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Apbil 1. 1916. 



The Florists' Review 



17 



it is better to allow them to roam 

 about ad libitum. 



V. teres, another beautiful variety, is 

 a shy bloomer unless the plants are 

 exposed to the sun all through the 

 summer. Plants kept in the shade will 

 never flower at all. On the other hand, 

 V. suavis, V. Amesiana, V. Sanderiana 

 and V. tricolor all succeed quite well 

 in fairly heavy shade. 



Calanthes. 



The bulbs of calanthes, which have 

 been kept dry for some time, will now 

 be showing signs of growth and should 

 be started in flats of sharp sand. Some 

 growers like to add a little old cow 

 manure to the sand, but I fail to see 

 any advantage in this, as the bulbs 

 will be potted as soon as the growths 

 are a few inches high. Water after 

 placing in sand, then spray occasion- 

 ally, but lightly, and let the sand be- 

 come tolerably dry before watering 

 again. Give the bulbs a position in a 

 warm and well shaded house. If they 

 can have a little bottom heat they wUl 

 start more quickly, but this is not 

 necessary. 



A ROSE-PINE MAIjACOIDES. 



Primula malacoides is proving almost 

 as prolific of new varieties as has been 

 the case with the Killarney rose. The 

 white malacoides was a distinct ac- 

 quisition, and now comes word from 

 Fred H. Lemon & Co., Eichmond, Ind., 

 of a soft rose-pink malacoides. It has 

 been much admired by visitors to Rich- 

 mond this season, as it is a distinct 

 break from the type, having, in addi- 

 tion to a charming color, much larger 

 and more compact flowers. The speci- 

 men photographed was in a 5-inch pot. 

 Mr. Lemon has stated that it is his 

 intention to work up stock and dis- 

 seminate the variety. 



SPIKffiAS NOT STAETINQ. 



I am s6nding«jyou a Gladstone spiraea 

 and should like to know what is the 

 trouble with it. The plants were badly 

 frozen at the time I received them. 

 After two days I potted them, first soak- 

 ing them in water for two hours. I 

 then placed them under a bench in a 

 cool house and watered them well for 

 about three weeks. Later I moved 

 them to a warmer house for starting. 

 Some showed a few leaves and then 

 stopped growing, and some have not 

 started at all. I know spiraeas need 

 freezing, but I do not think they should 

 be frozen without soil on the roots. 

 C. B.— Pa. 



The clump forwarded was entirely 

 dead. It was a mistake to allow the 

 clumps to be frozen with the roots ex- 

 posed. Had they been in earth, no 

 harm would have come. This applies to 

 all plants; the freezing of the roots is 

 always harmful when they are exposed. 

 C. W. 



DISEASED VERBENA LEAVES. 



I am enclosing the top of a verbena 

 plant which seems to be diseased. I 

 have used sulphur and To-bak-ine in an 

 attempt to control the disease, but 

 these have had little effect on it. It 

 is spreading slowly, but surely. 



E. D. B.— Tex. 



The leaves forwarded were attacked 

 by a fungoid growth, not unlike the 

 rust on hollyhocks. To fight this, spray 



The New Soft Rose-pink Malacoides Primula. 



with Bordeaux mixture or Fungine. 

 These are two excellent preparations for 

 fighting fungoid diseases. Sulphur is 

 a good antidote for mildew and To-bak- 

 ine for insects, but neither is of any 

 use in fighting the disease your plants 

 have. C. W. 



SALVIAS AND FEVERFEW. 



Will you please give me a few hints 

 on how to bring feverfew and Bonfire 

 salvias into bloom for Memorial day? 



L. S.— Ind. 



The feverfew should be planted in 

 benches at once if it is not already 

 there. Give the plants a temperature 

 of 48 to 50 degrees at night. They will 

 flower naturally toward the end of May 

 in that temperature. Give full sunshine 



and, as the plants fill the benches with 

 roots, give lots of water. As the weather 

 is often quite warm near Memorial 

 day, a little shade may be necessary 

 to keep the flowers fresh. In the event 

 of your crop being a trifle early, it is 

 easy to keep the house cooler by abun- 

 dant ventilation and shade. If your 

 plants seem at all backward, give 5 de- 

 grees more heat a month before Me- 

 morial day and gradually cool them off. 

 Salvias, to flower for Memorial day, 

 should now be ready to be potted oflE 

 into 21/^-inch pots. Later shift them 

 into 3%-inch or 4-inch pots. Give them 

 a temperature of 55 degrees at night 

 for some time. Later, this can be re-r 

 duced somewhat. They want all possi- 

 ble sunshine. Use a tolerably rich com- 

 post, as salvias are strong feeders. 



C. W. 



