June 16, 1922 



The Florists' Review 



25 



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HOW CAN WE HELP YOU ? 



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SOWING SWEET PEA SEED. 



When is the proper time to sow the 

 seed for winter-flowering sweet peas? 

 What are the best varieties? 



L. M. S.— Mich. 



For an early crop, sow the seeds about 

 August 1, using the winter-flowering 

 Spencer varieties. C. W. 



SPACING PYBETHBUM. 



How far apart should Pyrethrum au- 

 reum be planted? Can it be used for 

 the center plants in beds with alter- 

 nantheras? C. E. H.— 111. 



Nine to twelve inches apart is right 

 for Pyrethrum aureum. It can be used 

 in the center of a bed with altcrnan- 

 theras, provided you keep the latter 

 plants trimmed back. C. W. 



CYCLAMEN TOPS BOTTING, 



What causes the tops of cyclamen 

 plants to rot off while the roots are 

 still in good condition? 



E. D. L.— Tenn. 



In all probability the cyclamens have 

 been potted rather too deeply. Burying 

 the tubers or corms is the surest way 

 to cause rotting at the surface. The bot- 

 tom of the corms should rest on the sur- 

 face soil and not be buried. C. W. 



PINCHING BACK HYDBANGEAS. 



What is the latest time that you can 

 pinch back French and otaksa hydran- 

 geas in order to have good flower wood 

 for next year? E. D. L. — Tenn. 



Old plants of the French and otaksa 

 hydrangeas can be pruned back quite 

 hard in your state until the end of July, 

 and the younger plants may be pinched 

 until the same time. This will allow 

 them ample time to make excellent flow- 

 ering wood. C. W. 



CUI.TX7BE OF CALLAS. 



Will you inform us through the col- 

 umns of The Eeview as to the proper 

 way to treat calla lily bulbs? Our lilies 

 have been growing in beds in a fern 

 house for several years. This year they 

 have done badly indeed and we think 

 that perhaps they should be taken up. 

 However, the tops never die. 



How can we destroy the little worm 

 known as woodworm? 



C. F. C. — Miss. 



Callas need a good rest each season 

 to do their best and can hardly get it 

 in a fern house. Water should be 

 gradually withheld until the foliage 

 dies away; then take up the tubers. If 

 they seem somewhat green at lifting 

 time, pack them closely in flats of soil 

 and stand them in a greenhouse where 

 they get good sunlight. Do not water 

 them at all. 



They would do just as well outdoors, 

 provided they are not exposed to rain 

 storms. When all the foliage has died 

 away, overhaul the roots, cut away any 

 decayed portions, lay the best-sized 



tubers in flats and cover them with 

 sand until time for them to start up 

 again. Smaller sizes should be kept 

 separate and can be grown along in 

 flats containing four or five inches of 

 soil, or several each in 6-inch or 8-inch 

 pots. 



Callas do not succeed best in the 

 shade of a fern house. Give them a 

 sunny house and they will succeed 

 much better. Culture in pots or nar- 

 row boxes, six or seven inches deep, 

 gives splendid results. Fine bone used 

 as a top-dressing during the flowering 

 time and applied every week or ten 

 days is the best possible stimulant. 



The worm you speak of can be exter- 

 minated by a poisoned bran mash, or 

 Slug Shot. C. W. 



DUSTY MILLEB BACKWABD. 



How long will it take for Cineraria 

 maritima candidissima, or dusty miller, 

 to make a show after the first leaves 

 have appeared? My plants seem to be 

 slow, after they have had their first 

 leaves. I wanted to use them in beds 

 this year. C. E. H.— 111. 



Cineraria candidissima grows quite 

 rapidly, once it is planted out in good 

 soil. Probably your plants were started 

 rather late. C. W. 



PHCENIX SEED PUSHING UP. 



I planted some Phoenix canariensis 



seeds. When they came up, the seeds 



came out of the soil on a long stem. 



What should one do in a case like this? 



