December 2, 1916 



H K T I C U L T TJ E E 



727 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



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Questions by our readers in line with any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruziclts. Such communications should iuvaiiably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Watch For Crown Gall 



This disease lias never bothered us iu the rose houses 

 until recently when it was brought in on some plants 

 that were purchased, and judging from reports it is 

 appearing every here and there all over the country. It 

 resembles black knot on plums and peaches and wild 

 cherry and as far as we know it is the same thing. The 

 only cure is to cut it oil' the plants and burn it as soon 

 as it is seen. Often it will grow at the base of the plant 

 on the roots, in which case it can be located by looking 

 for it on all plants that do not thrive well compared with 

 their neighbors. If other plants are on hand big enough 

 to replant the best way would be to pull out the plant 

 with as much soil as possible and burn it, setting the 

 new plant in its place. Where no plants are on liand 

 and it is discovered on time, the growth can be cut off 

 with a sharp knife and burned. If it is cut off close to 

 the plant, and the wood where the growth was found 

 scraped clean with a sharp knife, it is not likely to ap- 

 pear again on the same plant. AVe have not known this 

 disease to be plentiful enough to cause any noticeable 

 loss, but as it may appear here and there it is best to get 

 right after it and keep it out. It is caused by bacteria 

 which no doubt comes from the soil. It would be well 

 to bear this fact in mind when getting soil for the sod 

 lieaps this fall and not take any soil from under or near 

 wild cherry trees, or fruit trees affected with this dis- 

 ease. Also if there are any trees on the place so af- 

 fected it will be best to remove the diseased limbs and 

 burn them at once, and should the whole tree be badly 

 affected dig it out with tlie roots and burn it all in 

 the boilers if possible, so there will be no chance of any 

 unburned portion of the diseased wood getting into the 

 soil. 



Mulching Beauties 



It will be necessary to mulch once more in the earlier 

 planted houses of Beauties and this work will have to be 

 done with the utmost care for it will be very easy to do 

 more harm than good. To begin with, the manure 

 sliould be well decayed and thoroughly mixed by being 

 turned over frequently. It should not be hot and should 

 be cow manure only. When applying the mulch it will 

 be best to apply only enough to protect the roots, and 

 nowhere near as heavy as the first mulching done in 

 the late summer or early fall. Often all that is neces- 

 sary is to apply a little manure along^ the front edge of 

 the benches, where the mulcii that was given before has 

 been dissolved by frequent waterings. Make sure that 

 the plants are not too dry when the mulch is applied, 

 and water them as soon as it is on. This will take the 

 heat out of the manure should there be any in it, and 

 it will also wash down a great deal of ammonia which 

 would otherwise escape into the air and perhaps burn 

 some of tlie leaves. Unless the night following is very 

 cold leave a crack of air on the house to make sure that 

 no harm will come to the plants from the odor of the 

 manure. As the darkest days of the winter are coming 

 be careful not to mulch too heavily, giving merely 



enough to protect the roots, and depend on liquid ma- 

 nure, sheep manure, bone meal, etc., to give the plants 

 the food they need. 



Cleaning Up 



Plants will not only look much better if they are kept 

 clean but they will do much better as well, if aU the dead 

 leaves are kept picked off, and the surface of the benches 

 stirred enough to keep the top of the soil open and 

 sweet. No scratching should be done as the roots by 

 this time are near the surface, but the coarse lumps can 

 be rubbed over as the leaves are picked. This should 

 not disturb the roots in any way, and will prove a great 

 benefit to the plants which need air as well as food and 

 water. There are bound to be some dead leaves, espe- 

 cially in commercial houses where the roses are planted 

 close" together and made to carry plenty of growth. 

 Some of the bottom leaves are bound to die this way 

 as they get shaded so badly that they are of no use at 

 all to the plant. On private places where quality of 

 flowers and foliage as well as general appearance of the 

 plants must always be the first consideration, they can 

 be planted further apart, and then they will not lose so 

 many leaves. If the plants lose foliage through nat- 

 ural causes such as mentioned, growers will have no 

 occasion to worry. Tying too tight, or rather bunching 

 the plants too much when tying to stakes, will kill a 

 good many leaves unnecessarily, but this can be 

 avoided. 



Sulphur on the Pipes 



As there is mucli more heat in the pipes now that the 

 weather has been cold and the ventilators are open less 

 and less every day, the amount of sulphur used on the 

 pipes will have to be much less than was used earlier 

 when air was always on and heat used only a few hours 

 each night. Care should be taken not to apply sulphur 

 to pipes^ carrying more than eight pounds of steam. If 

 they have more 'than that, a little lime will have to be 

 added to the sulphur to keep this from evaporating too 

 rapidly, thus making the fumes too strong and bleach- 

 ing tlie flowers if not burning some of the leaves. In 

 the old style rose house, twenty feet \\nde, one pipe 

 around the house painted every ten feet or so will be all 

 the sulpliur needed as a fumigation to prevent mildew 

 or to check a slight attack. If mildew has spread badlj 

 a little more will be needed, but this is an exception as 

 it should never be allowed to spread at all. As soon as a 

 speck or two ajipears here and there, see that the cause 

 is found and removed and the disease kept from spread- 

 ing by killing it at once. A little sulphur on the pipes 

 at^night, followed by a syringing the next day, will do 

 the work very nicely. Or the plants can be sprayed reg- 

 ularly with Fungine. Dusting with sulphur should not 

 be resorted to at this time of the year as the sun is not 

 strong enough to affect it any, and it will likely do harm 

 1)V bleaching the buds wherever it touches them. Never 

 under any '^circumstances burn sulphur in the green- 

 houses as" the fumes will surely kill everything with 

 which thev come in contact. 



