250 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



December 13, 1900. 



SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS. 



Necessity for Conservatism. 



During the next two months the great- 

 est care will have to be taken to main- 

 tain vigor and health in all the varie- 

 ties, as the steady firing, accompanied 

 by short, dark days, has a debilitating 

 effect on the plants. Crops are so short 

 and prices so tempting that many will 

 be induced to resort to forcing tactics 

 to forward the cuts. 



As a rule plants are in no condition 

 at this season to bear any extra strain 

 and the growers who resort to forcing 

 are running a big risk of losing or ma- 

 terially injuring the succeeding crops. 

 Experts have their own favorite means 

 for hastening a crop, but with all their 

 knowledge, care and skill there is still 

 an element of danger which it is better 

 to avoid if possible. 



These conservative growers who exer- 

 cise patience and study deliberative 

 gro^NTing and who make the health of 

 their plants their first consideration are 

 more likely to have the most satisfac- 

 tion at the end of the season. 



Owing to the lack of sunshine, the 

 wood and foliage are of a much softer 

 character than usual and if the temper- 

 ature is increased the trouble will be 

 augmented and the wood for succeeding 

 crops will be of infefior character, de- 

 ficient in stamina, and will be disap- 

 pointing for propagating purposes. 



Ventilation at this time should re- 

 ceive the greatest attention, night and 

 day, missing no opportunity to give all 

 that the weather will permit. 



Fuel being so expensive, it seems like 

 foolishness to advise free ventilation 

 wliile firing has to be kept going, but 

 this is absolutely necessary to the 

 health of the stock and those who will 

 not and those who can not are sure to 

 feel the consequences sooner or later. 



It must also be borne in mind that 

 the vitality of the plants is now at its 

 lowest and that they cannot use so large 

 a supply of food, and as evaporation is 

 also low at this season the supply of wa- 

 ter will also have to be carefully regu- 

 lated according to the limited wants of 

 the stock. Liquid feeding once a week 

 during bright weather will strengthen 

 the wood and help to develop the cut. 



Careful watching to ascertain the 

 wants of the plants and to supply these 

 at the proper season is one of the prin- 

 cipal duties of the grower and the abil- 

 ity which he displays in fathoming this 

 problem will be reflected in the quan- 



tity and quality of the cut as the season 

 advances. Ribes. 



ROSE PROPAGATION. 



An uncommon method of propagating 

 roses that are diflScult to raise from cut- 

 tings is noted in the Oester-reichische 

 Garten Zeitung for this month. In the 

 garden of Carboni Giovanni, at Allva, in 

 Piedmont, an interesting mode of prop- 

 agating roses with the utmost certainty 

 of them rooting consists of placing 

 a funnel of tin on the shoot to be propa- 

 gated, after ringing the rind in the 

 month of July, and then filling the fun- 

 nel with soil and moss. The ringing com- 

 pels the forming of a callus; and the 

 shoot is severed in the month of Septem- 

 ber and planted as an ordinary cutting. 

 Our rosarians might find in this Italian 

 method a ready means of overcoming a 

 common occurrence in the propagation 

 o£^ other plants than roses. — Horticultural 

 Trade Journal. 



AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY. 



The president of the "Washington Flo- 

 rists' Club, Peter Bisset, notifies us that 

 Mrs. S. C. Briggs offers a cash prize of 



$10 for six or more blooms of any new 

 rose never before exhibited. This prize 

 is given especially to encourage private 

 gardeners, who would be likely to show 

 six blooms, but would not be able, owing 

 to limited space, to show a greater num- 

 ber. 



The H. F. Michell Co., of Philadel- 

 phia, offers a cup valued at $25 for a 

 vase of Richmond rose to be exhibited 

 next March, and Miss M. L. Hammond, 

 of Fishkill-on-Hudson, N. Y., offers a $5 

 gold-piece for the prettiest exhibition in 

 the hall, to be decided by some three 

 Washington ladies visiting the exhibi- 

 tion. Benjamin Hammond, Sec'y. 



LILIUM PHILIPPINENSIS. 



This new white trumpet lily seems des- 

 tined to become of very great value to 

 both private and commercial growers. 

 The short time necessary to flower it 

 after potting surprises all who are grow- 

 ing it for the first time. We found last 

 year that it was all the introducers 

 claimed for it and from a batch of small 

 bulbs potted September 8 we cut flowers 

 December 3 this year. These bulbs were 

 grown in a coldframe for nearly half 

 that period or would have flowered ear- 

 lier. 



The long, pure white, sweet scented 

 flowers arrange beautifully in vases. The 

 stems are sufficiently strong, without be- 

 ing too rigid, as is the case with other 

 forcing liliums, and the foliage is so 

 much more graceful than that of other 

 lilies that any flower lover would not 

 hesitate a moment which variety to se- 

 lect when both were purchasable. For 

 floral designs this lily is superior to any 

 other white variety and we fully expect 

 it will in a few years be as much a 

 market necessity as Harrisii and longi- 

 florum now are. Six or seven bulbs may 

 be grown in a 6-inch pot or pan and a 

 dozen or more in an 8-inch pan for a 

 good effect. W. N. C. 



CARNATION NOTES.- WEST. . 



The Art of Propagating. 



What I have said in the last three 

 numbers is what might be termed the 

 mechanical part of propagating. Any 

 man with ordinary judgment will read- 

 ily understand how to proceed as far as 

 getting the cuttings into the sand in 

 first-class shape. 



But now we come to the real art in 

 propagating and I will say that it is 

 impossible for any one to give you this 

 information as coiipletely as you will 

 gain it from experience. There are so 

 many little points and turns and tricks 

 that one can not cover the subject com- 

 pletely offhand. Every morning brings 

 its new phases and only after looking 

 over the situation can the propagator 

 decide on the course to be pursued that 

 day. Each batch of cuttings will have 

 to be handled somewhat differently, too, 

 according to the time of the year and 

 the kind of weather that prevails, etc. 



The condition to be sought for can be 



described in a few words, but those few 

 words will contain volumes if elaborated 

 on so as to cover every detail. It is just 

 this: keep your cuttings in a fresh con- 

 dition, but wet the foliage as little as 

 possible, and give all the light they will 

 bear. Be sure the foliage is dry at night. 

 If you can keep the cuttings in this con- 

 dition for three to four weeks you will 

 be sure of success. You will soon dis- 

 cover that it requires fine judgment to 

 keep within the proper bounds in every 

 direction and to not overstep in one way 

 while trying to go the limit in another 

 direction which may seem necessary. 



Most Frequent Cause of Trouble. 



Perhaps the most frequent cause of 

 trouble, especially with beginners, is in 

 allowing the cuttings to become wilted 

 and it is the quickest way to ruin a 

 batch of cuttings. A carnation cutting 

 that is badly wilted might as well be 

 thrown out at once. It will seldom 

 freshen up and amount to anything and 

 in trying to freshen it up you are apt to 

 bring on other complications that will 

 render it unfit even if it does finally 



