DaCBUBBB 10, -1914. 



The Floflsts' Review 



a 



A Hampef of Christmai Greens, Well Arraoged, Will Appeal to Many Who Seek Novelty. 



have any mulch applied until steady 

 cold weather has arrived. The best 

 covering, of course, is leaves, but these 

 are not always procurable and do not 

 stay in position in a wind-swept field as 

 meadow hay or straw. Some light 

 brush must be laid oyer the mulch to 

 prevent the wind from carrying it away, 

 although after we hare had a thaw and 

 the ground has become hard frozen the 

 mulch usually stays where we want it. 



Propagating Foliage Plants. 



The next two or three months, when 

 we are using the maximum of fire heat, 

 is the best time of the year in which to 

 propagate crotons, dracsenas, paudanus, 

 dieffenbachias, fittonias, ficus, acalyphas 

 and other foliage plants. With a brisk, 

 steady bottom heat and sufficient mois- 

 ture in the sand, a small percentage only 

 should fail to root. Of course, shade 

 and a close atmosphere are also neces- 

 sary for successful propagation. 



Planting Lilies. 



Some of the lilies, especially speci- 

 osum and auratum, are jost coming to 

 hand. For outdoor culture the planting 

 should be done at once. If precautions 

 were taken to mulch the ground to be 

 plimted, there will be no trouble; other- 

 wise it maj be necessary to break 



through a crust of frost. Set the bulbs 

 ten to twelve inches deep. Loosen the 

 soil below them well and lay some sharp 

 sand above and below the bulbs. Do not 

 allow any fresh manure to come in con- 

 tact with them. ;Give a mulch of de- 

 cayed leaves or jtrawy manure when 

 the planting is completed. 



These lilies, especially the speciosums, 

 will be found useful for indoor culture. 

 They will naturally flower from July 

 until October, and through most of this 

 period choice flowers for cutting or 

 design work are not overabundant. The 

 speciosums and auratums do much 

 better in 8-inch, 10-inch and 12-inch 

 pots than in those of smaller size. After 

 potting, stand the pots below a green- 

 house bench where they will be free 

 from drip, or keep half of them in a 

 cold pit just clear of freezing, to pro- 

 vide a successional batch for late bloom- 



ing. 



Lilium Oandidum. 



Lilium candidum is always acceptable 

 at Easter, especially where the broad - 

 petaled type is grown. In order to be 

 sure of having them in bloom on time, 

 place the plants in a cool house at once. 

 This lily does not tolerate forcing like 

 the longiflorums and should never have 

 a higher minimum than 55 degrees. In 



more heat than this the flowers will 

 come much smaller and will lack sub- 

 stance. 



Spraying for Scale. 



December is an excellent month in 

 which to do spraying for San Jose, 

 oyster shell and other scales. These 

 pests are now pretty generally dissem- 

 inated over the country and spraying 

 has become an absolute necessity. This 

 spraying should be done on a warm, dry 

 day, when there is as little wind as 

 possible, and every portion of the trees 

 and shrubs sprayed should be covered 

 with the liquid. This spraying kills not 

 only the scales but the eggs of aphides 

 and other pests and can be classed as 

 an excellent insurance. Either the lime- 

 sulphur solution or one of the soluble 

 oils, like Scaline or Scalecide, can be 

 used. For those florists who may have 

 to spray shrubs on a number of small 

 places the soluble oils are far the best 

 to use. 



It is best to spray all fruit trees and 

 shrubbery, for even though no scale may 

 be visible it is probably present. Be 

 sure, espedaUy, to spray all roses, wil- 

 lows, cratffigus, cornus, lilacs, eydoniaa, 

 poplars, cercidiphyllums, j;)runni^ moinff 



