THE FLORISTS* MANUAL. 



J85 



The rhododendrons that you see 

 planted by the landscape gardener ( es- 

 pecially if he is from a distance) and 

 those we buy to forca are varieties of 

 R. ponticum. They are propagated 

 from seed, by cuttings of the half- 

 ripened wood, and by layers and by 

 grafting. The latter method is the 

 usual one to increase the fine named 

 varieties. The business of propagat- 

 ing and growing the rhododendron is 

 a specialty with those that have the 

 suitable soil, such as the fine peat of 

 Surrey, England, or the black peaty 

 soil of Holland and Belgium. 



If I attempted to grow on over sum- 

 mer any rhododendrons I would use 

 two-thirds of turfy loam and one-third 

 well rotted leaves. You could not, 

 however, begin to grow them a season 

 as cheaply as you can purchase fine 

 young plants well set with buds thai 

 only need a few months' care, like our 

 newly imported azaleas, with this dif- 

 ference, that you must expect to sell 

 or give away all your rhododendrons, 

 while your unsold azaleas are, with 

 proper treatment, much better plants 

 the second year. 



When potting the newly imported 

 plants see that the ball is not too dry. 

 It is better to make sure by dipping it 

 in a tub of watar. Pack the soil firm- 

 ly around the old ball and store them 

 away in the coolest house or frame you 

 have. At New Year's, b"ring them into 

 more heat. We failed several years 

 to get them into flower, thinking that 

 like the azalea they would come along 

 in a cool house. They won't do it; 

 you must give them 60 to 65 degrees at 

 night and syringe them daily; in fact 

 it is heat and moisture that bring them 

 out. They may not need three months 

 to force them out, but it is well to be 

 in time, and be sure to give the roots 

 plenty of water, particularly when in 

 flower. The flowers wilt easily in the 

 sun if the roots are dry. 



There are countless varieties, but 

 some of the handsomest do not force 

 well; so in ordering see that the varie- 

 ties are suitable. Desirable forcing 

 varieties are now largely grown for 

 that purpose. 



There are now beautiful hybrid rho- 

 dodendrons, the offspring of several 

 species, which make fine conservatory 

 plants. They should be managed as 

 we do azaleas, without the severe 

 pruning. After flowering they make 

 their growth and should be encouraged 

 to grow by a good heat and moisture. 

 When you see the buds set you can 

 plunge them out of doors for the sum- 

 mer and remove to a cool house when 

 you do the Indian azaleas. 



RICHARDIA AFRICANA. 



This plant is often called Arum lily, 

 but with us is universally called the 

 Calla lily. For many years it was a 

 most important plant with us. and to- 

 day there are a number of people who 

 prefer them to the true lilies. They 

 are of the easiest growth, if you re- 

 member one important thing, and that 



is that the calla comes from Northern 

 Africa and does not want to be starved 

 in a cool greenhouse. 



There are several ways of growing 

 them. To begin with, they propagate 

 easily from offsets, which you can take 

 off when repotting the plants in the 

 fall. Some plant them out, but if they 

 have much root room they grow too 

 rampant and the flowers are too large 

 to be useful. 



In early May our houses are too 

 crowded to keep the callas on the 

 bench and they are taken outside and 

 laid down where they can be covered 

 in case of a sharp frost. The top with- 

 ers away and for a few months the 

 root is dry. In August we shake off 

 all the soil and start them growing 

 again in 5 or 6-inch pots, keeping them 

 in a frame as long as there is no dan- 

 ger of frost, and in winter give them a 

 light house where it is not less than 

 60 degrees at night. Although almost 

 an aquatic the soil should be in such 

 condition that water passes through it 

 freely. For soil use three-fourths of 

 coarse loam and one-fourth of decom- 

 posed cow manure. They want lots of 

 syringing and fumigating, for thrip 

 and red spider trouble the leaves. 



If you want to raise some specimens 

 that will require a 9 or 10-inch pot and 

 bear three or four flowers at one time, 

 select some of your strongest plants in 

 May and plant them out two or three 

 feet apart in a deep, rich soil, where 

 you can water them copiously in dry 

 times. They lift easily end of Septem- 

 ber and will make great plants. 



