22 



The Florists' Review 



Mabcii 11^ 1915. 



It is always advisable to cut flowers 

 that are to be exhibited, as late as pos- 

 sible at night, when the dew is on them, 

 placing them in water, and keeping 

 them as cool as possible over night, 

 thereby enabling them to withstand 

 handling, packing and transportation. 



Although I wish it understood that I 

 do not believe in watering, and find 

 from experience it is unnecessary, a 

 thorough soaking once or twice a week 

 during a drought, with the soil stirred 

 the following day, is an excellent thing 

 where water and time are at hand. How- 

 ever, for commercial purposes, we re- 

 ceive better results by not using water. 



Haxvesting the Roots. 



Dahlias should be harvested shortly 

 after their foliage has been killed by 

 frost. I find from experience that as 

 soen as the frost kills the foliage the 

 strength of the stalk recedes to the 

 roots, and that if they are not harvested 

 shortly, each root sends forth a sprout 

 which becomes a shoot, and if left long 

 enough, a stalk, and as there is danger 

 of frost any time after the first severe 

 frost, this stalk, no matter how long 

 left, can never grow long enough to 

 reach maturity and bloom before being 

 killed. This ' sprout or shoot is new, 

 brittle growth, not hard and woody like 

 the stalk, and when the clumps are dry, 

 if the sprout is two or three inches long, 

 it is generally left to remain; if a foot 

 or so long, is cut off, the same as the 

 stalk. In either case, as this new and 

 brittle growth has not sufficient sub- 

 stance to carry it through the winter, 

 the sprout commences to decay during 

 the winter months, often causing the 

 whole clump to decay. If dug two or 

 three days after the plant has been 

 killed by frost, the clumps are in a 

 perfectly dormant condition, having no 

 sprouts, and keep perfectly all winter, 

 sending forth sprouts in the spring, 

 which is the proper time. 



Dahlias may be dug with fork, spade 

 or plow- In digging or harvesting the 

 clump, great care should be taken; dig 

 carefully, do not pull them up. You 

 have a large cluster of bulbs or clump; 

 each bulb has a neck, which is the 

 small portion between the bulb and 

 where it joins the stalk. The clump 

 should be dug or lifted carefully, so as 

 not to break the necks of the bulbs; if 

 you crack, girdle, or break a neck, some- 

 times they will dry up, other times de- 

 cay; however, when the clump is di- 

 vided, the root with a broken neck is 

 weak and requires longer to become 

 established before it commences to 

 grow aftqr being planted in the ground. 

 After rem'oving the clump, shake gently 

 to remove what soil naturally falls off. 

 Cut off top within two or three inches 

 of clump, allowing them to be exposed 

 to the sun and air for only an hour or 

 two. Do not allow them to stay out two 

 or three days to dry up and then won- 

 der why they are withered and fail 

 to sprout. Pack in a cool, frost-proof 

 place, where extremes in temperature 

 may be avoided, a place having an 

 average temperature of about 45 de- 

 grees. Do not cover, or pack in any 

 material or with any substance; cork, 

 sawdust, shavings, coal ashes, sand or 

 earth, all hold and retain dampness or 

 moisture, are too close, compact and 

 damp, causing the roots to start, to 

 mildew, or to decay. Simply pack 

 clumps one on top of the other, placing 

 each clump upside down. Undoubtedly 



you are aware that the dahlia stalk is 

 hollow, and that this hollow contains 

 a watery substance or acid. If you 

 pack your clumps with the stalk up, 

 the acid will flow back into the crown 

 of the clump, causing decay; whereas, 

 if you turn your clumps upside down 

 the acid must flow out, and the clump 



will remain in a perfectly dbrniant con- 

 dition. Covering with pappr or burlap 

 excludes the air and preserves a more 

 even temperature. In heated places the 

 circulation of air and heat causes the 

 roots to shrivel and dry up; a covering 

 of this kind prevents the roots from 

 shriveling. J. K. Alexander. 



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I SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS I 

 I FOR SOUTHERN FLORISTS | 



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Preparing the Carnation Field. 



To obtain the best results, careful 

 attention should be given to putting 

 the ground into the best possible shape 

 to receive the young plants in the 

 spring. As soon as the last of the old 

 plants have been lifted from the field, 

 in the late summer or early fall, a lib- 

 eral dressing of good stable manure 

 should be applied and plowed under, 

 plowing as deeply as possible. Sow 

 down with either oats or rye, and, 

 when these are well harrowed in and 

 the soil is properly pulverized, follow 

 with a sowing of crimson clover. Clover 

 seed requires hardly any covering, so 

 simply drag the ground with a good 

 switchy branch of a tree instead of a 

 harrow. These crops will conserve the 

 fertility of the soil and put it in good 

 heart. 



