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November 8, li)06. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



\6U 



Table Decorations at the Boston Exhibition Last Week. 



the roots that have been retarded by cold 

 storage. There is no need of. untying 

 the original bunches of twenty-five, but 

 place them in boxes with a thin layer of 

 soil between the bunches of roots and 

 some moss or soil over the pips. Freez- 

 ing hard will do no harm, but rains will, 

 and therefore they should be covered 

 with sashes or shutters. I recommend 

 placing these roots in boxes of 500 be- 

 cause that quantity or double that quan- 

 tity could be easily brought in when 

 wanted, but if put into soil in a cold- 

 frame the whole mass may be frozen 

 tight and difficult to separate, vexatious, 

 if not the cause of loss of stock. 

 . — . ..— William Scott. 



CONCRETE GREENHOUSES. 



There is a new style of greenhouse 

 which is attracting considerable attention 

 among the Guernsey growers, according 

 to the Horticultural Advertiser. The 



house is, with exception of the doors and 

 ventilating lights, built entirely of con- 

 crete, even the rafters being of the same 

 material. These last are, it appears, made 

 in wooden molds with a thin steel wire 

 in the center to strengthen them; and it 

 is claimed that they, in common with 

 the rest of the structure, are practically 

 indestructible. These houses are said to 

 need no paint, a coat of lime or white- 

 wash periodically being all that is needed 

 to make them look as good as new. The 

 cost is said to be about $6 per foot run for 

 a house thirty feet wide. We have not 

 yet had the pleasure of a personal in- 

 spection, but if all the claims made are 

 substantiated, the invention should, we 

 think, have a considerable influence upon 

 the future prospects of culture under 

 glass. We only hope it will not be the 

 means of altering the present legal status 

 of glass houses from ' ' trade fixtures ' ' to 

 "buildings." The inventors are the 

 Ramee Vineries Co., Ltd., Guernsey. 



SOIL FOR CARNATIONS. 



My soU is a clay loam, good for roses, 

 but I think too heavy for carnations. 

 In composting it for roses and carna- 

 tions should I use cow manure or horse 

 manure? Should I use q^d to lighten 



it! 



J. P. K. 



If your soil is decidedly clayey, it will 

 likely need to be lightened; but, as a 

 rule, good rose soil will make good car- 

 nation soil. I would advise you to use 

 horse manure by all means, if you want 

 to lighten it. If you have some good, 

 sharp sand it will do no harm to add 

 about one part sand to eight parts of 

 soil. The compost pile should be turned 

 several times, and each time thoroughly 

 mixed to distribute the sand well 

 through the soil, else it will do little 



good. If you can get soil that is about 

 of the right texture, then I would advise 

 you to get it, as a natural soil is nearly 

 always better than a made soil, unless 

 you take a considerable time for the 

 preparation. When adding the horse 

 manure you will of course add much 

 more bulk than you would of cow ma- 

 nure. Of cow manure we use about one 

 part to five parts of soil, while of horse 

 manure you can use double 'as much 

 without harm. A. F. J. B. 



CARNATIONS IN ENGLAND. 



At the Horticultural hall, Vincent 

 square, London, on October 23, the Royal 

 Horticultural Society held its usual fort- 

 nightly meeting. There was an excep- 

 tionally large attendance of exhibitors, 

 also visitors. Carnations stood out nobly 

 from many stands in the large hall. 

 Blooms of a good quality, considering 



the time of year, were the general rule. 



Hugh Low & Co. had no fewer than 

 fifteen varieties in their exhibit. En- 

 chantress, Robert Craig and White Per- 

 fection being conspicuous. This firm 

 received awards of merit for the two 

 latter varieties, the blooms measuring 

 three and one-half inches and over in 

 diameter. White Perfection caught the 

 eye of many of the smaller growers. 

 One of the largest cut flower salesmen 

 in Covent Garden market told me that 

 it was the white we were looking for, 

 and when I mentioned White Enchant- 

 ress he said he would sooner handle the 

 White Perfection class of flower. 



Victory, as yet, has not made a pub- 

 lic appearance; at least, British grown 

 blooms have not. This variety crossed 

 the Atlantic badly. Several growers com- 

 plain of their stock being infested with 

 rust. This must have been created in 

 transit, as there was no outward ap- 

 pearance of it upon first landing; but 

 when we do get it into shape again, it 

 and Robert Craig will renew their battle. 



Montague C. Allwood. 



PROPAGATING. 



Will you inform me what time of the 

 year is the most favorable for carna- 

 tion cuttings? What soil mixture and 

 temperature do they require/ 



W. C. H. 



It is a little early to begin propagat- 

 ing carnation cuttings in general. While 

 it is quite possible to root them readily 

 any time from now on, it is not advis- 

 able, because in the first place it is not 

 necessary in order to get fine plants, 

 and in the next place, they would be- 

 come a burden and a nuisance before 

 spring if you tried to keep them grow- 

 ing as they should until planting-out 

 time. Carnation propagating usuaUy 

 commences with us about December 1 

 and continues up to well into April. 

 Cuttings taken any time between Decem- 

 ber 1 and April 1 will make splendid 

 stock, though the last batches may lack 

 somewhat in size when housed in the fall. 

 January and February cuttings are per- 

 haps the most satisfactory. 



Of course" you understand that they 



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