March 1, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



17 



^1 



RAMBLERS FOR EASTER. 



Fertilizer and Water. 



Easter ramblers now are making a 

 rapid growth and need considerable feed 

 and water from this time on, so as to 

 insure good flowering breaks. Cattle 

 manure soaked in barrels about ten days 

 and diluted in fresh water makes an 

 excellent fertilizer. The strength of the 

 mixture depends on how far your plants 

 are advanced; care must be taken at the 

 start not to make the fertilizer too 

 str<^. Pot-grown ramblers will stand 

 argaod deal stronger mixture than field- 

 /grown stock. 



Field-grown ramblers sometimes are 

 slow in making new roots, especially the 

 imported stock, which this year was in 

 transit longer than usual A great many 

 plants start breaking and leaf out before 

 there is any sign of root action. Plants 

 acting in this manner should not have 

 fertilizer of any kind until they show 

 fresh roots. 



Time to Feed. 



Wlien the breaks develop from three 

 to five leaves and the roots are well 

 started, it is time to give the plants a 

 light dose of the manure liquid, once 

 every week. First give them a water- 

 ing of fresh water. After the manure is 

 well soaked in there generally is a sedi- 

 ment on top. Soak this down with fresh 

 water. This practically means three 

 waterings, and it is not any too much. 



Thousands of roses in pots and 

 benches are ruined every year because 

 they did not receive enough water and 

 fertilizer at the proper time. 



Make the mixture a little stronger 

 each time. When the breaks begin to 

 show buds, give the plants the limit in 

 food, and plenty of water. 



As most ramblers are in 5^^ and 

 6-inch pots, it is impossible to water 

 them thoroughly by going over them 

 once only. Soak them two or three 

 times, especially when you are water- 

 ing and feeding them during the bright 

 days of March. 



Red Spider and Syringing. 



Wlien red spider makes its first ap- 

 pearance, syringe the plants the day 

 on which you water them, or the follow- 

 ing day, while your pots are well soaked. 

 The next syringing should be done when 

 you give the plants the next watering. 

 By following this rule you always know 

 the exact condition of the soil. Many 

 growers have an idea that it is neces- 



sary to syringe ramblers or other kinds of 

 roses on all bright days, but this is a 

 great mistake, as it makes the wood soft, 

 and the grower is more liable to meet 

 with mildew. Furthermore, it keeps the 

 top soil wet and makes it hard for the 

 grower to tell the exact condition of the 

 soil. The plants may be suffering from 

 want of water, and the only way 

 one can tell it is by taking out the 

 plants. On bright days they may begin 

 to wilt before one realizes how dry they 

 are. If rose plants get in that condi- 

 tion, injury is done to both flowers and 

 foliage. Jerry P. Jorgensen. 



INSECTS IN ROSE SOIL. 



Under separate cover I am sending 

 you a sample of soil taken from the top 

 of my rose bed. It contains little white 

 insects which stay just under the top 

 soil. The insects were not brought in 

 with this mulch, as they were there be- 

 fore it was put on. The rose plants are 

 not doing well and I would like to know 

 if these insects injure the roots. If so, 

 how can I get rid of themf 



A. E. W.— Mich. 



I could not find any of the white in- 

 sects referred to in the soil sample re- 

 ceived, but found several wireworms. 



These can be gottdn' H(J of by -laying 

 a poisoned mash for them, the bait to 

 consist of sweet bran, molasses and 

 Paris green, using just enough poison to 

 slightly color the mash. 



For soil pests use carbon bisulphide, 

 boring holes twelve to fifteen inches 

 apart each way and two to three inches 

 deep. Into eacKtole pour a scant tea- 

 spoonful of the carbon. It generates a 

 gas which suffocates all soil pests and 

 will not harm your roses. As the liquid 

 is of an explosive nature, be careful not 

 to use any naked light while applying 

 it. C. W. 



TIMING ROSES FOR EASTER. 



We have some Magna Charta roses 

 that have been in the house six weeks 

 and are now showing buds. The tem- 

 perature in the house is 52 degrees at 

 night. Do you think the buds will open 

 before Easter? We have more of the 

 same variety that we want for Decora- 

 tion day. How many weeks will it take 

 to have them in time for that day? 

 L. A. E. & S.— O. 



The roses, if already in bud, will be 

 too early for Easter. I am afraid that 

 if you place them in a lower tempera- 

 ture you may get mildew on the plants. 

 You might try running them a trifle 

 cooler, say 45 degrees at night, and hold 

 them there until the buds show color, 

 when it will be safe to keep them still 

 cooler; but avoid cold drafts, which 

 would start mildew. 



For Memorial day eight to. nine weeks 

 would suffice to flower the plants in an 

 average night temperature of 52 to 55 

 degrees. A good deal, of course, would 

 depend on the amount of sunshine we 

 have. If cold and unusually cloudy, ten 

 weeks might be necessary. C. W. 



Elyria, O. — Its present building hav- 

 ing become too small to care for the 

 largely increasing business, the Hecock 

 Floral Co. has made plans for the erec- 

 tion this spring of a 3-story building on 

 the site of its present structure. 



SHRAPISITE 



Rotterdam, Holland.— The nursery 

 stock and bulbs aboard the Nieuw Am- 

 sterdam, recalled after sailing, have 

 gone forward on a freighter. 



Hajrwards Heath, England. — Allwood 

 Bros., one of whom obtained his train- 

 ing as a carnation specialist in America, 

 have a White May Day of spotless pur- 

 ity, said to be unusually prolific. 



London, England.— A. Hemsley, 66 

 years of age, widely known as manager 

 for H. B. May & Sons and later for 

 H. J. Jones, Ltd., died recently of can- 

 cer. He was a frequent contributor to 

 the trade press. 



London, England.— Hurst & Son are 

 distributing to the seed trade new va- 

 rieties of Primula obconica, known as 

 the Chenies strain, raised by John Dick- 

 son, which capable observers say will 

 be found to surpass anything now on 

 the market. 



London, England. — It is said here that 

 the vogue of Ophelia rose in America 

 is due to E. G. Hill having seen it, while 

 on a visit to England, extensively grown 

 by George Beckwith, who marketed the 

 blooms as Ladylove, although most 

 rosarians knew its real name. 



London, England. — The suspension of 

 the Gardeners' Magazine has made it 

 possible for the newly organized British 

 Wholesale Florists' Federation to secure 

 Charles H. Curtis as its secretary. An 

 office has been opened in Covent Garden. 

 The federation already has 1,000 

 members. 



Odense, Denmark.— Danish seed grow- 

 ers, who long have had a reputation for 

 certain vegetable seeds, notably of the 

 brassica family, have been hard at work 

 since the war started in improving their 

 strains of flower seeds and hope to be 

 able to afford Germany some strong com- 

 petition after the return of peace. 





