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20 



The Florists' Review 



Jdkb 3, 1915. 



open, allowing a better circulation of 

 air. We have cut it back, not too hard, 

 in June and had it break finely, when the 

 summer was not too intensely hot, and 

 right there you have the whole thing in 

 a nutshell. The intense summer heat is 

 the main thing you have to reckon 

 with. In sections that are free from 

 this summer heat, it should be quite 

 possible to carry over with splendid 

 success. A. F. J. B. 



CABNATIONS CABBIED OVEB. 



I should like to find out with what 

 results carnations are carried over for a 

 second year. How should they be 

 treated in the benches from the start 

 of the drying off until they are ready 

 to begin growing again? When should 

 the process begin in order that they 

 may be brought into crop by or before 

 Christmas? Please answer these ques- 

 tions in full, so there will be nothing 

 left undone. O, W. F., l^tah. 



Under proper conditions, carnations 

 can be carried over a second year with 

 excellent success, but unless the condi- 

 tions are favorable the chances of fail- 

 ure are many. We have here a batch 

 of 500 Enchantress Supreme, carried 

 over from last season, and they have 

 given us several more blooms per plant 

 than- the rest of the bench, which is 

 planted with young stock of the same 

 variety. We also have a bench of Pink 

 Delight carried over from last year, 

 from which the results have not been 

 quite as good as we should expect from 

 young stock. Two years ago we had a 

 b'-nch of this same variety, carried over, 

 that excited the wonder of everyone who 

 saw it. We cite these instances merely 

 to show that, even with the best of 

 care, the chances are uncertain. 



Our best success has been with plants 

 that were worked fcir cuttings either 

 all or part of the first season. In such 

 cases the plants are cut back long be- 

 fore the hot spring or summer weather 

 has set in. In fact, the cutting back 

 is so gradual that the plant does not 

 undergo a severe check, as it must 

 when allowed to bloom until spring and 

 then cut back hard. The eyes on the 

 lower part of the plant have also had 

 more light and are in better condition 

 to break than when a large top growth 

 has been made. 



The Enchantress Supreme already 

 mentioned were allowed to come into 

 bloom in the fall and were allowed to 

 make the midwinter crop. From early 

 in December on, we kept taking off 

 what young shoots or breaks were 

 suitable for cuttings and, as a result, 

 we had practically a cut-back plant by 

 the latter part of March, when every 

 bud had bloomed out. After we took 

 off the last batch of cuttings, we 

 cleaned the plants of all dead foliage 

 and kept the shoots headed back with 

 the idea of producing a bushy growth. 

 A good mulch supplied suflScient food 

 during the summer and helped to keep 

 the roots cool. By the middle of Au- 

 gust we were cutting fine flowers on 

 15-inch stems and there was as large a 

 crop as could be desired. They are still 

 doing well at this writing. 



This method is not practical for 

 places that are run principally for cut 

 blooms and where only enough cuttings 

 are propagated to replant the benches 

 "each year. For this reason, and until a 

 better method is found for handling 

 the plants through the summer than is 



practiced now, I do not consider the 

 carrying-over proposition a good one 

 for the average grower. 



Few growers would care to cut back 

 any considerable part of their blooming 

 plants as early as March or early April 

 in order to restart them for the next 

 season, and that is just what would 

 have to be done to make success reason- 

 ably sure. To expect carnation plants 

 to withstand such a check at a time 

 when their vitality is already being 

 sapped by the excessive heat is beyond 

 good reason. To allow them to continue 

 growing without any cutting back is 

 not practical. The rank spring growth 

 causes the space to become crowded, 

 excluding both light and air from the 

 lower part of the plants and thus caus- 

 ing decaying foliage from the syring- 

 ing necessary to keep down red spider. 



Pink Delight seems to be the one va- 

 riety that can be carried over without 

 being cut back early in the spring. One 

 reason for this is that it carries its 

 lower foliage through the season better 

 than most varieties. Consequentlv the 

 lower eyes remain plumper, and this is 

 also helped along by the fact that the 

 leaves are narrow and the growth more 



LEFT-OVEB aTIBJEAS. 



Please advise me what to do with 

 some spiraeas that were not sold. I 

 have both Japonica and Alexandra. 

 Can I grow them outside and lift them 

 in the fall for next winter? Can they 

 be divided before being set out? 



S. M.— Kan. 



The spirseas would not force satisfac- 

 torily next season, but you can divide 

 them, plant them outdoors in good soil 

 and grow them a couple of seasons. 

 Then you will have fine clumps for forc- 

 ing, superior to any you can buy of 

 European importation. They will, of 

 course, flower next season outdoors and 

 tlie cut flowers may come in useful. 

 Plant them out on somewhat low 

 ground, which does not dry out badly 

 in summer, in order to get best results. 

 C. W. 



Monongabela, Pa. — James A. Keeney 

 has opened a store in the Margaret 

 apartments, opposite the entrance to 

 the river bridge, where he is display- 

 ing a full line of cut flowers and potted 

 plants. 



BENCHING AND DISBUDDING. 



I have several hundred chrysanthe- 

 mums from three to five inches high, in 

 flats. When should I bencli them? 

 Should they be pinched back? The 

 varieties are Polly Rose, Yellow Bon- 

 naffon, White Bonnaffon and Chryso- 

 lora. Please give cultural directions 

 for the summer. How far apart should 

 the plants be set in the bench? What 

 is the difference between a crown bud 

 and a terminal? E. A, C. — Ala. 



or central bud should be retained; all 

 the others should be removed. The 

 last buds produced by chrysanthemums 

 are called terminals. C. W. 



Pot singly in 3-inch pots and bench 

 about the end of May. Allow the 

 plants 8x10 inches. If you want good- 

 sized flowers, grow to a single stem. 

 If those of more moderate size are 

 preferred, pinch back and carry two 

 or even three blooms to a plant. Two 

 flowers per plant would give you those 

 of a useful size. Bead the chrysanthe- 

 mum department of The Review for 

 cultural directions from time to time. 

 Staking, tying and disbudding all re- 

 quire attention, while insect pests must 

 be kept in check by spraying or fumi- 

 gating. 



A crown bud is the one first formed 

 by a chrysanthemum plant. No other 

 buds are produced with it. Below it 

 will be found lateral growths. These, 

 if permitted to grow, will eventually 

 produce what are called terminal buds. 

 These come in clusters and the largest 



HABDY FBENCH MUMS. 



Will you kindly tell us something 

 about the summer culture of the hardy 

 French chrysanthemums? Many of 

 them set bud so early that it would 

 seem they would be injured by lifting 

 in the fall, and it would seem that they 

 would be attacked by spider if they 

 were in a coldframe. T. N, — S. Dak. 



The culture of the hardy French 

 mums, or what are known as the early- 

 flowering type of mums, is quite simple. 

 It will not hurt to lift the plants if 

 the buds are set, provided the plants 

 are first thoroughly watered and are 

 lifted carefully. In fact, we have lifted 

 plants in full bloom in the fall and 

 potted them without any bad results. 

 If you have room, they can, of course, 

 be grown in pots, but this method en- 

 hances the cost considerably, since they 

 require so much closer attention. They 

 will not be attacked by spider jj 

 syringed at frequent intervals. Planted 

 in the field and left to grow along nat- 

 urally, they make beautiful bushes 

 without pinching and, as before stated, 

 with ordinary care will lift in perfect 

 condition. C. H. Totty. 



