JANUASZ 18, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



547 



jind will be more likely to retain the 

 moisture for an equal length of time 

 than if they are a mixed lot. The nearer 

 we approach to uniformity of moisture, 

 so much better are our chances of suc- 

 cess. 



To give the young plants a fair start 

 a good deal of intelligent care is neces- 

 sary at potting time, both in selecting 

 the best, rejecting weak and poorly 

 rooted stock and in the method of pot- 

 ting. The roots in each pot should be 

 placed about one-third down from the 

 rim and the soil packed firmly and even- 

 ly around the roots, leaving ample room 

 for watering. 



Water as soon after potting as possi- 

 ble and be sure that the whole ball is 

 equally moist. Do not allow the plants 

 to stand around in the potting shed, 

 where there is always more or less 

 draught, longer than necessary. 



Select a bench where the plants will 

 have plenty of ventilation and a full 

 exposure to the sun and place the pots 

 on ashes or some other suitable material 

 to maintain a good drainage. The tem- 

 perature of the house should be 56 de- 

 grees at night, with a day temperature 

 varying from 60 to 80 degrees, accord- 

 ing to intensity of sunshine. Shade for 

 a few days after potting if the weather 

 is bright. In four or five days root 

 action will have commenced, when shad- 

 ing should be entirely abandoned. 



During bright weather the young stock 

 should be carefully tended as regards 

 watering, syringing and ventilation, as 

 on the care and skill bestowed on them 

 at this period depends a good deal of 

 the hardiness, healthfulness and consti- 

 tution of the future plant. Bibes. 



KILLARNEY ROSE. 



It is quite a number of years since Kil- 

 larney was first introduced, but it is 

 only this season coming into its own. 

 It was offered in a limited way in the 

 New York market last season and was a 

 most acceptable novelty. Two firms in 

 the west took it up and both are excel- 

 lently pleased. Weiland & Eisch, Chi- 

 cago, say that it is without exception 

 the most profitable rose they have ever 

 grown, because of its productiveness 

 more than because of the fact that it 

 commands a novelty's premium. They 

 are growing both grafted and own-root 

 plants this season, but their stock for 

 next year will all be on its own roots, as 

 they find that the own-root stock makes 

 a larger proportion of ground breaks, 

 which give long-stemmed fancy flowers. 

 The length of the bud is something re- 

 markable. They have cut many flowers 

 which when opened make a spread of 

 five inches in diameter. Weiland & Risch 

 like the variety so well that they are 

 building a large new range of glass at 

 Evanston to be devoted to Killarney next 

 season. 



DUTY ON ROSE CUTTINGS. 



In two recent cases collectors of cus- 

 toms have assessed duty on rooted rose 

 cuttings at 2^/^ cents each, but in both 

 cases the Board of General Appraisers 

 has, on appeal, sustained the protest and 

 assessed duty at twenty-five per cent ad 

 valorem, following the precedent estab- 

 lished by G. A. 5645, which was a pro- 

 test raised by the South Park Floral Co., 

 of New Castle, Ind., at duty assessed 

 at 2% cents each on a shipment of cut- 

 tings from Canada. 



The latest protests were by the Cleve- 

 land Landscape Co. and the American 

 Express Co. The assessment was made 



under the provision for "rose plants, 

 budded, grafted or grown on their own 

 roots." The importers claimed that the 

 cuttings should have been assessed at 

 twenty-five per cent ad valorem under 

 the last subdivision of the same para- 

 graph. The decision states, in sustain- 

 ing the protest of the importers, that the 

 board is following its decision in the 

 case of the American Express Co., G. A. 

 5645. It says: 



"In the case cited the board held that 

 I cuttings of this character were not rose 

 I plants within the meaning of the para- 

 I graph, but were dutiable at the rate 

 claimed as -'cuttings of plants, com- 

 monly known as nursery or greenhouse 

 i stock ; ' construing the language of the 

 last part of paragraph 252 as though 

 the expression 'stocks, cuttings and 

 , seedlings,' by which it is introduced, 

 I qualified all the following matter." 



Azaleas. 



We notice that azaleas that are in any 

 temperature over 40 degrees have started 

 making a growth from the base of the 

 buds and that means that they should 

 be stood over, given more space, and this 

 growth rubbed off. If they are allowed 

 to run on and make strong growth the 

 flower bud will perish and at Easter 

 instead of flower you will only have a 

 green bush. Rub off this leaf growth 

 and keep your plants very cool. 



