. Do 

 not feed at all until the bracts are forming; then give 

 it twice a week in moderately weak doses. Some soot 

 with the manure helps to keep the leaves green. 



Time to Start Bulbs 



The time taken under ordinary condition for the dif- 

 I'erent bulbs to form enough of roots to enable them to 

 he forced with any kind of success are — Paper white 

 narcissus, 6 to 8 weeks; Roman hyacinths, 8 to 10 

 weeks; Dutch hyacinths, 14 to 16 weeks; daffodils, jon- 

 (juils and narcissus, 14 to 16 weeks; lilies such as Ilar- 

 risii, longiflorum, gigantinm, formosum, speciosum, etc., 

 will take at least 16 to 18 weeks. Of course the time 

 will vary either one way or the other according to the 

 strength of the bulbs. 



Bulbs; Rhododendrons; Storing Hydrangeas. 



