NovEMBfflB 23, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



15 



some sort in another, to render the fumi- 

 gation quite ineflfective. 



Another thing that some may think I 

 am over-particular about, is the danger 

 connected with the use of this gas, but 

 under no condition trust anybody who is 

 at all inclined to carelessness to have 

 anything to do with it, for there is no 

 known remedy for it if you get a dose of 

 it, "except the undertaker," as my 

 family physician said one day in speaking 

 of it. If you have any doubt of the 

 rapidity with which it works, do as I 



did once, leave in the house a cat that 

 you have no further use for where you 

 cau see it, yourself standing at a safe 

 distance outside, and to the windward, 

 and see* how suddenly she will stop in 

 her perambulations. This one was walk- 

 ing along as naturally as possible and 

 had just raised her foot to step over a 

 low cross iron to a bench, when 

 she stopped in that position and never 

 stirred again, evidently not knowing what 

 struck her and not suffering at all, as it 

 acts on the heart. E. E. Shuphelt. 



BLIND WOOD. 



I notice the advice given by Eibes on 

 page 1493 of your last issue, in a case 

 of excessive amount of blind wood on 

 roses. The complaint suggests two 

 things to my niind: First, the possibility 

 that the plants may have been propagat- 

 ed from blind wood, which is a great 

 disadvantage in flower production; sec- 

 ond, that the plants lack vigor, which 

 might be induced by the use of a good 

 dressing of cow manure and a severe 

 pruning of the blind wood. The blind 

 wood has no commercial value and serves 

 vital functions of the plant as well as, 

 and in the place of, profitable bloom- 

 bearing wood. The shock to the plants 

 resulting from a severe pruning in re- 

 moving blind wood by cutting it back to 

 a strong dormant eye, together with an 

 application of quickly available plant 

 food, preferably in the form of a mulch 

 of fresh cow manure, will I believe, have 

 the desired effect. This treatment has 

 been used by the writer with good re- 

 sults and it is a common practice with 

 fruit growers. What is needed is a flush 

 of vigorous new wood. Food and prun- 

 . ing are the most certain means of secur- 

 ing rank new growth. It will, at least, 

 do no harm to try the plan on a few 

 plants. L. C. Corbett. 



The most floriferous plants will, of 

 course, not have such a wealth of wood 

 to select from, but an effort should be 

 made to get this class of wood where 

 possible. 



Having used this method of selecting 

 wood for many years with good results, 

 I can recommend it with every confi- 

 dence. 



By selecting well ripened, short-jointed 

 wood, there is a possibility of getting a 

 batch of cuttings of the same condition 

 of ripeness, wliich will naturally make a 

 more uniform root formation in the same 

 period than if the extra long stems are 



used. These long stems can only have a 

 few eyes on their whole length equally 

 ripe, so if we use the eyes at the bottom 

 of the stem and the eyes near the top we 

 cannot expect a uniform period of root 

 formation, as the eyes which have been 

 in the proper condition for propagating 

 purposes will naturally be ready to pot 

 before the others, thus protracting and 

 making the whole bench irregular and 

 running the risk of losing a big percent- 

 age of the foliage. 



The cuttings should, if possible, have 

 two eyes, and where the joints are close 

 enough to admit of it, three eyes. They 

 should have plenty of room in the bench, 

 so that the leaves do not overlap, as this 

 retards the drying out of the foliage 

 after spraying, which is most essential 

 to the well being of the cutting. 



The sand should never be allowed to 

 become dry, as this is certain to cause 

 the leaves to drop and, however well 

 the cuttings may be rooted, such cuttings 

 will never attain that vigor necessary to 

 the best succes.s. Overwatering will pro- 

 duce the same result. 



The bench should be shaded during 

 bright weather for the first two weeks, 

 or until the callus has formed, when they 

 can be gradually exposed to the full sun- 

 light. 



To have stock ready for benching in 

 May, propagating should be accomplished 

 before the end of December. For June 

 benching, January propagation is early 

 enougli. Kibes. 



TOO WARM AND DRY. 



I have had some trouble with my 

 roses, the edges of the leaves turning 

 the color of those enclosed. Can you 

 toll me what causes this and also a cure 

 for same? O. IT. 



The troulilo with tlio^p roses is that 



AMERICAN BEAUTIES. 



In selecting wood for the propagation 

 of American Beauties it is wisdom to 

 avoid all those plants the foliage of 

 which is the least bit off color, as they 

 will be almost certain to shed their leaves 

 before forminfj roots and, even though 

 they do form roots, they are certain to 

 have a poor constitution. 



In nearly every Beauty house there will 

 also be found plants showing extra strong 

 growth, but which show an obstinacy 

 in forming flower buds. These should 

 also be avoided, as wood taken from 

 such plants is sure to perpetuate this 

 characteristic to a certain degree. 



The First Prize and Sweepstakes Beauty Exhibit at Kansas City. 



