May 9, 1914 



HOKTICULTUEE 



695 



ROSE GROWING UNDER 

 GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



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Questions by our readers In Hue with any of tbe topics 

 presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly 

 answered by Mr. Euzicka. Such 'ommunication should inva- 

 riably be addressed to the office at HORTICULTURE. 



Red Spider 



Watch out for the spider iu the comers of the benches 

 where it is not so very handy to get with the hose, also 

 along the rear of the benches where the best grower is 

 likely to syringe a little too lightly. It will not take 

 very long for the spider to spread all over from these 

 nests as they may safely be called. A good way to do is 

 to get little pieces of cardboard and when tying or doing 

 anything that brings you in close contact with the plants, 

 just Iiang one up here and there wherever these nests 

 are. This cardboard is very easy to see when you syr- 

 inge again and these places can then receive an extra 

 good syringing. If the cardboard is not used many of 

 these nests will receive just the ordinary syringe given 

 to the clean plants, this, however not being sufficient to 

 eradicate the spider. If time permits it will be advis- 

 able to spray these places with some good insecticide that 

 will go a good ways to kill the spider, too. At any rate 

 put a quarantine tag wherever spider is, and then see 

 that they do not spread. 



Houses Too Warm 



Although it seldom liappeus, there is a possibility of 

 the houses being too warm at some part of the twenty- 

 four hours. Whether it is at noon or at night the houses 

 should never be allowed to get too warm as this would 

 soften the growth so that a dose of mildew will follow 

 almost positively. The nights are still too cool to let the 

 fires out, but at the same time the houses should not be 

 allowed to scorch because it may be a little cool out- 

 side. See that there is air on, for this will carry away 

 a good part of the excessive moisture and will also ren- 

 der the houses safe in the morning between the time the 

 night firemen leaves and the day men arrive. If the 

 houses are closed up during this time the condensation 

 on the glass will be great and all the air more or less 

 stuffy and stale, just right to breed many of the diseases 

 that the rose is subject to. An inch of air will be all 

 that may be necessary, and will carry the houses very 

 nicely. Then see that they are raised up in time in the 

 morning and not allowed to run up too high before the 

 needed air is put on. Begin at once as soon as the 

 thennometer _starts to rise and raise the ventilators as 

 fast as needed. We would not like to see any houses 

 up to 80 degrees unless there was plenty of air put on. 



Tying Down The Beauties 



Late as the season is, it will still pay to let all the 

 tall Beauty shoots get their tying, and bring them down 

 to where they ought to be without shading a good many 

 of the others. By tying them all down, it will place 

 them all on an equal footing and give all a chance to 

 share the sunlight. When tj'ing see that all the tops 

 are kept in a straight line; not that it will help or make 

 them set, but it will give a finished appearance to the 

 job that will seem missing when this is not done. 

 Further, if this is omitted, and the roses tied one lower 



than the other and if they are not spaced evenly along 

 the wires, it will seem as if an amateur was at the job 

 instead of a man who ought to know better. It does 

 not take any longer; in fact, time will be saved in future 

 tyings if the plants are tied right, the wood well dis- 

 tributed and the tops kept even. Another item which is 

 liardly worth mentioning for the reason it seems so small 

 and unimportant but will save a little string just the 

 same, 'and make the whole job look neater, is to cut off 

 the string as close to the knot as possible, instead of 

 leaving the ends sticking out an inch or more, as many 

 growers will do, which makes the wires very unsightly, 

 and is a waste of string besides. 



Pots 



Now that nearly all the plants will be out of tlie small 

 pots it may be well to touch on these a little, just enough 

 to remind all that the sunny side of a greenhouse is no 

 place for them. They were baked to the proper hard- 

 ness at the time that they were made, and therefore they 

 require no exposure to the sun to harden them still more. 

 There is such a thing as a pot that is too hard, for a good 

 pot should be porous and not water-tight by any means. 

 If you must store your pots outside, take the trouble to 

 make a floor so that they will all rest evenly, and thus 

 tlie breakage will be reduced to a very small number. 

 Then see if j'ou have some old boards that can be made 

 into a roof to keep the weather away from the pots. They 

 will do much better, and the quality of the pot will re- 

 main unimpaired. Then when the pots have been 

 washed and are used again you will not be wondering 

 why the plants behave so strange, some drying out very 

 unevenly, in spite of all the pains taken when watering. 

 There are many little things — not for publishing — mis- 

 takes in typing for instance — that will gradually wind 

 up in big problems if they are not handled at the proper 

 time. Look after these and you will not have to worry 

 so much. 



Nematodes and Peonies 



One of our leading peony growers has worked himself 

 up into a considerable consternation on account of the 

 nodules on his peony roots and a certain learned pro- 

 fessor has pronounced them dangerous. Bosh ! Give 

 us facts and let theories go. I have watched this thing 

 carefully for fifteen years and I find that my most robust 

 and vigorous plants are often loaded with them. Our 

 wise man says the plants should be destroyed and the 

 ground should he sterilized; as well say that alfalfa 

 should be destroyed because the roots have nodules on 

 them. Peonies should not be allowed to stand too long 

 and never should be replanted on the same ground, for 

 no plant sooner exhausts the soil. 



People often work themselves up into a needless panic. 

 At the great Denver meeting of the National Society 

 the question of the root knot was brought up. The wise 

 ones claimed that it was an infectious disease and the 

 trees should always be destroyed but some of our enter- 

 prising western growers were ready for them. One firm 

 had planted years before a whole row infested with root 

 knot and they had specimens with them. .The neighbor- 

 ing trees were not affected and the root knot trees were 

 as vigorous and productive as others. Fools have often 

 had large quantities destroyed for fear of infection. 

 Root knots are warts and you might as well kill a boy 

 because he had warts on his fingers. 



Yorl', Neb. 



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