36 



THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



they damp easily. This operation should 

 be done carefully. Water sparingly only 

 on bright days. If possible, a tempera 

 ture of from 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit 

 should be maintained in the sand-bed at 

 all times. In about eight weeks the 

 leaves should be sufficiently rooted to 

 be potted into 2-inch pots. The small 

 growths that form at the base of the 

 leaves should also appear; take care not 

 to break or otherwise injure these in 

 potting, as they form the foundation 

 of the future plant. 



For the first potting use equal parts 

 of loam and sand; after potting place 

 in a rather dry house, close to the glass, 

 where a light shade should be given. 

 Watering should be done very sparingly 

 from now on by watering each plant 

 separately and only when very dry; keep 

 on the dry side rather than too wet. 

 Also, deep potting should be avoided. 

 They may remain in 2-inch pots from 

 January and February (the time of pot 

 ting) until June, at which time you 

 should have nice little plants with from 

 three to five shoots, if propagated from 

 leaf -cuttings ; then your trouble is all 

 over. 



&quot;Bepot directly into 4-inch pots and, 

 from now on, they will continue to grow 



freely, as you can almost see the plants 

 growing. 



&quot;About August 15 to September 1 the 

 final repotting will be in order. For 

 compost use three parts good turfy loam, 

 two parts sand and one part very old 

 manure. Use 6-inch or 7-inch azalea 

 pots, according to the size of your 

 plants; one plant is sufficient for each 

 pot, if you have plants propagated from 

 leaf-cuttings. 



I will here say that this plant can 

 also be propagated easily from cuttings 

 during May, June and July; but these 

 will not make as fine, sturdy plants as 

 by the above method. They will, how 

 ever, make nice little plants for 3-inch 

 pots for the holidays, suitable for jar 

 dinieres or table decorations. If large 

 plants are desired from cuttings you 

 will have to put from five to eight 

 plants in a 6-inch or 7-inch pot in order 

 to be properly furnished. Then, again, 

 one plant in a pot always looks better 

 than where a lot are massed together. 



&quot;During the summer the plants should 

 be pinched back, each shoot to two or 

 three joints, so as to form shapely speci 

 mens; this should be discontinued after 

 August. In pinching this way you not 

 only have no flowers during summer but 



A Ball of Gloire de Lorraine Begonias. 



rapidly; more water may also be given 

 as needed. More shoots will appear from 

 the bottom of the plants as they grow 

 stronger. Place in a cool, airy house, 

 ventilating top and bottom ; also shade 

 well at this time of the year. A good 

 plan is to put a few tobacco-stems be 

 tween the pots as a preventive of green 

 aphis. Water may now be given more 



you also insure a stronger growth. About 

 September 1 they are ready for tying; 

 this may be done by using one stake in 

 the center of the plant, looping each 

 shoot loosely to same with raffia; this 

 should be done as often as required. By 

 November 1 the first blooms will ap 

 pear; these should be removed if you 

 desire a lot for late flowering. 



&quot;Begonia Gloire de Lorraine is not 

 only useful as a single specimen, but it 

 may also be used very effectively in table 

 decoration. Small plants in 3-inch pots 

 are very effective for this purpose. It 

 is also very useful for floral designs. 

 Let me say finally that Begonia Gloire 

 de Lorraine is a plant that has come to 

 stay. 



&quot;Begonia Turnford Hall, a white 

 variety with a pleasing shade of delicate 

 pink as in the apple-blossom, is a sport 

 of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine which 

 appeared a short time ago in the Lon 

 don market. It gives promise of being 

 a grand companion to Gloire de Lor 

 raine, and will be quite as useful as its 

 parent. It will in all probability be in 

 the market next season. 



BELLIS. 



The perennial daisy is a favorite gar 

 den plant with many and some of the 

 improved varieties are grown under 

 glass, in a cool house, for cutting. But 

 we have so many better flowers for all 

 purposes that as cut flowers they are 

 little used. 



We are frequently asked for plants 

 in the early spring as we are for pansies. 

 They are easily divided either in spring 

 or fall. The commercial man who has 

 need to grow them had better divide the 

 roots in September, plant in a coldframe 

 a few inches apart and cover with glass 

 during the coldest months. 



There are many fine varieties, red, 

 pink and white. 



BOSTON IVY. 



See Ampelopsis 



BOTTLE BRUSH. 



See Metrosideros 



BOTTOM HEAT. 



In all cultural notes there is more or 

 less occasion to refer to bottom heat. 

 There was a time when few cuttings 

 were thought to root well without the 

 aid of bottom heat, unless it were the 

 cuttings of the ericas and conifers. Prac 

 tice has taught us that to have the heat 

 of the sand or propagating material 

 greater than the temperature of the 

 house is with many cuttings entirely un 

 necessary. Ten or 15 degrees warmer 

 will certainly hasten the rooting of most 

 of our soft-wooded plants, and with some 

 it is a decided advantage, while with 

 others, carnations and geraniums, for in 

 stance, it is not desirable. 



Where bottom heat is essential there 

 is no way so inexpensive or durable as 

 having the hot-water or steam pipes 

 under the benches and inclosed so that 

 the heat will remain under them. The 

 hotbed (primitive greenhouse) is ideal 

 as a means of affording bottom heat, but 

 it is of short duration, being available 

 only during the spring and summer 

 months, and is always liable to neglect. 

 Years ago in growing plants requiring 

 bottom heat many a day was laboriously 

 spent in carting into the houses tan- 

 bark, leaves and other fermenting ma- 



