April 5, 1919 



HORTICULTURE 



Rose Growing 

 Under Glass 



-^- CONDUCTED BY 



Questions by our readers In line with any of the topics pre- 

 sented on this page will be cordially received and promptly 

 answered hv Sir. Ruzicka. Such communications should 

 invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Roses for the Summer 



If ymi are figuring on running a house or even a 

 couple of benches of roses for summer blooming there is 

 no better time to cut them back than right after Easter, 

 when they no doubt will be pretty well cut off. Do not 

 starve the plants, but see that, they have a normal 

 amount of plant food, at the same time be careful not 

 to apply anything too strong. Use no chemicals. Bone- 

 meal will lie ideal, and applied in moderate quantities 

 about once a week will keep the plants in nice shape. It 

 would not be advisable to mulch the plants unless they 

 need it badly and then only enough to keep them from 

 suffering, as you will not want any mulch on the benches 

 when the plants are to be dried off. Give the plants all 

 the water they will need, as this will help open up many 

 of the buds. Of course there is a limit, and watering 

 should not be overdone if the plants are to be cut back 

 and expected to produce good stock afterward. Keep 

 the plants healthy, free from spot and spider to say 

 nothing of mildew. Then when the time comes, cut 

 them back properly, and they will well repay any special 

 care taken to keep them in shape. 



The Sod Heaps 



As likely as not there is still a whole lot of sod to be 

 put up for the summer, as help was scarce last fall, and 

 many growers did not put up any sod owing to the con- 

 ditions at that time. There is no time to waste now 

 though if you expect to have good soil for the planting 

 later. As soon as the ground is dry enough to handle 

 see that a piece of suitable sod is plowed up real shallow, 

 and then hauled to the proper places where it will be 

 easy to get at when the time comes to use it. Take only 

 what can be picked up with a fork, and leave all the 

 rest of the soil on the field. This will help the field 

 come back, and at the same time make nicer rose soil. 

 In piling up the sod, make the bottom layer about a foot 

 thick, giving this a good coat of manure. Then the 

 succeeding layers of sod should be only thick enough to 

 properly cover the manure. If they are made too thick 

 the manure will not have a chance to work through the 

 soil properly, and the result will be that the soil will not 

 be evenly good. As soon as the sod has been laying put 

 up a week or two, it can be chopped up> if time will per- 

 mit and thrown over, being very careful to break up the 

 lumps of manure. Do not chop the sod too fine as it will 

 decay some before it is used, and it should not be too 

 fine for the benches. Have some intelligent man do this 

 work as a good deal depends on evenly good soil when it 

 comes to produce good roses. A good clay sod is the 

 finest soil one could get, and with plenty of manure in 

 it will make ideal soil. Growers whose soil is rather 

 light will do well to look around for a hog, or a piece of 

 swamp land, and see if it cannot be dried up enough to 

 allow the muck to lie carted and put into the heaps. A 

 layer over the manure will do wonders to putting soil 

 into shape. But it must be put into soil heaps quite 

 some time before the soil is used in the greenhouse as it 



is naturally a little sour, ami if it cannot lie allowed to 

 lav where it can get plenty of sun, air and some frost 

 before it is used, see that it is put right under or directly 

 over a layer of manure in the soil heap. The manure 

 will help wonderfully in putting it into proper shape. 



Supply of Manure and Fertilizers 



See that these are ordered on time so that there will 

 he no work held up later in the summer when replanting 

 is in full swing. Wherccow manure has to come, in by 

 the carload, keep it coming. It will be a little while 

 before it is fit to use so it will not hurt to have a car- 

 load or two lying around. A protected shed is the ideal 

 place for it but it often happens that there is no shelter 

 where manure can be stored. Then there is no better 

 place than the tops of the sod heaps. It is easy to un- 

 load it there, and easy to load it again to take it to where 

 it is needed if it cannot he placed right handy. If stored 

 on the sod heaps this way. any liquid that is bound to 

 leach will not be wasted but will be quickly absorbed by 

 the soil in the heap and will not be wasted. A concrete 

 platform drained into the liquid manure tank is really 

 the proper thing, but these are found on very few places. 

 Yet manure should he taken care of, as it costs money, 

 and a whole lot of money is wasted every year by im- 

 proper handling. Bonemeal tankage acid phosphate as 

 well as all other items in this line that are the growers' 

 favorites should always lie on hand in sufficient quantity 

 to meet any demand that may be made on the storehouse. 

 Feed applied to the roses at the proper time works won- 

 ders, and to have it when the time comes means to order 

 long in advance, and a continual supply on hand. Never 

 let the supply of the necessary fertilizers get low. When 

 piling the manure anywhere at all be sure to pile it so 

 that it can be easily got at when it comes to turning it 

 over. It should be turned over as often as time will 

 permit to bring it around into proper shape for mulch- 

 ing. It is wasteful to use green manure as mulch, be- 

 sides it may do great harm if not used carefully. 



Cleaning Up 



Business has been good, never better, and prospects 

 are very good. Why not do a little housecleaning this 

 spring. There are last years rose brush still in a pile. 

 There is an old heap of decaying boards, there is a heap 

 of old ashes, to say nothing of the pile of accumulated 

 rubbish of all sorts in some corner where it should least 

 he. Get the men out some Saturday afternoon, and 

 clean up. Spade up here and there for a patch of lawn 

 grass. A flower bed would look nice here and there. An 

 evergreen tree or two will be needed, and some good 

 climbing roses on little pergolas or trellises over the 

 potting sheds. Let your place be an advertisement to 

 people who pass it. and let them take notice and copy. 

 And first of all do not forget a sign, not too conspicuous 

 hut neat and to the point, telling all who wish to know 

 who you are, what you grow, and do not forget the slogan 

 "Say it with flowers." 



