24 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



leaves are only just above the surface. 

 In pressing the soil around the plant 

 don't make a point of squeezing the 

 soil around the neck of the plant 

 near the surface; that is not the 

 particular place. Put the stick away 

 down by the side so that the soil 

 is firmly pressed around the roots; 

 that is the most important operation. 

 If watered at once, thoroughly water- 

 ed, and shaded for a day or two from 

 the brightest sun, the seedlings scarce- 

 ly feel the transplanting. 



In the flats for plants we intend to 

 sell to our customers middle and end 

 of June we put the plants about one 



the best and deepest soil we have, and 

 if it is inclined to keep moist so much 

 the better. Plant 18 inches between 

 rows and 8 to 12 inches apart in the 

 rows according to variety. When first 

 planted out the small black jumping 

 fly, often called the turnip fly or flea, 

 is very troublesome, eating holes in 

 the leaves. A syringing with a solu- 

 tion of paris green and extract of to- 

 bacco will kill the fly. 



Violet growers who do not lift their 

 plants till September can make good 

 use of their benches by devoting them 

 to asters during the summer. If plant- 

 ed end of May they are out of the way 



mlv 



Asplenium Bulbiferum. 



inch apart. If sown middle of March 

 it is near the middle of April before 

 they are established in the flats after 

 being transplanted, and they then go 

 into a cold-frame, where in May the 

 glass can be removed. If very large 

 quantities are handled they can be 

 transplanted at once into a cold-frame 

 if the soil is dry and warm. If you 

 have no greenhouse the whole opera- 

 tion can be done by the help of a hot- 

 bed. 



When extra early asters are wanted 

 they can be taken from the flats in 

 which they were transplanted and put 

 into 2%-inch pots. In this way they 

 will transplant with safety to the open 

 ground. A great many asters are now 

 grown on greenhouse benches. For 

 this purpose sow middle of February. 

 For our general crop we sow middle 

 of March. Some of the varieties grow 

 very tall when flowered under glass 

 and need staking and lots of head 

 room. They pay for the labor because 

 you get fine, long-stemmed, clean 

 flowers. Under glass they must be 

 given plenty of water and frequently 

 syringed well syringed for red spider 

 and thrips are ever ready to attack 

 them in the hot weather. 



For cuttings we plant our asters in 



during August. We have also thrown 

 out a bed of Daybreak carnations and 

 filled it up with asters. No fresh soil 

 is needed; in fact the asters grow so 

 rampant under glass when well sup- 

 plied with water that too rich a soil is 

 detrimental. But out of doors they 

 want a deep, rich soil. 



There are many strains and varieties 

 of asters. The large, strong growing, 

 branching variety raised by 'Mr. Sem- 

 ple, of Pittsburg, is excellent for cut- 

 ing. Vick's Branching is of about the 

 same character. Then there is the 

 Truffauts Paeony-Flowered, very fine 

 if true, and grand colors; Victoria, 

 finely formed; Comet, finely curled 

 petals; Jewel, very compact, incurved 

 petals; Betteridge's Quilled, a dense 

 mass of short petals with a fringe of 

 larger ones; and many other strains, 

 all good if well grown, but Semple's, 

 though a few weeks later than some 

 others, will be found to be grand. 



Under this heading I have dwelt at 

 some length on the operation of sow- 

 ing seed, for I consider raising many of 

 our plants from seed the most import- 

 ant part of the grower's occupation. 

 It is the most delicate, and if not re- 

 quiring the most skill it certainly tax- 

 es your patience and demands closer 



attention than any other method of 

 propagation. Asters are by no means 

 difficult to handle (quite the contrary) 

 but all seeds need care. You can put 

 cuttings into the sand very clumsily 

 and if shaded you can trust most any- 

 one to water the bed and count on suc- 

 cess, but there are many things to 

 watch in raising seedlings. They are 

 often unevenly sown, or careless 

 watering will wash most of the seed 

 to one corner of the box. When just 

 germinating, if allowed to get very dry 

 all your work may be in vain, or if 

 not shaded when just peeping through 

 the surface they may be burnt up. 

 Skillful and proper management in 

 sowing is one great part of it and con- 

 stant watchfulness the other. 



I think the plan of roasting or bak- 

 ing the material with which you cover 

 the seed is most excellent, especially 

 for those seeds that take considerable 

 time to germinate, for it kills the seeds 

 and spores of weeds and mosses and 

 other low organisms that so soon take 

 possession of an unoccupied surface. 

 A piece of sheet iron over a brisk fire 

 will enable you to quickly roast suffi- 

 cient soil to cover a great many flats of 

 seed. And if the whole mass of soil 

 in which you sow as well as cover has 

 been baked so much the better. 



ASTILBE JAPONICA. 



This plant was known for years as 

 Spiraea japonica, and by the commer- 

 cial florist is still almost universally 

 called spiraea. It is a perfectly hardy 

 herbaceous plant, and there are few 

 plants so hardy or that will stand 

 more rough usage than this astilbe. 

 On dry sunny borders the feathery 

 spikes are far less beautiful than those 

 we grow under glass, but I have seen 

 some very fine spikes this spring on 

 plants that were m deep, moist soil and 

 partially shaded by trees. It Is, how- 

 ever, as a pot plant or for cut flowers 

 in early spring that we are most con- 

 cerned with the astilbe. At Easter, 

 though by no means so profitable as 

 many other plants we grow, they seem 

 almost indispensable, and again on 

 Memorial Day they are in good de- 

 mand. When used for cutting we find 

 the flower is not the only useful part 

 of the plant, the foliage is always 

 cleanly used up in cheap bunches of 

 flowers. 



The clumps of roots that we force 

 are all imported from the rich, fat 

 lands of Holland, and so long as the 

 Holland growers can supply them so 

 cheaply it will never pay us to bother 

 with their cultivation. They usually 

 arrive about the middle of November 

 and should be unpacked and placed in 

 flats or boxes with an inch or so of 

 soil or litter over them. Then give 

 them a good soaking and place the 

 boxes outside, anywhere. 



The astilbe can be forced into flower 

 in eight weeks by giving it great, heat, 

 but I much prefer giving them twelve 

 weeks, and the first three weeks they 

 can be under the bench. If not pre- 

 viously done, when potting them give 

 the roots a good soaking; there is 



