July 6, 1912 



HORTICULTUKE 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BT 



i/U^l^(^^y^^<^J''^'<-^ 



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

 by Mr. Buziclsa, Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Syringing Young Plants 



Be very careful that the newl}' planted stock is not too 

 dry wlien you are thinking of syringing. During this 

 hot weather the foliage will scald very easily and should 

 the plants get badly scalded it will take a long time for 

 them to recover. In most houses plants can be given 

 a light watering early in the morning and will not be too 

 wet if syringed later. With certain soils and houses 

 this cannot be done so it is best to try and water good 

 the day before syringing. Plants that have been set 

 deep enough when planted will be very difficult to syr- 

 inge, and will be very likely to make poor growth. Bet- 

 ter take them up and plant them properly. 



Two- Year-Old Plants 



These also should be watered very carefully as over- 

 watering means disaster. Syringe these very quickly, 

 being careful not to get too much water on the bench. 

 Plants that have not been cut down and re-planted will 

 not he so particular. 



With old Beauty plants pinch out all buds as fast as 

 they appear, and build up the plants a bit before at- 

 tempting to cut any roses from these. Killarneys, Mrs. 

 Jardine, Richmond, Radiance, Melody Sunburst, My 

 Maryland, Mrs. Taft and a few others will stand the 

 same treatment, i. e., pinching to build up the plants. 

 With Bride, Bridesmaid, Kaiserin, Augusta Victoria, 

 Madison and others pinch out only the very strong 

 shoots, taking two or three leaves with each bud. The 

 weak-stemmed buds are best cut down to two eyes as is 

 customary with all roses. 



Wires for Beauties 



Many growers will place their first wire too high from 

 the surface of the bench. We find that one foot above 

 is plenty higli enough. If the first tier of wires is placed 

 too high we find the plants do not do so well. It is cus- 

 tomary to cut two eyes above the bottom wire, and the 

 wood below the wire soon becomes very hard and does 

 not circulate sap as freely as new wood; therefore the 

 nearer the new growths are to tlie roots the better. The 

 breaks on a shoot that has been cut too high are liable 

 to be weak. Although the first break or two may come 

 strong, the next ones surely will be weak which will keep 

 up until all wood in the houses is weak and spindling 

 and refuses to set. Were it not that it is very difficult 

 to work around plants tied too low, we would recom- 

 mend placing the bottom wire even nearer, but this 

 woul] not do, for the danger of spot would then be in- 

 creased, the air not circulating underneath the plants 

 very well and thus leaving the bottom foliage always 

 more or less moist. 



Manure for Fall Mulching 



If no manure has been heaped for the early fall mulch 

 get some as soon as possible. In buying manure, look 

 more at the quality tlian at the price. Cheap manure is 



bound to have too much straw in it and it certainly pays 

 to get good manure, even though the piice is a little 

 higher than for the poor inferior kind. Heap it into 

 nice neat heaps, under cover if at all possible, and have 

 it turned once every week, breaking up the lumps as 

 much as possible. If this is done the manure ought to 

 be in shape by the time the first house of roses is ready 

 for its first mulch. It would not be advisable to add any 

 soil to the manure as j'et. If soil is added it becomes 

 too heavy to handle. Therefore keep manure and soil 

 separate. 



A Concrete Floor for Manure Shed 



It is a wonder to me that so many florists let their 

 manure lie exposed to the weather when it costs but lit- 

 tle to build a small shed, with a concrete floor. As con- 

 crete work is not so very complicated, it can be done with 

 the aid of the help on the place. Have a little cistern 

 that will receive all the drain. This can be well utilized 

 as liquid manure to be applied to the roses later on, or 

 can be used for watering outside flowers and vegetables 

 while they are small. Soaking the manure with it is 

 also ven' good. Any ordinary pump will answer the 

 purpose and can be bought very reasonable. By all 

 means build a manure shed and save many dollars by 

 utilizing liquid manure that now runs down the creek or 

 soaks into the ground in places where not a drop of it is 

 absorbed by trees or other vegetation. 



Lime 



Now is also the best time to see about procuring 

 enough lime to do for the season. By an-anging with 

 lumber yards lime can usually be purchased at a very rea- 

 sonable figure, for many yards carry a large stock and 

 some of it is bound to slack and become quite useless to 

 them, and yet this very Ume is just the thing for the rose 

 grower. To keep good, lime must be stored in a place 

 that is perfectly dry, free from all moisture. Most 

 places have special lime boxes where lime is kept dry, 

 and can be screened and used whenever it is wanted. Our 

 opinion is no rose grower should be without at least a 

 little lime on hand at all times. Even now in the hot 

 dry weatlier it happens at times that houses are syringed 

 lieavily in the morning and the afternoon is cloudy with 

 a heavy rain. A little lime blown around the house at 

 such times is the finest thing in the world. Do this the 

 last thing at night, i. e., just before quitting. 



Protecting Iron Posts 



All columns, pipes and supports that run through the 

 bench to the floor of the greenhouses should be properly 

 boxed so that no soil will come near them, otherwise it 

 will not be very long before they are rusted through, and 

 anyone who has to replace one or two will appreciate 

 having all posts securely boxed. A good coat of paint 

 should also be applied quite often to keep all supports in 

 prime condition. If this is not done the house will 

 'oon be all out of shape. 



