HORTICULTURE 



May 10, 1919 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



ARTHUR C. RUZICKA. 



Your articles "Rose Growing Under 

 Glass" are always read by me with 

 the greatest interest. I would like 

 some information about pinching in 

 summer of both young and old plants, 

 to build them up for winter blooming; 

 just when and where to take off the 

 growth on large and small wood. B. 



Plants that are planted early, will 

 require very little pinching, for if they 

 receive good culture they will grow to 

 a size large enough to produce plenty 

 of cut flowers during the winter 

 months. It is not the best thing in 

 the world to have the plants very 

 large. The main thing is to have them 

 well rooted. To do this it is advisable 

 not to over water them during the 

 summer months, giving them enough 

 water only to keep them going all the 

 time, and to insure a good sturdy 

 growth. If the plants are well rooted, 

 they will have to grow if given propel 

 care and feed next fall and winter. 

 With late planted plants it will be 

 best to pinch just a little, and then 

 the buds should be taken off as soon 

 as they show, which will be when they 

 are about the size of a grain of wheat, 

 or even smaller should they be de- 



tected then. Take the bud out with the 

 top leaf down to a good leaf, that is a 

 leaf with five leaflets to it, as the top 

 one will have only three and the eye 

 with this leaf will seldom produce 

 good growth. Pinch only once, and 

 then let the bud open and cut it when 

 a flower. If you need short stuff let 

 the two come, as there generally will 

 be two when a bud is pinched. If in 

 need of long roses, clean off the stem 

 to only one growth selecting the best 

 of the two or three that started. Get 

 all your plants in before the 15th of 

 July, and you have little to worry 

 about. Give them good soil, good care, 

 and you will be well repaid. You can- 

 not be too careful as to selection and 

 proper mixing of soil, nor can you get 

 the houses too clean. Do not use too 

 much soil, especially if you plant late. 

 Three inches is plenty for late plant- 

 ing. Be careful in cutting to leave two 

 good eyes on the plant, never more, as 

 this makes a lot of hard wood, 

 through which sap has to flow to make 

 flowers. Keep the plants as low as 

 you can. 



Arthur C. Ruzicka. 



Starting a Florist Business 



As a subscriber to Horticulture 

 I am writing you for some information. 

 I am thinking of starting a small flor- 

 ist business. I have always had quite 

 a success with pleasure flowers and 

 since my husband's death I feel that 

 I might take up this work. I am sit- 

 uated in the midst of four prosperous 

 towns and the nearest greenhouse is 

 sixty-five miles away. My yard is an 

 old one with evergreens, such as Deo- 

 dar cedar, Norway spruces, magnolias, 

 box, and many other beautiful ever- 

 green, and I thought perhaps this 

 would be a great help in the making 

 of designs, etc. I want to make de- 

 signs a specialty. 



Now what I wish especially to know 

 is in regard to the plants to place in 

 stock for winter blooming, that is 

 whether to plant seeds now for winter 

 blooming or not. I want to raise a 

 few roses if possible. My greenhouse 

 is small, but if I utilize every possible 

 space I might be able to carry enough 

 to supply my trade. The measure- 

 ments are as follows: Length 24 feet, 

 width 12 feet. This is a double glass 

 greenhouse bought of Sunlight Double 

 Glass and Sash Co., Kentucky, and is 

 setting on a brick foundation around 

 and is dug out three feet into the 

 ground making a height from ground 

 floor to top nine feet in middle and 

 six feet on sides 



Please give me any information pos- 

 sible and if it is necessary 1 will pur- 

 e Literature to study. It is not 



convenient just at this time for me to 

 take a course at a school as I have 

 three small children. I have sufficient 

 capital to finance my undertaking. It 

 isn't altogether the money I expect to 

 get from this work but pleasure and 

 the help it will be to my growing little 

 youngsters as well. L. M. S. 



Your prospects are very good, as 

 you seem to be in a very good loca- 

 tion. I would not under any circum- 

 stances rob your trees and shrubs of 

 any branches, except perhaps here and 

 there to thin out but only very little. 

 I would keep the trees, and add to 

 them where necessary to make a real 

 little florist's place such as people 

 would love to come to. and you will 

 find people will go way out of their 

 way to buy from you. I cannot advise 

 you just how to arrange this. You do 

 that yourself taking into account the 

 lay of the land, the entrance and the 

 buildings. Also I would advise you to 

 go slow, feel your way and do not put 

 up anything expensive and permanent 

 until you are sure of your ground. As 

 you do not know just what demands 

 the business will make you will have 

 to get facilities as business develops. 

 Now regarding the greenhouse. I 

 doubt very much that you could grow 



roses successfully, and it would be 

 better if you arranged with some 

 grower to keep you supplied with 

 these and carnations. Then you ought 

 to start all such seeds as will do well 

 in your locality and also bulbs, 



As for plants for the greenhouse I 

 would advise you to buy these in small 

 quantities as you need them, getting 

 ferns, etc., small and growing them on 

 gradually while waiting to sell them. 

 Ribbons, chiffons and supplies you 

 can buy in larger quantities, as they 

 will not spoil, but even these I would 

 buy small to start until you know just 

 what the people want. Things that 

 sell well in one community will not 

 sell at all elsewhere. You can write 

 to firms advertising in Horticulture 

 for catalogues of all sorts, and read 

 these over carefully, and you will get 

 a surprising amount of information 

 from these. For books you can write 

 to the office of Horticulture and se- 

 lect what you think you need. The 

 best schooling for you would be to try 

 and get into a first-class store for a 

 while, say a year or even less. It 

 seems like time wasted but it would 

 pay you in the long run. Of course it 

 is not at all necessary, and as you 

 have capital to run on. you can afford 

 to go slow and take time. Do not cut 

 up all your trees though, rather buy in 

 all your greens ; they will cost you but 

 little, and as I suggested above you 

 can make a neat little place by adding 

 to the trees you already have. I imag- 

 ine you have no heat in the green- 

 house. This will go against anything 

 that you try to grow, as even in the 

 warm climate you should have heat in 

 damp, chilly weather. 



You can correct this in time, how- 

 ever, after you see just what you need 

 to carry on the business economically. 

 When you do get ready to remodel be 

 sure to get a good greenhouse concern 

 to do it and not any local builder or 

 plumber unless the latter work from 

 plans furnished by greenhouse people. 

 The greenhouse building is a trade all 

 by itself and many who thought of 

 saving money by letting local men 

 tamper with their greenhouses have 

 had bitter experience and after losing 

 money have had to get regular green- 

 house men to do the work in the end. 

 When making up designs be sure to 

 figure up the costs properly, and do 

 not forget to charge enough for the 

 ribbons and chiffons. Otherwise you 

 will do a big business, work hard, and 

 have nothing left. You should figure 

 all flowers in at retail, as well as rib- 

 bons, moss, letters, and time and then 

 expense and last, but not least, the 

 profit. If I can help you any more 

 than this, just let me hear from you. 

 Arthur C. Ruzicka. 



