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JANUARY 3, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



481 



that the roots of young trees and shrubs 

 should not be exposed to frost, so in- 

 struct the parties you buy from to well 

 protect the roots. As soon as received 

 lay them in a frame in five or six inches 

 of soil and cover the roots carefully and 

 four or five inches up the stem. Leave 

 them there till the first week in March. 

 If the frame is covered with sash, give 

 ventilation on all bright, warm days, or 

 the eyes may get a premature start. 

 Early in March pot them and start in a 

 cool house. The hybrid perpetuala will 

 want to be cut down to within six inches 

 of the pot, but you need not do this till 

 you see the eyes swell, when you can tell 

 better just how high or low to prune 

 them. The Eamblers will not want any 

 pruning except to shorten back the ends 

 of the unripened tops of the canes. Pot 

 firmly and the first two weeks under glass 

 syringe frequently. W. S. 



HOLLYHOC3CS. 



History of the Flower. 



Some little time ago I had the pleas- 

 ure of inspecting the cultivation of hol- 

 lyhocks in their latest and most im- 

 proved form at the nurseries of Messrs. 

 Webb & Brand, Saffron Walden, Eng- 

 land; although I had seen double holly- 

 hocks grown for some years, the named 

 sorts in these nurseries were a great sur- 

 prise and source of gratification to me. 



As is well known, , these nurseries are 

 famed, and enjoy a higher reputation 

 for hollyhocks than any other horticul- 

 tural concern. Hollyhocks became asso- 

 ciated with Saffron Walden nearly a 

 hundred years ago, through the efforts 

 of the local shoemaker, who cultivated 

 them, hybridized and raised new vari- 

 eties. It appears that two double forms, 

 and two only, had been known to culti- 

 vation for 300 years before this shoe- 

 maker commenced to cross these two, 

 and raise other double forms. After a 

 time the local seedsman, Wm. Chater, 

 became interested in this amateur's 

 work, and there we have the origin of 

 Chater 's improved double hollyhocks, 

 known to every horticulturist. Pub- 

 lishing his first catalogue of named va- 

 rieties in 1847, he yearly added improved 

 sorts until about 1873, when the holly- 

 hock fungus made its appearance. 



This disease for a time quite mastered 

 Mr. Chater and many of his best vari- 

 eties were lost. For many years no 

 plant could be obtained free from the 

 disease and hollyhocks were rarely seen; 

 but for some years now George Webb, 

 of Webb & Brand, has improved the few 

 remaining varieties of Chater, and also 

 discovered a mixture and a method of 

 cultivation by which the disease can be 

 combatted and prevented. 



Propagation. 



Before the disease made its appear- 

 ance, hollyhocks were propagated by 

 means of cuttings, grafting, budding, 

 ana by seed, the three former methods 

 requiring the old plants to be wintered 

 under glass, but these processes simply 

 propagated the disease and ruined the 

 plants, consequently seed became the 

 only successful method of increase. Mr. 

 Webb has by selection and cross-fertili- 

 zation obtained a class of named vari- 

 eties of every color, except blue, which 

 will come ninety per cent true to color 

 and form. By continual selection and 

 application of his own mixture for check- 

 ing the disease, the plants he sends out 

 and the plants obtained from his seed 

 are practically immune from any attack 



Basket Arranged by J. J. Foley, New York. 



of disease. Briefly, his methods are the 

 following : 



Culture. 



The seed is sown in the open ground, 

 in single drills, on well prepared soil, 

 made fine and rich. During the months 

 of May and June, if the weather is fa- 

 vorable, it will soon germinate and form 

 one single taproot. When this gets the 

 size of a cedar pencil the plants are 

 slightly raised and this taproot severed. 

 This process will cause the plant to form 

 a large quantity of surface fibers, when 

 it will at once grow and make large 

 base leaves. As soon as this growth 

 commences they should be shifted to 

 their flowering quarters. 



Hollyhocks want a deep, rich, heavily 

 manured soil. It must be well dug to 

 the depth of two feet. Cow manure is 

 the most suitable fertilizer. They enjoy 

 a soil of a fairly heavy nature, and one 

 that will hold moisture well. The final 

 transplanting is done not later than the 

 beginning of September. The hollyhock 

 is only hardy in winter when firmly es- 

 tablished. Then it can stand any 

 amount of frost. They want plenty of 

 room, quite three feet apart each way. 

 The plants are sometimes attacked by 

 grubs which work from the root into 

 the center of the stem, causing the plant 

 to rot off. A sharp lookout must be 

 kept for any plants which may be found 

 flagging from this cause, and a dressing 

 of lime or some other grub remedy be 

 applied. 



If at all a dry season the plants will 

 well repay a frequent heavy watering 

 or a heavy mulching. For exhibition 

 spikes the buds must be thinned out, and 

 the spike made even and shapely. Webb 



& Brand get massive, well-filled spikes 

 with sometimes four feet of blooms. 



If they are intended to bloom a sec- 

 ond year, the eyes on each crown will 

 need protection from snow and rain. 



Diseases and Remedies. 



Further than the above method of 

 growing from seed nothing is required. 



In addition to the disease mentioned, 

 there is another trouble in the form of a 

 disease that attacks the plants just as 

 they are coming into bloom. The plant 

 simply withers and dies in a few hours, 

 similar to the sleeping disease in toma- 

 toes, only acting quicker. Mr. Webb 

 says this is the result of overfeeding. 



A dressing of tobacco powder and car- 

 bolic acid mixed together, sprinkled on 

 the under surface of the leaves, is one 

 preventive for the fungus disease, and 

 will also destroy the red spider, from 

 which the plant is much troubled. The 

 following is the recipe which Mr. Webb 

 regularly uses : One bushel slaked lime, 

 one peck of soot, two pounds flour of 

 sulphur, two ounces sulphate of copper 

 finely powdered. Allow the lime to cool 

 before mixing well together. Apply dur- 

 ing cool, dull weather, using a French 

 bellows. 



Best Sorts. 



The following is a list of named sorts, 

 recommended as being the finest of their 

 color and the best double shape, free 

 from any trace of disease: Amaranth, 

 amaranth-pink; Alfred Chater, mottled 

 rose; Apple Blossom, white tinted pink; 

 Black Knight, black; Constance, salmon 

 rose; Crimson Queen, dark crimson; Fire 

 King, brilliant red; Joy, cerise; Ovid, 

 clear rose; Miss Lizzie King, yellow; 

 Peri, sulphur; Talisman, cream. J. B. 



