August 3, 1912 



HORTICULTURE 



143 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



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

 by Mr. Ruzicka. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HOUTICULTURE. 



More on Painting 



Early fall is the best time to do all painting. After 

 a hot summer the wood is more apt to be dry than in the 

 spring after the winter's snows and rains. Paint applied 

 to wood that is not perfectly dry will surely crack, blis- 

 ter or peel, and we all know what tluit means. 



In applying paint use plenty of "elbow grease" and 

 rub the paint into the wood as much as possible to fill 

 all the pores and grain. This will go a good way toward 

 making the paint stick. Sandpaper, scrape or otherwise 

 remove as much of the old loose paint as possible and 

 then apply a thin coat of paint. Never use thick paint 

 — by thin paint we do not mean paint that will run all 

 over the glass : but do not ha\ c it almost as thick as 

 putty. 



Potty 



Speaking of putty — be sure to remove all loose, old 

 putty from the sash bars before attempting to fill crevices 

 around the glass. Never apply putty to new wood unless 

 it has had a coat of paint. If no paint has been applied 

 to the wood, it will draw the oil out of the putty leaving 

 it almost dry and it will all crack and fall out within two 

 years. 



Weeds 



I think florists and growers of all kinds of flowers, 

 nurserymen, farmers and in fact anyone interested in 

 horticulture and gardening should adopt a rule similar 

 to the "swat the fly" now creating widespread interest. 

 Our idea of this rule would be "never pass a weed without 

 destroying it" and the same with insects. If the weeds 

 are kept down for three or four years and not allowed to 

 go to seed they will decrease so that it will be an easy 

 matter to keep a place practically free from them. 



I like Mr. Penson's note on our great friend, Mr. Toad. 

 Do not do anything that would harm these friends in any 

 way. They are just as great a help in a rose house as they 

 would be outside. No doubt as Mr. Penson says the 

 "fair sex" may have some objections to have Mr. Toad 

 hop out unannounced into the walk from his cool shadv 

 retreat ; and yet I am positive that if the importance of 

 Mr. Toad's presence was carefully explained his unan- 

 nounced venture into the walk would be welcomed and 

 he would be loved instead of being scorned. And now 

 to rose growing once more. 



Steam in July ? 



This may seem like one of tlie millions of foolish ques- 

 tions and yet last week we had several real cool nights 

 Ihat would bring the houses down to 54. No harm, some 

 may say, and yet with the day's heat the houses should 

 never be allowed to run so cool as that at night. It would 

 not be wise to shut down the ventilators and thus keep 

 Ihe house warmer. The only thing to do is to give a 

 little heat if possilile. Here is wliere steam will come 

 in handy. Hot water will be slow in circulating where 

 steam, when properly installed, will circulate with one 

 pound pressure and even less. It will take a little coal, 

 but it pays in the long run especially where Beauties are 

 grown. 



The cool wave should also have given the growers a 

 good chance to rid their plants of all pests, if any have 

 been around. We And it best not to allow a greenfly to 

 appear, and wlien you once get rid of them all it is not so 

 very difficult to keep them out. 



Sod for Next Season 



Summer is t)ie time to determine where to get sod 

 for the coming season. It is hard to tell the condition 

 of the soil in the 'winter or early spring, but in the snm- 

 mer you can easily tell by the amount of grass on it. 

 Growers with a little ground should try to secure sev- 

 eral acres somewhere near the houses if possible and 

 grow their own sod. In selecting a piece of ground to 

 be seeded to grass for sod, select ground that grows good 

 corn. These may seem a crude way to say that such 

 ground contains the elements essential to growing roses, 

 but nevertheless it is true, as can be easily determined 

 by trial. The mixture of grass to use in seeding down 

 ground for sod must be determined by the climate, soil 

 and other surroundings. I think growers should exper- 

 iment on the effect of crops grown on the soil previous 

 to sodding and after a few years of careful investigation, 

 just what is best can be more easily determined. 



The Abyssinian Primrose 



Primula verticilhita, the Abyssinian Primrose, is a 

 jilant whose beauty demands that it should be grown far 

 more in gardens than it is at present. It forms a splen- 

 did subject for greenhouse decoration, and its clear yel- 

 low flowers produced in whorls, the farina-covered foli- 

 age and, above all. its delicate fragrance never fails to 

 chann. 



The seeds should be sown now, in pans of light soil 

 and kept shaded from bright sunshine. Wlien the seed- 

 lings are large enough to handle they should be trans- 

 planted to flats or pans, placing them 11/2 inches apart. 

 On attaining sufficient size they should be potted into 

 ■j-inch pots, still keeping them in a fairly light compost. 

 When the pots become full of roots the plants may be 

 transferred to 5-inch pots, in which they will flower, 

 using a somewhat heavier compost, to which has been 

 added some well-decayed manure. As the plants become 

 pot-bound, feeding may be resorted to, using any ap- 

 proved complete fertilizer. It is necessary at this stage 

 to be careful not to splash water on to the foliage as this 

 washes off the farina and tends to spoil their appearance. 

 Although the Abyssinian Primrose will stand a fairly 

 low temperature it is not advisable to grow it in a house 

 where the night temperature falls below 45 degrees — 

 cold draughts also must be avoided. 



By following the directions given above it will be 

 ]iossible to have plants in flower towards the end of 

 April when their attractive appearance and long period 

 of blooming will not fail to compensate for the really 

 small amount of trouble involved in growing them. 



