VV^T.^r^^'^ '\'.:^ '?:i 



1504 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



May 11, 1905. 



to answer. It may be stated, however, 

 that steam will cost less to install in a 

 large plant and will give better satis- 

 faction on long runs than hot water, but 

 will require more attention. The steam 

 will have the added advantage of quick 

 cooling when not required after sunrise. 

 If the cost of a night fireman is not too 

 great an item, I should say use steam; 

 if this is a very considerable obstacle, 

 then use hot water. The system of heat- 

 ing used will depend somewhat on the 



character of the crop grown and the 

 type of benches used. With solid benches 

 on the soil, or such crops as lettuce and 

 cucumbers, the heating can all be over- 

 head. With some other crops it might be 

 well to have a portion of the pipes be- 

 neath the benches, if they are elevated. I 

 should judge about twenty per cent of 

 the normal piping used in a house in the 

 north should be suflScient for your pur- 

 pose in a climate so mild as that of Flor- 

 ida. L. L. C. 



INDOOR SUMMER CULTURE. 



If you are going to grow part of your 

 carnations in^ora all summer it will pay 

 yoa well to get them planted just as 

 soon as you can. The young plants will 

 take hold much better before the weather 

 is extremely hot and they will be better 

 able to stand the heat later on. If the 

 house has good ventilation they will grow 

 luxuriantly all summer and come into 

 bloom early in the fall. 



We handle only Mrs. Lawson this way 

 and we consider it the proper way to 

 handle that variety, although we shall 

 try some in the field again. Good Law- 

 sons are produced under both methods, so 

 "you pays your money and takes your 

 choice. ' ' 



One thing is certain; you must have 

 good plants to start with and you must 

 not neglect those intended for indoor 

 culture while you are planting the rest 

 in the field. W« try to at least plant 

 them on the beds just as soon as we get 

 through planting outside and sometimes 

 we get a chance to do it before we finish 

 outside. There are occasional rainy days 

 when you cannot plant outside and that 

 is when you should refill your benches in- 

 tended for indoor culture. If there are 

 enough rainy days you can plant them as 

 well. There should be no shade whatever 

 over these plants at any time. Plenty 

 of ventilation and a mulch to prevent 

 too rapid drying out is all that is 

 needed. A. F, J. Baxib. 



MAKING A START. 



I am about to build two new houses 

 for carnations. Having no houses in 

 which to prepare the plants for next 

 season, may I ask what course you would 

 advise f Shall I get rooted cuttings or 

 2-inch pot plants? Would you pot the 

 plants and plunge or plant in the open 

 ground! I expect to be ready for plant- 

 ing in the houses by August 1. 



S. C. T. 



By the time this appears in print most 

 of the wholesale carnation growers will 

 have the bulk of their young carnations 

 in the field, but if you can find the va- 

 rieties you want, and in the quantity you 

 want, I would advise you to buy the 

 young plants from pots now and plant 

 them in your own ground. The advant- 

 ages are all in favor of this plan, as 

 against the plan of waiting until fall 

 and buying field-grown plants. The cost 



will be far lets. You will be able to 

 handle the young plants and care for 

 them according to your own ideas during 

 the summer and you can take them up 

 as you need them in planting into the 

 houses. I would not bother with rooted 

 cuttings this late. You will be sure to 

 lose a large percentage on account of 

 the heat and, unless the season is exceed- 

 ingly favorable, they will not make 

 strong plants for early planting. 



I would plant them into the open 

 ground in preference to potting and 

 plunging. If you are going to use solid 

 beds you could pot them into 3-inch pots 

 and as soon as you can get the beds 



ready plant them into the beds and leave 

 the glass off until early in September. 

 If you are prepared to water them occa- 

 sionally this plan will work to perfection. 

 A good mulch would keep them from 

 needing watering very often. I would 

 not recommend this plan with raised 

 benches, however, as they would dry out 

 too rapidly. 



Three years ago we planted about 10,- 

 000 carnation plants on a spot where we 

 intended building a house 45x175. We 

 planted them in beds and left walks just 

 as we intended to have in the house. 

 During the summer we built the house 

 over them, leaving the glazing until just 

 before freezing. The plants were treated 

 just the same as those in the field except 

 that they were mulched in July to save 

 cultivating. They grew well and pro- 

 duced fine crops of high grade blooms 

 and they were far ahead of the trans- 

 planted stock up to January and just as 

 good after that. This year we are work- 

 ing the same plan with a house 30x355 

 and we look for just as good results. 

 Perhaps the greatest advantage in this 

 plan is that you need not rush through 

 your building as you have all summer to 

 finish, just so you get the glass on and 

 a steam pipe or two connected by the 

 time it turns cold in the fall. That extra 

 six weeks gives you a chance to take 

 care of your other work so much bet- 

 ter, and nothing needs to suffer. All 

 the work on that house was done by our 

 regular help except to cut and erect the 

 sash bars, etc. A, F. J. Baub. 



SEASONABLE NOTES. 



With the sudden and extreme fluctua- 

 tions of temperature which we are likely 

 to experience during the next month, the 

 danger to young stock is multiplied and 

 greater care should be exercised to pre- 

 vent damage. 



The strong and arid winds which are 

 frequent dry out the pots rapidly and 

 make close observance in that respect a 

 necessity. Keeping the paths wet and all 

 empty spaces on the benches in the stock 

 house watered just the same as if they 

 were occupied by young stock, will help 

 to keep the air moist and cool. 



Young stock should be set in regular 

 rows on the benches after each picking 

 over, so that watering and syringing may 

 be possible. How often we see the plants 

 in the stock house scattered over the 

 benches in irregular groups or lying on 

 their sides, suffering from want of water 

 and becoming a prey to red spider, when 



an hour 's work would put them in a posi- 

 tion so they could be properly cared for. 



As the weather gets warmer care 

 should be taken that the young stock 

 should never approach the condition of 

 being pot-bound, as this is ruinous, es- 

 pecially to Beauties. A careful exami- 

 nation of the roots will be necessary at 

 least once a week and when the plants 

 require a shift they ought to be repotted 

 at once or planted in the bench. 



As there is always more or less of a 

 mixture of varieties, especially where 

 Maids and Brides are concerned, it is a 

 good plan to let at least one bud develop 

 on each plant till it shows color, when 

 any mixture can be detected and rele- 

 gated to its proper place. If this work is 

 properly attended to while the plants are 

 in pots it saves a deal of trouble when 

 propagating time comes around again, 

 and it looks so much better to have our 

 varieties clear of mixture and enables us 

 to supply the stock our customers call for 

 with the certainty that no complaint will 

 come back on that account. 



Last season I was forced to purchase 

 some thousands of Brides and Maids 

 and specified the quantities of each. 

 Well, I got the number of plants I 

 ordered of each, but it would be a diflB.- 



