JuNi 9. 1921 



The Florists^ Review 



19 



WING to careful selection 

 of the finest plants and 

 flowers for seed, cyc- 

 lamens have become the 

 most popular flowering 

 plants for late fall and the 

 Christmas holidays. The 

 flowering period com- 

 mences in November and, 

 with proper care, will con- 

 tinue until March. There is today a 

 varied assortment of colors and they 

 are all indispensable. Sometimes salmon 

 is called for, sometimes pink, or red, or 

 white, but it is variety which the pub- 

 lic likes and not one particular color. 

 As it requires about fifteen months to 

 grow marketable cyclamens from seed, 

 plants intended for sale next Thanks- 

 giving and Christmas — not to speak now 

 of Easter stock — should already have a 

 good start. 



The seed may be sown as early as the 

 end of July or the first part of August, 

 and in successive batches till January. 

 By this means the blooming period can 

 be prolonged from Thanksgiving until 

 the following Easter, with the heaviest 

 crop at Christmas or whenever it is 

 most desired. 



Sowing the Seed. 



On account of the fact that the seed 

 produces a bulblet or corm before leaf- 

 growth is visible, the process of 

 germination in its entirety occupies a 

 considerable length of time. In mod- 

 erate moisture, germination may be 

 completed in three or four weeks, but 

 may require as long as two months. 



Cyclamens come true 

 to color from seeds. 

 Named varieties from 

 first-class seedsmen 

 may be depended on 

 generally to reproduce 

 themselves with only 

 slight variation. Bed, 

 pink and salmon shades 

 are specially in de- 

 mand at the holidays. 

 For the seeds, use a 

 light compost, consist- 

 ing of one-half leaf- 

 mold, one-fourth light, 

 sandy loam and one- 

 fourth sharp sand, 

 placed in shallow, well- 

 drained flats. Drop the 

 seeds evenly in rows. 

 Scatter a little sand 

 over the seeds and 

 press them in gently 

 with a piece of board. 

 Place the seed flats in 

 a warm, moist house 

 and keep them pro- 

 tected from sunshine. 

 The seed must not be 

 allowed to become dry. 

 After the small leaves 

 appear, put the flats 

 on shelves near the 

 glass, in a temperature 

 of 55 to 60 degrees. 

 Stir the soil occasion- 

 ally and give a fine 

 sprayinii; on bright 

 days. 



When the little plants are well estab- 

 lished and before they become crowded 

 in the flats, transfer them to 2i^-inch 

 or 3-inch pots. For this first potting, a 

 compost consisting of equal parts of 

 fibrous loam and flaky leaf-mold, with 

 the addition of some sand, would be 

 suitable. As to the depth in planting, 

 put the bulblet or tiny corm even with 

 the surface or just showing above the 

 soil. Place the pots in a temperature of 

 55 degrees at night, on a bench that is 

 supplied with a little bottom heat. 

 About midsummer another shift will be 

 needed, and the culture for this sum- 

 mer shift will be treated of later. 



Final Potting. 



The next repotting is the final one and 

 should occur, in the case of the main 

 crop, sometime in September. It is 

 about this time that the plants make 

 their most rapid growth, as the Amer- 

 ican summers are too warm to suit 

 cyclamens perfectly. 



The flowering pots usually are 5-inch 

 or 6-inch, according to the vigor, of the 

 plants. For the second and the final 

 potting, the compost may be formed of 

 a fresh, tufty loam and a fourth or fifth 

 part of well decayed horse manure, with 

 the addition of some sand if the soil is 

 heavy. In the late fall and early winter 

 some shade will still be desirable for a 

 few hours during the hottest part of the 

 day and one or two light sprayings daily 

 will be beneficial. The plants should be 

 on a light, sunny bench or shelf, in a 

 temperature of 50 to 55 degrees. Wlien 

 the pots are well filled with roots, weak 



A WeQ Grown Cyclamen It One of the Finest Blooming Plants. 



doses of liquid manure or top-dressings 

 with a good fertilizer will be in order. 

 In the first part of December the shade 

 should be entirely removed and some 

 ventilation should be given when the 

 temperature rises above 65 degrees. A 

 temperature of 50 degrees at night is 

 about right for the plants in flower. 



In the foregoing suggestions little has 

 been said about the treatment of the 

 plants in midsummer, because that stage 

 of the culture is so important and crit- 

 ical as to require a paragraph or two 

 entirely for itself. Cyclamens may be 

 carried through the summer with about 

 equal success either in a greenhouse or 

 in frames; the choice should be deter- 

 mined in accordance with the grower's 

 experience, the nature of the available 

 house, and other circumstances. If the 

 grower has had no experience with cyc- 

 lamens in frames and if he has a well 

 ventilated, airy house, with the needed 

 facilities for shading, he may obtain 

 better results from greenhouse culture. 



Summer Shade. 



If the shade can be of a movable na- 

 ture, all the better, as shade during the 

 scorching hours is a necessity, while in 

 morning and evening and on dull days 

 it is an injury. Do not put on a heavy 

 shading of lime, or kerosene and white 

 lead, as it would draw up the foliage 

 too much. Water carefully. The ap- 

 pearance of a green scum on the surface 

 is an indication that the plants are get 

 ting an excess of water. Scratch over 

 such surfaces frequently. Do not forget 

 to give the plants one or two sprayings 

 daily, or thrips are lia- 

 ble to get a foothold 

 and are hard to dis- 

 lodge. For the control 

 of aphis, faithful weelr- 

 ly fumigations are 

 necessary. These fumi- 

 gations, with plenty of 

 light and pure air, will 

 go far toward subdu- 

 ing the dreaded mite. 

 If the greenhouse 

 becomes too hot duripg 

 the day, it will be well 

 to try the plan of 

 growing at least part 

 of the stock in cold- 

 frames. Partly plunge 

 the pots in clean coal 

 ashes. Lay lath shades 

 without sashes over 

 them during the warm- 

 est hours of the day. 

 Remove these at 4:30 

 p. m. and do not place 

 them over the plants 

 earlier than 9:30 or 10 

 a. m. Spray the plants 

 several times daily. 

 Place sashes over the 

 plants only when 

 heavy rains threaten; 

 light rainfalls are bene- 

 ficial, as are fogs. If 

 you prefer to use 

 sashes which are shaded 

 during the day, tilt 

 these up well at both 

 top and bottom, i7f al- 



