930 



HORTICULTURE 



December 30, 1911 



Seasonable Notes on Culture of Florists' Stock 



ASPARAGUS 



The florist who has to grow a good deal of green to 

 meet the demand of a retail trade should ohtain some 

 fresh seed of Asparagus plumosus and Sprengeri as soon 

 as it can be obtained and sow it. They are both slow in 

 starting and require all the time from now on to grow 

 into good serviceable stock. Sow the seed in flats or 

 pans in a compost of loam three parts, leaf mold two 

 parts and enough sand to make it porous. Cover the 

 seed about an eighth of an inch deep. They will germi- 

 nate freely if stood in a temperature of 65 or 70 degrees 

 at night and kept covered with some glass, and also 

 shaded until they start to come up. When they show 

 up well stand them near the glass and keep them moist 

 and in the same temperature that they were started in. 

 They can be potted up into 2-inch pots when they are 

 about two or three inches high using a mixture of fresh 

 loam three parts, cow manure one part and a little 

 sand. When they have filled these pots with roots shift 

 into 3-inch and again into 4-inch pots which will serve 

 until they are planted out into their permanent beds 



BEDDING BEGONIAS 



Where you grow a variety of bedding begonias sow 

 the seed now and grow on, which will mean nice bushy 

 plants in four-inch pots by May. The soil in which you 

 sow the seed should be sifted fine. A good compost to 

 use is fresh loam two parts, leaf-mold two parts and a 

 liberal allowance of sharp sand. Press the compost 

 moderately firm, make the top smooth and on this scat- 

 ter the seed, but not too thickly as the seedlings usually 

 damp off if too close together. Cover very lightly and 

 press again. Shade and cover with a pane of glass un- 

 til the young plants come up strong. Place these pans 

 in a temperature of from 60 to 65 degrees at night 

 where they will get a little bottom heat. See that they 

 are kept in a moist state and give them a place near the 

 glass. After they have made sufficient growth they 

 should be pricked out in the same compost in pans or 

 flats and given a slight shade from the midday sun. 

 As they grow and have made leaves an inch or two long 

 they can be moved into 2i/2-inch pots, giving them a 

 richer compost. These are good bedding begonias: 

 Begonias Semperflorens Atropurpurea, Semperflorens 

 Coccinea, Semperflorens Zulu King and Erfordii. 



CARE OF GERANIUMS 



Now when the Christmas trade has caused a percepti- 

 ble clearing of benches it is well to remind the grower 

 of geraniums. All these that have been potted, but for 

 the want of room are in crowded quarters, should now 

 be given more room between the plants, for there is 

 nothing more detrimental to the perfect development of 

 all bedding plants than crowding. Don't neglect your 

 cuttings which for want of room are still in the sand. 

 Use a good fresh loam three parts, well-rotted manure 

 one part and give them either 2y 2 or 3-inch pots; all 

 those that were potted up early can by this time have a 

 shift so as to keep them moving along. Give geranium? 

 a good sunny bench in a house where the temperature 

 runs anywhere from 55 to 58 degrees at night, and give 

 ventilation whenever possible to keep them stocky and 



healthy. If short of stock you can propagate right 

 along until the end of January and have fine bedding 

 stock. Prom now on do not allow your plants to stand 

 still for the want of care. It pays to pot and shift as 

 they may require it. Por the best up-to-date varieties 

 consult Horticulture's advertisers. 



HAVE YOUR PROPAGATING BENCH READY 



Now when the most propitious season is rapidly draw- 

 ing near for the increase of all kinds of stock make a 

 good beginning in advance and have everything in good 

 working order. All the benches should be examined as 

 to their soundness and repaired where necessary. Al- 

 ways make it a point to give your cutting benches a thor- 

 ough cleaning by washing down the sides and bottoms 

 with a strong force of water and then give the entire 

 surface of the benches a whitewashing of hot lime which 

 will help to keep down the cutting bench fungus. 

 See that your heating system under the benches is in a 

 reliable condition to furnish the proper amount of bot- 

 tom heat. A safe rule to observe with all cuttings is to 

 have a steady temperature in the propagating sand of 

 about 10 degrees higher, according to the variety of 

 stock propagated, than that in which the plants were 

 growing. Place an inch or more of gravel or any other 

 coarse but clean material in the bottom for drainage. 

 On this put three or four inches of clean, sharp sand, 

 spread nice and even, which should be packed down 

 firm and smooth, after which the bed should have a 

 good watering which will soak it through. 



HYDRANGEAS FOR EASTER 



Hydrangeas intended for Easter should be transferred 

 now into a cool house with a temperature of about 45 

 degrees at night and by the loth of January they 

 should have a gradual rise to 50 degrees during the 

 night with about 10 or 15 degrees of an increase with 

 sunshine. Water freely at the roots to keep them in a 

 moist condition. When the weather is good give them 

 a spraying overhead two or three times a da v to encour- 

 age an even break of growth. As they begin to start 

 well into growth they should be allowed a bench where 

 they will get all the light and sunshine possible. The 

 temperature can be gradually increased until by the end 

 of February the highest degree in heat should be reached, 

 which can be anywhere from 65 to 70 degrees at night. 

 This temperature should be held until the trusses begin 

 to show color when they should be given a gradual re- 

 duction of temperature. 



ROOTS STORED UNDER BENCHES 



Don't fail to examine all roots and tubers stored away 

 under the benches. They should be gone over about 

 every three weeks to see what condition they are in. 

 See-that they are not kept too wet in some places while 

 in other parts they are liable to suffer from dryness. 

 The proper way to keep them is to have them covered 

 with sufficient soil or sand just moist enough to keep 

 them in a plump state. When they are kept either too 

 wet or dry they lose a lot of their vitality and even if 

 they should grow the growth will be weak in comparison 

 with those that have been carefully looked after. 



Mr. Farrell's next notes will be on the following: Begonia 

 Rex; Carnations; Care of Smllax ; Grafting Roses: Marantas: 

 Orchids. 



