September 28, 1912 



HORTICULTURE 



437 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS^ STOCK 



roNDlCTEII BV 



/^ 



^. A^^t^^ 



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

 by Mr. Parrell. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HOKTICDLTURE. 



Ardisias 



In order to develop the coloriuo; of their berries, the 

 plants should have a bench in a sunny house and abun- 

 dant ventilation. When kept too warm and overhumid 

 they will make a premature growth of foliage which i? 

 not wanted at this time. They should be kept from 50 

 to 55 degrees at night where you want well done plants 

 for the Christmas trade. Go over the plants often and 

 give a turn around so that the sun may reach them on 

 all sides. It is important to look carefully to watering, 

 because when allowed to become too dry or too wet at the 

 roots the plants will soon show permanent injury. For 

 tlie prevention of brown scale which invariably troubles 

 these plants they should be frequently sponged with some 

 good insecticide. Do not crowd the plants, but give 

 them plenty of room between so that the berries will have 

 a chance to color up. 



Chrysanthemums 

 Keep the atmosphere of your chrysanthemum house 

 dryer now for this is essential where a perfect finished 

 flower is wanted. Keep the house cool by giving plenty 

 of ventilation, both day and night, even if you have to 

 keep a little fire in doing it. Keep the plants well tied 

 up ; they should be gone over at least every ten days. It 

 is not possible to disbud a whole house at one time, so 

 they should be looked over very often to do it right. 

 Give your specimen plants intended for exlribition a 

 systematic feeding until they show color. Liquid feed- 

 ing can be done three or four times a week, but taking 

 great care not to use it too strong or too often, as there 

 is danger of getting the soil sour, hence the necessity of 

 good judgment in feeding. Keep the plants clean by 

 frequent fumigating 



Care of Violets 

 Give your violets faithful attention from this out. 

 Exercise judgment in watering. Examine the soil in 

 several places on the benches, especially about the sides 

 and ends as they always dry out more quickly than in the 

 middle of the bed. On all bright days syringe in the 

 early part of the morning so the foliage will dry out 

 before night. Keep on plenty of ventilation both night 

 and day so they can have a constant supply of pure air. 

 which is favorable to their proper development, helping 

 to keep the atmosphere from becoming stagnant and over 

 moist. Give the plants a good cleaning often, removing 

 diseased or spotted foliacre and also keep all the run- 

 ners pinched off. Where plants are showing a vigorous 

 growth, they can have a light mulch of very old manure 



Mr. Farrell's next notes will be on the following: Antirrhinums: 



spread between the rows. Guide your temperature by 

 common sense and keep it as near 40 to 45 degrees at 

 night as possible. Fumigate lightly often to keep the 

 greenfly in check. 



Lilium longfiflorum giganteom 



This is a very satisfactory lily to grow for the Easter 

 trade. The bulbs can be potted any time during October 

 and will come in all right, but, of course, the earlier they 

 can be potted up the better, as Easter comes very early 

 next year, falling on March S3. Give them a rich bulb 

 compost and use either 6 or 7-inch pots. After they are 

 potted they should be placed outdoors in a cold frame 

 where they will make fine roots. Cover the pots with 5 

 or 6 inches of soil, and if we have very heavy rains give 

 them some protection as they do not like to be saturated. 

 ^Vhere they are kept in a nice even state of moisture, 

 they will make enough roots by the middle of December 

 to be brought in and placed on a bench in a house where 

 the temperature is about 50 degrees at night. 

 Home-Grown Shrubs for Forcing 



There are quite a few florists who grow their own 

 shrubs for forcing purposes now. Those who plant their 

 shiiibs in good rich ground with proper care afterwards, 

 such as a good dressing of manure in the fall and bone 

 and wood ashes applied in the spring will grow fine 

 shrubs in two or three years by using good size stock 

 when planting. So make a plantation now. Where you 

 have been growing this stock for forcing, now is the time 

 to dig them up with all the roots possible, and pot firmly. 

 This will give plenty of time to become established be- 

 fore the cold weather sets in. When done at this time 

 they soon take hold of the new soil with a lot of new 

 roots. They should be stood in some place that is handy 

 to water so they can be watered when they want it and 

 an odd spraying will put them in condition for use. 

 Before the real winter sets in they should be plunged in 

 some deep' frame until wanted. Flowering almonds, 

 hawthorns, Pynis japonica, deutizias, exochordas, phila- 

 delphus, prunus, sjiiraeas, lilacs, viburnum, etc., are all 

 useful subjects. 



Pansies 



Transplant pansies now if you have not already done 

 so. Prick them out in coldframe, 4 or 5 inches apart in 

 good rich soil, and give them a good watering. Do not 

 put on the sashes too early as the pansy is a cold-blooded ' 

 plant and will not need any protection even if the ther- 

 mometer does go below the freezing point until the end 

 of November. Then they should be only protected dur- 

 ing cold weather. Take advantage of all mild weather 

 to give them ventilation. 



Ailamandas; Cinerarias; Hydrangea arborescens ; Orchids; Oxalis. 