L. B. M.— Miss. 



It is natural for the phcenix seed to 

 push up opt of the soil, and especially 

 if the soil is of a loose and open charac- 

 ter. In common with many other palms, 

 the phoenix seeds send out a radicle into 

 the earth first, and, in due time, this 

 radicle splits on one side and a leaf 

 comes forth, while the lower end of the 

 radicle ultimately produces the root sys- 

 tem. Leave the seeds as they are, and 

 they will turn out all right in the future, 

 nature will take care of the further 

 as nature will take care of the further 

 steps in the growth of the j'oung plants. 



W. H. T. 



FEBTILIZEBS FOB CABNATIONS. 



Is it possible to use a substitute for 

 rotted sod when mixing the soil for use 

 in the carnation benches? I have a 

 good supply of rotted cow manure, some 

 rather heavy loam, but no sod. Would 

 it be feasible to use humus? 



G. C— X. J. 



While there is no better soil than 

 rotted sods for nearly all kinds of green- 

 house crops, rotted sods are not essen- 

 tial to success with carnations. Any 

 good field soil which has been properly 

 prepared by adding fertilizers, etc., 

 will grow good carnations. It is a 

 trifle late, now, to begin preparing your 

 carnation soil, but if you have soil 

 which is about right in texture, you can 

 mix with it as much of the rotted cattle 

 manure as your judgment suggests to 

 bring it up to proper fertility. Work it 



over thoroughly and leave it until your 

 benches are ready for filling. It will 

 require no more work to get this soil 

 into proper condition than if you took 

 more time to it, but it will not be in as 

 good condition. We require at least a 

 year, two years would be better, to pre- 

 pare our soil. We take a plot of good 

 soil, either sod or field soil. We plow 

 it after spreading on a good coat of 

 manure. Then we sow it in rye, which 

 is turned under when about eighteen 

 to twenty-four inches high. After per- 

 mitting it to lie a while, we put on an- 

 other good coat of manure, which is 

 disked in. If wo can have two years, 

 we prefer to grow a crop of clover to 

 be turned under. A. F. J. Baur. 



ASTEBS DAMPING OFF. 



I planted some aster seed in flats 

 20x24 inches square about March 15. 

 When the young plants were two and 

 three-quarter inches high they were 

 transplanted into other flats, and in wa- 

 tering them a greenhouse spray was 

 used. But I find that most of the plants 

 which were transplanted have devel- 

 oped black feet, and out of the six flats 

 that were planted, there is only one flat 

 left. The seeds were obtained from 

 four seedsmen who are advertisers in 

 The Review. What is the best method 

 of planting aster seed and other smaller 

 seeds so as not to get them too close 

 together? How can the above disease 

 be prevented? F. X. F.— Mich. 



Aster seed should be sown in well 

 drained pans or shallow flats of light 

 and sandy soil for the early crops. The 

 seeds should be lightly covered and 

 carefully watered with a watering can 

 and not with a hose. Probably your 

 seedlings were allowed to remain too 

 long in the seed boxes. When the trans- 

 planting is done, care must be used to 

 firm the seedlings properly, but they 

 must not be buried too deeply or damp- 

 ing will result. A light but moderately 

 rich soil suits transplanted seedlings. 

 Omit all chemical fertilizers, but use 

 well pulverized, old manure. Seedlings 

 do not need constant spraying over, but 

 require to be moderately watered with 

 a watering pot, or, when the hose is 

 used, screw a brass nozzle on the end 

 and do not use much pressure. This 

 treatment is decidedly preferable to us- 

 ing an ordinary sprayer or allowing the 

 water to run out of the end of an ordi- 

 nary hose. It is not too late now to 

 make a sowing of such a good fall aster 

 as American branching, outdoors or in a 

 coldframe. 



The seeds will germinate in .a gew days, 

 if carefully watered, and they should 

 be transplanted once before planting 

 them in the field. Other annual seeds 

 need similar treatment to that given 

 asters. Some very small seeds, like 

 petunia, begonia and gloxinia, need no 

 covering; others need a thin dusting of 

 sand. The larger seeds need to be cov- 

 ered a little more. Sand is a good ma- 

 terial to lightly cover the surface soil of 

 the flats and pans. If this material is 

 used, you will not be troubled with 

 green scum on the surface of the soil. 



