J 326 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



NOVEMBEK 17, 1004. 



mud in washing there is little danger 

 of having fungus with a first crop and 

 if the house is run at a temperature 

 of 50 degrees, with the temperature of 

 the sand 12 degrees higher, with the 

 requisite amount of ventilation necessary 

 to keep the air sweet, there is no dan- 

 ger iu running a second or even a third 

 crop. Of course a good deal uepends on 

 whether the drainage is perfect, but if 

 this is not as it ought to be there will 

 bo more or less of a failure with the 

 first crop and the sand will be ruined 

 for use for a next crop. 



As the only use of sand or other me- 

 diums is to retain sufficient moisture to 

 nourish the cutting until root forma- 

 tion has taken place and that only in 

 such quantities as the size of the cut- 

 ting demands, any other medium, such 

 as charcoal, marble dust or the screen- 

 ings of coke, which possess no poison- 

 ous or decomposing matter, are safe if- 

 they possess the quality of retaining the 

 moisture for a sufficient length of time 

 without becoming sour. 



Cleanliness in the propagating house, 

 both in regard to the house itself and 

 ia regard to ventilation are absolutely 

 necessary, as many of the ills which in 

 after life afflict the rose are acquired 

 ill the cutting bsnch, either through a 

 poor material being used as a medium 

 or ignorance (if the laws of watering 

 and ventilating. 



That nothing may be wanting in the 

 propagating house the question of shad- 

 ing should be attended to before the 

 season begins. In far too many places 

 the old method of shading with news- 

 papers is still in vogue. This, at best, 

 is but a poor makeshift, troublesome 

 and uncertain, as the slightest puff of 

 wind is apt to disarrange the papers and 

 bring all of our efforts to naught, while 

 at the same time the very fact that they 

 encourage condensation and prevent a 

 free circulation of air shows us that this 

 is not conducive to the health <)f the 

 cutting or to quick root formation. 



Shading, to be effective, should be re- 

 moved sufficiently far from the surface 

 of the bench that the air can circulate 

 freely and should be so arrangeil that 

 it can be removed as soon as the sun 

 ceases to shine on the bench, as cuttings 

 which are rooted in a continual phade 

 are always more weakly than those which 

 are shaded only to protect them from 

 suffering from too intense sunshine. 



Any style of house or aspect is suit- 

 able for propagating purposes, so long 



as the interior arrangements of shad- 

 ing, conserving the* heat under the 

 benches and ventilation apparatus is 

 perfect. The rest depends on the qual- 

 ity of wood used, the care exerciseil in 

 making, inserting and in the general 

 after treatment, in fact on "tho man 

 behind the gun." 



As the propagating season advances I 

 will endeavor to give a few hints week- 

 ly and will try to describe the latest 

 methods of this act which will also in- 

 clude the newest and most successful 

 methods of propagating by grafting. 



KlUES. 



MARKING PLANTS FOR STOCK. 



The grower of violets, like the grower 

 of any. other j)lants, always lias to bo 

 looking aliead and planning for tiio next 

 season, and in doing so it is, in our 

 opinion, always best to plan for the 

 maximum, rather than the medium or 

 minimum quantity of plants desired. 

 Espei'ially does this apply to stock plants 

 of all kinds for filling the houses. It 

 i« much better to have a large quantity to 

 choose from and much better to have a 

 surplus to sell than to run short and to 

 have to purchase, even if the stock you 

 buy is equal to your own. But our ex- 

 perience is that boughten stock i3 never 

 up to the quality of our own; in fact, we 

 find it the rule, with very few exceptions, 

 that we always have to breed up and 

 acclimate, as you might say, all kinds of 

 stock that we buy and sometimes it takes 

 two or three years to get it up to an ac 

 ceptable standard. Therefore, as I start- 

 e 1 out to say, it is time to estimate how 

 many plants you will need next year, and 

 at once commence to mark the best 

 plants of those that you expect to take 

 stcck from ; otherwise when you are ready 

 to take cuttings you will not know vhich 

 arc the plants that have proven tiic best 

 all the season and up to that time. Later 

 Oil nearly all the plants will begin to feel 



the infiuence of the coming spring and 

 will put on a growth that looks nice and 

 proves deceiving as to their real worth 

 a.^ workers at a time when you want them 

 to work most. 



In marking your ' ' pedigree ' ' stock 

 from now on, select the plants that in 

 every way are the best, with plenty of 

 large, strong foliage and that show the 

 largest crop of flowers for the holidays, 

 also taking into consideration the qualitv 

 as well as quantity of the blooms, full 

 big flowers and fragrant. Have a bunch 

 of labels handy, near the door of each 

 house, so that every time you go through 

 the house you can mark the good plants. 

 If you do not follow some such method, 

 the days are likely to slip by until it gets 

 too late to tell which are really the best 

 plants. E. E. Shuphelt. 



CARNATION NOTES -EAST. 



Keeping Qualities. 



Whether a retailer or wholesaler of 

 his product, the reputation of turning out 

 bloom of. good keeping qualities is a 

 valuable asset to any grower. While it 

 is true that all does not rest with tHe 

 giower, it lies with him to form the 

 foundation of a lasting bloom. If all 

 efforts arc made to accomplish this re- 

 sult there need be no fear of slow sale 

 or low prices, and should any complaint 

 arise the true cause of trouble is easily 

 traced. 



Assuming that you are following up- 

 to-date cultural methods and the plants 

 are responding with a yield of prime 

 blooms in goodly numbers, it must not 

 be thought that care and vigilance end 

 here. 



It is as much to place the blooms on 

 the market as it is to grow them. One 

 must harvest the crop properly and 

 handle it intelligently in order to pre- 

 serve the enduring qualities. 



Do not let the bloom fully develop 

 on the plant. Cut when about three- 

 quarters out, when you will not only 

 further the end in view but reduce the 

 drain on the plant. Always use a sharp 

 knife and make a smooth, slightly slant- 

 ing cut. It is preferable to perform 

 the work early in the morning, before 

 the sun has exerted any influence on the 

 plants. 



Have vases filled with fresh water be- 

 fore starting in and when fifty or less 

 are cut plunge the stems immediately in 



The Exhibits of Bride Roses at the World's Fair Flower Show. 



