THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



have it on 12, 14 and 16 inch square 

 and always double thick. We prefer to 

 use glass that is square, that is, 14x14 

 or 16x16. Then you have the choice of 

 two edges, and if one is a little rough 

 you can use the other. If glass is laid 

 as described above it will save you 

 many dollars. It is a smooth, fine 

 roof, more air tight than lapped glass. 

 The drip is nothing, absolutely noth- 

 ing, if well and properly laid; if there 

 should be a trifle it is always at the 

 bottom, which in commercial houses 

 would fall in the path. And if a little 

 dust creeps in, and it will creep in 

 where water won't, it can be washed 

 annually as clean as the day you put 

 it up. 



Fancy the luxury of painting such a 

 house. Remove the glass, thoroughly 

 paint and relay again. If you were 

 visited by a hailstorm you have only 

 to break out the shattered lights, shove 

 up the sound, and before night you are 

 whole. 



Without considering these contin- 

 gencies, it is the ideal way for a com- 

 mercial man to build. I have ten 

 houses glazed with butted glass. I 

 had no one to tell me how, but I per- 

 severed, and when I had built five or 

 six I had it down fine and have given 

 you the mature fruits of my experi- 

 ence. 



GLECHOMA (NEPETA GLECHOMA). 



The species that is useful to the 

 florist is called by many names. 

 'Ground Ivy" is one, and the Germans 

 apply the elegant name of "Louse 

 Krout." The variegated form of this 

 little weed is one of our best basket 

 plants. It starts to grow so well and 

 makes such a fine appearance in a 

 vase or basket that, weed as it may be, 

 it is well worth growing. 



The ends of the growths, a few 

 inches long, should be put into 2-inch 

 pots in September, three or four in 

 each pot, and placed in a cold-frame. 

 Kept shaded and moist they will soon 

 be rooted, and then the glass should 

 be removed till severe weather arrives, 

 when the glass should again go on. 

 Leave them in the frame till end of 

 March, when they should be got out 

 and shifted into 3-inch pots and start- 

 3d growing in the greenhouse. We 

 place them along the edges of benches 

 or shelves where their quick growing 

 shoots can hang down. 



Few plants will make such a veil of 

 growth to cover the woodwork of our 

 rustic baskets or the moss of our hang- 

 ing baskets as this little "creeping 

 Jenny," but do not attempt to keep it 

 in the greenhouse all winter or it will 

 be useless. 



GLOXINIA. 



These tropical American plants are 

 well adapted to house culture. I have 

 seen plants with fifteen perfect flowers 

 in the window of a humble cottage. 

 We seldom get complaints about their 

 failure. They are essentially summer 

 flowering. 



Gloxinias are raised in large quanti- 

 ties from seed by specialists, but the 



florist who grows only a few hundred 

 vvill do much better to obtain his sup- 

 ply of corms (usually called bulbs) 

 from some firm that raises them in 

 large quantities. The price of the 

 bulbs is now very low. Seed is usually 

 sown in February. Sow on a wet sur- 

 face and don't cover the seed; it is too 

 small. Cover the pan with a light of 

 glass till the seeds are up. A warm 

 house is needed and the pans should 

 be kept away from the direct rays of 

 the sun. 



As soon as the seedlings can be 

 handled, transplant them two inches 

 apart in flats in two or three inches 

 of loam and leaf-mould. In June plant 

 them in four inches of soil in a cold- 

 frame, or better still, a hot-bed that 

 has lost its violent heat. When grow- 



in the morning. I have had the best 

 success with gloxinias when the 

 plants stood on inverted 5 or 6-inch 

 pots on the bench; you can syringe 

 the under side of the leaves better and 

 the plants seem to thrive much better 

 with the increased circulation of the 

 air they get in this position. 



Shading is the most particular part 

 of their cultivation. They don't like 

 the dense shade that whitewash af- 

 fords, neither do they want the bright 

 sun, or their beautiful flowers will wilt 

 and droop. A light shade, or best of 

 all, one that could be applied only in 

 the hottest hours, would be ideal. 

 Never let them get dry or you will 

 lose their flowers. This is a plant 

 that in watering I should resort to 

 the old watering pot, unless you have 



Gloxinias. 



ing they like plenty of water and 

 should be shaded on all bright days. 

 Many of these seedlings will flower 

 the same summer and will make good 

 bulbs for growing in pots the next 

 season. 



In September water should be grad- 

 ually withhheld till the foliage has 

 dried up, when the bulbs should be 

 lifted and stored away in dry sand or 

 soil during winter. As previously said, 

 for a few hundred you cannot begin to 

 raise seedlings at the price you can 

 buy good flowering bulbs from the spe- 

 cialist. 



February to March is the best time 

 to start the bulbs. We put them first 

 in 4-inch pots, just covering the bulbs. 

 One watering is sufficient till the 

 leaves begin to start. A good loam 

 with a third of its bulk composed of 

 leaf-mould and well rotted cow ma- 

 nure will grow them finely. The house 

 you start them in should not be less 

 at night than 60 degrees, but as the 

 season advances they delight in our 

 warmest weather. When the leaves 

 extend over the pots they should be 

 shifted into their flowering pot, a 

 6-inch, and well drained. 



Gloxinias really want a warm, moist 

 temperature without any water ly- 

 ing on their leaves, although before 

 flowering they should be daily 

 syringed, which should always be done 



a very slow stream running from the 

 hose and your mind intently on your 

 work. 



The fine leaves of the gloxinia are 

 very brittle and easily broken, and 

 when shifting or handling must re- 

 ceive good care or your plant will be 

 spoiled. 



When out of flower, if you wish to 

 keep over the old corms, lay the pots 

 on their side under a warm, dry bench 

 and leave them undisturbed till you 

 want to shake them out and start 

 again in the spring. 



There are now grand strains of most 

 beautiful rich shades of color and the 

 upright or erect flowering are the best. 



GRASSES. 



Several grasses should be promi- 

 nent in all mixed borders of hardy 

 plants, or make beautiful clumps on 

 the lawn, either singly or in groups. 

 They will thrive in any ordinarily 

 good soil and those named are perfect- 

 ly hardy. They are propagated by di- 

 vision and rapidly increase in size. 



The finest and most ornamental of 

 all, the Pampas grass, is unfortunately 

 not hardy enough to withstand our 

 northern winters. Where the tempera- 

 ture does not drop more than 15 de- 

 grees below the freezing point it will 

 do finely. The Pampas grass (Gyne- 

 rium argenteum) is a native of the Ar- 



