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Febbuaby 9, 1005. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



647 



varieties. C. L. W. will notice that 

 Queen Louise, of which he complains, 

 was one of the first to bloom. Only 

 Flora Hill was ahead of it. 



A. F. J. Baub. 



CARNATION NOTES.-EAST. 



Treatment of New Arrivals. 



Cuttings of any variety you may buy 

 of another grower need somewhat dif- 

 ferent treatment than those rooted on 

 your own place, and this is especially 

 •true in the case of new introductions. 

 The necessary handling in packing for 

 shipment and delay in getting into soil, 

 damages the tender roots to some ex- 

 tent and consequently these are apt to 

 be slower in starting than if potted at 

 once on being taken from the sand. 



With a new variety for which the 

 demand for cuttings is large, it is rea- 

 sonable to suppose that the introducer 

 is obliged to caxry the temperature of 

 his cutting bench a trifle high to keep 

 pace with the orders, so perhaps the 

 stock will be a little soft, but no harm 

 will result if treated accordingly, giv- 

 ing extra close attention to shading, 

 watering and spraying. 



Some may call a rooted cutting any 

 part of the plant, large or small, which 

 has been inserted in sand and taken root, 

 but it is questionable whether all could 

 be called cuttings that are so inserted. 

 I have always obtained the best results 

 by purchasing unrooted cuttings and 

 would advise all who have good facili- 

 ties for propagating to follow this plan; 

 we would hear less about its taking two 

 years to get a new variety on a pay- 

 ing basis. 



Be sure your soil is prepared well in 

 advance, thoroughly warmed up and 

 free from bone meal, wood ashes or 

 chemical fertilizers. The best results 

 may be looked for if pure rotted sod 

 alone is used. Use clean pots and give 

 the stock a bench worthy of its record. 

 Cuttings of new varieties are of neces- 

 sity higher in price than those of older 

 sorts and every one is entitled to strong, 

 healthy stock, but do not think be- 

 cause you pay $10 or more for a hun- 

 dred cuttings that you can abuse them 

 by potting in rich soil and rush along 

 in a high temperature, with a view of 

 obtaining more cuttings from the tops. 



If you were present at the convention 

 and were influenced by their appearance 

 there, to invest in any new varieties, 

 get all the information you can regard- 

 ing their requirements, but remember 

 you were viewing exhibition blooms, 

 every one selected and grown with ex- 

 treme care. If you succeed in growing 

 blooms to score ten or fifteen points 

 less, you should be satisfied. 



Geo. S. Osborn. 



SHEEP MANURE FOR MULCH. 



On page 465 of the Eeview for Jan- 

 nary 19, H. B. G. asks about sheep ma- 

 nure as fi. mulch and Mr. Baur says to 

 use a 4-inch pot of bone meal with a 

 bushel of sheep manure and spread it on 

 a half inch thick. At the same time 

 Mr. Baur says to feed lightly. What 

 would he call heavy feeding? We cer- 

 tainly should not venture to put on a 

 half inch of sheep manure at one time. 

 A good handful for every three plants 

 vrill be suflScient. For a feed this season 

 we have used the following mixture and 

 are sure it is all right: Chie bushel well 

 rotted cow manure, two quarts lime, two 

 quarts wood ashes, four quarts bone. But 



A Birch-Baric Basket of Violets. 



don't make a mulch of it or it will show 

 how strong it is. A. Laub & Son. 



When I wrote my answer to H. B. G. 

 I meant just what I said. A half inch 

 of sheep manure will not harm your car- 

 nations if they are in good condition and 

 need feeding. If they are not in good 

 condition, then you had batter not feed 

 them at all. Perhaps I should have said 

 a scant half inch, and no doubt it would 

 be safer to use less rather than more than 

 a half inch. 



Many growers are needlessly afraid of 

 sheep manure. While it is a much strong- 

 er manure than cow manure, yet it is 

 not so strong as many imagine. Two 

 years ago some of our men were mulching 

 a bed of mums with cow manure. The 

 material ran short when there were a few 

 feet more to cover and instead of asking 

 for advice, they finished it up with sheep 

 manure applied one inch thick. When I 

 discovered it I expected those plants to 

 turn yellow and die, but instead they took 

 on a fine dark green color and grew as 

 well as any of the others. 



Of course carnations will not stand as 

 much as chrysanthemums will and I have 

 never used over a half inch on them, but 

 I have used that much without harm. A 

 half inch of loose material is not much. 

 You will fihd that most of it will wash 

 into the soil in a very short time. Now, I 

 also know that sheep manure will vary 

 greatly in strength and it is always safest 



to experiment a little before putting a lot 

 on the benches to sse how much is right 

 to use. We have used a good inch of 

 sheep manure in the bottom of a 6-inch 

 pot when potting calla lilies and visitors 

 wondered what caused the plants to grow 

 so strong after the pots were apparently 

 full of roots. 



I fear Laub & Son are like many oth- 

 ers, laboring under the mistaken idea that 

 sheep manure is a dangerous article to 

 handle. I would advise them to experi- 

 ment a little, just to find out for them- 

 selves how much sheep manure a carna- 

 tion plant will stand, when the plants are 

 in good shape — and they should be fed 

 only when they are in good shape. 



The composition Laub & Son describe 

 is several times as strong aa the sheep 

 manure and bone as I recommended it 

 and I certainly would not advise anyone 

 to use more than a good heavy sprinkling 

 of it. We prefer to use bone and manure 

 without lime. The lime makes it act 

 quicker and therefore makes it stronger 

 at the beginning. A. F. J. Baur. 



TEMPERATURE FOR WATER. 



Is water taken direct from the city 

 mains at 40 degrees too cold at this 

 time for use in watering carnations f' 

 What is a practical way of warming it? 



J. W. M. 



I do not think water at 40 degrees is 



