18 



1 he rlorists Review 



June 7, 1917. 



P 



I 



i 



ai=:3c 



3C^C 



IC3C 



3I^=IC 



ac=3c 



SEASONABLE xr 

 m SUGGESTIONS 



ICI^C 



3C=:3C 



3^C 



3C=3I 



3C:3C 



1 



) 



Smilax. 



Wliilc not giH)\vii tu uuythiiiji; like tlie 

 extent of a generation ago, there aj)- 

 j)ears to be some return of smilax to 

 favor. Tlio strings realize good prices. 

 It hardly j'ays to carry plants over in 

 beds a secdiid year; it is far better to 

 give tlie young plants a generous soil 

 in whicli to grow. Planting should be 

 done this montli if you want good 

 Thanksgiving and Christmas strings, 

 and get strings \\\\ to tlie ])lauts as soon 

 as you possibly can after planting. Once 

 the growths become entangled it is a 

 tliankless task to attempt to do auy- 

 tliing with tliem. You need not grow 

 smilax in an ui)-to-date house; it will 

 thrive just as well in one of the old, 

 heavy-timbered tyi)e in which flowers do 

 not succeed. 



Asparagus Sprengeri. 



Witli bedding stock gradually getting 

 out of tlie way, you probably now can 

 find time to plant out a batch of Aspara- 

 gus Sprengeri. In spite of all the houses 

 growing this useful green, it never 

 seems to be mucli overdone and there 

 are few retail country llorists who are 

 fortunate enough to produce all they 

 need. A. Sprengeri needs a strong and 

 fairly deep soil, as it makes many fleshy, 

 liungry roots. For this reason it suc- 

 ceeils better in a solid l)e<l with a foot 

 of soil than in a raised bench with less 

 than lialf that depth, altliough I would 

 not say tliat fine grass cannot be grown 

 in benclies. I'lace tlie plants 12x12 

 inches apart, and if you have uo bench 

 or bed for them use some roomy baskets, 

 preferably of galvanized wire, and hang 

 them from the roof of a liouse which is 

 not kept too w;irm and shady. 



Daiuias. 



Differences of opinion exist, and ])rob- 

 ably always will, on the question of 



early or late planting of dahlia]". My 

 own experience has been that a late 

 jdanting, sometime during tht" first half 

 of June, gives far better results than 

 an early setting out, no matter whether 

 green plants started from cuttings 

 or dry roots are used. Early planted 

 dahlias may flower in July and August, 

 but run out before the real, natural 

 dalilia season arrives in September, By 

 jilanting late the danger of cutworm at- 

 tacks is reduced and plants can be de- 

 pended upon to make a quick and steady 

 growth. They will flower profusely 

 until frost. 



Geranium Stock. 



The bedding plant trade is extremely 

 late this year on account of the abnor- 

 mally cold and backward season. Some 

 calendar writers have felt uncertain 

 whether to class May as a spring or sum- 

 mer month. The weather vouchsafed 

 us in 1!)17 would hardly fit it for either 

 class, but it would qualify rather well 

 for winter. It has passed, however, and 

 June seems likely to deal more kindly 

 with us. 



Tastes vary with regard to geraniums. 

 Once upon a time scarlets filled the en- 

 tire center of the stage; later, about the 

 whole platform; tlien the pinks asserted 

 themselves and .are still much in favor. 

 Note what c(dor your customers call for 

 most and be sure to reserve a liberal lot 

 of stock plants to plant out in the field. 

 If you chance to be short of the colors 

 needed, it is better to try to buy some 

 stock now and plant it out in tlie field, 

 so that you can lia\ e a good crop of cut- 

 tings in the fall. 



Adiantunis. 



Adiantums now will Kc makiug a lux 

 uriaut lot of fronds and will need spac- 

 ing apart from time to time. They must 

 liave a liberal water supjdy and when 

 \v(dl potbound should be given weak 



liipiid manure once a week, in addition. 

 The fronds while young are quite ten- 

 der and easily scorched. Therefore see 

 that the glass is shaded sufficiently to 

 prevent this. Where snails are trouble- 

 some, dust a little air-slaked lime or fine 

 salt between the pots and ])lace some 

 cabbage leaves or scoojumI out potatoes 

 for them, Sowbugs sometimes are 

 troublesome and many can be captured 

 in the ])otatoes. If the greenhouses are 

 unsuitable for fern culture in summer 

 and you have a good c(ddframe, there 

 can be no better place for maidenhair 

 and other ferns. IJig the soil out of the 

 frame to a suitable depth, spread a layer 

 of fine coal ashes at the liottom and be 

 Nure the glass is well shaded. Plants 

 may be elevated if necessary on pots or 

 other supports. 



Christmas Cinerarias. 



There are many inquiries each year 

 about liow to have cinerarias in flower 

 for the holidays, and in practically 

 every case the growers have sown seed 

 in August, or even later. It is utterly 

 impossible to flower cinerarias in four 

 months, but if a sowing is made now in 

 a shallow pan or flat, and the plants are 

 kept growing right along and not sub- 

 .jected to any checks, they can be had 

 in flower for Christmas. They are 

 bulky-growing plants, must have as cool 

 treatment as jiossible at all times, need 

 i-onstant spraying or fumigation to in- 

 sure cleanliness and a liberal soil to 

 grow in; but Avhen given these condi- 

 tions there is nothing difficult in their 

 culture ami they form a nice addition to 

 our list of holiday plants. 



DESIGNS FOR A DEDICATION. 



The accompanying illustration repre- 

 sents seven large designs made by 

 Schmaus Bros., Paducah, Ky., for the 

 unveiling of the Confederate monument 

 at Shibdi battlefield, Pittsburg Landing, 

 Tenn. The battle flag, aUxoO inches, 

 was a ])erfect reproduction of the flag 

 of the Confederacy, and the excellence 

 of all of this work commanded the atten- 

 tion of thousands of the |>eople ]iresent. 

 Mrs. Koy AV. McKinney. of Paducah, 

 Ky., who appears in tin picture, is the 

 treasurer of the fund for the erection 

 of the uionunient by tlic haughters of 

 the Confederacy. 





Designs by Schmaus Bros., Paducah, Ky., for the Unveiling of a Monument at Shiloh. 



