Februart 8, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



773 



much less recover from the stunt in 

 growth. That is the one thing in favor 

 of planting the cuttings in flats or on a 

 bench in two and a half inches of soil. 

 They will not become stunted, though, 

 as a general proposition, pot culture is 

 much to be preferred. So, pot them into 

 small pots and in light soil so they will 

 become established quickly and ready to 

 shift into larger pots, when you can use 

 a heavier soil to make a strong, robust 

 plant, with close joints and leathery 

 foliage. 



Use Fresh SoiL 



Use fresh soil that has been exposed 

 to the weather and, to lighten it, add a 

 little sand and old rotten manure from 

 the hotbed if you have it. Screen it 

 through a %-inch mesh screen and see 

 that it is about right in moisture. It 

 should be so th^|; it will press together 

 well when potting, but it should not be 

 too wet to crumble readily. This is im- 

 portant. If it is too dry it will draw 

 the moisture from the plants and cause 

 wilting and you will find it diflBcult to 

 water so it will penetrate to the bottom 

 of the pot. If it is too wet it will pack 

 and bake when it gets dry and no plant 

 will thrive in it. 



When taking the cuttings from the 

 sand give them a slight shake to shake 

 the sand from the roots. Don't take out 

 more than you can pot in an hour or 

 two, as it does them no good to stand 

 around with the roots exposed. Keep 

 the box containing thqm covered. When 

 potting, do not pot too deep, as deep 

 potting tends to rotting at the stem. 

 If the root crown is a half inch below 

 the surface of the soil it is deep enough 

 to hold the plant upright and that is 

 all you want. The roots naturally grow 

 downward. Press the soil firmly and do 

 not fill the pots too full, but be sure 

 there is a little loose soil on top to pre- 

 vent baking. Water them as soon after 

 potting as practical and be sure the 

 water penetrates to the bottom of the 

 pot. If the soil is in the proper state, 

 filling the pots once should be enough. 

 An hour or two after watering turn one 

 of them out of the pot and see whether 

 it went to the bottom. If it did not, 

 then water again immediately. After 

 that water only when needed to keep the 

 soil fairly moist, not wet. The plants 

 will be healthier and stronger if watered 

 moderately, especially during cloudy 

 weather. Set on a light bench where 

 they will get the full sunlight all day 

 if possible. Many growers err along this 

 line by using the worst bench on the 

 whole place for their young stock. Nat- 

 urally, the plants on that bench are 

 poorer than the rest and these are pulled 

 up to make room. 



Are Next Season's Gx>p. 



If you will but bear in mind that 

 these young plants are your next season 's 

 stock and that everything you do for 

 them from the beginning will have its 

 effect next winter, you will see the wis- 

 dom in giving them every advantage pos- 

 sible. True, they will have all spring 

 and summer .to recover and grow, but 

 don't you think a young plant in the 

 pink of condition will make a better 

 plant than one that has been neglected 

 and stunted or drawn up? Look after 

 them and top them after they are 

 planted in the field, so that you may 

 have good plants by housing time. Close 

 attention and good care before planting 

 them out will save you much work and 

 worry while they are in the field. A 

 sturdy, healthy plant will break more 



Gtraation White Enchantress. 



readily when topped and will stand up- 

 right better than a weakly one. So give 

 them the best bench on the place if you 

 can. 



After potting, shade them from the 

 sun for a few days. We lay newspapers 

 over them. This keeps the sun off and 

 at the same time checks evaporation by 

 keeping drafts away. After the third 

 day, put them on a little later and take 

 off a little earlier each day, until by the 

 end of a week they can take the full sun 

 all day. There will be dry spots here 

 and there and along the edge to be 

 touched up with the sprinkling can. Do 

 this in the morning before placing on 

 the papers and keep the foliage dry at 

 night, the same as you do on the bloom- 

 ing plants. The temperature should be 

 the same, or a few degrees less than you 

 keep your blooming plants in ; 48 degrees 

 to 50 degrees is about ideal for the 

 young plants. 



Not Too Late for Good Plants. 



If you have not put in your cuttings 

 yet, don't fear that you are too late to 

 get good plants. Cuttings put in sand 

 now, or within the next few weeks,>-will 

 make as good plants by August 1 as any 

 one could wish for if given propei'-^are 

 right through. In fact these cuttings 

 are less liable to meet with any check 

 before being planted out than the earlier 

 struck cuttings, and in many cases will 

 outstrip them by fall. Propagation from 

 now on will require a little more skill 

 than during the last two months on ac- 

 count of the stronger sunlight and more 

 ventilation required to keep the houses 

 at the proper temperature. If you put 

 in a second batch on the same bench 

 and if the previous batch rooted per- 

 fectly and you were careful to remove 

 all dead foliage, roots, etc., you can 

 use the lower half of the sand again by 

 replacing the upper half with fresh sand. 

 But if there was any clamping off or 



trouble of any kind you would better 

 renew it all and whitewash the bench 

 besides. 



The cuttings now will be strong and 

 will take less time to root than during 

 the last two months. In fact, they will 

 be better in every way except for this 

 slight lateness. I will have more to say 

 about caring for late struck cuttings 

 shortly. A. F. J. Baur. 



ADHERING OF SHCX>TS. 



Please tell me the cause of the tips of 

 carnation shoots adhering instead of 

 opening naturally; also give a remedy. 

 The worst cases were in a group in a bed 

 of Boston Market, but some were in a 

 bed of Lawson. Tips thus affected im- 

 mediately form a weak flower bud. Also 

 give directions for fumigating with 

 hydrocyanic acid gas for red spider. 



J. W. C. 



This adhering of the leaves on the 

 young shoots is not so common at this 

 time of the year as it is in the fall. A 

 few weeks after housing, when new 

 growth commences, and especially if the 

 soil is very rich, some varieties will show 

 this kind of growth a good deal. For 

 that reason I think it is caused by a 

 quick, perhaps unnatural, growth after a 

 severe check to the plant. Mrs. Joost is 

 espeqially prone to this trouble. At this 

 time of the year this. condition might be 

 caused by the plants being kept on the 

 dry aide too much and then mulched and 

 watered heavily; also, if the soil hap- 

 i pened to become dry at the bottom of- 

 j the bench and left in that state for some 

 I time, and then watered heavily, perhaps 

 with manure water; in fact, I might say 

 too liberal treatment when the plants 

 are not in condition to appreciate it. The 

 remedy would be a return to rational 

 treatment, eliminating all stimulants for 

 a time. A light dusting of lime over the 



