Septemlier 14, 1312 



H im C U L T U R E 



375 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



. CONDUCTED BY 



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

 by Mr. Ruzicka. Such communications shovild invariably be addressed to the offl( 



office" of HORTICULTURE. 



The Liquid Manure Tank 



Xow is the time to look over jour liquid manure tank 

 ami *ee that it is in a good condition. Do not allow 

 water to inland in it and breed mosquitoes by the thou- 

 sand ; drain it and keep it drj-. It will not hurt the tank 

 — that is sure — and the place will be much better off 

 with a few lliousand less mosquitoes. Clear out all old 

 manure from the tank and those little heaps that have 

 accumulated around it. Remember, fiies breed in 

 manure, therefore if at all possible keep it in a screened 

 shed. See that the pipes in the tank are all in good 

 shape to stand the coming season's work. Where steam 

 pipes are run into it to heat the water in the winter 

 lime see that they are not all eaten up by rust and fall- 

 ing to pieces. If such is the case now is the time to do 

 the necessary repairing. Do not wait until you are ready 

 to use the tank and then first think of making repairs. 



Ventilation 



AVith September come many fogs, chilly nights, hot 

 (lays and usually about all the different kinds of weather 

 there are. All this is very trv'ing on the roses, and on 

 tlie nerves of the grower. All that can be done is to 

 have patience and take it as it comes. Do not water on 

 foggy or cloudy days, unless it is absolutely necessary, 

 and should this be the case be careful not to wet the 

 liottom foliage of the plants any more than you can 

 possibly help. 



Also do not let the water run all over the walks, thus 

 making the atmosphere in the house unnecessarily damp. 

 This of course makes but little difference on clear days, 

 but vou will find you are nursing trouble if you are not 

 careful liow you handle the hose on cloudy days. 



American Beauties are very apt to get spot, if watered 

 much during cloudy weather. Look over the benches 

 verv carefully so as not to water if they appear to be 

 wet. "We usually \ts to "touch up" the dry spots in 

 weather like that. 



Brides and Bridesmaids 



With the cool nights of September these two roses 

 will improve a great deal in quality, the buds becoming 

 larger and of better color. Benches of these that have 

 already been mulched will not take quite so much water 

 as the others. Keep the plants tied up, and yet be care- 

 ful not to bunch them up too much or the plants will 

 lose considerable foliage and this is none too good for 

 the plants. Where these two teas are grown merely as a 

 side line do not neglect keeping them clean and healtliy, 

 the same as you would your American Beauties, gi'owing 

 in the center benches. 



Do not start ninning the houses cool as yet ; and do 

 not think of closing air down tight on nights when the 

 thermometer drops down to 50 degrees F. outside. It 

 IS not for the best to allow the house to drop to 50 degi'ees 

 at night when the day temperature runs up to 90 degi-ees 

 or more. We like to keep our houses up to 64 degrees 

 and to do so it has been necessary to use heat off and on 

 almost all summer. Slanv would consider this a waste 



of coal and labor but we find it pays well in the end and 

 that is what really counts. 



Outside Roses 



These in some cases will be pretty well cut down and 

 s)iy of foliage, but can now be brought around again to 

 cut a nice crop before fall. A light frost seems to have 

 but little effect on Killameys. We have cut fairly nice 

 lilooms after several frosis had struck and destroyed all 

 the more tender flowers. Syringe the plants over three 

 or four times a day and they will soon break away. As 

 soon as breaks show an application of cow manure 

 should lie given or if convenient a light dose of liquid 

 every four or five days will do the plants worlds of good. 

 When using liquid manure outside, always water the 

 plants thoroughly with clear water first and then follow 

 with liquid about an hour afterward. If liquid is ap- 

 plied direct and the plants happen to be a little dry, you 

 may ruin them all. 



The Iris as a Drought Resistant 



We keep about 100,000 of these plants in 170 varie- 

 ties, and I never saw, even in California, the land of 

 flowers, or in Rochester, that great garden of delight, 

 or on the rich estates of New England anything to com- 

 pare witli them in their glorious June splendor. But 

 what impresses me most is their ability to withstand the 

 fearful heat and prolonged drought of oiu' western 

 prairies. The summer just passed has been one of the 

 hottest and driest known. Through May and the sum- 

 mer months we barely had one axid one-half inch of rain 

 a month. The mercury was often 100 and the hot winds 

 blew like a blast of death and yet these heroic plants 

 endured the trying climate with unflinching fortitude. 

 August is a good time to dig and ship and we have been 

 sending them everywhere, from California to North Car- 

 olina. Yesterday I dug several hundred. The ground 

 was dry as an ash heap. But the roots seemed to gather 

 in and store the moisture; they were long, full, and 

 plump and fleshy. Other perennials growing beside 

 them were suffering and dying, but I failed to see in 

 our large field a single iris that was djdng. They have 

 the same power of resisting the cold. Last winter was 

 one of the coldest known and, save the tender Japs, not 

 one succumbed. These are of but little account with us, 

 and in California they sunburn so badly they have gen- 

 erally discarded them, unless they put them under a 

 screen. 



We have now about 30 kinds of the Siberian type, 

 hardy everywhere, besides the great hosts of the Ger- 

 mans and their crosses. Of course we of the west who 

 are shut out from the rliododendrons, azaleas, kalmias, 

 and many other flowers which succeed well in the East 

 are delighted to know that we have the paeonies and iris 

 in their various foiTus of beauty and their long time of 

 blooming. 



Yorlc, Neh. 



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