Roses in Pots. 



It is time now to bring in all kinds 

 of roses intended for Easter. We have 

 hybrid perpetuals that were potted in 

 November and have since been covered 

 with three or four inches of soil. The 

 canes are as fresh as when dug and the 

 eyes full and plump. There is no par- 

 ticular hurry about pruning these for a 

 few days, but it should be done before 

 the eyes break. There is no arbitrary 

 rule for pruning, for each plant will 

 vary. If you cut the canes so that a 

 foot in height is left you would have an 

 unsightly plant, even if it did flower 

 well, and if you cut down too low the 

 eyes that started may be blind. As near 

 as you can lay down any rule would 

 be to leave, say, three good eyes on 

 fairly strong stems and on extra strong 

 stems you can leave four eyes. 



Ramblers that were grown in pots last 

 summer will want no pruning of any 

 kind and will be sure to break from bot- 

 tom to top. The only drawback to this 

 style of growing these attractive plants 

 is that by flowering time the soil is ex- 

 hausted and they are not as vigorous iu 

 either flov/er or foliage as those lifted in 

 the fall. This can be helped very con- 

 siderably by taking off an inch or a 

 little more of the surface and filling up 

 the space with cow manure that is not 

 at all decayed. To speak plainly, let it 

 be fresh, but do not do this now. Wait 

 a couple of weeks, when they will be 

 breaking into growth and young working 

 roots will have started; then they will 

 appreciate the stimulant. For the first 

 two or three weeks in the greenhouse 

 you do not Avant to give these dormant 

 plants over 45 degrees at night. 



Ramblers Lifted in FalL 



After trying for years and regularly 

 failing to lift any of the Ramblers from 

 the field in November and force the fol- 

 lowing spring, we seem at last to have 

 struck it. You could reasonably say 

 "hold on, you are not out of the woods 

 yet, ' ' but we can see the light through 



the vista of green and feel certain that 

 at last we have found the correct method 

 of producing as fine plants of this kind 

 as the very successful W. K. Harris and 

 Robert Craig, of Philadelphia, and I 

 am egotist enough to think that possibly 

 there may be a point for them to ponder 

 over. It is not a seasonable hint, but 

 I may not be here next November, so 

 with the editor's sanction I will briefly 

 relate the modus operandi (it's seldom I 

 indulge in Arabic). 



The Rambler roses were lifted about 

 November 10 and potted into 7-inch pots. 

 Size of pots or quality of soil has noth- 

 ing to do with the method. Those are 

 questions which would only affect de- 

 gree of quality. Directly they were 

 potted and watered they were laid down 

 and covered with four inches of soil. 

 On January 7 they were brought into a 

 house and again laid on their sides and 

 covered with a few inches of damp 

 straw. This was done to exclude light 

 and heat. At this date, fourteen days 

 from bringing them in, they are break- 

 ing from the tip of the growth to the 

 pot and are bound to be a great success. 



Now there are just two sections of 

 this performance contributing to suc- 

 cess; viz., first the covering them with 

 soil when first potted and lastly cover- 

 ing them with wet straw for the first two 

 weeks in the greenhouse, because if fully 

 exposed to the light and heat, and we 

 had happened to have a mild, bright day 

 with which we have frequently been 

 blessed of late, it might have shriveled 

 up the wood of the rootless plants. I 

 say rootless because from time of lifting 

 until they break out in leaf there are 

 no active feeding roots. 



If these Ramblers turn out as we 

 confidently expect they will, there will 

 be no more summer pot growing for us. 

 All you do not want to forget is to plant 

 out a few hundred one-year-old plants in 

 the field every April or May, so that 

 you have a strong plant for lifting in 

 the fall. 



We have often alluded to the excel- 

 lence of American Beauty as a pot 

 plant. There is none to equal it in our 

 experience. Contrary to previous prac- 

 tice this fall, when lifting from the 

 bench, they were put outside and cov- 

 ered with earth and it seems to have 

 worked well. They want starting now 

 and pruning about as the hybrid per- 

 petuals, leaving three or four good eyes 

 to a stem. 



Hydrangeas. 



Some skillful growers cultivate hydran- 



