2J8 



THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



client for our potting soil. In fact, for 

 geraniums, coleus, cannas and most bed 

 ding plants it is all you want added to 

 your loam if you are minus that good 

 pile that I first spoke of. 



There are great growing qualities in 

 clay soils, even in clay taken a foot be 

 low the surface, as we have often seen 

 proved by rose growers, but it should, 

 if necessity compels its use, be exposed 

 a winter to the frosts, and when used 

 must needs have considerable manure 

 to make it mechanically right. Clay 

 alone will go down too solid and be too 

 retentive of moisture, and for our 

 plants in pots would be not at all de 

 sirable. 



The worst of all soils is a gritty sand, 

 and you sometimes find this on the sur 

 face. Our cuttings grow in sand for a 

 short time, but soon show the need of 

 something better. When sampling soil 

 if it feels gritty to the hand don t have 

 anything to do with it; it is mostly 

 particles of sand, whatever its appear 

 ance. If a soil feels smooth, or as it 

 is technically called, silky, you have 

 the right stuff. 



Sometimes we have to avail our 

 selves of soil that has been cultivated 

 as a garden for years. If you know 

 that it has been well supplied with 



and fibers may emit bacteria that are of 

 great usefulness to the roots. As we 

 depend on one kind of bacteria to do 

 our digesting, and possibly another one 

 to do our thinking, it is quite likely 

 that in the process of decomposition 

 this vegetable matter generates or 

 emits a valued species. Certain it is 

 that a good fibrous loam is the sheet 

 anchor of our soils. More important 

 than any fine quality or mixture of soil 

 is to have plenty of it available at all 

 times. 



Up to a 3-inch pot you have to sift 

 through a %-inch or %-inch mesh, after 

 that we never sift soils except for seeds. 

 From a 3-inch to a 4-inch and upwards 

 we only chop the soil. This is most im 

 portant. Somebody, I forget who, cursed 

 tiie sieve, and he was right. Use it as 

 little as possible. Chop your soil or 

 break it up with a digging fork, but 

 don t sift it. 



SOLANUM. 



This grand genus (for a genus that 

 gives us the potato must be grand) 

 contains some species that are used as 

 ornamental plants. 



I wonder why the universally used tu 

 ber is called the Irish potato. Perhaps 



Stcvia Serratifolia. 



manure it will grow most of your 

 plants, for it is rich. But there is 

 something about sod that has been cut 

 a few months that is not equaled by 

 any soil that has been tilled, however 

 much manure has been used. The 

 roots of the grass keep it open and in 

 a good mechanical condition, however 

 firm yon make it, and there may be 

 something more; im decaying the roots 



it is because its jacket comes off so 

 easy when it s hot, or perhaps Sir Wal 

 ter Raleigh first introduced it at Cork. 

 If he had overlooked it John Smith 

 would have taken it to Europe, and if 

 Sir Walter had gone exclusively into 

 the potato business on his return, and 

 not aspired to the hand of old Queen 

 Elizabeth, he might have saved his head. 

 But his head was of little consequence to 



future generations, and we have the 

 potato that has sustained life among 

 thousands. 



In some rural districts they have po 

 tatoes as a steady diet, mostly with 

 salt, and for a change without salt. I 

 once took supper with a rural florist 

 and the solid edibles consisted solely 

 of fried potatoes and a blessing. The 

 latter lighter commodity came first, so 

 its inappropriateness was not so appa 

 rent. And with pleasure we look back 

 to the evening and hope we may never 

 want for a fine dish of potatoes. A vol 

 ume could be written on the many ways 

 of cooking potatoes in this their native 

 land, but at a cheap boarding house of 

 our first experience we do not think 

 there was so much variation in the 

 method of cooking as in the varieties of 

 grease used. 



The Jerusalem cherry, S. Capsicas- 

 trum, is very ornamental when well 

 grown. Select seeds from a compact 

 growing plant, sow in February or 

 March in a good heat and grow in 2- 

 inch pots till frost is gone. Plant out 

 on a light and rather poor soil. You 

 don t want a vigorous growth, but want 

 a dwarf, compact plant and plenty of 

 flowers. If the fruit is set before you 

 lift them, so much the better. They 

 must have no frost. They come in fine 

 ly for the holidays and will do in any 

 greenhouse; when well berried they are 

 very attractive and sell well, and can 

 be sold cheaply, as they have occupied 

 room on the benches but a short time. 

 Pinch them when first planting out and 

 again if they are growing straggling. 



There is another very ornamental spe 

 cies, regarding the specific name of 

 which I am not certain. It is known 

 among florists as the celestial pepper. 

 It must be S. aviculare. The fruit is 

 largo, oblong in shape, and on the same 

 plant varies from green and white to 

 orange red. Small, well berried plants 

 of this species have had a great sale. 

 When any of these peppers are grown 

 large, requiring a large pot, their use 

 fulness is gone. Seeds of the celestial 

 pepper should be sown in April and 

 planted out late in June. They will 

 then be more likely to flower and fruit 

 when small. If planted early they 

 would make too strong a growth. Give 

 them a light soil and of course lift be 

 fore there is any danger of frost. 



STEPHANOTIS FLORIBUNDA. 



This beautiful flower was once much 

 used for the choicest bouquets and de 

 signs, but since the advent of the long- 

 stemmed flowers there is not the same 

 use for it. Its fine, pure white, waxy 

 flowers of delicious fragrance commend 

 it to all who have a warm house. It 

 is a true climber and should be planted 

 out in a well drained border of coarse 

 loam, but its roots are best confined so 

 that they don t ramble too far. It is 

 also grown in large pots and trained to- 

 a wire frame. Mealy bug is its worst 

 enemy, but it will endure any amount 

 of syringing. 



A piece of the stem of the previous 

 year s growth will root freely, but prop 

 agation is not of consequence; one or 



