THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



61 



the aphis subdued. From August 15 to 

 about August 25 is a good time to lift 

 these plants from the bench, which 

 should be done with a digging fork, and 

 by getting the fork down flat on bottom 

 of bench you need not lose a fiber. These 

 plants grow a great deal after lifting, 

 so don t crowd them into too small a 

 pot. We find a 6, 7 or 8-inch suits 

 the different varieties. A few days of 

 shading and a frequent syringing and 

 they will have taken hold of the new 

 soil, when you must give them a light, 

 airy house. 



These plants on an average have 

 twelve to twenty buds, each branch dis 

 budding to one flower. Most of them 

 can be tied by one stake in the center 

 and thread or raffia leading to each 

 branch; larger plants, such as Lincoln 

 always makes, will require several 

 stakes; but let them be always small 

 and inconspicuous. Only a few varieties 

 are adapted to this purpose. The short 

 jointed, dwarf varieties are the ones, 

 and of all varieties that I have tried, 

 Ivory and Lincoln are the ideals. Maud 

 Dean is pretty fair, and so is Bonnaffon, 

 And there must be many newer varieties 

 of a compact growth suited for this 

 purpose. 



CINERARIA. 



What florists understand when we 

 speak of cinerarias are those which have 

 originated from C. cruenta. The hardy 

 species, although acceptable plants for 

 the herbaceous border, where hardy, are 

 not of much value to the florist. Since 

 the introduction of the cineraria, or 

 rather since its common use as an orna 

 mental plant in our greenhouses, a won 

 derful improvement has been made in 

 size, color and form of flower as well 

 as in the habit of the plant. They are 

 of easy culture and it may be said that 

 any glass structure, where it does not 

 actually freeze, will grow cinerarias. 

 But like many other of these soft-wooded 

 plants which can be called &quot;a cheap 

 plant and easy to raise a slight mis 

 take or neglect will ruin the whole lot. 

 A palm or an orchid will be much less 

 liable to permanent injury by neglect 

 or mismanagement, for what is a cine 

 raria but an abomination unless it has 

 broad, stiff, healthy leaves, and if it has 

 those it will be sure to have a handsome 

 head of flowers. 



It is quite possible that some choice 

 varieties are still perpetuated by cut 

 tings, as they commonly were years ago, 

 but that with the American grower is 

 never though of, neither is it at all neces 

 sary, for a fine strain is readily pro 

 duced from seed supplied by our leading 

 houses. Double varieties were also a 

 novelty a few years ago and supposed 

 to be a great acquisition, but the cine 

 raria, like some other florist s flowers, is 

 not in the slightest degree enhanced in 

 beauty, either as an individual flower or 

 as a decorative plant, by its being double. 

 It is simply a monstrosity and the craze 

 for the double varieties has vanished. 



If flowering plants are wanted by 

 November and the holidays, you must 

 sow at the end of May or early in June. 

 Except on private places this is not to 



be recommended. For the commercial 

 florist they would not be very profitable, 

 for they are a troublesome plant to carry 

 through the hot months and the bulk of 

 your customers are not ready for them 

 till February, March and April. It is 

 well to make two sowings, the first 

 early in August, the latter the middle 

 of September; the last sown will usually 

 come in right for Easter. The seed is 

 not so small but what it can have a 

 slight covering; finely sifted leaf -mold 

 or sand will do, and keep uniformly 

 moist till the seeds are up. 



When they have made a small char 

 acter leaf, transplant into a flat or 2- 

 inch pots. From this time on they must 

 be shifted on as they need it, never by 

 any means allowing them to become 

 stunted for want of larger pots. After 

 they leave a 3-inch pot the soil should 

 not be sifted. If it is a little rough 

 or lumpy so much the better. I have 

 seen hundreds of cinerarias in 4 and 

 5-inch pots die, not with a slow death, 

 but suddenly droop and die, and the 

 cause was a close, adhesive soil through 

 which the water did not pass freely. 

 They may not be a profitable plant, but 

 if worth growing at all will surely pay 

 to grow well. They must have room to 

 spread their leaves, and until flowering 

 time 40 degrees at night will suit them 

 better than a higher temperature. &quot;You 

 will often hear instructions given to 



Those that are summered over do much 

 the best in a pit or coldframe, but it 

 should be deep enough so that when ven 

 tilation from the raised sashes is given 

 it should pass over their tops and not 

 be playing too freely on their soft leaves. 

 Specimens can be given an 8 or 9-inch 

 pot, but the commercial florist will find 

 that a 6-inch will flower them sufficient 

 ly well. I have seen some growers pinch 

 out the leading flower shoot to induce a 

 broader head of bloom. If grown cool 

 and light this is entirely unnecessary. 

 It is seldom that cinerarias are troubled 

 with thrips or red spider, but a dusting 

 of water in summer and fall is beneficial 

 to them. 



CLEMATIS. 



Although more properly belonging to 

 the nurseryman than the florist we are 

 continually asked to supply plants of 

 several varieties and species of these free 

 flowering hardy climbers. 



Some of the species are readily in 

 creased by cuttings. The paniculata 

 type root freely from pieces of the young 

 growth and there is no better place than 

 the gentle heat of a hotbed. They all 

 are, however, bought very cheaply from 

 the nurseryman. The large flowered 

 Jackmanii type are usually grafted on 

 the roots of C. flammula, the common 

 European, or the root of any strong 



Cineraria. 



&quot;keep plants near the glass,&quot; in other 

 words this means light. They must have 

 light, room to spread out, a cool tem 

 perature, and although a stagnant state 

 of the soil is fatal to them, should never 

 be allowed to wilt from dryness or they 

 will lose some of their best leaves. 

 After light, air and a low temperature, 

 the remaining great object to watch in 

 their successful culture is never to let a 

 greenfly be seen on them. Fumigate 

 regularly and faithfully. 



growing variety. The florist buys his 

 clematis and is more interested in know 

 ing how to make them grow satisfactor 

 ily than how to propagate them. Very 

 strong plants of Jackmanii and other 

 large flowering varieties are imported 

 every fall, arriving here early in Novem 

 ber or perhaps a little earlier. They 

 have usually a good growth with a great 

 bunch of roots. Thousands of these are 

 sold and thousands die, and provokingly 

 after living one or two or more years. 



