Work for the Month of February 



By Henry Gibson 



February is an excellent time to do any necessary 

 overhauling among such foliage plants as palms, cro- 

 tons, dracaenas, pandanus, marantas, etc. The ma- 

 jority of these require an annual repotting or top 

 dressing. While a good growing medium is indis- 

 pensable to success with these plants, yet it does not 

 follow that the compost used must be of a very rich 

 nature. In fact, we believe that a rich potting ma- 

 terial detracts from the beauty of the crotons, pan- 

 danuses and other highly colored foliage plants, inso- 

 much as it sets up a rapid growth and the plants take 

 on a green color that is far from encouraging to those 

 who admire a well colored foliage plant. June loam, 

 leafmold and sand with the addition of a little soot 

 and charcoal is a mixture that suits a good many of 

 these plants. 



In potting, small shift should be the rule. When 

 oven potted the soil is apt to become waterlogged and 

 sour before the roots have time to penetrate it and 

 success under such conditions is impossible. Such 

 plants as are not in need of repotting may, after hav- 

 ing some of the old soil cleaned away, be top dressed 

 with some of the potting material. For palms, and 

 especial!}- fur large plants, the soil would be better 

 with the addition of some oH cow manure and coarse 

 bone. Pot firmly and water with caution until the 

 roots begin to permeate the new compost. As the 

 work of repotting proceeds it would be well to look 

 over each ])lant to see if it is free from scale, mealy 

 bug. Don't put dirty plants back in the houses. A 

 little insecticide will loosen up the scale and a Stott 

 nozzle on the end of a good hose is the most effective 

 method of cleaning ofT mealy bug that we know of. 



The present month is a good time to increase one's 

 stock of crotons, dracaenas, pandanus, etc. A close 

 propagating case with a brisk bottom heat is neces- 

 sary and the cuttings should be freely svringed on 

 bright days. Sometimes it is found that pandanuses 

 do not furnish much material for projiagating pur- 

 poses, and \\hen this cliies occur it will be found a 

 great encouragement to the development of side 

 growth if a few of the center leaves of the old plants 

 are pulled out, thus checking its growth. It may be 

 necessary to give some shading to the more highly 

 colored leaved plants in order to prevent scorching. 

 In the event of this being necessary, make it light, for 

 we are sure to have some dark weather yet. 



C.M.ANTHES. 



These beautiful terrestrial orchids are now nearing 

 the end of their flowering season and as their success 

 another season depends greatly on the treatment they 

 receive during the next two or three months, it will 

 be well not to overlook them. After the flowers are 

 cut, the bulbs should be rested for seven or eight 

 weeks in a dry place where the temperature does not 

 go below fifty degrees. They should then be shaken 

 out of their flowering pots and stood close together 

 on a mixture of sand and leafmold in shallow boxes, 

 where a temperature of from sixty-five to seventy de- 

 grees at night can be maintained. By keeping the 

 material they are resting on moist and sprinkling 

 lightly overhead occasionally, the bidbs will come intn 

 active growth. When the young roots are fairlv 

 active again potting should be done at once, or man'v 

 of the young rootlets will be broken. 



C.-VMPANULAS. 



Mention was made in our November notes of the 

 usefulness of these subjects for conservatory decora- 

 tion (luring spring. Now is the time to bring them 

 from the frame where they have been wintered into a 

 cool greenhouse. Campanulas need to be well rooted 

 in their pots and no attempt should be made to force 

 them. If put in a high temperature they will not 

 come a bit faster and the first thing one knows they 

 are danijiing oft'. They require a temperature of 

 forty-eight degrees now and three or four weeks 

 hence they will stand a little more, and when once they 

 begin to shove their flower spikes above the foliage 

 one can expect to see flowers inside of a month. 



X'lor.icTS. 



For those \\ ho propagate their own stock, the violets 

 are now showing some fine material for the sand. 

 Take none but the sturdiest and healthiest cuttings and 

 put them in the propagating bench in the carnation 

 house. Give them some shade, any necessary water- 

 ing and moisture and they will soon root. When this 

 is done they can be placed into shallow boxes using 

 two parts loam, two parts leafmold, one part rotted 

 manure and the same of sand. Plenty of ventilation 

 is necessary to keep them sturdy. Care should be ex- 

 ercised when watering to avoid getting them in a wet 

 sour condition. Give an overhead spraying on fine 

 days and keep the night temperature as near forty- 

 five degrees as possible. The old plants should have 

 plenty of air on all favorable days. No set rule can be 

 laid down. During the mild spells it is ahvaN's good 

 practice to lower the fires lest the temperature runs 

 up too high, which would not only detract from the 

 (juality of the blooms, but also lowers the vitality of 

 the j^lants to a marked degree. 



.\ sharp watch should be kept for both green and 

 black fly, which soon make short work of violets if 

 allowed to become established. So don't overlook 

 fumigating. 



CuRVS.VXTHEMCilS. 



With the advance of the new year the growers of 

 'mums for exhibition purposes usually turn their 

 thoughts to propagating and no doubt ere these notes 

 appear plenty of stock will be rooted. For slow grow- 

 ing varieties and where extra large bush plants are 

 wanted this is alright, yet we are of the opinion that 

 for general exhibition purposes the present month and 

 on through March is the proper time for rooting cut- 

 tings. On the other hand, however, it would not be 

 doing any particular variety justice to propagate it 

 too late and condenni it as worthless when by earlier 

 propagation it might have had a chance to show its 

 merits. 



All stock plants should have a well lighted bench in 

 a house where the temperature is around fifty at night. 

 If the stock has been wintered in a frost-proof frame, 

 remove the covering from them and give air on all fa- 

 vorable occasions, so as to avoid weak spindly growth. 

 Sturdy short-jointed cuttings are what one wants to 

 put in the sand. 



\\'ith a propagating bench facing north the cuttings 

 \vhen once watered in will need but little other atten- 

 tion until they are rooted. As soon as they have made 

 roots half an inch long, they should be potted. Many 

 (Contiiiiicd on page 20.) 



