December 21, 1912 



H R T I C U L T TJ R E 



863 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



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

 by Mr. Euzicka. Sucb communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



The Christmas Rush 



With us the rush is not so confusing as in some places, 

 for there is nothing like being prepared several days, 

 yes weeks ahead of time. We do not mean that roses 

 should or can be held back, but on the average place 

 there are always more or less retail orders for Christmas, 

 and those places that handle potted plants will find it a 

 great help to have boxes all made and paper cut and in 

 fact all that will be needed, ready in advance. The ex- 

 press companies will be handling parcels by the car- 

 load as the season advances and experience will tell yon 

 best what that means. Be sure to have plenty of paper 

 on hand, for there is no telling what the weather will 

 be. A little wax paper will do no harm and if you have 

 not had the habit of using it then this is your chance to 

 try it out. You will find it pays to use a little where 

 ordinary tissue paper would quickly become soaked and 

 worse than useless. 



You will also find that two sheets of paper on the out- 

 side of a box are equal to three on the inside, so better be 

 prepared to use both in the severe winter weather. 



The Coal Bin 



Never mind if there is a "hole" in it. It will not do to 

 run the houses cold just to save a little coal. You will 

 gain absolutely nothing by it in the long run, for roses 

 must have their 60 degrees at night. We say 60 degrees, 

 that being the average night temperature, which as we 

 all know must be varied according to the location, con- 

 ditions, and last and most important of all, the variety 

 grown, some taking more heat while others take less, 

 but the difference is only two or three degrees at the 

 most. 



Keeping Record of the Weather 



This may seem rather useless at first, but you will find 

 it rather interesting after a while. These records prove 

 quite valuable after they have been kept for several 

 years, enabling the recorder to predict the weather 

 almost without fail. This may seem all out of place 

 here in the rose department where there are hundreds 

 of other problems to think about, yet just a little change 

 of siibject will do no harm. 



Mildew 



During the cloudy dark days of the winter keep on 

 the lookout for this disease which is bound to prove dis- 

 astrous if allowed to gain any headway. Prevention is 

 the only remedy, as there is no cure. Mildew can be 

 killed quite easily but the spots on the foliage will always 

 Should a little appear then kill it and watch 



remain. 



that the young growth does not get any more mildew, 

 as the little leaves will not develop at all, giving the 

 shoots a bare stunted appearance. 



The simplest way to kill mildew is to apply a little 

 sulphur to the steam pipes, where steam is used for heat- 

 ing. Spraying with some good fungicide is equally 

 effective, and is more convenient at times. In using 

 sulphur be very careful how you do so, for sulphur fumes 

 are deadly poison to plant growth and will kill the 

 foliage much quicker than mildew itself. Apply only 

 a little about eveij ten or twenty feet on one pipe in 

 each house. We generally count one house as twenty 

 feet wide, allowing an extra pipe or two for each ad- 

 ditional twenty feet of width. The prevention of mil- 

 dew in the wide house is much easier than in the old 

 18-foot three-quarter span. The reason for this is that 

 the large roomy houses are less apt to get a sudden 

 change of temperature, for the small houses require but 

 little clouds to bring the temperature right down, and 

 they are up quickly again at the slightest streak of sun- 

 shine. 



Red Spider 



We are very sorry for the man who has an awful dose 

 of spider to fight in the middle of the winter. This fall 

 we have had unusually clear weather, and there is no 

 reason why the roses should not be clean. If you are 

 troubled in this respect do not lose any time in doing 

 what you can to keep bad from getting worse. Use some 

 good insecticide, and do so as often as is safe without 

 hurting the plants. Syringe thoroughly every time you 

 get a chance. Do not forget to shake the plants well 

 right after, to make sure they dry off quite well before 

 the sun sets. Also do not neglect to blow plenty of air- 

 slacked lime underneath, to dry out the atmosphere un- 

 der the lower leaves. 



Pinching Wood for Propagation 



Now is the time to pinch out aU the real short growths 

 to have the wood for early propagation. It will pay you 

 to do this, insuring plenty of good strong cuttings, some- 

 thing which is quite impossible by the old method of 

 taking only blind-wood cuttings. Killameys have but 

 very little blind wood and the few cuttings from these 

 seldom grow into the strong healthy plants that are re- 

 quired. Remember it costs no more to have good, strong 

 plants, than it does to keep a lot of scrubs, and it does 

 not take an expert to tell which pay the best in the long 

 run. In short, be careful to take wood from only strong, 

 healthy plants, so that you can expect to have good young 

 plants. Start right if you start at all. 



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HorticiuiltMre 



Publicity among the kind of readers reached 

 by this paper is THE SORT OF PUBLI- 

 CITY THAT PAYS. 