As soon as the ground is dry enough 

 in the early spring, say in the end of 

 February in southern latitudes, plow 

 the field again, turning the whole win- 

 ter's growth under. Leave it rough 

 until you are nearly ready to plant and 

 then disc it thoroughly, going over the 

 field a few times, till it is well broken 

 up. Follow with a spring tooth or 

 smoothing harrow, making the whole 

 as fine as that implement will make it. 

 To break up the small lumps still left, 

 there is nothing better than dragging 

 it with an old door or several boards 

 nailed together, which can be weighted 

 down with a few heavy stones to make 

 the work more effective. This puts a 

 smooth finish on the work and makes 

 the job of planting much easier. 



Beady for Spring Planting. 



A top-dressing of commercial guano, 

 say 400 or 500 pounds to the acre, may 

 be given with advantage if the ground 

 previously was in poor shape. If your 

 soil is rather clayey, see that it is not 

 too wet when working it, or it cannot 

 be put in good shape for planting. A 

 little extra labor to put the ground in 

 fit condition for planting is a good in- 

 vestment, as the plants can be set out 

 much more quickly, will make a much 

 better growth during the summer, and 

 the whole can be much more easily 

 worked and kept clean. 



Good judgment must be used as to 

 the time to set out the young plants. 

 Spring rains are rather infrequent in 

 some sections, so you are fortunate if 

 you can get one or two days' planting 

 ahead of a good shower. Plant also as 

 soon after a rain as the ground will 

 work freely, and immediately follow 

 with the hand cultivator, to loosen the 

 surface soil and conserve the moisture. 

 If the young plants are well soaked be- 

 fore planting, and the field moist, they 

 will start out and do well without rain 



for a long spell, but by all means keep 

 the cultivator going steadily. 



The plants do not require to be' firmed 

 hard in the ground. Set them just a 

 shade shallower than they were in the 

 benches. The cultivator always throws 

 more or less soil to the row, which the 

 hoe never quite displaces, and every 

 rain also washes up more. Start plant- 

 ing in the south as early in March as 

 the season will allow. A few light frosts 

 will not hurt the plants, particularly if 

 they have been grown as cool as possi- 

 ble indoors or in a coldframe. 



Preparing Soil for Benches. 



To properly prepare soil, fit for fill- 

 ing benches in rose, carnation or chrys- 

 anthemum houses, requires more than a 

 year's time. Most soils in the south 

 are deficient in humus, and there is 

 practically no fit)er, except in the sec- 

 tions where Bermuda grass is native. 

 To overcome these defects is the object 

 sought in preparing the soil for the 

 greenhouse. 



First select a portion of your field 

 that is naturally good and as well situ- 

 ated as possible. Give a good dressing 

 of stable manure early in October, plow 

 under and sow down in rye. When the 

 rye is about six or eight inches high 

 in the spring, plow it under and pre- 

 pare the ground for planting corn. Use 

 enough commercial fertilizer to mature 

 the corn crop, and give continuous good 

 culture. If the ground will produce 

 good corn you can use it with all con- 

 fidence in the greenhouse. 



With the corn crop gathered in the 

 fall, top-dress again with manure, plow 

 and plant in rye. In early spring turn 

 the rye under, and leave the ground 

 lying rough for a few weeks, or until, 

 the rye decomposes. Apply about two 

 inches of good cow manure, plow it 

 under and disc thoroughly. The soil 

 will now be in good shape to be used 

 in the benches, unless it is lumpy, when 

 another plowing and discing will im- 

 prove it. 



Any soil left after filling the houses 

 may be stacked up in ridges or put in 

 an open shed, where it will come in 

 handy for potting material during the 

 wet winter season. The spent soil from 

 the house can then be spread on the 

 bared place and sown with rye, crimson 

 clover and grass seed, say Kentucky 

 blue. The rye can be cut when ready 

 and used for hay, when the grass and 

 clover will have a chance to develop. 

 After lying in grass for a year or two, 

 this ground can again be prepared for 

 filling the houses if needed. By break- 

 ing up a new piece of ground each year 

 and treating it as described, a small 

 patch may be used almost indefinitely 

 with good results. L. 



