September 30, 1916 



HOETICULTURE 



439 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



CONDCCTED BT 



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QnestloD* bj our readers In Une wltb an/ of tbe toplci presented on tbis page will be cordlallj recelred and promptl/ aaiwaredi 



b7 Mr. Farrell. Such commnnlcaUona aboald Inrarlably be addressed to tbe office of HOBTICni/TUBE. 



"If vain onr toll, we onctat to bbui* th« caltnre, not the %n\l."^Popt. 



|»'«>rANiCi 



UAftoen 



Cyclamens 



Stock in 3^ or 4 iiuh pots in ,Lfood growing order 

 at this date should be ke]it moving, whether the plants 

 will come in for Christmas or not. Only by taking 

 good care of them now can you get pay for the months 

 of trouble you had with them. While it would be 

 folly to place backward plants of cyclamen in a warm 

 house to hurry things up a bit one can accomplish a 

 good deal by removing any plants that are not far enough 

 advanced to a place where from now on they will have 

 full sunlight and be kept a little on the dry side. Wiilo 

 you grow the plants on a moist atmosphere is required 

 in order to produce good foliage and stems, but tliis 

 isn't so nec-essary when the plants ai-e to set buds, and 

 are expected to bloom. 



Care of Carnations 



Xow that the days are becoming shorter syringing 

 should be cut down to once a day, early in the morning, 

 and even then they sometimes will have to be shaken 

 to remove the surplus moisture so that they do not re- 

 main wet over night. When syringing, special atten- 

 tion should be given to the ends of the benches where 

 jiipes may be nearer the plants, and dry walks should 

 be damped down every day. If a general syringing is 

 not given every day the plants should at least get a 

 spraying through the bottom from every other walk. 

 It must be done early in the morning, so that they will 

 dry off before night. Disbudding is another thing 

 which must be done at the right time. When the plants 

 are growing fast, they shoidd be gone over at least once 

 a week. You can apply a top dressing of loam and cow 

 manure in a"|ual parts, putting it on about half an 

 inch thick. Apply a light dusting of bone flour, about 

 100 pounds to 2,000 scjuare feet of bench surface. Keep 

 the soil in the benches in as even state of moisture as 

 possible. 



Lorraine Begonias 



Ventilate carefully as we are running into tbe sliortei- 

 days now. If they luive been grown along in a moder- 

 ately warm house give them one now where a minimum 

 of oO degrees is kept. Stand them well up to tbe light. 

 It is a good plan to suspend a number over the paths 

 by wire hangers. Use care in watering and give liquid 

 stimulants occasionally. Some of these are now suffi- 

 ciently well bloomed to be quite salable. Xow is a good 

 time to do what tying is necessary. Some use three or 

 four small stakes and surround the plants with a strand 

 of silkaline. Otliers prefer one stake in the center of 

 the plant and the branches supported by a tie of this 

 material. This should be done soon, so that the plant 

 has time to assume a natural appearance. 



Next Weelc:— Acacias; Cypripediums ; Lomarlas; Marguerites 



Orchids 



Shading can l)e reduced now as they will be better 

 for all the light they can get. All such orchids as 

 eattleyas, laelia.s, celogynes, odontoglossums, dendro- 

 biums, miltonias, etc., can stand full sun by the middle 

 of October. Give ventilation whenever possible as they 

 all enjoy plenty of fresh air, outside those of the East 

 Iiulian and tropical kinds. Make it a point to change 

 the air at least once a day. Now when we are liable to 

 have spells of dark and rainy weather we shall have to 

 1)6 very careful about watering orchids. A good rule to 

 follow in whatever watering you do is to let it be done 

 fairly early in the morning, which will give tliem a 

 chance to dry out some before the night. From this 

 out overhead syringing should be gradually discontin- 

 ued. Where syringing is carried on, let it be done in 

 the morning of bright days and only in the form of a 

 fine misty spray 

 ing at least once a month. 



Orchids should be given a good clean- 



Peonies 



The best time for ])lauting peonies is September and 

 October as soon as the temperature is cool enough for 

 the plants to be sent without damage. Plant at least 

 four feet apart each way and not too near voracious 

 shrubs, the roots of which exhaust the soil. If the soil 

 lie ]>oor, it should be copiously mixed with rich manure. 

 Cow manure is tbe best for all light soils. Manure 

 must not come into direct contact with roots. The 

 plants should be inserted with the crowns or donnant 

 buds about three inches below the surface and should 

 then be well watered if it is at all dry. The peonies are 

 perfectly hardy and so robust that they grow well in 

 any ordinary garden soil. However, they furnish tbe 

 best flowers when planted in good, deep-trenuhed 

 ground, and in situations wliere the soil retains a imxl- 

 erate degree of dampness. \\'liere old clumjjs are to bo 

 divided don't cut them up into too small pieces. Leave 

 at least five or six good eyes to each clump. Grow six 

 or eight of tbe liest varieties and let tbe colors be wliite, 

 light and dai'k piid^; and one good red. 



Reminders 



Tot on schizaiillius liefore tliey lieeome pot-bound 

 and make successional sowing for spring flowering. 



Prick out pansies, violas, double daisies, myosotis, 

 and other biennials or perennials for spring sales. 



Give geraniums abundant ventilation and all the 

 sunlight possil)le and water only when showing signs 

 of dryness. 



Now is the time to lift, divide and re[)lant almost 

 all kinds of hardy perennials. The earlier the work 

 is now done the better will be the results for next year. 



Preparing Land for Ne-tt Year; Reminders. 



