January 24, 1914 



HORTICULTUEE 



105 



NOTES ON CULTURE OF FLORISTS' STOCK 



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QueBttoDS by our readers in line with any of the topics presented on tliis pagre will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Farrell. Siich comuiunlcutluns should Invariably be addressed to the office of UORTICGLTUBE. 



Care of Young Cyclamen 



Cyclamen do not succeed m widely liuctuating tem- 

 peratures. A night reading of 54 to 56 degrees is a 

 liajipy medium, with a 10 degree rise in the day time 

 with suuheat. When the seedlings are large enough to 

 handle they should be potted. Be sure to always leave 

 tiie upper part of the little conn above the ground. Use 

 fresli loam and leaf mold with enough sand to make it 

 (.juite jiorous. Do not try to force a cyclamen by raising 

 the temperature. Give ventilation whenever possible 

 and keep them clear of tly and thrips by spraying with 

 nicotine solution -and light fumigation. Keep them 

 well up to glass and as spring approaches give them an 

 average night temperature of aljout 52 to 55 degrees. 

 Do not shade cyclamen until the first of March. 



Carnations 



Carnations carrying a heavy crop of buds should have 

 some plant food. There is nothing better than mulches 

 and liquid manure. Kottcd cow manure makes by far 

 the best mulching. If the plants are pretty well estab- 

 lished and in condition to stand a little feeding then 

 you want it not too well rotted. If it is just rotted 

 enough to be free from danger of souring, it will furnish 

 a good deal of nourishment as well as protect the sur- 

 face from baking and drying out. Before you put on 

 these mulches, a light sprinkling of wood ashes will 

 help to stiffen the stems. Air-slaked lime also will have 

 this effect, but we like the' ashes better, as they do not 

 seem so caustic. To make liquid manure use either 

 cow or sheep manure. A bushel of cow, or about one- 

 fourth that amount of sheep manure will do. 



Propagating: Chrysanthemums 



With the advent of January the man who is growing 

 for exhibitions begins to turn his thought to propagat- 

 ing for the coming season. Place the stock plants in a 

 cool, airy house, where the cuttings can make a hard, 

 firm growth. Many commercial growers simply throw 

 their stock under the benclies and leave them tliere un- 

 til it is time to begin propagating. Such a method is 

 folly, ])ure and simple. The cuttings are weak and the 

 plants, because they have been growing in insufficient 

 light, have lost most of their vitality. The commercial 

 grower does not want to propagate his stock so soon for 

 average cut flower growing but he will find it an advan- 

 tage to root the plants and set tliem out on a bench in 

 a cool house. These can be topped latter on. 



Swainsona 



Cuttings of Sw^ainsona galegifolia root in ten or 

 twelve days, with bottom heat. Any side .shoot from 

 three to four inches long, taken from growing, thrifty 

 )jlants liy pulling it sideways out of the axil formed by 

 leaf ami main stem, is a good cutting and needs no 

 further trimming. These cuttings must not be allowed 

 to wilt neither before nor after they go into the sand. 

 If rc.gularly attended to as to watering, potting and re- 



potting, they will make good 6-inch flowering plants 

 by Decoration Day, suitable for cemetery planting. 

 They are, however, of greatey value for indoor culture, 

 and when planted out in quantity on a sunny bench, or 

 into a suitable bed will be a perfect sheet of countless, 

 pea-shaped snow-white flowers from June until away 

 into winter. J'^very spray of bloom in its airy, deep- 

 green setting of fern-like foliage, brings ready money, 

 if rightly handled by its grower. If marketed immedi- 

 ately, or shortly after being cut, the flowers will wilt too 

 quickly and hardly ever recover. But if picked when 

 nearly all the blooms are fully open, and placed in water 

 and kept in a cool, but light place for twenty-four hours, 

 the flowers may then be safely used for any purpose. 



Pyrethrums 



Now is a good time to start a l)atch of these very val- 

 uable plants. Cuttings placed in a moderately warm 

 propagating bed will root readily now. When they are 

 rooted ]3ot up into S-J-inch pots, using a rich compost. 

 Keep shifting until they are in 4 or 5-inch pots. These 

 will make excellent stock for the Memorial Day trade. 

 Do not keep them too warm. From 45 to 48 degrees 

 at night will do. 



Soil Sterilization 



Mr. Farrell: 



Dear Sir — Apropos of your remarks on the use of 

 sterilized soil for seed sowing (p,»ge 5), I should like you 

 to give me some advice as to a simple yet practical method 

 of so treating soil on a small scale, not necessarily re .air- 

 ing any large initial outlay in the erection of elaborate 

 plant for same, but a handy workable way which would be 

 likely to pi'ove of some practical value on a place of 

 limited area. J. D. W. 



Glen Cove, N. Y. 



In answer to J . D. W. 1 would say that soil sterilizers 

 are simple and easy to make and can be made any size 

 to suit. All that is necessary is a box any length or 

 width that you may like, but only a foot deep; when 

 uuide deeper the steam does not go through it so good. 

 On the botlom of this box you should have a series of 

 inch perforated pipes, running the full length. If they 

 are placed about a foot apart they will do the steriliza- 

 tion perfect. To connect these pipes with the steam use 

 a short piece of incli pipe, with a long thread on each 

 end, to go througii the center of the box and fasten it to 

 the bottom by two lock nuts. The end inside tlie box 

 can now be connected to the perforated pipes and the 

 mil outside can be connected with the steam pipe by 

 cither another Lnch pipe or hose. To use this box ster- 

 ilizer place the soil to the depth of about 8 inches, leav- 

 ing it as light as possible, cover with some boards or a 

 piece of canvas and turn on steam, which will vary from 

 180 to 212 degrees in the soil. With liigh pressure 

 hollers you can sterilize the soil in 2 hours, but with 

 low pressure boilers it would take anywhere from 5 to 8 

 hours. Where yon do not use steam it would pay to 

 hire a portable boilei' lor the purpose. 



Mr. F.irrcU's next uotes will bo tin llif foUowiiiK: 



Cnre of Violets 

 Lobe! 



Cliristni.TS Soliiiniiiis; (,'rotons ; (iHrdcnins; 

 lias. 



Orcliirts; Stiirtlni.- 



