

594 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



August 18, 1904. 



Chas. A, Jueagelf President-EIect St. Louis Florists' Qub. 



satisfied with one large bloom, but will 

 prefer the more shapely plants. As to 

 culture, insert the cuttings in the sand, 

 press firmly, syringe freely and shade 

 from the direct rays of the sun. A tem- 

 perature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit should 

 be maintained. They should remain in 

 the sand about three weeks, to become 

 strongly rooted, then pot into 3-inch 

 pots; use a light sandy loam; place in 

 a light, cool house, near the glass, 50 

 to 55 degrees at night; shade for a few 

 days; as soon as established remove tlie 

 shade. They may remain here till about 

 the 1st of May. 



To make large plants in one season, 

 from cutting^, put three plants in a 5- 

 inch pot or five plants in a 6-inch pot. 

 These may now be plunged outdoors in 

 the full sun, where they will grow slow- 

 ly, as a sturdy, dwarf plant is what is 

 most desired. As late aa July 1 you 

 may pinch them back. This will pro- 

 duce several shoots, all of which should 

 be removed, except two to each plant; 

 you will then have six shoots in a 5-inch 

 pot or ten shoots in a 6-inch pot. Re- 

 move all other growth. Give water as 

 required during the summer months. By 

 the Ist of September these plants may 

 be repotted, the 5-inch to 7-inch pots, the 6- 

 inch to 8-inch pots, and again plunged 

 outdoors in the full sun. Use a good, 

 strong loam, three parts loam to one 

 part sand, and two parts old rotted cow 

 manure. Pot firmly. 



By October you will have nice plants 

 from five to six inches high. At this 

 period water shotild be gradually with- 



held, so as to ripen the wood, for if 

 they are not properly ripened you can- 

 not expect good results. As soon as 

 danger of frost comes, remove to a cool 

 house or frame and water sparingly. If 

 you can allow your plants a slight frost 

 they will be greatly benefited by same, 

 but here one must be careful not to 

 freeze too hard. Also, if frozen, pro- 

 tect from the sun; syringe overhead to 

 remove the ice formed. This is, however, 

 a dangerous practice for inexperienced 

 hands. 



Prom now on give very little or no 

 water except when flagging. This is the 

 time to put away in winter quarters. 

 A cool frame, a cool house or under the 

 bench in a violet house will do. Here 

 they may rest until wanted for forcing. 

 As Easter comes late this coming year, 

 namely, April 23, it will be time enough 

 to start the forcing after Christmas; 

 the first week in January will do. Start 

 the plants by giving them a good water- 

 ing; syringe frequently and then allow 

 them to stand ujtil they are fairly dry 

 again. A temperature of 55 degrees 

 will do for the first two or three weeks; 

 then you may increase the temperature to 

 55 or 60 degrees atMiight^Give plenty 

 of ventilatioir as required, but no 

 draught, as the growth will be very soft 

 and tender. Remove all side shoots and 

 those that come from the bottom. These 

 may be used as cuttings, ftemember 

 that only the terminal shoots will flower 

 with any degree of certainty. As the 

 ])lants grow stronger they should have 

 plenty of room. When they have made 



the fourth pair of leaves you can begin 

 to see the embryo buds; this will take 

 about six weeks. From this time on plenty 

 of water should be given, all they will 

 drink, and that is a great deal. As 

 soon as the flowers begin to develop and 

 show color a watering with manure-water 

 twice a week will be greatly beneficial. 

 The latter part of March they will be- 

 gin to show color. This is the time to 

 increase the ventilation, night and day, 

 and keep them cool to harden them. 

 Water freely, also give a very light shade 

 on the glass to keep the flowers from 

 burning. 



Hydrangeas grown as above described 

 will need no stakes and, as these are un- 

 sightly in any plant, their use should 

 be avoided as much as possible. If plants 

 are wanted for May and June, for porch 

 and outdoor garden decoration, thfey 

 should be kept dormant in a cool place 

 and started on only as required. If a 

 blue hydrangea is desired, use iron fil- 

 ings mixed with the soil, about a small 

 handful to an 8-inch pot; 'also water- 

 ing with alum dissolved in water will 

 be found to produce the desired result. 



Begonia Gloire de Lorraine. 



I now wish to call your attention to 

 another highly decorative plant, which, 

 in my estimation, stands without a peer, 

 the incomparable Begonia Gloire de Lor- 

 raine. This begonia, by far the most 

 useful and truly magnificent of all be- 

 gonias, is a hybrid between Begonia 

 Socotrana and B. Dregei. It was raised 

 by that celebrated horticulturist, M. Le- 

 moine, of Nancy, France. 



To derive the best results this plant 

 should be propagated from leaf-cuttings. 

 Select only good, mature leaves. Take 

 the leaf, including the stalk, and insert 

 the latter about oue-half its length in 

 the sand-bed ; press firmly. By all means 

 do not let the leaf rest flat on the sand, 

 as they damp easily. This operation 

 should be done carefully. Water spar- 

 iugly only on bright days. If possible, 

 a temperature of from 65 to 70 degrees 

 Fahrenheit should be maintained in the 

 sand-bed at all times. In about eight 

 weeks the leaves should be sufficiently 

 rooted to be potted into 2-inch pots. 



The small "conns" that form at the 

 base of the leaves should also appear. 

 Take care not to break or otherwise in- 

 jure these in potting, as they form the 

 foundation of the future plant. 



For the first potting use equal parts 

 of loam and sand. After potting place 

 in a rather dry house,' close to the glass, 

 where a light shade should be given. 

 Watering should be done very sparingly 

 from now on by watering each plant 

 separately and only when very dry. Keep 

 rather on the dry side than too wet. 

 Also, deep potting should be avoided. 



They may remain in 2-inch pots from 

 January and February, the time of pot- 

 ting, until June, at which time you should 

 have nice little stuff, with from three 

 to five shoots, if propagated from leaf- 

 cuttings. Then your trouble is all over. 

 Repot directly into 4-inch pots and from 

 now on they will continue to grow rapid- 

 ly; more water may also be given, as 

 needed. More shoots will also appear 

 from the bottom of the plants as they 

 grow stronger. Place in a cool, airy 

 house, ventilating top and bottom ; also 

 well shaded at this time of the year. A 

 good plan is to put a few tobacco stems 

 between the pots, as a preventive of 

 green aphis. Water may now be given 



