12 



The Florists' Review 



July 17, lOln. 



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^ SEASONABLE ^ i 

 i ^ SUGGESTIONS \ 





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Amaryllis. 



J-i amaryllis plants are still in the 

 greenhouses, they should be shielded 

 frpm the direct rays of the sun, and 

 they will require less water and make 

 up much finer bulbs if plunged in coal 

 ashes, leaves or some other material. 

 They should also be freely syringed to 

 kepp mealy bug and red spider in check. 

 Ufi|e a spray nozzle on the hose occa- 

 sionally and direct the force against 

 the upper portions of the bulbs, where 

 mealy bugs love to congregate. As 

 greenhouses get much overheated at 

 this season, particularly when they are 

 small, it is an excellent plan to plunge 

 the plants in partly decayed leaves in 

 coldframes. Raise the sashes a few 

 inches above them and leave them 

 open all the time. Give suflScient shade 

 to prevent the foliage from burning, 

 and spray freely during hot weather. 

 Liquid manure should be given at least 

 once a week and be sure the plants 

 do not get dry at the root. It is aston- 

 ishing what grand bulbs can be built 

 up in two or three months under this 

 treatment. 



Do not get the common, but utterly 

 erroneous idea, that as soon as amaryl- 

 lises have flowered they need little fur- 

 ther attention. As a matter of fact, 

 it is the culture they receive now 

 which will build up the bulbs which 

 will produce grand spikes next winter 

 and spring. It is months too early to 

 think of any resting. 



Pansies. 



Millions of pansies are sold each year, 

 and every season seems to add to the 

 array of purchasers of them. Their 

 easy culture, hardiness, persistent 

 blooming qualities and wonderful range 

 of colors all tend to popularize them, 

 and there are few buyers of plants who 

 can resist a nicely flowered basket of 

 pansies. The time to sow pansies must 

 depend more or less on location. In 

 some latitudes strong plants can be had 

 if seed is sown as late as the first part 

 o!f September, but in the more northerly 

 states, where conditions are most fa- 

 vorable for the culture of these flowers, 

 from the middle of July until August 

 10 is a suitable time to make the main 

 sowing. As a general rule, I find the 

 last week in July a good time to sow. 



Secure a good strain of seed, such 

 as Giant Trimardeau, in one of the first- 

 class assortments offered by a number 

 of specialists. Do not purchase seed 

 because it is cheap; it will only mean 

 an inferior grade of flowers, and if you 

 want to tempt buyers, large flowers, 

 well blotched, of good substance and 

 containing attractive colors, are needed. 

 If you want to get the best possible 

 germination, sow the seeds broadcast 

 in coldframes in light, fairly rich com- 

 post; old hotbed manure, with leaf- 

 mold and some sand added, is much to 

 their liking. Scatter a light covering 

 of soil over the seeds; water and shade 

 with board shutters at first, later with 

 cheesecloth. Do not, on any account, 



let direct sunshine play on the seed 

 bed. Keep a little clos« until the seed- 

 lings peep, but not a moment longer. 

 Anything like stuffiness in hot weather 

 will quickly start the plants to damp 

 oflf. 



There are a good many named varie- 

 ties of pansies. "When they are wanted 

 for color effects in beds, separate shades 

 are desirable, but most buyers prefer 

 mixtures and many have a special lik- 

 ing for red shades, such as will be 

 found in Mme. Perret. In the way of 

 named sorts, a few reliables are: Em- 

 peror William, blue; Lord Beaconsfield, 

 purple, white petals; Prince Bismarck, 

 brown; Snowflake, pure white; Adonis, 

 light blue; Queen of the Blues, lav- 

 ender; King of the Blacks, coal black. 

 The splendid special strains of Bugnot. 

 Gassier and other specialists are all 

 worthy of a trial where fancy flowers 

 are wanted. 



For dotting among beds of tulips 

 and hyacinths, also for any partly 

 shaded beds or borders, the tufted pan- 

 sies, Viola cornuta, carrying smaller 

 flowers than the true pansies, but bloom- 

 ing with greater freedom, are fine. Any- 

 one who has once tried them will want 



them again, and if they can be watered 

 in periods of great heat and drought 

 they will flower finely all summer long. 



