July 29, 1916 



nORTICULTURE 



135 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



ONDICTED BV 



QuesdoQB 



elved and promptly antwered 



hT niir re-iders In line with any of the topk-s presented on this page will be cordially fe'^'TI™ "f^T-TTrKF 



by Mr Far?ell Such VommSnlcatlons should Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICLLTDKE 



"If tain oar toll, we uuBlit to blame the cnltnre, not the »,.il •— .' v/tf. ^^^^ 



Callas 



Eoots that were grown in pots or benches last season, 

 have liad a good rest and are now starting stnrdy crown 

 gi-owth, are good for another sea.son. But if they arc 

 anyway soft or flabliy, get some new roots as they are 

 c-lieap enough and will be hotter in the end. Shake them 

 out and replant into .j, (i or T-inch pots, in librous 

 loam three parts and well decayed cow manure one 

 part. See that each has good drainage and place them 

 after potting in a cold frame where they can stay until 

 the first week in September. Give water freely when 

 growth starts, and keep outside as long as there is no 

 danger of frost. The most substantial blooms are 

 grown in a temperature of from -58 to 60 degrees night. 



Care of Gardenias 



Keep the beds moist and give a good syringing on all 

 liright days to keep down red spider and mealy bug. 

 It will be necessary to thoroughly damp down the 

 house two or three times a day. Attend well to venti- 

 lating so as not to cause an unequal temperature Start 

 in the morning and keep on increasing the ventilation 

 until about 80 degrees is reached with sun heat, and 

 reduce the air in the afternoon the same way until the 

 minimum of 68 or 70 degrees is reached. During cool 

 and dark weather it is better to run a little heat in the 

 ])ipes, so as to keep a night temperature of about 65 

 degrees and to dry tlie house nut a bit. Good care from 

 now on will tell the tale. 



Cinerarias 



Now and up to the middle of September is a good 

 time to sow seeds of cineraria-^. Well drained eartlien- 

 ware seed pans are filled with a very sandy mixture of 

 turfy loam and partly decayed leaf mold. After a good 

 watering down the seeds are thinly scattered on the 

 surface, pressed down with a piece of smooth board, 

 and the pans covered with panes of glass. As soon as 

 they afford a hold to thumb and finger a pricking off 

 into other pans or flats is in order, and after they have 

 made four or six leaves pot off into small pots. As they 

 attain size give a shift into larger pots every now and 

 then. The richness of the compost for each shift should 

 be slightly increased. 



French Bulbs 



The earliest shipments of Koinan hyacinths, paper 

 white and trumpet major narcissi are now due any 

 time. Some of each should bo placed in flats at once. 

 The paper whites can remain in light all the time, but 

 the Roman hyacinths, and trumpet majors are better 

 kept in a cellar, or if in a lighter place, given a coating 

 of coal ashes after being well watered. Tlie top of 

 each bulb when planted should be even with the sur- 

 face of the soil. Make the soil around the bulbs moder- 

 ately firm. When well rooted they can be brought into 



Next Week :— Cattleya gigas ; Uepairing; Feeding ChrysanthemuiTis 



a Ijuht house and at a temiierature of (SO degrees they 

 uilfbe in flower hi seven or eight weeks. The paper 

 whites are easily flowered in November, but the 

 hyacinths and trumpet majors come later usually be- 

 in-^ in good shape for Christmas. Watch all bulbs after 

 planting and see that they do not become dij at the 

 roots. 



Harrisii Lilies 



Bermuda lilies aiv now about due. If they are want- 

 ed to bloom early, pot at once as soon as received. A o- 

 iuch pot will do'for a -5x7 bulb; for a 7xi) bulb a 6-inch 

 pot will suit better. Use any good loam with about one- 

 rourth of its bulk of well decayed cow manure thorough- 

 Iv mixed. Place the bulbs so that after they are potted 

 thev will be entirely below the surface of the soil. Alter 

 a o-ood watering to settle the soil, they should be stooji 

 closely together in a frame and covered with 4 or o- 

 inches of soil so a.s to keep them cool and moist In 

 about a month or six weeks most of the bidbs should 

 have made a good start with roots and should tlien be 

 brou.ght into a sunny house. 



Palms: Rhododendrons 



Dear Sir:-Wouid you please suggest a remedy through 



a later issue of Hchtui-i.ivke for scale on pa ms? Could 



you also recomniend a safe fertilizer that wo.Ud stimulate 



ihe plants back to a healthy state alter treatment? What 



"the best time to plant our hardy rhododendrons? 



yorton, Mass. -" Subscriber. 



T would say sponge the leaves with aphine, giving 

 ,bem quite a little rubbing, using the aphine according 

 directions and afterwards giving a good^--J'^g 

 with some force. This cleaning should be done about 

 once everv two weeksuntil you have them free of scale. 

 Sere i^' no better safe stimulant than liquid cow 

 manure "iven once a week. A bushel of manure to a 

 a . "of^vater ; that is, 48 to 50 gallons of wa er. Le 

 il^stand for two or three days then apply the liquid to 



^'Thrbest time to plant rbod.ulendrons is early in the 

 sprino- just as soon as you can work the gi-ound It 

 ■irbenei to have the gn--\ P-P-'" /" ,|,';f /'j .^^J 

 trenching and work in lots of leaf mold. The) like a 

 somewhat sheltered situation from the sun m ordei 

 to do w.ell. 



Reminders 



"7)rder all bulbs that are needed, without delay. 

 Pot 11)1 Boston and other ferns as they require. 

 Mark all the best foms of double petunias for stock 



^' 'a quantity of bulb flats will soon be needed, so see 



that they are repaired. , ' , ., • ii„ 



Turn potted stock that is plunged outside occasionally 



to cheek them from r.ioting through. 



(ioranlum Cuttings; Winter Flowering Sweet Peas; Ki-minders. 



