APBiL 20. 1916 The Florists' Review 



',--'» r\ 



15 



spray freely until they start to grow. 

 Move them to cooler quarters as they 

 start to grow, in order to get nice, 

 stocky cuttinc^. These early cuttings 

 will be ideal for bench culture or grow- 

 ing along in 6-inch or 7-inch pots if 

 you want some big bracts, but if you 

 only want short stock in pans for 

 Christmas you need not start the poin- 

 settias for a month or six weeks yet. 



Primulas. 



Primula obconica and P. Sinensis are, 

 or should be, in flats of soil now, and 

 ready, or nearly so, for 2%-inch pots. 

 Use a soil for the first potting contain- 

 ing one-half leaf-mold, a little old ma- 

 nure and sand and the remainder loam, 

 and do not pot too firmly. The 

 plants will do well in coldframes in 

 the summer. For some time yet, how- 



every shoot has to be tied up to its full 

 length to prevent breakage. 



Caladlum Esculentmn. 

 Caladium esculentum is a rapid 

 grower and for that reason should not 

 be started early. Place the plants in 

 flats or on a warm bench where there 

 is some bottom heat, in a light, sandy 

 soil. Pot them as soon as growth 

 starts, which will be within a com- 

 paratively few days. It is a mistake 

 to start these caladiums, or elephant's 

 ears, as they are commonly called, ear- 

 lier than this date, as they make too 

 much growth and starve in the pots. 



Bambler Hoses for 1917. 



The best ramblers for early forcing 

 are those grown in pots through the 

 summer. Now is the time to try some 

 good field plants. Pot them firmly, cut 



raised back and front about one foot, 

 to permit plenty of ventilation, and 

 should have a coat of whitewash or 

 thin paint. Lath shades laid on the 

 sashes or a cotton awning will keep the 

 frames considerably cooled. These 

 should be removed at sundown, to give 

 the cuttings the benefit of the night 

 dews. The cuttings will require a good 

 watering when first inserted, and there- 

 after should be kept rather on the moist 

 side. All the necessary watering should 

 be done after the shade has been re- 

 moved at sundown. L. 



OTASSA FOB EASTEB. 



The French hydrangeas have come to 

 the front as Easter plants in the last 

 few years, but that the old, favorite 

 variety, Otaksa, still is in the running 



Hydrangea Otaksa as Grown for Easter at the EstabHsbment of J. \7. Dudley & Sons, Parkersburg, W. Va. 



ever, they need a bench in an ordinary 

 greenhouse, and see that they are shad- 

 ed from the direct rays of the sun. It 

 is much too early to sow P. malacoides. 

 July 1 is a suitable time to start this 

 beautiful primula, as it is a rapid 

 grower. 



Coleus and Altemantheras. 



If you do not carry over any stock 

 plants of coleus and altemantheras, 

 now is the time to buy rooted cuttings 

 from some reputable concern. They 

 are inexpensive and it is better for the 

 average small country florist to buy 

 them now than try to carry over a lot 

 of stock in an ordinary greenhouse. If 

 you have not a warm house for them, 

 prepare a good hotbed and plunge the 

 pots. They will grow in a way that 

 will surprise you. On cold nights they 

 need a mat or board shutter protection. 



Canterbury Bells. 



The early batch of Canterbury bells 

 now is in bloom. What noble pot 

 plants they are! Even finer plants will 

 be at their best a month from now. 

 Growers of these plants will find it 

 necessary to stake each shoot sepa- 

 rately in order to prevent breakages 

 and get really shapely plants. Grow 

 them in a cool, airy greenhouse. They 

 do not like forcing. If you can get a 

 batch in for Memorial day, the cut flow- 

 ers will prove splendid for bunching. 

 Now is the proper time to sow seed in 

 order to have really strong plants to 

 pot next fall. The single varieties in 

 pink, white, mauve and dark blue make 

 the best pot plants. The calycanthema, 

 or hose in hose type, is pretty, but 



them down nearly to the tops of the 

 pots, place them in a cool house and 

 in two or three weeks many eyes will 

 start, more than you will need. Re- 

 duce these to from four to six to a 

 plant. Give them more heat as growth 

 advances, in a bright, sunny house free 

 of drafts. Drafts will cause mildew. 

 Keep the shoots securely tied up and 

 hold the plants indoors for a couple 

 of months, then plunge outdoors and 

 tie the shoots securely to stakes or a 

 temporary fence, in order to give them 

 full sun. These canes will ripen much 

 earlier than those on stock planted out- 

 doors. 



If you do not want ramblers for early 

 forcing, this is the time to buy what 

 stock you need. Cut thfem down close 

 to the ground when planted, and in 

 other respects treat them the same as 

 suggested for pot-grown plants. This 

 stock can be dug up and potted in the 

 fall and will make good stock for next 

 Easter flowering. 



MUMS IN THE SOUTH. 



The month of April is a good time 

 in the south to start propagating the 

 young chrysanthemum plants. The cut- 

 tings are best rooted in frames. The 

 frames should be rather deep, in order 

 to protect the cuttings as much as pos- 

 sible from drafts. For propagating 

 material there is nothing better than 

 charcoal dust, although a mixture of 

 half sand and half charcoal dust also 

 is good. To get the best results there 

 are two points to be carefully observed, 

 the shading and the watering of the 

 cuttings. 



The sashes on the frames should be 



is shown by the accompanying illus- 

 tration. It shows one of three houses 

 of this plant flowered this Easter at 

 the establishment of J. W. Dudley & 

 Sons, Parkersburg, W. Va. 



BUOHTEO LILY BUDS. 



Can you tell me what is the trouble 

 with my giganteum lilies? They are 

 like the one enclosed. I have used to- 

 bacco for fumigating and have sprayed 

 with nicotine extract, at the rate of 

 about one teaspoonful to three gallons 

 of water. Did I use it too strong? 

 This is the first time I have had trouble 

 with giganteums and I should like to 

 know the cause. V. H. T. — Ky. 



The tobacco fumigation and spraying 

 at the strength named should not be in 

 any way responsible for the buds of 

 your lilies blighting in this way. Have 

 you been planning to hold these plants 

 for Easter and, seeing that they were 

 somewhat too early, have you dropped 

 the temperature sharply to retard the 

 plants? If, for instance, your plants 

 have been growing in a temperature of 

 65 degrees at night and you moved 

 them to a house 20 degrees colder, the 

 probabilities are that many buds will 

 never open at all. It is quite safe to 

 take plants with two or three open 

 flowers and move them to even a cool 

 cellar, but it would not do to place 

 plants with buds one-half or one-fourth 

 developed in so cool a storehouse. If 

 these were cold storage bulbs, it is pos- 

 sible that they were frozen too much 

 while in cold storage. This would not 

 destroy the actual growths, but nearly 

 all flowers would come blasted. 



