576 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



JuLT 26, 1906. 



growing all summer. When they have 

 taken a rest of about a month in the 

 fall, lift and pot into 5-inch or 6-inch, 

 keep in a cool house until February, 

 then give them a house to themselves, 

 and send them along. By the time 

 other roses are going off, they should bo 

 throwing good size canes. Watch for 

 pale foliage, and in case any should ap- 

 pear, hold up on the feeding before it 

 is too late. As long as they are healthy, 

 water them liberally, and you will be 



rewarded with good blooms. Kaiserin 

 loves heat and lots of water at the 

 same time. You cannot expect the 

 flowers to last as they do in the winter, 

 but the size and foliage should be as 

 good. 



Of course these methods are too costly 

 for the wholesaler, but for the retailer 

 who has high class local trade there is 

 really no other way known under our 

 conditions. But we are living and — 1 

 hope — learning. D. 



B-<>>f ^ 



r 



>-.^^"(S). 



SUMMER PESTS. 



During the bright summer weather 

 greenfly, while not so- troublesome as 

 during the winter months, should be care- 

 fully looked after and kept in check. 

 A systematic fumigation once a week 

 during these months will reduce the num- 

 bers of the pests to such an extent that 

 they will be easier to manage during the 

 fall and winter. 



Our ever present enemy, red spider, 

 should also share our attention, and all 

 nooks and comers where the syringe can- 

 not have full play should be thoroughly 

 inspected, as it is there that they con- 

 gregate, multiply, and, if not combated, 

 will soon overrun a house. 



During the season when firing cannot 

 be resorted to, mildew is still our most 

 troublesome and insidious enemy, and 

 it is only by close attention to providing 

 a supply of pure, fresh air, avoiding 

 draughts and a judicious use of the sul- 

 phur blower, that we can escape having 

 trouble with this disease. 



In order that the plants may derive 

 the full benefit from the supply of fresh 

 air, and to facilitate syringing, training 

 and supporting the bushes should never 

 be neglected. 



Repairing Houses. 



During the warm weather, and while 

 we are likely to have it comparatively 

 dry, is the proper time for repairing 

 roofs, painting, etc. A systematic and 

 thorough going over now will save a 

 deal of trouble and worry when the cold 

 fall rains and frosts begin. If the work 

 is left till September or later it cannot 

 be done in such an eflScient manner, as 

 the wood will then have absorbed too 

 much moisture to allow the putty or 

 mastica to take hold. Old English putty 

 with an addition of one-fifth of white 

 lead and linseed oil, the mixture made 

 thin enough to run easily from the putty 

 bulb, makes an excellent and lasting job. 



Particular care should be taken to see 

 that the roofs are tight at the junction 

 of roof and gutter, as this is where the 



cold air is most liable to pour in and 

 create the conditions most favorable to 

 the germination of mildew spores. 



This class of work is tedious and if 

 the weather is hot, very tiresome and 

 trying, requiring patience and care, and 

 should be entrusted to none but careful 

 and painstaking help. It also involves 

 labor and expense, but if the work is 

 done carefully the roof will be tight and 

 dry for at least one season. The better 

 quality of cut and the satisfaction ob- 

 tained will amply compensate for the in- 

 creased outlay, as there are few condi- 

 tions which prove so unsatisfactory to a 

 rose grower as a leaky and draughty 

 house. RiBES. 



GRUBS IN ROSE SOIL. 



We are bothered with a little white 

 grub that we find clustered around the 

 roots of newly planted roses and chry- 

 santhemums, and although they have not 

 done much damage as yet, we are afraid 

 of the after results and the harm they 

 may do when they get larger. What is 

 the best and quickest way to get rid of 

 them without harming the plants? 



G. C. 



Without seeing the little white grubs, 

 it is impossible to give definite directions 

 for destroying them. 



