FKBBOABY 28, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



J085 



will require to be frequently enriched, 

 either by mulching or by liquid feeding. 

 Under such conditions roses grafted on 

 Manetti stocks will be preferable to own 

 root stock, the fine roots of the Manetti 

 being better fitted to use this class of 

 food than the apparently stronger, more 



16x24 inches, glazed the 16-inch way, 

 seems to me to fill the bill- 

 Air or sun-dried cypress is the best 

 material for sashbars, and a most im- 

 portant feature is to have the inside drip 

 gutter large enough to carry off the 

 water. Should a single post happen to 



Pottins: 60,000 Manetti Stocks at Peter Reinbergft, Chicago. 



robust members of own root stock. Al- 

 though stock may do exceedingly well 

 outdoors in certain soils, it is quite a 

 different question when it is compelled 

 to find sustenance from the same soil on 

 benches under glass. Bibes. 



SOUTHERN ROSES UNDER GLASS. 



{A paper by R. Lockerbie, New Orleans, read 

 before the Society of Southern Florists, at the 

 New Orleans Convention, February 14 to 16, 

 1907.] 



The growing of roses under glass in 

 the south has only within the last de- 

 cade begun to claim earnest attention. 

 Previous to that time, the few spasmodic 

 efforts in different sections resulted in 

 only indifferent success. Now that the 

 requirements of the rose are better un- 

 derstood, the amount of glass devoted to 

 its culture is enormously increased, and 

 the results, in most cases, are more than 

 satisfactory. While we here aim at the 

 same goal as our northern brethren, we 

 shoot from an entirely different angle. 

 The theory of rose growing is the same, 

 both north and south, but the diflSculties 

 are much opposed. 



Style of House. 



The style of house for the south is 

 one of the first considerations. I prefer 

 an even-span north and south house, to 

 any other. Such a house has the great 

 advantage over an east and west house 

 of being much cooler, while giving prac- 

 tically the same amount of light. 



Each house should be detached and 

 have ventilators in the walls on each side, 

 as well as on both sides of the ridge. 

 The ventilators at the ridge should also 

 be considerably deeper than those in use 

 in the north, and I find those that are 

 hinged at the top preferable to those 

 hinged at the bottom, especially during 

 the heavy rains we experience in the sum- 

 mer months. 



The tendency now leans towards using 

 larger glass, but here, where we are 

 blessed with plenty of sunshine, glass 



sink even a quarter of an inch an annoy- 

 ing overflow is the result. 



Beds or Benches. 



Eaised solid beds or benches can both 

 be used, but neither should be over four 

 feet wide. Eaised solid beds should have 

 at least one foot of rough drainage in 

 the bottom, covered with sod laid grass 

 side down. Four to six inches more will 



are used, at least two inches should be 

 allowed between them. Before filling, 

 these spaces can be covered with a thin 

 sod, grass side down, which will make the 

 drainage system ideal. The surface of 

 all woodwork should have an application 

 of hot lime wash, to get rid of all insect 

 life and also for a preservative for the 

 wood. Crude oil is also good in this con- 

 nection. Provide walks of twenty-two 

 to twenty-four inches around each bed, 

 and sufficient hydrants in every walk to 

 enable the grower to sprinkle clear to the 

 ends of the beds. 



Whether steam or hot water is used for 

 heating, the pipes should be so arranged 

 and valved as to provide for just the 

 necessary amount of heat for each sep- 

 arate occasion. 



Soil and Its Preparation. 



Now comes the vital question of soil 

 and its preparation. This is the key- 

 stone to the whole position. In general 

 it may be said that soil that will grow 

 good farm crops, such as corn, wheat or 

 oats, will be found suitable for roses. 

 The soil, so far as I have seen it in the 

 south, seems well adapted for raising 

 good roses. TTie chief defect, in my 

 estimation, is the lack of suitable fiber 

 in it. While plenty of soil can be had 

 with fiber, it is so chock full of undesir- 

 able grasses, of which the omnipresent 

 Bermuda is the worst, that it is better 

 to take a soil from which some crop has 

 been raised during the summer and pre- 

 pare it as follows: 



In the late fall plough it up, pulverize 

 it fine with a drag harrow and sow rather 

 thickly with English rye grass, orchard 

 grass or some other equally quick grow- 

 ing grass. By early spring this will have 

 made a thick sod with plenty of fibrous 

 roots, when it should again be ploughed 

 up. Now apply about two inches of cow 

 manure to the surface and work it well 



Making Rose Cuttings at Peter Reinberg's, Chicago. 



leave plenty of room for soil aind sub- 

 sequent mulching. When benches are 

 used, 6-inch pecky cypress boards, one 

 or one and one-half inches thick, are the 

 best material. These should be laid so 

 as to leave a space of one inch between 

 each board to provide thoroughly for 

 drainage. Where 8-inch or 9-inch boards 



in with a disk-harrow. An occasional 

 harrowing will keep it in good shape un- 

 til needed, or it may be piled up and 

 turned over a few times. This working 

 will put it in fine condition for planting. 

 When turning the soil and filling the 

 benches a sharp lookout must be kept 

 for grubvvorms, the larvae of the May 



