July 14. 1904. 



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The Weekly Florists' Review^ , 



34J 



In this climate (Iowa) I meet with vary- 

 ing success. Some years my crop of 

 roses is very satisfactory, while others 

 not so. I am familiar with and grow, 

 the old, well known varieties, and keep 

 posted with the new. Evecy year i. 

 add several dozens of new varieties to 

 my rose garden. I fertilize them in the 

 spring, or sometimes in the fall, cover- 

 ing with leaves and old boards and in 

 this way carry my plants successfully 

 over the winter. I have been growing 

 them in black soil, to which was added 

 some cow manure. 



My roses thia year all show weak 

 growth, the outside leaves of the buds 

 become withered and many buds remain 

 hard and undeveloped. I attribute th\s 

 to cool weather. I find many of the 

 roses that I have planted this spring are 

 the same. They fail to grow, but sim- 

 ply remain at a standstill during the en- 

 tire season. I use good judgment in 

 watering and give them constant atten- 

 tion. I do not know any other way than 

 that I am now pursuing to force a vig- 

 orous growth of wood, hoping for a suc- 

 cessful harvest of roses. 



I had thought at times that the work- 

 ing in of rotted manure lightens the soil 

 to such an extent as to interfere with the 

 necessary working of the roots. Also 

 that the soil may have become too much 

 impregnated with the nutriment or 

 chemicals received from the manure. 



There are parties who recommend and 

 others who condemn the applica^on of 

 bone meal to outdoor roses, claiming 

 that the kind manufactured nowadays 

 contains so much acid that it is harmful. 

 I hope that some reader may have op- 

 portunity to briefly give me such in- 

 formation as might be useful and help- 

 ful in the successful growing of roses 

 outdoors. The leaves on many of my 

 plants are turning yellow. Others are 

 spotted. I give them occasional doses of 

 white hellebore, two tablespoons to a 

 bucket of water. This seems to kill the 

 green asphis, but I do not know whether 

 it will aflPect a cure of the condition 

 that causes the yellow leaves. 



Should roses affected like mine, in or- 

 der to promote growth, and during the 

 summer, be treated to sprayings of water 

 in the evening or let them become dried 

 out and then soak them thoroughly, or 

 should I keep the ground evenly moist- 

 ened, not too wet or too dry, but about 

 in the condition that growers keep their 

 roses in the greenhouset W. W. D. 



VIOLETS. 



Seasonable Work. 



"We are right in our trying hot 

 weather for the violet stock and the 

 grower who wants a nice, first-class 

 house next winter must not relax his care 

 now if he expects to have success. Un- 

 less care is taken these hot days the 

 first thing you will know you wUl find 

 that provdking little pest, the red 

 spider, has gotten a foothold, with the 

 result that the foliage is injured aurl 

 this necessarily means reduced health 

 to the plants. The better way is not 

 to let them get started and if you have 

 a good head to your water pressure and 

 spray the foliage with care when water- 

 ing the borders you ought not let them 

 get ahead of you, as you can knock them 

 off and drown them. 



With us it is hot and close, which 

 means tbat • all the ventilation possible 

 must be given the houses, and we have 



Panel and Shield. 



not had any heavy high winds that re- 

 quire a house to be closed against them, 

 as we sometimes do, for if too strong and 

 hot it whips and drys out the plants 

 more than to have the house too warm 

 for a few hours. Of course I only refer 

 to having a house partially closed on 

 one side, and this only while the wind 

 lasts. 



When the borders need watering take 

 time and do it thoroughly. Don't dasli 

 a little over the top so that it looks wet 

 at the time, but reduce the force so as 

 not to wash out the plants and go alonjr 

 slowly and soak it down well, using care 

 to avoid overwetting places that show 

 that they have not properly dried out 

 from previous waterings. Of course 

 this is supposing that you have your 

 borders well made with a proper amount 

 of drainage and not too heavy soil. 

 When you have completed the watering 

 then go over the house again with a fine 

 spray, cleaning the foliage of any dirt 

 that may have accidentally lodge'f 

 thereon, also for the spiders, as above 

 mentioned. Don't forget to keep a 

 lookout for aphis, sowbugs and all the 

 other pests of the violet. 



If you find any stunted or slow-grow- 

 ing plants remove them as fast as you 

 find them and replace with the best of 

 your reserve stock, so as to keep the bor- 

 ders even and up to the standard. 



As of course you will want to attend 

 the S. A. F. convention, don't wait until 

 a few days before you want to start to 

 get your violet house in order, as the 

 weather may be such that you cannot do 

 everything needful then, say nothing 



about the extra work, funeral designing, 

 etc., that will turn up at the last mo- 

 ment to hinder you. Certainly you want 

 thorn in good shape all the time, but 

 have everything freshly done at least a 

 week ahead of the time and keep it right 

 there. E. E. Shuphelt. 



SPACING VIOLETS. 



How far apart should I plant my 

 California violets in benching? How 

 about air-slaked lime in the soil? 

 A. N. 



You naturally have to use your own 

 good judgment in spacing, depending 

 somewhat on the size of the stock, but 

 as the California is a rank, coarse grower, 

 we would not advise planting closer than 

 ten by twelve inches. We consider it 

 advisable to use air-slaked lime in the 

 soil and would again refer to my notes 

 of a few weeks past, in which I spoke 

 particularly of this. E. E. Shuphelt. 



PANEL AND SHIELD. 



The accompanying illustration is a re- 

 production from a photograph taken at 

 the establishment of tlio J. M. Gasser 

 Company, of Cleveland. Tlie panel and 

 shield was made for the Philippine com- 

 mission who were visitinij in Cleveland 

 and who made a trip to Canton to ps^ 

 their respects to Mrs. McKinley and 

 place this tribute on the tomb of Presi- 

 dent McKinley. The panel proper was 

 five feet high and the illustration is ao 

 clear in detail as to show fully th6 ex- 

 cellent character of the work. The piece 

 was made by Charles Eussell, designer 

 for the Gasser Company. 



