July 29, 1911 



HORTICULTURE 



129 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of 

 Florists' Stock 



CALANTHES 



These orcliids are now in active growth and should 

 have a genial moist atmosphere with a common sense 

 supply of water at the roots. On all favorahle oppor- 

 tunities give them ventilation without allowing direct 

 or cold drafts to strike them. At this time of the year 

 we are very liable to have a spell of cold and wet 

 weather which causes the temperature to fall below the 

 normal. This is the time you need a little fire heat, 

 just enough to slightly warm the pipes and you will be 

 able to keep a chink of air on all the time, which helps 

 to keep the atmosphere active and sweet. Calantb.es are 

 now beginning to fill their pots and pans with roots. 

 A little stimulant in the way of either weak cow or sheep 

 manure can be applied about once a week with benefit, 

 and as the roots get more matted in their pots they can 

 have it twice a week until the flowers commence to ex- 

 pand. Keep a lookout for thrips. 



CARE OF VIOLETS 



From now on no winter-flowering stock requires more 

 watching and judicious attention than the violets. Go 

 over them every week and remove all decayed or dis- 

 eased leaves, weeds, etc., for they like absolute cleanli- 

 ness. Give frequent and shallow cultivation thus insur- 

 ing a sweet and open soil. It is during August and Sep- 

 tember that so many promising houses of violets go 

 wrong from the want of proper ventilation and care in 

 watering. In order to have strong sturdy and healthy 

 plants when the short and dark days come give all the 

 air you can day and night until winter sets in. Be 

 always very careful in watering; look over the beds 

 good at first, then you will detect the dry spots which 

 can be watered, thus helping to keep your beds at an 

 even degree of moisture. Give a good syringing early 

 in the morning on all fine days so as to allow the foli- 

 age to become dry before night. About the middle of 

 August if your plants are making a fine vigorous growth 

 give them a half or three-quarters of an inch of a mulch 

 of either sifted cow or burse manure that is well de- 

 cayed, as it feeds the surface roots and prevents the 

 continually drying out of the beds. 



BOUGAINVILLEA 



Plants that have been growing vigorously and have 

 filled their pots with roots should have a shift. Give 

 them a soil of a more lumpy character. Sod that was 

 cut last fall will be all right for them. A good com- 

 post is three parts of soil and one of cow manure. See 

 that they have plenty of drainage as they will need a 

 free supply of water while growing. Keep them under 

 glass and in a position where they will be exposed to 

 full sun. See that they have a daily syringing for the 

 next six weeks. By the last of September begin to keep 

 on the dry side so as to secure a ripened condition of 

 the wood to make them flower freely. It must be re- 

 membered that these plants like a comparative rest but 

 at the same time they should never be allowed to get too 

 dry. While resting give them a cool house — say about 

 50 degrees and keep air on as much as possible. 



DOUBLE DAISIES 



It will pay any florist living in the suburbs to grow 

 these plants for spring sales. For the ground work in 



bulb beds they are very satisfactory, and for making 

 separate beds in partial shade they are also well 

 worthy. They sell well in baskets at Easter. Sow the 

 seed in shallow box.- now or any time before the mid- 

 dle of August. When they are large enough to handle 

 set five inches apart in a cold frame. With the coming 

 oi winter give them some protection, and whenever 

 there is any mild ~ee that they have plenty of 



air. Give them the same treatment as pansies and they 

 will succeed all right. 



GARDENIAS 



Continue watchfulness in all general matters con- 

 nected with the culture of these plants. Gardenias that 

 were benched early in June will now be advancing very 

 rapidly and at all times they must have every care and 

 encouragement to promote a quick and sturdy growth. 

 Damping down will now be necessary two or three 

 times, a day to supply the proper moisture in the atmos- 

 phere. Examine the beds each day so there will be 

 neither dry spots nor places showing a saturated condi- 

 tion both of which are very detrimental to this class of 

 plants. Shoots that are making a vigorous growth 

 should be pinched back so as to induce a lateral growth. 

 It should be remembered that while the gardenia de- 

 lights in a high temperature, great care should be taken 

 to ventilate freely on all suitable occasions so as to 

 secure a gentle circulation of fresh air. Such treatment 

 greatly assists in making good wood for flowering later. 

 Keep the plants free from such insect pests as mealy 

 and red spider by a sharp spray of water forcibly di- 

 rected on the under side of the leaves and through the 

 plants and if this fails try spraying with an insecticide. 

 You will find several advertised in Horticulture. 

 When the beds begin to get full of roots they will be 

 in condition to stand a light mulch. Give them a dust- 

 ing of very fine bone first over the surface, and then a 

 light mulch of well rotted cow manure. The best prin- 

 ciple to follow in feeding is to give a little at a time, 

 but often. 



SCHIZANTHUS 



If you want a nice batch of these plants for next 

 winter sow now. See that you obtain the best strain of 

 seed and sow on some fine mixture of equal parts of 

 loam and leaf-mold with a dash of sand through it. 

 Previous to sowing give the pans or flats a good water- 

 ing and then sow the seed on this and cover very light- 

 ly, pressing the soil even all over. Place a pane of 

 glass over the flat or pan and see that the soil does not 

 get parched. When the little seedlings are up a cold 

 frame is an excellent place to summer these plants in. 

 When they are large enough pot off singly into small 

 pots, and shift as they may require until a 6 or 7-inch 

 pot is reached. For the two last shifts use a rich mix- 

 ture of two-thirds fibrous loam, to one-third of well 

 rotted cow manure and pot firm. To insure fine com- 

 pact plants keep them pinched freely until the early 

 part of October. Keep them in a frame for the next 

 six or eight weeks as they will be better than if in the 

 greenhouse. Schizanthus Wisetonensis is a fine type to 

 grow. These plants want a cool house culture at all 

 times — say about 50 degrees at night. 



Sfa.ftwutS 



Mr. Fnrrell's next n otee will be on the followinp: Achlmenes ; 

 Calceolarias; Coreopsis (irandiflora; Eucharis ; Lilium Harrlsli; 

 Winter Sweet Peas. 



