April 26, 1914 



HORTICULTUPE 



631 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



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Planting Time 



Planting time will be here before we know it, and all 

 the necessary implements, bonemeal, sod and all are on 

 hand and ready for the rush. The sod heap seems to be 

 the most important item, and if this is in good shape 

 things are bound to run along nice and smooth. Better 

 have the sod cut down at the earliest convenience and 

 then let it lie where it will be in excellent shape when 

 the time comes for it to be wheeled into the houses. As 

 suggested hefore in these columns a little real coarse 

 bone can he added to the soil. This will take quite a 

 while to dissolve and it will be about right when the 

 plants get to it. If the sod heaps are not put up yet put 

 them up without delay so that the sod has a chance to 

 decay. Many will insist on using a shovel when the 

 soil is being loaded on wagons in the field. This is a 

 bad practise for only sod should be taken, for the good 

 of the roses and the field itself as well. If too much 

 loose soil is taken off the field it will be years before 

 anything will grow there again, and the loose soil is not 

 wanted in a sod heap. Pick up the sod with a fork. 

 after the field has been nlowed shallow. Tlien leave the 

 rest for the grass that is to grow there another season. 

 If the land is your own, lose no time to plow it up, and 

 give it a coat of bonemeal if manure is not to be had, 

 and then plant it to cow peas or anything that can be 

 plowed under and help enrich the soil so that it will cnme 

 hack to its former state of fertility. 



Idle Ground 



If you have any field around the greenhouses that 

 would be idle all the time, have it plowed and if you do 

 not want to grow anything on the ground sow it to some 

 crop that will be plowed under and thus the soil will be 

 enriched and ready for you when you do want to plant 

 something there. These prepared patches of soil come 

 in real handy, and as it sometimes happens, there may be 

 a shortage of potting soil, and then this will be an ideal 

 place to go and get it. At any rate allow no ground to 

 lie idle and producing nothing but weeds. Get some 

 timothy seed and mi.x a little clover with it and sow 

 that. Good hay is always in demand, and where horses 

 are kept on the place it will be well utilized. Some of 

 the old soil can be spread over the plot each fall and this 

 will help to grow the next season's hay crop. 



Among the Plants 



Many of the plants that are in four-inch pots will be 

 growing quite tall and may be spreading a little as well. 

 See that these have all the room they need, and as soon 

 as they begin to crowd give them a little more space but 

 not too much for then the pots would have to be sunk 



into the benches to keep them from drying out too much 

 which would happen to them if they were spaced too far 

 apart. On sunny days it would be almost impossible to 

 keep these wet. Watch the Beauties especially, and see 

 that no black spot creeps in tmnoticed. The taller 

 plants will have to be tied staked to small stakes to keep 

 them from lieing all over when they are syringed. See 

 that all plants are disbudded when the buds begin to 

 show. Do not wait until the buds develop and then cut 

 them off. This only takes a good deal of the energy 

 away from the plants, and they certainly will need every 

 ounce of this that they can muster up. Then, too, they 

 will start growing almost at once if the buds are removed 

 when they are barely visible, whereas if they are allowed 

 to grow on until they open up, and are then cut off, the 

 plants will remain in one place for a good while. At 

 least three weeks are lost by allowing the buds to de- 

 velop on the young plants. 



Liquid Manure for the Young Plants 



WHiere the young plants are well rooted, and are turn- 

 ing yellow, with no show of a shift into larger pots, there 

 is nothing better than a light dose of liquid manure ap- 

 plied either with a hose or with a can. Use cow manure 

 only for making this, as if chemicals were used there 

 would be some danger in overfeeding the plants or else 

 burning the roots. Before applying the liquid manure 

 make sure that the plants are wet enough. Better water 

 them with clear water first and then follow with the liquid 

 afterwards, using it as strong as it can be made with cow 

 manure alone. If it cannot be applied without getting 

 some of it on the foliage, syringe the plants lightly with 

 clear water to remove all traces of it. If this is not done 

 some of the leaves are liable to get scorched and thus dis- 

 figure the looks of the plants if the damage is not serious 

 enough to hurt them otherwise. 



Ventilation 



See that your men have the houses up early enough in 

 the morning so that they do not run up too high before 

 .the air is put on. Better keep a little air on all night 

 long, even though it does take a little coal to make up 

 the difference. It will be money well spent, for the re- 

 turns will be there in the end, even though there is no 

 sign of an immediate increase. Just note that all the 

 places that are paying well burn coal almost all the year 

 round, except in the extremely hot weather. Then note 

 that the places which are always struggling never bum 

 coal unless it is freezing outside. There is a limit to 

 burning coal, too, Init when common sense tells us to 

 give the plants boat we should let them have it instead of 

 letting them go without, and feel that we have gained. 

 Give them what they must have, for if they do not get 

 it thev will not iiroduce the cut flowers. 



