Seftbmbbb 25, 1913. 



ThI FIoii^s* Review 



18 



Geranium Stai^ Plants of Elmer Rawlings, Olean, N. Y. 



October 27, for the various plats was 

 as follows: Healthy stock, limed plat, 

 6.4; acid phosphate, 10; stable manure, 

 11; wood ashes, 5.4. Diseased stock, 

 limed plat, 5.7; phosphate, 5; manured, 

 7.6; wood-ash, 3. 



It can be seen that the stable manure 

 gave best results. As this is a well- 

 known fact, the experiment was faulty 

 in that the chemicals were not applied 

 in addition to manure. 



It may be questioned whether acid 

 phosphate could be expected to yield 

 results when the plant is already dis- 

 eased before it is placed in the soil. 

 The protection of newly-developed 

 roots, however, might have been ex- 

 pected. Unfortunately, the actual tests 

 for alkalinity and acidity were not 

 made. 



[To be continued.] 



TO WINTER GLOXINIA BULBS. 



What is the best way to keep glox- 

 inia bulbs at rest, in the pots, or 

 shaken out and packed in perfectly dry 

 sand? I should like to keep them dor- 

 mant as long in the early spring as pos- 

 sible. I have about 400 of them. 



H. H. 



The best way to keep the gloxinia 

 bulbs is to pack them in sand not too 

 'lust-dry, or in dry cocoanut fiber- refuse. 

 The latter keeps begonias and gloxinias 

 splendidly. Give the gloxinias a tem- 

 perature, when at rest, of 48 to 50 de- 

 !<rees. Pack them away just as soon 

 as all the foliage has died away. 



C.W. 



three feet, fill in with stones, coarse 

 cinders, gravel, or other material, to 

 the depth of from six to ten inches, 

 in order to make sure that perfect 

 drainage has been secured. Then fill 

 up the bed with coarse manure, leaf- 

 mold and rotten sods, finishing it off 

 with six inches of rich compost, con- 

 taining a considerable proportion of 

 sand. The plants should have a tem- 

 perature of 63 to 65 degrees. Just 

 what should be done in the present 

 instance will depend upon the condi- 

 tion of the plants and of the bed, but 

 if the roots are in good condition the 

 younger plants could probably be used 

 for transplanting to a properly pre- 

 pared bed. Liquid manure or top- 

 dressing may be used on old beds. 



A CITY BLOCK OF GERANIUMS. 



Growing geraniums on residence lots 

 in the midst of a great city is not a 

 common practice, but it nevertheless is 

 being done by the Edw. Doege Co., 

 whose field of geranium plants at 

 Montrose and Springfield avenues, Chi- 

 cago, is shown in the illustration. In 

 the area under cultivation there, 15,- 

 000 plants attract the attention of the 

 passers-by. It has been in full bloom 

 for some time and the novelty of such 

 a sight has drawn large numbers of 



people, who can be seen, on Sundays 

 and holidays especially, lined up along 

 the sidewalk, talking in the scene. De- 

 spite the fact that there is no fence 

 to keep out intruders, practically no 

 trouble has been occasioned by the 

 small boys, usually so troublesome to 

 florists, and, so far as can be deter- 

 mined, no depredations have occurred. 

 The company has produced some fine 

 plants on these city lots, ajad the 

 geraniums grown here are one of the 

 specialties of the concern. Some time 

 ago the company leased the green- 

 houses of C. O. Erickson, at Glen Ellyn, 

 111., where it will continue his retail 

 business. To these greenhouses the 

 geranium plants grown at the Chicago 

 establishment will all be moved shortly^ 

 In the illustration the contrast in the 

 two varieties shown, Beaute Poitevine 

 and S. A. Nutt, is quite apparent. 



A FIELD OF GERANIUMS. 



The photograph here reproduced 

 serves to illustrate, in a general way, 

 the entire business of growing gera- 

 niums for the wholesale trade, as the 

 business is conducted by Elmer Baw- 

 lings, of Olean, N. Y. In the fore- 

 ground of the picture is Mr. Bawlings' 

 field of geranium stock plants; in the 

 background are eight greenhouses that 

 are devoted mostly to the growing of 

 geraniums in 2-inch pots. The field 

 contained about 40,000 plants. The 

 dark ones in front were S. A. Nutt; 

 farther back were Poitevine, Viand, 

 Buchner, Grant, Ricard and a few oth- 

 ers. The photograph was taken Sep- 

 tember 5, when the plants were in fiJl 

 bloom. 



Mr. Bawlings states that twice dur- 

 ing the season the plants in the field 

 suffered from frost. The first frost 

 occurred June 7; the second, September 

 9. As referring to the June frost, how- 

 ever, the word "suffered" might be 

 misleading, for Mr. Bawlings states 

 that the plants were benefited rather 

 than harmed, by being induced to- 

 break more freely. As to the results 

 of the second frost he cannot speak so 

 cheerfully. "The cuttings," he says, 

 "will not be used from this field; only 

 the stock plants will be housed. "We 

 can keep the weeds out, but not the 

 frost." 



Deep River, Conn. — David F. Doane 

 is erecting another greenhouse, 27x60 

 feet. 



PROPER SOIL FOR ASPARAGUS. 



What kind of soil and temperature 

 Joes Asparagus plumosus require! Will 

 't stand much feeding with liquid 

 manure? We have plants in solid beds 

 '» 3, 5 and 7 years old, but none of 

 them does well, and we need them 

 every day of the year. J. T. 



The most common cause ior, the tail- 

 ^re of Asparagus plumosus is poor 

 'Ir.iinage, and in the present case it 

 'J'^y be combined with alkali water. 

 ^';' a well prepared bed of asparagus 

 will give profitable returns for ten 

 years or more, great ' pains should be 

 ti*ken to provide ideal' conditions. 

 ^iter excavating to the depth of about 



Geranium Field of Edward Doege G>., Chicago. 