Cold Storage Lilies. 



Quite a few country florists, espe- 

 cially such as do considerable design 

 work, plan to have a succession of 

 lilies practically the year around. For 

 the greater part of the year cold storage 

 bulbs are necessary. These do not pos- 

 sess the vigor of stock which has not 

 been subjected to cold treatment, but 

 they start into growth quickly and 

 flower in a surprisingly short time. L. 

 longiflorum is the lily chiefly forced, 

 but, in addition, some L. speciosum 

 album and rubrum should be grown. 

 Bulbs of these varieties take consid- 

 erably longer to flower than those of 

 L. longiflorum. If started before the 

 end of July, they will give a good crop 

 from Thanksgiving to Christmas. They 

 can be grown in pots or beds; the for- 

 mer are to be preferred. I like fairly 

 large pots; 8-inch is a handy size for 

 four or five bulbs. After potting, stand 

 them on a cellar floor, or in a frame 

 where they can be covered with board 

 shutters. 



Give a soaking watering after pot- 

 ting; no more will be needed until 

 growths appear and the roots become 

 active. It is always safer to keep any 

 newly potted lilies somewhat on the 

 dry side, rather than the reverse. In 

 winter L. speciosum succeeds well in a 

 night temperature of 55 to 60 degrees. 

 It does not take kindly to hard forcing, 

 as does L. longiflorum. 



SLOW GROWTH, SMALL FOLIAGE. 



I am a chrysanthemum grower and 

 have about 6,000 plants, but they are 

 growing too slowly and the foliage is 

 small. It seems impossible to get them 

 to produce good-sized leaves. Will you 

 please tell me what to do for this trou- 

 ble? Please tell me, also, how to make 

 kerosene emulsion, how to use it and 

 whiat proportion to add to .yraterfor 

 spraying. **/ G. K. 



It is somewhat difficult to know what 

 is the matter with these mum plants 

 without a personal investigation or 

 some knowledge as to how the plants 

 have been grown. If the plants have 

 been growing slowly and the foliage 

 coming small, not s«feming to want to 

 make a large leaf^ i'such a condition 

 would indicate that tte'^oil is poor or 

 the moisture lamentably d'eficient. The 

 chrysanthemum needs a" great deal of 

 water, particularly in such weather as 

 we have had recently. If the plants 

 have not suffered for lack of water, 

 unquestionably feeding must be neces- 

 sary, A good mulch of well decom- 

 posed cow manure will be found bene- 

 ficial, as it will keep the plants from 

 drying out at the root and will afford 

 needed nourishment. Before this ma- 

 nure is applied, a dusting of bone flour 

 on top of the plants should be given. 

 I say bone flour, because the coarser 



grades of bone do not give up their 

 plant food quickly enough to be of 

 much use to the plant and will only 

 just begin to work after the flowers 

 have been cut and the crop gathered. 

 If well decomposed manure is not avail- 

 able, the fresh manure should be used 

 in the form of a liquid, putting a shovel 

 ful or so into a barrel of water and 

 mixing it thoroughly. 



With all respect to G. K., a kerosene 

 emulsion is dangerous to use on mums- 

 There is no insect that infests mums 

 that can not as well or better be clt-aned 

 out by the use of Aphine or one of tn« 

 tobacco liquids. If there are many 

 chewing insects, they can be rcadiv 

 eradicated and prevented by the "*^ °! 

 Paris green, half the strength of what 

 one would use for potatoes out'loors. 



C. H. Totty. 



CYANIDE FOR MUMS. 



Can hydrocyanic acid gas be u?® 

 with perfect safety for fumigating 

 mums regularly, and how often shoui 

 it be used? Will it kill worms ami so^ 

 bugs? C. A. M. 



Mums can be fumigated safely ^', 

 hydrocyanic acid gas if it is used '^ 

 the following proportions for a 50-foo^ 

 house: Cyanide, one ounce; sulphu" 

 acid, two ounces; water, six ounce ^^ 

 This will kill every pest above the 9<"' 



