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November 3, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



1(63 



VENTILATION. 



The excellent weather we are having 

 should be taken full advantage of to 

 get our stock into good winter condition. 

 There is now every opportunity to give 

 ample ventilation, both night and day, 

 and no chance should be missed, as the 

 season is not far off when these oppor- 

 tunities will be few and far between. 



The rose, as we know it, being neither 

 a tropical nor a greenhouse plant, but 

 strictly a native of temperate climes, is 

 only introduced into our houses with a 

 view to prolonging and changing its 

 season of blooming, and requires, as near 

 as we can possibly make it, the condi- 

 tions and temperature prevailing in its 

 native habitat when nature is in its 

 most pleasant mood. We should bear in 

 mind that by confining our rose plants 

 to the house we are depriving them of 

 the free, fresh air which they enjoy in 

 a state of nature, and if we neglect to 

 provide for them they must suffer and 

 die. 



An insufficiency of air supply will soon 

 cause even the most robust plants to 

 lose their vitality, a fact which will soon 

 be evidenced by the poor quality of foli- 

 age produced. This soon becomes thin 

 and flabby, with a sickly green color, 

 and becomes susceptible to all kinds of 

 diseases and trouble. Being lacking in 

 vitality, the stock is unable to make any 

 headway against it. 



To enable us to supply our stock with 

 fresh air in suitable quantities and to 

 create a free circulation we provide our 

 houses with ventilators of the most ap- 

 proved patterns, yet many of the less 

 experienced growers use these only to let 

 the superfluous heat of the sun escape. 

 A little consideration, study and prac- 

 tice will, in most cases, convince these 

 growers that it is more profitable to ven- 

 tilate freely, even at the expense of a 

 larger coal bill, and not allow the venti- 

 lators to remain closed one minute longer 

 than necessary. 



The true art of ventilation, as prac- 

 ticed by our expert growers, consists of 

 gradually raising or lowering the ven- 

 tilators as exigencies demand, without 

 raising or lowering the temperature. 

 Thus, if the thermometer shows a tem- 

 perature of 62 degrees at 7 a. m., with a 

 tendency to rise, the sash should be 

 raised just so far as to allow the temper- 

 ature to remain at that figure, without 

 falling below it. As the temperature 

 still continues to rise, the ventilators 

 should be raised accordingly, but never 

 80 much at a time as to lower the tem- 

 perature. 



During the afternoon, when reduction 

 becomes necessary, the same care should 

 be used so that after each reduction the 

 temperature should not increase. 



Night ventilation requires quite as 

 much attention to insure success and 

 should be given freely when the weather 

 is mild, and even during very cold 

 weather a small crack of air is essential 

 to keep up a good circulation. 



By strictly adhering to this practice we 

 secure a better class of foliage, foliage 

 which is almost immune from the rav- 

 ages of mildew, a better stem and blooms 

 of superior size, shape, color and quality, 

 with a smaller per centage of malformed 

 buds. The keeping qualities of the flow- 

 ers will also be considerably enhanced. 

 The vigor and vitality imparted to the 

 plant, enabling it to withstand disease, 

 will repay the extra cost of fuel required. 

 . ElBES. 



POOR SOIL TO BLAME. 



I have sent you a sample rose bush 

 and soil which I would be pleased to 

 have you examine. The cutting was 

 propagated in January, when ready 

 potted in a 2%-inch pot, and so on. On 

 August 30 it was planted in a side bed 

 in the rose house, in one half of which is 

 planted Perle and the other half Bride 

 and Bridesmaid. The Perles are fine 



but many of the latter are no good at 

 all. Please give me your opinion of the 

 cause of the trouble. A. B. 



The specimen rose sent is about the 

 poorest I have ever had to pass an opin- 

 ion on and I would not expect much 

 better from the class of soil in which it 

 was grown. 



It is against the best cultural meth- 

 ods to put rooted cuttings into 2%.-inch 

 pots for a first potting, 2-inch pots being 

 large enough, even for Beauty cuttings, 

 if they are potted as they should be, be- 

 fore the roots become too large. 



Deferring the planting till August 30 

 is not giving even a robust plant any 

 kind of a show, the very best of the 

 growing season being practically over by 

 that time. The old and well defined 

 limit of July 4 usually sees the finish of 

 rose planting. 



The soil is of a very poor character 

 and not at all suitable for rose culture, 

 there being really nothing in it to sus- 

 tain the plant with the exception of the 

 small nodules of clay interspersed 

 through it and to which the roots have 

 clung as their only protection against 

 final extinction. 



If the rest of the roses are like the 

 sample there is certainly no hope of ever 

 getting returns from them. I may also 

 point out that the foliage bears unmis- 

 takable evidence of neglected ventila- 

 tion. A careful study of this art will 

 repay the grower. 



Perles will stand more abuse in the 

 matter of ventilation, poor soil aqd neg- 

 lect, than will Brides and Maids and will 

 look a little better under similar con- 

 ditions. Try a night temperature of 56 

 degrees, with a good crack of air on and 

 allow the day temperature to rise as 

 high as 70 degrees during bright sun- 

 shine and ventilate freely. Do not allow 

 the plants to suffer from want of water, 

 as this sample has evidently done, and 

 do not attempt to feed until the planta 

 have attained a vigorous growth. 



RiBES. 



CARNATION NOTES.-EAST. 



Mulching. 



As stated last week, in notes on the 

 advisability of mulching, the procedure 

 with stock grown under glass all sum- 

 mer will not be the same as with that 

 grown in the field, lifted and benched. 

 It stands to reason that bench soil in 

 which stock has been growing all sum- 

 mer is not in the same mechanical con- 

 dition as fresh soil, into which nearly 

 or quite mature plants have recently 

 been put. The repeated and at times 

 heavy watering necessary during the 

 hot weather, together with the spread 

 of root system, will have done much 

 to change this condition. 



It will be noticed, when supplying 

 water, how quickly it disappears, par- 

 ticularly when the surface soil has nor 

 recently been broken up. This indicates 



that the root system has spread to such 

 extent as to honeycomb the soil, so to 

 speak, allowing water when applied to 

 take a more direct downward course. 

 This is the natural result of healthy 

 gowth, but the quantity and depth of 

 soil in the bench being limited, this ex- 

 tension of root system cannot go on 

 always without assistance. To be sure, 

 it is not according to the best methods 

 of culture that it should continue as in 

 the summer, still there must be some 

 growth of roots. 



Feeding with liquid manure will not 

 accomplish the desired result, besides 

 it is too early yet to feed. While a top 

 dressing might be a help, the exact ob- 

 ject sought would not be attained. A 

 mulch, however, will serve a double 

 purpose: Add fertility to the bench soil 

 and encourage further growth of roots. 



It is quite probable that these in- 

 door plants are now giving a supply of 

 bloom so the careful removal of some 

 of the surface soil, when on the dry 

 side, will result in no harm but will 



