December 23, 1916 



HOETICULTUKE 



837 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



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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. Farrell. Such communications should Invariably be addressed to the oiBce of HORTICULTURE. 



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Care of Manure 



One of the important problems is to conserve as much 

 of the fertility as possible, and still produce good crops. 

 There are two ways by which the fertilizing value in 

 manure is lost ; first by heating, and second by leaching. 

 If manure is left La piles until 85 degrees is reached, it 

 soon begins to heat, even in winter, especially if it con- 

 tains any large proportion of horse manure. When it 

 heats, the manure is decomposed and the element of 

 most value, nitrogen, is lost in the form of gas. If 

 manure is lying about the yard where rain can fall on 

 it, much of the fertility is leached out and carried away. 

 Give heed to this and always see that stable manure is 

 given proper protection. 



Gardenias 



The soil must never become either pasty or dust-dry ; 

 either condition will cause loss of buds and yellow foli- 

 age. The aim should be to keep an even moisture at the 

 roots. The minimum temperature should never be 

 lower than 65 degrees and a good fire heat to maintain 

 a buoyant atmosphere will now be a necessity". The 

 night temperature as a rule should now be 68 to 70 de- 

 grees and the atmosphere should be moist. Let the ther- 

 mometer reach 75 degrees before ventilating : then air 

 a little at a time imtil 85 degrees is reached, reducing 

 it in the same way. The plants, on ever}- clear day, 

 should have a thorough spraying to keep mealy bugs in 

 check. Go slowly on feeding. A good plan is to give 

 occasional light top-dressing of fine cow manure, in 

 preference to using manure water. During February 

 and March vou can u>e manure water with better suc- 



cess. 



Giganteum Lilies for Easter 



As soon as the shoots are well above the soil, place 

 the pots on the bench in a warm house, in 60 to 68 de- 

 grees at night. Avoid too much water imtil the pots 

 are fuU of roots. Giganteums need heat from the start, 

 and must have it or they will not flower on time. If you 

 start cool, the chances are that you wiU get a larger per- 

 centage of sickly plants and will then blame the dealer 

 for selling you diseased stock. Remember you must see 

 the buds six weeks before Easter to be sure they wiU be 

 on time. It is always well to have them a trifle early, 

 as it is better to hold them a few days in a cold house to 

 stiffen up the flowers than to force them hard the last 

 few days to open the blooms. Of course all do not 

 flower together, and. while some may need retarding, 

 others will probably need heat right up to the last. 



Next Week :— Care of Sweet Peas ; Forcing Dahlias ; Gera 



Hydrangeas 



French hydrangeas started now in a temperature of 

 50 degrees will flower in March and prove useful. Also 

 late-propagated Otaksa to be flowered with a single large 

 head each, can be put in heat now. The French varie- 

 ties bloom so much better early in the season that they 

 have practically superseded H. Otaksa. However, the 

 latter will still be grown in great numbers for later flow- 

 ering and is still without a rival for tubs for lawn, 

 piazza or other uses. It is better not to subject such 

 plants to a temperature as low as freezing, as is often 

 recommended. It is far better to let them hold all 

 their foliage. Avoid leaving hydrangeas too long in 

 frames or pits from which frost cannot be excluded. 

 The French varieties are somewhat more tender, and 

 even a little neglect here may cause a loss of all the 

 terminal buds. 



Schizanthus 



Seeds sown now will make nice plants for spring 

 flowering. Sow in a flat and pot off singly. In addition 

 to their beauty as decorative plants, schizanthus flowers 

 last wonderfully when cut. The best variety for pot 

 culture is Wisetonensis. The earliest sowing is now 

 well established in 6-inch pots and already the plants 

 have some flowers opeu. With the pots full of active 

 roots, thev must have lots of water, in addition to feed- 

 ing twice a week. If much heat is given, the shoots will 

 become weak and leggj- and the flowers will lack sub- 

 stance. A temperature of 45 degrees at night is suf- 

 ficientlv high and the plants should be well up to the 

 dass. As thev are rather brittle they must have at least 

 one stake each to prevent this breaking off near the pot. 

 Give plentv of ventilation whenever possible and see 

 that they have room between the pots. Fumigate ever)" 

 ten days. 



Reminders 



Endeavor m all dec-orative work to arrange something 

 novel or original. 



When a plant is sold from the show house always re- 

 place it with another at once. 



Always have a few freezias in the store when in season, 

 on account of their delicious perfume. 



A few notes made regarding the business done at 

 the holidays will be a great help" at next Christmas. 



niums: Oncldiums; Propagating Carnations; Reminders. 



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