Most soils and manures are alive with 

 numerous varieties of larvae, most of 

 them harmless to plant life, many of 

 them making a respectable living by de- 

 vouring their neighbors, thus illustrat- 

 ing Dean Swift's oft quoted couplet: 



The little fleas that do us tease 

 Have other fleas that bite 'em; 



And these In turn have other fleas. 

 And so it goes ad infinitum. 



Should these small grubs prove de- 

 structive to the rose roots or stems 

 under the surface, they can be eradicated 

 by using bisulphide of carbon. This is a 

 colorless, volatile liquid used for destroy- 

 ing ants, phylloxera on the roots of 

 grape vines and other pests that work 

 underground and can only be reached by 

 vapor. On exposure to air the liquid 

 evaporates and as the vapor is heavier 

 than air it settles rather than rises. It 

 is highly inflammable and great care 

 should be taken to keep it from fire in 

 any form. Special caution should be 



given against smoking while the vapor 

 is in the house. The liquid has a dis 

 agreeable odor which soon disappears 

 when the ventilators are opened. It is 

 harmless to plant life. 



Muriate of potash applied as a fer 

 tilizer has a decided insecticidal valut 

 against underground insects. The soii 

 should be well watered immediately after 

 applying the fertilizer. Eibes. 



THE ROSE. 



[A paper by M. Staucb, foreman for J. F. 

 Wiltox, Council Bluffs, la., read before the Ne- 

 braska State Horticultural Society at Omaha. 

 July 12, 1906.] 



Throughout the vegetable kingdom 

 there is no genus which commands and 

 receives so much attention from horti 

 culturists as that now under considera 

 tion. The rose has been immortalized 

 from most ancient times by authors an<l 

 poets of all countries. It is the emblem 

 of youth, of love and beauty, and justly 

 designated the queen of flowers. 



It is needless to attempt referring to 

 all the purposes for which roses are 

 well adapted; they are generally fa- 

 miliar in our gardens and as cut flowers 

 have no equal. There is more glass de- 

 voted to roses than to any other plant, 

 and I believe there is no plant whicli 

 brings better returns to the successful 

 grower than does the rose. 



Propagation. 



The propagation of roses may be ac- 

 complished in many ways; by seeds, cut- 

 tings, layers, suckers, sprouts, divisions, 

 budding and grafting, the methods most- 

 ly practiced being by grafting and by 

 cuttings. 



Cuttings can be made during almost 

 the entire year, yet the best time to 

 propagate varieties which are grown for 

 cut flowers is from November until the 

 middle of April. Cuttings should only 

 be taken from the most healthy plants 

 and the wood should be well ripened. 

 There is quite a diversity of opinion 

 among growers as to blooming qualiticvS 

 of the so-called blind wood and blooming 

 wood. 



It is undoubtedly the best to use tlu' 

 blooming wood, as it is the strongest 

 and best matured, yet blind wood ol 

 equal quality is, in my opinion, just as 

 good. Owing to the scarcity of that 

 kind of wood, "Coupled with the large 

 demand, it is easy to lose sight of this 

 very important factor and to use infc 

 rior wood. The result is weak and poor- 

 blooming pl.nnts. The cuttings should 

 have two to three eyes. The best plant.^ 

 will come from so-called heel cuttings. 



After the cuttings are put firmly in 

 the sand they must be thoroughly wa 

 tered. The sand must always be kep* 

 well watered, but as much as possibh 

 avoid spraying overhead. I find it best 

 to keep the temperature of the sand a 

 68 degrees, and that of the house 5t' 

 degrees. The temperature should no' 

 vary more than 2 degrees either way. 



In four or five weeks the cuttings wil 

 have made roots from one-half to three 

 fourths of an inch long and should thei 

 be potted firmly in small pots, watere<. 

 well and placed on the bench close to thi 

 glass. During the first few days it i; 

 necessary to shade them through the hot 

 test part of the day, but as soon as roo 

 action is noticed, shading should be dis 

 pensed with. 



Grafting. 



From year to year the advantages oi 

 grafted over own-root roses are mor* 

 widely recognized and understood, si' 



