486 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



January 11, 1906. 



'VidKiv^ 



•i«' 



SOFT GROWTH. 



AVe are sending a sample of soil which 

 we are using for our roses. Up to the 

 first of October we had fine rose plants, 

 but the flowers then were somewhat soft. 

 Our houses were kept 55 degrees at night 

 and 65 degrees in the day. As soon as 

 short days came we got a short, weak 

 growth and no bottom growth. They are 

 in raised benches and have four and one- 

 half inches of soil. They have had good 

 treatment and had no feeding up to the 

 time they commenced to get weak. Please 

 tell us what is wrong; we think it is the 

 soil. The soil was three-fourths sod and 

 loam and one-fourth manure, put up in 

 the spring and used in June. W. F. C. 



You are very fortunate in having a 

 supply of this quality of soil, as it is as 

 near the ideal rose soil as one could wish. 

 Being naturally rich in itself, it does not 

 require more than one part of manure to 

 five of soil when composting. 



The sample mixed with manure seems 

 to have too much of the latter in its com- 

 position, which, of course, accounts for 

 the softness of growth during the short 

 days. And Avhere there is softness in 

 growth and foliage we may always look 

 for weakness to follow. 



To strengthen the growth and give 

 tone to the foliage, give them a slight 

 top dressing of bone meal, and ruffle it 

 lightly in. After three weeks give them 

 a dusting of air-slaked lime or wood 

 ashes, just enough to color the surface. 

 Pay particular attention to ventilation, 

 both day and night, never missing an 

 opportunity to admit fresh air, even at 

 the expense of a few tons of coal. This 

 question of ventilation is a very im- 

 portant one and ignorance of the laws re- 

 garding it, or carelessness in administra- 

 tion, are accountable for many of the 

 poor results after a few weeks of steady 

 firing. EiBES. 



IN A POOR HOUSE. 



I have two benches of roses, on brick 

 and tile. I planted the stock at the end 

 of May; Beauties, Ivory, Brides, Maids 

 and a few Richmond, in soil prepared in 

 the orthodox manner, with cow manure 

 and bone meal, but rather light. I have 

 to buy all soil and cannot get good, 

 greasy yellow loam. The stock did splen- 

 didly all summer; no trace of mildew or 

 insects. Began cutting October 1. The 

 soil being light, I gave a good mulch of 

 lialf-rotten cow manure early in Novem- 

 ber. The roots are now pushing up into 



this, showing good root action. The foli- 

 age is very good color, but growth seems 

 much weaker than it ought to be, and 

 I am not getting many roses. I have 

 given a sprinkle of lime, watered in, sev- 

 eral times, and nitrate of soda in weak 

 liquid occasionally. I have kept the 

 house at the orthodox temperature. The 

 house is of good height and almost per- 

 pendicular on south side. It runs east 

 and west. One end joins a high wall and 

 the other a two-story barn, one keeping 

 off the sun till 10 a. m., and the other 

 after 1 p. m. Now, am I doing my best, 

 or should the stock be giving better re- 

 sults, or am I expecting too much 

 from a house situated as this is, in such 

 a dark corner, and only ten minutes' 

 walk from the center of a city of a. quar- 

 ter of a million inhabitants? G. C. 



Owing to the amount of shade this 

 house is subjected to, it is altogether 

 unsuited for rose culture during winter. 

 The best horticultural engineers have 

 been working for years trying to give 

 us a house with a maximum of light and 

 a minimum of shade, and here we have 

 conditions reversed. The almost perpen- 

 dicular pitch of the south roof is another 

 factor which will militate against suc- 

 cess. The brick and tile bench in such 

 a house is also very unsuitable for rose 

 crops. The general treatment of the 

 stock and care of the house is in accord- 

 ance with accepted cultural methods, and 

 had the house been suitable there is not 

 the least doubt but that results would 

 have been satisfactory. 



Under present conditions, I would ad- 

 vise great care in watering for the next 

 two months, and even greater care in 

 feeding; in fact, refrain from all liq- 

 uid feeding until March, when, with a 

 longer continuance of sunshine and the 

 natural spring growth, they will be in 

 condition to assimilate a stronger diet. 



ElBES. 



AVERAGE PRODUCTION. 



I would like for you to tell me how 

 many salable flowers the average carna- 

 tion plant will produce per season, under 

 ordinary culture, and also how many 

 blooms will a rose plant produce per year 

 for the average grower. W. E. H. 



The average cut of carnations depends 

 on the variety under consideration, the 

 suitability of the house employed, the 

 quality of soil, season of planting, and 

 last, but not least, the ability of the man 

 in charge. Had this querist named the 

 varieties he proposes to grow, it would 

 have simplified matters. Such varieties 

 as the Lawsons average higher than most 

 other varieties. Some of the larger grow- 

 ers claim an average for these varieties 

 of thirty-five to forty blooms per plant, 

 and where this average is maintained 

 they will bring handsome returns. En- 

 chantress and Prosperity will average 

 lower in produce, but the higher prices 

 obtained for the blooms compensate for 

 this. 



Eoses which are planted early, having 

 a longer growing season in which to form 

 a large plant before September, will, by 

 reason of their greater strength, more 

 extended root area and greater number 

 of flower-bearing eyes under the same 

 treatment produce a much better average 

 than those which are planted later. If 

 planted early in June, or late in May, 

 tea roses, such as Maids and Brides, 

 should produce from twenty-five to 

 twenty-seven salable blooms; Golden 

 Gate and Ivory, twenty-three to twenty- 

 five; Beauties, twelve to eighteen, these 

 to be on their own roots. By skillful 

 treatment, good soil, good houses and ev- 

 erything favorable, this average can be 

 exceeded. Eibes. 



Bouvardia. 



This will be a busy time with your 

 propagating bench, not only with roses 

 and carnations, but many soft-wooded 

 plants, because conditions are now most 

 favorable; viz., heat in the sand and a 

 cool top temperature. If you grow or 

 intend to grow bouvardia, now is the 

 most favorable time to start. This 

 pretty, honeysuckle-like flower will never 

 be of great importance, but we are fre- 

 quently asked for it; it is a pleasing 

 novelty, and our wealthy patrons do 

 crave things that everybody else has 

 not. 



Bouvardias are always propagated 

 from small pieces of the root. Plants 

 that have flowered and lifted from the 



bench will supply better material than 

 those grown in pots. Don 't choose the 

 stout, old, woody roots as thick as a 

 straw, nor the thread-like roots, but 

 something between that looks young and 

 active and full of sap. Cut these into 

 pieces half an inch long and after mak- 

 ing the surface of your propagating bed 

 even and smooth, strew on the tiny 

 pieces of root and then sift over enough 

 dry sand to just hide the roots. 



If the sand of your bed is about 70 

 degrees it will do very well. In three 

 or four weeks you will see the little 

 plants starting up through the sand. 

 When an inch above the surface lift out 

 with the piece of root attached, which 

 will have made hair-like roots, and pot 

 into 2-inch pots in a light loam to which 



