August 26, 1916 



HOKTICULTUEE 



279 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



CONDUCTED BY 



^^^^.9f^.Tk^A.cu 



QnestloDB by our readers In line with any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially recelTed and promptly answered I 



by Mr. Farrell. Such communications shonld Invariably be addressed to the office of HOBTICULTUKB. 



"It vain our toll, we ouKbt to blame the enltnre, not the eolL" — I'opr. 



Bouvardias 



These can be lifted beforft they get any sharp frost. 

 and may be stored in flats of soil for stock, or they can 

 if desired, be planted in the bench of a warm house 

 where they will give a fine crop in February and March. 

 If taken up with a little ball of damp earth, they will 

 lift quite well. If all earth is shaken away, they will 

 wilt badly and be slow iiu recovering. Shade for a few 

 days after lifting and the plants in pots will establish 

 themselves more quickly under glass than outdoors. 60 

 degrees at night will grow them along all right. These 

 onetime prime favorities are not grown as they once 

 were. Like many other plants, they have had their ups 

 and downs and a turn of the tide in their favor will soon 

 be back again. 



Carnations 



Look over the beds every day and water where they 

 show dryness. Keep on ventilating all day and even at 

 night. If healthy field-grown plants have been housed 

 make it a point to keep them so ; get a bench full of 

 live stack and busy tops by the middle of October. If 

 there should be a little let-up in the rush you couldn't 

 take better advantage of it than to get the supports put 

 in place for the carnations. Wliich is the best kind to 

 use? The kind which in your judgment will hold the 

 plants up well, make the cutting of flowers an easy mat- 

 ter and will let the sun and air into the rows. The 

 winter months are not the time to attempt to get a 

 stunted plant into condition, so keep them growing now. 



Giganteum Lilies 



Make it a point to get these lilies as soon as possible 

 and pot them without delay. Easter conies on April 8th 

 next year. Give them a rich bulb compost and use either 

 6 or 7-inch pots. After they are potted place them out- 

 doors in a cold frame. Cover the pots with 5 or 6 inches 

 of soil and if we have very heavy rains give them some 

 protection as they do not like to be saturated. They 

 will make enough roots by the middle of December to 

 be brought in and placed on a bench in a temperature 

 of about 50 degrees at niglit. The bulbs can be potted 

 any time during October and will come in all right, but 

 of course, the earlier they can be potted the better. Mix 

 up the compost now and place it under cover and see 

 that j'ou have enough pots. 



' Miltonias 



These plants should not be allowed to become dry in 

 their growing season and, even when at rest, they should 

 never remain dry for any length of time. Syringing is 



Next w-pf-k — Ardisia creuulat:i : I'ansies for Winter Flowering: 

 sona : Reminilers. 



necessary at all seasons, for this group is a subject for 

 thrips. Miltonia flavescens and spectabilis do better 

 when suspended from the roof in baskets or pans. One 

 of the most beautiful of Miltonias is M. vexillaria. It 

 does very well in a house with a northern expcsure. It 

 will not stand a close stufEy atmosphere. Always have 

 a constant circulation of top and bottom air on when 

 possible. A winter temperature of 55 to 60 degrees seems 

 to suit well. This species should be more widely grown 

 commercially as it is unexcelled for table decorations. 

 Botanically, Miltonia is closely allied to Odontoglossum. 

 but in many ways their culture is very dilTerent. The 

 allied species, Miltonias Candida and cuneata, do well 

 in liberally drained pans or pots. A good comport for 

 these is rough chopped sphagnum and fibrous peat, with 

 quite a few pieces of broken chai-coal mixed very 

 thoroughly. Water so as to keep them in a nice moist 

 state at the roots. 



Transplanting Large Palms 

 One should not wait until the roots, assisted by the 

 decaying wood, have eaten their way through the 

 crumbling wood. With a properly rigged tackle the plant 

 is raised, the new tub placed under it, the plant let 

 down into it, worked about until it is exactly in the 

 center, straight up and down and just right as to the 

 depth in the box, and now the new soil is rammed into 

 the remaining space all around, after which a thorough 

 soaking will complete the job. When repotting large 

 palms, make the compost rich; say to three of chopped 

 sod use one part of well decayed manure, and about a 

 five-inch pot of bone meal to every barrow load of soil. 

 Keep the palms clean by examining them every ten days 

 and, when needed, giving a thorough cleaning to pre- 

 vent insects from gaining a foothold. When very large 

 plants must be transplanted the work is usually put off 

 until September, this being considered the best time for 

 all such operations. When potted give them a place 

 where they can be kept somewliat close for a week or two. 



Reminders 



Propagate and trans]ilant peonies now, and when 

 planted mulch the soil with half decayed manure. 



Seedling' primulas, cinerarias, calceolarias, etc., should 

 be kept quite cool with ample ventilation at all times. 



After being lifted fr<im the outside and potted, plants 

 must be kept lightly shaded and sprayed until they are 

 re-established. 



Allow crinums and other bulbous stock to finish their 

 growth before lifting. They will then keep dormant 

 longer in the spring. 



Pompon Dahlias for Christmas: Schiznnthus Wistonensis; Swaln- 



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