NOVBIilBEB 9, 1916. 



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The Florists' Review 



19 



over ten feet wide. The sides should 

 be boxed in tightly and sufficient pip- 

 ing should be made to hold an even 

 temperature of 65 degrees in the sand. 

 The top heat can be 15 degrees lower. 



I would use four rows of 2-inch steam 

 pipes on either side, or a flow and two 

 returns of 4-ineh hot water pipes. This 

 would give you ample heat. Do not 

 try to run a high temperature over- 

 head; 45 degrees will be much better 

 than 55 degrees. 



Put the cuttings in the benches on 

 or about January 15. They will not 

 root so quickly as those of half -ripened 

 wood, and any attempt to rush them 

 will result disastrously. I presume you 

 would want to pot them singly as soon 

 as they are rooted, or perhaps, if your 

 climate is sufficiently mild, you could 

 run them out in nursery rows. The 



safest plan, however, would be to pot 

 them off singly. A house seventy-five 

 feet long, with propagating benches 

 three feet wide on each side, should 

 give you ample space for the number 

 mentioned. C. W. 



BOSE OUTTHraS OUTDOOES. 



If hardwood rose cuttings are taken, 

 put in sand and covered with soil, do 

 you think they will root by springi I 

 have no coldframe or greenhouse and I 

 want hardwood cuttings for spring. 

 A. K. K.— Mont. 



Can't you put your hardwood rose 

 cuttings in sandy soil on the floor of a 

 cold cellar! Be sure the earth is moist. 

 A little freezing will do no harm. If 

 you will do this a good many will be 



well calloused by spring, when they 

 can go out in nursery rows, be watered 

 and well tamped, and a good proportion 

 will grow. This would be much better 

 than keeping them outdoors. C. W. 



WHERE DIPLOMACY WON'T DO. 



We would be pleased to have you 

 give us some advice on roses, how to 

 exterminate red spider. Is there any in- 

 secticide we can use in the form of a 

 spray or fume? So far we have used 

 only clear water, but we do not seem 

 to be able to clean the house. 



T. W. C— Minn. 



The only way to get the upper hand 

 of the red spider is to syringe with 

 cold water. The less water and thi 

 more force is used the better it will be. 



TESTING CANNAS IN TENNESSEE. 



I This is the first of four articles that describe 

 Mio results of canna tests on trial grounds near 

 X.ishville, Tenn. The other three articles wIH 

 .'ippear in early issues of The Reriew.] 



Again this year we carried on our 

 experiments with cannas, adding about 

 fifty of the newer candidates for popu- 

 lar favor, as well as several unnamed 

 seedlings kindly furnished by some of 

 tlie best growers in the country. The 

 {)uipose of our tests was to determine 

 what were the best cannas for use in 

 this latitude, so that when we offered 

 '111- customers the best there was to be 

 lia'l in any color we could know that 

 wo were really doing what we claimed. 

 We were especially anxious to know 

 whether our own seedlings were better 

 til a 11 something already produced, and 

 '^o worthy of introduction. 



We carried on our experiments in 

 two separate blocks, each of which con- 

 tained all of the varieties we had. In 

 one block of about one and one-fourth 

 '"res the plants were grown in ordinary 

 L,'oud field soil, without fertilizer of any 

 ^ifi 1 and without water other than the 

 'I'Tinal rainfall. The other lot was 

 Ponced in excellent soil, well fertilized 

 ^^'th stable manure, and either heavily 

 'I'ViloVed or given plenty of water. We 

 ^"ok notes of all varieties at intervals 

 ^11 Slimmer, and have made up our con- 

 ^hisiona as a result of comparing the 

 l^^^"*^ plantings. In -a number of in- 

 striT f og y^Q ^fgQ noted carefully the re- 

 h"^'- in public parks and private 

 grounds where the same varieties were 

 grown. We submit the report feeling 

 sure that it should be of value to mem- 

 I f'i':< of the trade in determining what 

 pnrir.figg ^Q ^^y. -^ tjjgjj. Q-5(rjj locality. 



Some of the Best Wliite Sorts. 



Last season we were not satisfied with 

 our test of white cannas, as there were 

 several candidates for favor that we 

 did not grow, or we grew them in too 

 small quantities to arrive at true con- 

 clusions. After this season's tests wo 

 are convinced that while we do not yet 

 have a white canna that is really satis- 

 factory, it is coming in the near future. 

 In fact, we are about as near there as 

 we are to a really good, true yellow. 



Blanche Wintzer is the only truly 

 white canna to date, so far as we have 

 seen. It is as white as a calla; at least, 

 it is so in our hot summer sun, by the 

 time it has been in bloom two or three 

 hours. The flowers are almost as large 

 as those of an orchid-flowered variety, 

 and the heads are large. But this is as 

 far as we can go in our praise. It is 

 too dwarf, and too weak a grower to be 

 of great merit as a bedder. Its greatest 

 value is as a mother of something 

 better. 



Eureka is well named. It is as strong 

 a grower as any canna needs to be, and 

 is as free a bloomer as any of the reds. 

 Of course it is not white. However, it 

 is white before the flower falls and is 

 no more than a deep cream at any time. 

 It does not do its best without plenty 

 of water and good soil. It is bound to 

 be one of the cannas of the future. 



A Specially Vigorous White. 



Flag of Truce is the only other good 

 white canna. iLike Eureka, it is not 

 perfectly white, but comes as near 

 being so as does that variety. It is 

 faintly dotted with crimson-pink. At 

 compared with Eureka, it grows slightly 



taller, and the individual flower is 

 larger in that it has decidedly broader 

 petals. Its heads are larger and cacli 

 shoot normally produces four heads, 

 while Eureka produces but three. It 

 produces more plants in a season also, 

 and in soil that lacks manure and water 

 is decidedly the better variety. Under 

 park conditions, where there is plenty 

 of water and the soil is good, Eureka 

 has prettier foliage and makes just as 

 good a show. Both arc tiptop varieties, 

 as strong growers as can be found, and 

 as free bloomers. 



We do not hesitate to say that thus 

 far there are no other white varieties 

 on the market that are as worthy of 

 growing as the three we have men- 

 tioned. Of course, Mt. Blanc will be 

 sold next season in greater quantities 

 than either of the foregoing, but only 

 because it is cheap, while neither of 

 the others is cheap at present or will 

 be for at least two more years. 



The Variegated. Cannas. 



Under the head of variegated cannas 

 we group those that are distinct enough 

 in coloring to show two distinct colors 

 at a distance, say 100 or more feet. 



Queen Charlotte, though an old va- 

 riety, is still hard to beat. It is so gen- 

 erally known that it needs no descrip- 

 tion. As a border plant or for massing 

 in front of shrubbery it has not been 

 excelled to date. 



A second season with Gaiety has con- 

 vinced us that it is properly named. 

 The plant is fully five feet tall and a 

 rapid multiplier, every shoot producing 

 three large heads of flowers. The color 

 is a mingling of orange, scarlet and 



[Oontlnned on patre 40.] 



