August 24, 1912 



HORTICULTUEE 



263 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



CONDUCTED BY 



^#*4«r>/^. A-l/l^S^ 



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

 by Mr. Parrell. Such commnnlcatlons should Inrarlably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURR. 



LIDRAP"' 



NEW YC 

 |80TA,\'ICAL 



Cyclamen for Next Year 



In order to liave fine strong plants of this fine winter 

 bloomer, seeds should be sown any time from now up 

 to the middle of September. Do not be afraid to buy 

 a good strain, even if they do cost a little more, for 

 they will pay you in the end. To have this seed germi- 

 nate well give them a proper mixture to grow in. They 

 will come up fine in a compost of fibrous loam and leaf 

 mold in equal parts, and enough of sand to make it 

 gritty and porous, with good drainage of crocks. Fill 

 your pans within half an inch of the top with very 

 finely sifted compost, which should be about half an 

 inch deep upon the other mixture. Scatter the seed 

 evenly over the surface and press it down moderately 

 firm. Cover with about a fourth of an inch of the fine 

 mixture and place in a warm house. All pans should 

 be covered with a pane of glass and kept well shaded 

 until seeds show signs of germination, when they should 

 have full liglit. See that they are kept nice and moist 

 by sprayings whenever they may require it. 



Begonia Lorraine 



We are now coming to a season when these plants 

 make their main growth, and they must not be neglect- 

 ed in any way from this out. They will require cou- 

 sideralde attention in the way of staking and tying up; 

 use only enough stakes to keep them up neatly and in 

 such a way as to be inconspicuous as possible. Go over 

 the plants often and give them room to spread and 

 grow. They do better when set upon inverted pots; 

 this allows them a better circulation of air and light 

 and produces nice foliage from the pot up. Do not keep 

 the house too deeply shaded, as they like plenty of in- 

 direct light from this out. Your earliest batch that are 

 well established with plenty of roots should receive some 

 liquid manure every week. Give great care as to water- 

 ing so as to keep them in an even state of moisture, for 

 a whole lot depends upon it. Keep the flowers picked 

 as yet because they will be more salable from November 

 until after Christmas. 



Liliom Candidam 



These bulbs will be arriving now. Procure bulbs 

 that are grown in the north of France, as these have 

 better foliage with flowers of broader petals, and with 

 a stem that carries all the way from 8 to 12 flowers. 

 Plant these bulbs as soon as you get them, as you will 

 find both leaf and root growth have already begun. I 

 think you will find 8 and 10-inch pots the best, using 

 three and five bulbs to a pot. Of course a good many 

 grow tliem in a six-inch pot. Prepare a good rich com- 

 post — say three parts of turfy loam and one part of 

 well-decayed manure, and free drainage. When they 

 are potted give them thorough soaking and then wait 

 until they are tolerably dry liefore giving any more. 

 You can plunge these pots anywhere outside until the 

 severity of the frost has firmed the soil in the pots, 



when they should be placed in some cold frame and 

 given slight protection so the pots will not break. 



Orchids 



Give your phalaenopsis a moist and genial tempera- 

 ture by damping down and closing down the house 

 early. Now that the nights begin to get cooler it will 

 be advisable to have a little fire heat from this out, to 

 keep the temperature from 65 to 70 degrees during the 

 night. Wliere the shading is quite heavy it will be well 

 to remove some of it, as they only need just enough to 

 keep off the direct rays of the sun. Such species as 

 Phalaenopsis grandiflora, P. Schilleriana, P. Aphrodite, 

 etc., that will soon l)e showing their flower spikes, 

 should be carefully looked over every day so they can 

 be kept in the right degree of moisture at the roots, and 

 when watering be sure that you wet the whole mass 

 thoroughly. All dendrobiums should be carefully 

 watched and those that have finished up their growth 

 should be removed to a more airy situation, but avoid a 

 too rapid drying off, as this should be gradually done. 

 This treatment is especially applicable to Dendrobium 

 nobile, D. Wardianum, and D. Crassinode, which delight 

 in a long rest, where they can have a cool temperature 

 and plenty of ventilation with full sun. Such treat- 

 ment greatly assists the plants in acquiring a strong 

 constitution, which always means a free flowering 

 later on. 



Propagation 



Now is the time, before we have any heavy frost, to 

 put in a batch of cuttings of bedding plants, such as 

 ageratum, alternanthera, double alyssum, bedding be- 

 gonias, coleus, heliotropes, double lobelias, petunias, 

 salvias, verbenas, etc. These can be put in sand in the 

 propagating house, or in a bench and kept moist and 

 shaded until they root. You can also lift a good num- 

 ber of these plants and treat as stock plants, which later 

 on will give quantities of fine cuttings. WTiere large 

 quantities of bedding plants are grown one should use 

 every means now of increasing his stock. 



Potting Evergreens 



From now and up to the middle of September is the 

 best time for the successful potting of evergreens. All 

 evergreens used for decorative purposes should be lifted 

 now and potted into pots or tubs, just large enough to 

 hold them comfortably. Any good rich soil will do. See 

 that they have plenty of drainage and are potted firmly. 

 Stand them in some sheltered place where they can have 

 some shade until they get well established. Keep the 

 soil in a nice moist condition by giving them water as 

 needed, and they should also have frequent syringings 

 during the day, as they will establish themselves more 

 quickly. Wliere you have a lot of these evergreens in 

 pots or tubs all summer, now is a good time to remove 

 the old soil down to the active roots and replace with 

 some soil and manure in equal parts. 



Mr. Parrell's next notes will be on the following: Summer Bulbous Plants; Feeding Chrysanthemums; Housing Decorative Plants; 



Lifting Berried Solanums; Perennial Border; Stevlas. 



