April 11, 1914 



HORTICULTUBB 



565 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONIJIXTBD BY 



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

 by Mr. Kuzicka. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICULTURE. 



Disbudding 



This, is one of the operations in rose growing that 

 should receive attention at all times. Certain days 

 should be put aside for this work each week, and then 

 let the men attend to it no matter what else may require 

 attention. Twice a week will do the trick and if the 

 houses are gone over regularly, there will never be five or 

 six buds on a stem. These side shoots only take up a 

 good deal of the strength of the plant and then they do 

 not amount to anything at all. Eemove all the side 

 buds, except those that are on a very strong bottom 

 break, and here it will pay to leave one or two of the 

 uppermost shoots and then wait to see if the main bud 

 will come good. A great many times these buds will 

 come deformed, and if the side buds are allowed to 

 come on, the main bud can be removed as soon as it can 

 be deteiTnined whether it will come good or not, and if it 

 should come deformed, then one of the side shoots will 

 no doubt form a good bud, thus saving the big shoot 

 and stem that would otherwise be wasted. 



Cutting 



Ky this time it can be known just which of the houses 

 can be emptied first, and in these houses it will pay 

 to cut all the roses away down to the hard wood, thus 

 gaining an inch or two on every stem, and making No. 

 I's out of a good many No. 3's. This gain may seem so 

 trifling that many will not wish to bother with it at 

 all, but it will be surprising to know the increase in the 

 longer grades of stock, more so if the houses are cutting 

 a large amount of short stuif. As the warm weather 

 will come on now, see that the buds are cut tight enough, 

 although it must not be carried too far, for there is such 

 a thing as cutting too tight. 



Mulching 



Wliere the roses are growing freely, they .should never 

 be allowed to suffer from want of mulching. Where 

 liquid manure is applied very freely, this mulch should 

 consist merely of good coarse sod broken into lumps 

 about the size of an egg, with a little manure mi.xed 

 through it. This applied to the benches will give the 

 roots all the necessary protection that they need, and at 

 the same time will help to hold the water Just where 

 it is placed, keeping it from running all over the 

 benches. This is very important, for unless there is 

 something to hold the water it will run over the benches 

 so that instead of the soil being the same all through, it 

 will be too wet in places and in others too dry. 



Lime 



Where the houses have not been mulched recently, it 

 will be advisable to use a little lime on the benches, 

 specially if they have not had any for a while. This 

 will he!" harden the plants, so that they will not be 

 so very likely to get a dose of mildew so common among 

 the roses in the spring of the year. Do not apply too 

 much of it all at once; preferably a light dose, and apply 

 another in two weeks' time. Fresh air-slacked lime 

 should be used for this puqrose, as often the lime sold 

 as agricultural lime is only ground up limestone. This 

 is very slow in action, and is not as effective as the air- 

 slacked lime. 



Fumigating 



Never for one week neglect to fvimigate the houses, 

 the last thing at night, with a good syringing the day 

 following. Mr. Greenfly will be right' there with all 

 the millions of his cousins if he is given half of a chance. 

 Keep him out, for if you do not he will in time make 

 you get out, or else cut into your profits so that you 

 will wonder what is the matter with the rose business. 

 The cost of living is high enough without taking sev- 

 eral hundred thousand boarders that never pay and are 

 only pests — parasites. Keep them out — they only ap- 

 pear through carelessness or worse. 



Paint 



Eight now is the time to think of the paint and putty 

 that you will need next summer. Do not let this go, 

 but order your supply at once while the leaks, cracks and 

 so on in the houses are fresh in the mind. If we let 

 this go for a while, dry weather will come, and then the 

 houses will not leak, or show signs of doing so, and the 

 chances are that they will be allowed to go rmpainted 

 another year. It is poor economy indeed to let the 

 houses go,, as they will need rebuilding soon if they are 

 not looked after. 



Building 



There is often a question of doing it yourself and 

 saving money, but as with many others, there are two 

 sides to this. See if you have the men that will keep 

 your place running full, without the least neglect any- 

 where, and, if you can then build yourself, then do so. 

 It is a poor saving to neglect half the place to save a 

 few dollars in building. The loss is often much greater 

 than whatever was saved and often the work is not done 

 half so well as if the greenhouse builders were at it them- 

 selves. They have men well versed in all the different 

 branches and they know just what to do and when to 

 do it. Think the matter over well before deciding. 



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