The small offsets or bulblets that 

 com0 off the corm in August can be 

 potted in 2-inch pots and grown on, 

 giving them a shift into a 5-inch and 

 plunge out of doors, and if given plen- 

 ty of water these plants will be in 

 good flowering condition by October. 

 Roots are now sent from California 

 very cheaply. 



Richardia albo-maculata has a small, 

 greenish-white flower and a prettily 

 spotted leaf, which we used to use in 

 our veranda boxes. It rests in winter 

 and the corm should be started grow- 

 ing in February. To increase your 

 stock of this the corm can be cut in 

 two or three pieces and started grow- 

 ing \n February. Keep rather dry till 

 leaf growth begins. In June plant them 

 out and lift in fall and store in dry 

 soil till time to start again. " 



There is a magnificent yellow calla; 

 of its correct name I am not certain, 

 but think it is R. Elliottiana. In size 

 and form it is like the common calla, 

 but the leaves are spotted and not so 

 thick in texture. The flower is simply 

 grand. I don't know when I have seen 

 a flower that pleased me so .much. 

 Fancy a dozen or more of these flowers 

 in a vase; what can be richer? It is 

 not yet common or we would see and 

 hear more of it, but every florist should 

 obtain a stock of it. 



A single corm was given to. me two 

 years ago by the late George Savage, of 

 Rochester, with the advice to start it 



in sand and give little water till 

 growth began. This was good advice, 

 for the following June it threw up a 

 gorgeous bloom. They should be dor- 

 mant in the soil during winter and 

 shaken out and started in early spring. 

 We divided this corin into four or five 

 pieces with success, one of which flow- 

 ered this spring. This is such a mag- 

 nificent flower I cannot praise it too 

 highly. 



RICINUS (CASTOR BEAN). 



Our warm summers suit this tropical 

 plant well, and in very large beds or 

 borders where a tropical effect is want- 

 ed it has a fine appearance. It is easily 

 raised by sowing the seeds in March, 

 either singly in small pots or in a flat 

 and afterwards potted off singly in 3 

 or 4-inch pots. 



There are now several varieties, 

 those with the bronze colored leaves 

 being very handsome. To get a good 

 growth of the ricinus the soil of the 

 bed should be deep and rich. 



ROSES. 



Volumes have been devoted to the 

 rose. It is known as the Queen of 

 Flowers. Whole books have dealt 

 with merely the diseases of the rose. 

 A great church dignitary of England 

 gives all his leisure time to telling 

 funny stories and studying his favo- 

 rite love, the rose. In this country 

 Mr. H. B. Ellwanger, of Rochester, 

 has published a volume on the rose. 

 And for centuries the literature of the 

 rose has been pouring out in a steady 

 stream. 



The production of the plants and 

 flowers has made a fortune for a few, 

 a competency for hundreds and daily 

 bread for thousands. There is no long- 

 er a sanguinary war between the roses 

 of York and Lancaster in which thou- 

 sands perished and a fair island was 

 laid waste, but strange to say in one 

 city, most famous for peace and broth- 

 erly love, there still exists a Duke of 

 York whose pride it is not to exter- 

 minate his countryman who grows 

 white roses, but to produce such grand 

 red roses with stems of such a length 

 as his Lordship the Earl of Lancaster 

 never dreamed of. 



The rose is not only Queen to all 

 those who admire a beautiful flower 

 and they are low in the animal scale 

 who do not tout is the most impor- 

 tant by far in our commercial horticul- 

 ture. If we happen not to be exten- 

 sive growers then 75 per cent of our 

 bills with the commission man is for 

 roses. Although I believe the orchids 

 are bound to become great favorites 

 with the wealthier flower buyers, yet 

 they nor any other flowers can displace 

 the rose as Queen of all of Flora's 

 gifts. It is the perfection and grace 

 of form, the beautiful leaves, the fine 

 stem and the sweetness of the flower 

 that places it pre-eminently above all 

 other flowers. 



In Europe the rose has been fostered 

 by any number of rose societies, and 

 we have a rose society here, an auxili- 



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