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1048 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Ski'tumbeb 13, 1006. 



liave about ouc-fifth of an acre planted 

 with peonies which flowered well for 

 Heveral years, but lias become the last 

 two years a most neglected spot. I 

 suppose other work was deemed more 

 important. In the midst of weeds they 

 flowered only a little a year ago, and 

 last spring, being infested with every 

 species of weed hardy in this latitude, 

 tiicrc were no flowers at all. So this 

 gross-feeding, robust plant can be van- 

 quished by the still more vigorous na- 

 tive wild plants. It is simply a case 

 of survival of the fittest, not the sur- 

 vival of that which most pleases man, 

 but survival of those that best suit 

 their environments, and so it is with 

 all our attractive, herbaceous, hardy 

 j)Iants. They must be kept clean and 

 cultivated, or don't attempt to grow 

 them. 



Peonies should have a deep, rich soil, 

 and if it is moist tnroughout the dry 

 summers, so much the better. They 

 should be planted four feet apart each 

 way, so that a horse cultivator can do 

 the work on all sides of each plant. 

 Then the hand weeding in the crown of 

 the plant becomes light labor. 



Roman Hyacinths. 



You have had your Roman hyacinths 

 several weeks now. Don't delay in get- 

 ting them into flats three inches deep, 

 and the flats covered with four inches 

 of light soil, tanbark or some such ma- 

 terial. Kememher that in addition to 

 the trood soaking before tlie flats are 



could tell a story about the loss of a 

 few thousand fine celery plants that were 

 frozen in the basement of a barn, but 

 the pages of the Review are too valu- 

 able to be reminiscent, and I shall mere- 

 ly say that I am positive we have seen 

 come up with life and growth in the 

 spring the tubers of the potato, the 

 corms of gladioli and the rhizomes of 

 Canna Indica that had undoubtedly been 

 frozen during winter, and had we at- 

 tempted to save them and brought them 

 into a warm greenhouse or shed they 

 quickly would have rotted, but Mother 

 Earth slowly and naturally thawed them 

 out. 



For two or three years we have had a 

 good demand for 6-inch or 7-inch pans of 

 Roman hyacinths for Christmas. They 

 are quite pretty and sweet; they adapt 

 themselves to some dainty trimming and 

 find a ready sale at popular prices. The 

 6-inch half pot is better than either pot 

 or pan. Plant them now or very soon. 

 As you Avill be bringing them in about 

 November 1, a covering of three inches 

 will be sufficient. This may seem early 

 with a bulb that flowers so early and 

 easily. They have much better, stouter 

 and stiffer flower stalks when forced 

 slowly. Don 't plant what are now sold 

 commercially as Dutch Roman hyacinths. 

 They will not force for Christmas, and 

 are not Romans at all. They are merely 

 small but mature bulbs of the true 

 Dutch hyacinth, and will not force any 

 earlier than the large named varieties of 

 the Dutch hyacinth. Don't be penurious 



Establishment of J. W. Ross, Centralia, lU. 



covered, they should be examined occa- • 

 sionally, and if found dry should receive 

 a thorough soaking, enough to go 

 through the covering into the soil of 

 the flats, for if dry at the roots little 

 development of root or top will be made. 

 Unlike the Paper "White narcissus, 

 which is killed by exposure, the Roman 

 hyacinth will endure a good, hard frost, 

 both the exposed growth and that be- 

 neath the covering of soil, tanbark or 

 ashes, but you must never handle the 

 plants when frozen. Wait for a thaw. 

 Like many of our hardy culinary veg- 

 etables and some of our thought-to-be 

 tender, flowering, tuberous-rooted plants, 

 if left to thaw out naturally in the 

 ground frost does not hurt them. I 



over the bulbs. Put them not farther 

 apart than two inches from center to 

 center. That will give you a handsome 

 pan, and will more than repay for the 

 few extra bulbs. 



Freesias. 



Another little bulb that makes a hand- 

 some show in winter and spring is the 

 freesia. A great quantity of these is 

 not wanted at any particular time, but 

 a succession should be kept up. I prefer 

 a ,5-inch or 6-inch pot to a pan for these 

 fragrant flowers. Plant thickly in the 

 pots one inch apart; no more. Then 

 you will have something that will catch 

 everybody's eye. Of course, you know 

 that freesias want no putting outside 



or covering of any kind. Sink the bulba 

 an inch below the surface of the soil, 

 and place the pots on a bench. When 

 growth appears above the soil, 55 to 60 

 degrees at night will suit them, and 

 plenty of daylight. 



I think this sweet, graceful flower is 

 stronger in favor than it was ten years 

 ago, and if not sold by the dozen it 

 is always useful in designs. Some 

 growers plant it along the edge of a 

 carnation bed, or among the plants. The 

 carhations may not suffer, but it is poor 

 treatment for the freesia. It is like 

 attempting to fatten a hog on skim milk, 

 coffee grounds and tea leaves, which I 

 saw a relative of mine once try. The 

 animal grew to weigh 415 pounds, but 

 the pork, which I sampled, had a very 

 Mongolian flavor. 



The freesia is worth a bench, such a 

 bench as you would use for carnations 

 or mignonette. Four inches of soil is 

 enough. Plant one inch apart in the 

 rows, and the rows four inches apart, 

 a few hundred at once, and the same 

 every month. The bulbs are not hurt 

 by being kept dry for months, and those 

 sold by our leading seedsmen nowadays 

 are not only great in quality but very 

 inexpensive. 



I once wrote that it was cheaper to 

 buy new bulbs of freesia than to bother 

 with those you had flowered. This we 

 have found to be a mistake. If you 

 leave the bulbs in the bed until the 

 foliage is ripe, and then lift them, they 

 will give you better flowers than the 

 largest bulbs you can buy. Doubtful 

 whether I was much in error, still I 

 ' thank the gentlemen who promptly called 

 me down, and should appreciate more 

 calling down. I don 't get enough of it 

 to suit. More would make me a wiser 

 and better man. William Scott. 



THE ROSS PLACE. 



The accompanying illustrations are 

 from photographs taken a few days ago 

 at the establishment of J. W. Ross, Cen- 

 tralia, 111., a good, live town in the 

 center of a prosperous section where 

 greenhouse establishments are unusually 

 few and far between, Mr, Ross has 

 22,000 feet of glass, all built within two 

 years, and finds himself still unable to 

 meet the demand. 



The houses are Dietsch pattern, con- 

 nected, without partition walls except 

 between rose and carnation houses, seven- 

 eighths of the place being devoted to 

 these staples. The plants are in solid 

 beds. Steam heat is used. 



The view in the carnation house shows 

 Enchantress and Prosperity, In the rose 

 house Richmond, Bride and Bridesmaid 

 were planted about June 15, 



TULIPS FOR FORCING. 



Please tell me whether Ophir d'Or 

 and Prince de Ligne are good tulips 

 for forcing? Which variety do you ad- 

 vise me to take for early and which for 

 Kastcr forcing? L. V. L. 



We have never forced either of the 

 varieties mentioned, which are both early 

 single yellow. I do not advise you to 

 try these varieties. Why not stick to 

 the well-known varieties, which after 

 years of experience hav* been found to 

 be most satisfactory? Here is a brief 

 list of forcing tulips which cannot be 

 beaten, and which the Hollanders grow 

 in large quantities for the American 

 trade: Yellow Prince, yellow; Chryso- 



