528 FRITZ BAHR'S COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE 



than the Giant Early Brompton Stocks. These are the ones that 

 will give the longest spikes. Among them we have Beauty of Nice, 

 a beautiful soft pink, and to my mind, the only kind for the retail 

 grower to grow who has only a limited space to devote to their 

 culture. He should grow just one color in order to be able to cut 

 several dozen spikes to fill an order with. Usually a customer 

 doesn't want mixed flowers; he prefers one color or shade. You 

 can use a soft pink for more purposes, perhaps, than any other color. 



Mont Blanc is a fine white and Queen Alexandra the best light 

 blue or soft lilac. For those who want a red shade, Crimson King is 

 the one. Try to obtain a good strain of seed, such as comes from a 

 specialist, and it will give you a good percentage of double flowers. 



Sow in early August in flats, transplant into 2j^s later and 

 bench about the end of October, perhaps to follow early 'Mums. 

 In that case it is well to mix a little clean soil with what is in the 

 bench. Plant about 1 ft. apart and don't let the thermometer go 

 above 48 or 50 deg. The plants can be pinched back once and 

 should start to flower about March. It is always well to grow a 

 few extra ones on in pots for replacing if necessary. 



For a May crop, sow out in 

 December and treat the plants 

 the same way. Plants from 

 seed of the Ten Weeks Stocks 

 sown in February grown on in 

 pots will make fine flowering 

 stock for Memorial Day. But 

 these, of course, won't have 

 the same spikes as the others. 

 There are always single flow- 

 ering plants among your doub- 

 les, but even for these one 

 can find use. 



For those who retail what 

 they grow, Stocks may also 

 be considered as flowering pot 

 plants. A plant in a 5- or 6- 

 in. pot with from five to seven 

 flower spikes will sell quickly 

 around Memorial Day. Sow 

 seed in February and keep the 

 plants shifted. Pinch them 

 on ce when about 4 in. tall 

 and grow on in a cool house. 

 They like a stiff loam and 

 the hardy border good drainage. 



Fig. 272. STOKESIA CYANEA. A fine showy 

 perennial coming into bloom in July, and a 



