OCTOBWM 19, 1909. 



The Weekly Rorists' Review^ 



1211 



MULCHING. 



To produce those high grade blooms 

 of good color aod substance, with a 

 wealth of well developed foliage and 

 marketable stems, the grower must have 

 a good knowledge of the food required 

 by his crops at the different stages of 

 their growth. 



As the plants increase in size and the 

 benches fill with roots, the limited 

 amount of nutritive substances con- 

 tained in the few inches of soil on the 

 bench will naturally; become exhausted 

 and the progressive grower should make 

 it his duty to supply the plants with 

 the necessary food as often as required. 



By a careful study of the original 

 compost and watching how the stock 

 progresses, he will soon arrive at a cor- 

 rect idea of the quality of food required 

 to supplement the waste. 



To keep up a constant supply of those 

 elements without incurring the danger 

 of overfeeding during the short days 

 it will be necessary to apply light 

 mulches from time to time, these 

 mulches to contain as near as possible 

 the elements wanted by the stock at 

 time of applying it and for some weeks 

 afterwards. 



When I say a light mulch I do not 

 mean to convey the idea that the mate- 

 rial must be of a light nature, but that 

 it should be spread on lightly, so as not 

 to exclude the sun's rays from the sur- 

 face of the soil. 



A good and safe mulch for stock dur- 

 ing the winter can be made from decom- 

 posed cow manure and good fibrous 

 loam in the proportion of two parts ma- 

 nure to one of Boil. By the addition of 

 the soil the gases are absorbed and kept 

 in store for future use. It also lends 

 weight to the material and prevents it 

 from washing all over the bench. 



"Where soils are particularly soft and 

 heavy a generous sprinkling of bone 

 meal can be added to give stiffness to 

 the stem and substance to petal and 

 foliage. This can be alternated by 

 using air-slaked lime or wood ashes, 

 which have much the same effect an^- 

 also add brilliancy to the color. " " 



If the soil is light the . food should 

 contain more nitrogen, whi<^ cap be ob- 

 tained in sufficient quantities 'in cow 

 manure, and consequently soil of this 

 character will require more frequent ap- 

 plications of mulch than if the soil is 

 heavy. 



Care in watering after mulching is 

 necessary, as the mulch absorbs and re- 

 tains the moisture, thus giving the 

 benches the appearance of being wet 



when an examination of the soil may 

 show that beneath the mulch it is thor- 

 oughly dry. A daily examination of 

 the condition of the soil after the mulch 

 is spread makes assurance doubly sure 

 and is sure to repay the trouble. 



BiBES. 



SYRINGING. 



I am instructed by my superiors to 

 spray or syringe the roses every solitary 

 day, providing, of course, the weather 

 is favorable. Is it necessary to do this 

 seven days in the week at this time of 

 yeart There are no red spider, but I 

 see mildew coming. A. L. H. 



At this season, when with the plants 

 in full foliage and the short dark days 

 approaching, when syringing cannot be 

 indulged in with frequency, and when 

 firing will have to be resumed, it is well 

 to keep the syringe going on every 



favorable occasion, prevention being so 

 much better than cure. Especially is 

 this the case where Meteors or Beauties 

 are concerned. 



On tea roses, owing to the form of 

 the leaves, it is easier to reach the 

 spider and consequently they can do with 

 "less syringing than hybrids. 



It is safer to use every precaution now 

 than to have to regret the missed oppor- 

 tunities when dark, short days come. 



BiBES. 



VIOLETS OUTDOORS. 



I wish to ask as to the best method of 

 caring for violets outdoors in Michigan. 

 They are fine plants. Can I get flowers 

 early next spring! I will propagate 

 more next year and grow them in the 

 house. "When should I begin propagat- 

 ing? O. H. C. 



The query is very indefinite, inasmuch 

 as it is not stated whether the violet 

 plants are in a frame or in the open 

 ground; neither is the variety stated. 

 I take it for granted that the grower 

 either has them in a cold-frame or ex- 

 pects to build a frame around them. If 

 he does so and covers the sash with mats, 

 giving the violets treatment similar to 

 that he gives his pansies in frames, he 

 should be able to pick flowers quite early, 

 especially if the frames are well located. 

 As to propagating, it may be begun 

 as soon as the frames are opened in 

 spring and; growth has been made suit- 

 able for cuttings, or one can wait until 

 later and divide the old clumps when it 

 comes time to plant them out. B. E. S. 



EXHIBITIONS AND EXHIBITING. 



The coming week will see the opening 

 of the show season, with Islip, N. Y., 

 on October 24 and Madison, N. J., on 

 October 26; Lenox, Mass., on October 

 25, and others. From present indications 

 there will be lots of stock on hand, even 

 though it is a little early. 



The prospective exhibitor, if he is an 

 old hand at the business, has already 

 got his classes planned in his mind 's 

 eye and, by an occasional visit to size 

 up his neighbor's plants, knows pretty 

 well where he stands. To the new man, 

 who is entering the ring for the first 

 time, I would say: Do not get reckless 

 pind imagine that you can capture the 

 whole thing and enter in every class 

 that is open to you. Such a course, from 

 a prize winning standpoint, is foolish, 

 since it is putting oneself against every- 

 body else and many unexpected things 

 happen in a lifetime. If entries are 

 slim, and your idea is to help out the 

 show as an exhibition and you do not 

 object to being beaten once or twice, 

 80 long as the showing as a whole is a 

 creditable one, it is all right to fill in 

 as many classes as possible, and shows 

 a laudable spirit of self-sacrifice for the 

 public good. 



"When one is green at the show busi- 

 ness he is apt to start out with the idea 



that he can lick the earth, but he gener* 

 ally winds up the first year by licking 

 a good deal less than that. 



When the exhibition is any distance 

 from home the question of packing the 

 flowers so that they will travel safely 

 is the chief thing to consider. In spite 

 of every care lots of trouble invariably 

 results from the carelessness of the ex- 

 press companies and the playful habit 

 their employees get into, of standing 

 boxes on end that are marked "Keep 

 flat" in letters a foot high. The flow- 

 ers must be cleated tight in the box, 

 so that, no matter which way it is turned, 

 they cannot move. Make a pillow of 

 newspaper to set under the neck of the 

 bottom layer of flowers and use lots of 

 tissue paper between the flowers to keep 

 them from rubbing against each other. 

 Two or three layers can be placed in 

 each end of a box and then if the stems 

 are cleated down properly not much harm 

 will come to the flowers. 



Some growers ship in boxes three to 

 four feet high and have the flowers 

 standing upright and tied to wires. They 

 travel finely in this manner but it is a 

 very expensive way to pack, too ex- 

 pensive, in fact, to be generally adopted. 

 Before the flowers are packed they 

 should have had from twenty-four to 

 thirty-six hours in water, bo that the' 



