NOVBMBEB 30, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



83 



Gnaphalium Leontopodiutn in the Rockery at Lincoln Park, Chicago. 



TIMELY REMINDERS. 



Summer Flowering Bulbs. 



The majority of florists doing a retail 

 business handle some gloxinias with 

 profit. See to it that the pots containing 

 bulbs of these are not thrown under 

 some bench to mold. Probably you have 

 a shelf in some shed where a minimum 

 temperature of 50 to .55 degrees is main- 

 tained. Such a place will suit gloxinias 

 nicely. If you need the pots, turn them 

 out into boxes without breaking the 

 balls. 1 f you grow achimines treat them 

 similarly. Tuberous-rooted begonias 

 should now be resting. They require 

 cooler quarters than gloxinais. If quite 

 dry they will not mind a temperature of 

 40 degrees. When throughly ripened off 

 you can pick out the tubers and pack 

 them in sawdust or any other dry mate- 

 rial. 



Poinsettias. 



One of the best selling plants in ppts 

 or pans at Christmas is the brilliant 

 poinsettia. The bracts on these are now 

 becoming quite sizable. Presuming that 

 the pots are well filled with roots they 

 will need occasional doses of liquid 

 manure to give size to the bracts. Add 

 a little soot to the liquid to keep the 

 leaves a beautiful dark green color. Use 

 extreme care in watering; too little or 

 too much will be quickly followed by a 

 yellowing of the foliage. Poinsettias 

 need a temperature of 60 degrees at 

 night to grow them well at this season. 

 Do not be tempted to move them into 

 cooler quarters as the bracts are devel- 

 oping or results will be disastrous. 

 See that those growing in benches are 

 staked securely. If proi)erly treated 

 these should give bracts eighteen to 

 twenty-four inches across. Do not allow 

 the shoots to become bent or half their 

 value is gone. 



Chinese Primroses. 



Tlirre is always a considerable sale for 



these pretty little plants during the ear- 

 ly winter months. If well grown nothing 

 makes a nicer Christmas gift for those 

 with moderate means. It will pay the 

 up-to-date retailer to buy a good strain 

 of these and to buy one or two decided 

 colors, such as scarlet, pink, white and 

 blue rather than to invest in a cheap, 

 thrashy mixture which will contain many 

 unsalable colors. Plants of the better 

 strains will always sell on sight. The 

 plants should now be on shelves or 

 benches in a light, airy structure and 

 lightly shaded from the mid-day sun. 

 Water with care. Use the watering pot 

 instead of the hose. A little weak liquid 

 manure once in four or five days will 

 tone them up. If any of the plants are 

 shaky from too high potting, support 

 with one or two little forked sticks. 



Berried Plants. 



Celestial peppers have attained a cer- 

 tain favor during the past few years. We 

 do not know why, for we have never ad- 

 mired them; still what the public de- 

 mands we must needs grow. A cool 

 house will suit these very well, as also 

 Solanum capsicastrum, which should now 

 have most of its fruit colored. We pre- 

 fer seedling plants of the latter to those 

 raised from cuttings. They do not ripen 

 so soon, but make more shapely plants. 



Ardisia crenulata is always in de- 

 mand. As it takes several years to pro- 

 duce salable stock it is not seen so much 

 as the other berried stock. If you have 

 a crop of berries ripe on any old and 

 unshapely plants, sow them right away 

 in heat. You will get no returns for a 

 year or two but they will pay you well 

 in the end. 



Genistas, Acacias, etc. 



If these arc not wanted in bloom until 

 Easter, give them a further clipping 

 back. Keep them as cool as possible; 

 clear of freezing is all that is needed. 

 Be sure they are not allowed to become 

 dry at the root. Acacias are usually in 

 best demand at Easter and it will, there- 



fore, be necessary to hold them as cold 

 as possible during the winter. A sunken 

 pit or north house where very little fire 

 heat is used is all right. Ericas need 

 similar treatment and must above all 

 things never get dry at the root. 



Mignonette* 



Presuming that seed was sown late in 

 August, the plants should now be produc- 

 ing good spikes. Avoid too high a tem- 

 perature or the results will be ruinous. 

 This crop does best where a night reading 

 of 40 to 45 degrees is kept. If the 

 benches are becoming well filled with 

 roots give a mulching of well rottccl and 

 pulverized cow manure. Avoid chemicals 

 at this season. There are diverse opin- 

 ions as to the best supports for mignon- 

 ette. Some use wires and cross strings 

 as for carnations; others pieces of birch 

 brush stuck in here and there, and some 

 nothing at all. We prefer the birdi our- 

 selves and find it answers very well. 



Antirrhinums. 



Most of the benches are now clear of 

 chrysanthemums and there is a chance 

 for some other crops to come along. One 

 of the most useful is the persistent flow- 

 ering snapdragon. If cuttings were 

 rooted in late summer and are now in 

 3-inch or 4-inch pots tliey will soon give 

 a crop of bloom if planted out. No need 

 to empty the benches and replace with 

 new compost. Throw out the remaining 

 chrysanthemum stock plants. (iive a 

 coating of rotted manure, turn it over 

 and plant in your stock at least a foot 

 apart each way. There are now some 

 very excellent strains of antirrhinums. 

 A mixture is hardly to be desired, but 

 yellow, white and pink shades will alway.s 

 sell, while there is a limited call for red. 

 Better to raise your stock from cuttings 

 once you have a good strain. Seedlings 

 are liable to come mixed, even though 

 bought as one decided shade. A temper- 

 ature of 50 degrees at night suits them, 

 and disbud the slioots to secure better 

 spikes. 



