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NOTEMBBB 9, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



1409 



base of the flower stems. Uklike the 

 Dutch bulbous stock, lilies aie better 

 kept a trifle on the dry side until the 

 pots are well filled with roots. One of 

 the prime causes of so many sickly look- 

 ing plants is an overplus of water in 

 the early stages of growth. 



Early potted bulbs for Christmas 

 flowers should soon show the buds. It 

 takes about forty days from the time 

 they show until flowers are expanded 

 in a temperature of 60 degrees at night. 

 Syringe freely and see that green aphis 

 does not get any foothold. 



Geraniums. 



Bo not neglect geranium cuttings in 

 the rush of other work. They need 

 practically no water for several months. 

 Pick oflE decaying foliage and remove 

 any damped-off stock. A shelf well up 

 to the sunlight is what suits them. Old 

 stock plants potted up late will also 

 need a little picking over. Do not push 

 them under the benches, as is too often 

 done. Give them a place in the sun and 

 keep rather dry for some time. Early 

 in the new year water more freely and 

 you will get plenty of nice cuttings to 

 root in heat. 



Have you ever tried growing a batch 

 of nice doubles and singles in 5-inch or 

 6-inch pots for winter blooming f Keep 

 the flower trusses picked ofiE until the 

 chrysanthemum season is partially 

 over. For Thanksgiving or Christmas 

 sales they are very attractive, for about 

 everybody feela that he or she can 

 manage a geranium. Narrow, light 

 shelves on the sides of a carnation 

 house, where the atmosphere is fairly 

 dry, suits them admirably. 



Primula Obcooica. 



There are now some very fine strains 

 of this pretty primrose and in spite 

 of the fact that the leaves poison some 

 people, no more useful plant is grown. 

 It is of such easy culture, produces such 

 a continuous wealth of bloom and is so 

 salable as a pot plant that the retail 

 florist can scarcely afford to overlook 

 it. The flowers of the white varieties 

 are also very serviceable in funeral 

 work. The plant is by no means fas- 

 tidious in its wants, for it does equally 

 well in a cool north house and a warm, 

 sunny one. It requires more feeding 

 than Primula Sinensis, cow manure 

 water being good for this purpose. Pots 

 from five to six inches in diameter 

 produce good plants, although larger 

 sizes are needed to give the finest speci- 

 mens. It does not pay to carry old 

 plants over, nor yet to divide them. 

 Nothing like seedlings of a good strain 

 for vigor and floriferousness. 



Spiraea Japonica. 



Botanists may tell us that astilbe is 

 the correct name for the above, but 

 florists arc not likely to give up the 

 old name in a hurry. The imported 

 roots will soon be arriving. Soak them 

 well after unpacking and leave outside 

 to freeze well before potting. We do 

 not consider imported clumps half so 

 good as home-grown ones. Try growing 

 some yourself another year and be con- 

 vinced. After forcing if clumps are 

 large divide with .a sharp spade, plant 

 in the field and leave for two yeats. 

 When lifted you will find it necessary 

 to divide many of them, as they grow 

 so large. The varieties compacta astil- 

 boides and Gladstone, can be especially 

 recommended. 



Chrysanthemum Mrs. D. Willis James. 



CANNAS IN THE SOUTH. 



The canna fields of the Southern Floral 

 Nursery Co., Fruitvale, Ala., have been 

 the Mecca for many pilgrims this sum- 

 mer, both from nearby and distant 

 points. The southern summer being so 

 long, it gives nearly twice the length of 

 blooming season that can be had in the 

 north. 



Among the best newer kinds that have 

 shown most continuous bloom Papa Nar- 

 dy stands well to the front and at this 

 date (November 2) is the fullest in 

 bloom it has been during the season. 

 Buttercup is also at its best and it is a 

 hard one to beat. Brandywine is also 

 good. Queen of Beauty is easily the best 

 of all scarlets. Mount Washington, a 

 seedling of Mont Blanc, is a great im- 

 provement on that variety, being a 

 stronger, healthier grower and shows a 

 trace of pink the second day in the cen- 

 ter of the bloom that sets off the white 

 petals to great advantage. 



Henry George is a new dwarf crimson 

 that will find a welcome in every collec- 

 tion when introduced. Blushing Belle is 

 a new pink of a very delicate shade, 

 slightly edged with a creamy yellow, sup- 

 posed to be a seedling of Martha Wash- 

 ington, but reaches a height of six feet 

 and is the most continuous bloomer we 

 have ever seen. 



Several new pink seedlings from Hia- 

 watha and Eastern Beauty are attracting 

 a great deal of attention and will with- 

 out doubt be popular when once before 

 the public. The gem of the collection, 

 however, is a row of .seedlings from Papa 



Nardy, most of which resemble that va- 

 riety in growth and form of bloom, but 

 are in many shades of red and pink, and 

 a few nice yellows spotted with red, pink 

 and orange. These will form a class very 

 hard to beat. A yellow seedling of Ex- 

 press, which has been christened Golden 

 Express, and a copper colored one from 

 the same plant, to be called Amalga- 

 mated, are also among the choicest of a 

 large number of seedlingfl. B. 



CYANIDE. 



Some time ago the Review gave the 

 following formula for the use of cya- 

 nide gas: One quart of water, one quart 

 of sulphuric acid and five ounces of 

 cyanide for 2,000 cubic feet of space. It 

 also stated that this killed thoroughly 

 the little brown aphis working down in 

 the crown of the violet plants, but that 

 at this strength the gas slightly burned 

 some of the leaves. Now, I have Prin- 

 cess of Wales single violets, double vio- 

 lets and sweet peas all in the same 

 house' and would like to ask what 

 strength will kill the brown aphis and 

 not seriously injure the single violets. 

 If it takes a dose too strong for sweet 

 peas I do not care, as there are only a 

 few of them planted. Does this gas 

 rise or settle when liberated from the 

 jarsf 



In your opinion does the method of 

 keeping the gas confined in the house 

 until it gradually leaks out by morning 

 do any more injury to violet plants 

 than a much stronger dose of gas con- 



