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H56 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



March 28, 1907. 



agree that budded plants are giving much 

 better results as to vigor of growth and 

 quality of bloom, but we realize that the 

 average amateur grower may be better 

 served with plants on their own roots, 

 because there will be no danger of his 

 losing his flowering plant through the 

 unrecognized or unnoticed growth of wild 

 suckers. 



Now I think we ought to at least give 

 our friends, the customers, credit for or- 

 dinary intelligence, by telling them that 

 if they will compare the foliage of a wild 

 rose with that of a hybrid, they will 

 soon learn to distinguish between a 

 sucker and the real thing; and they will 

 understand that by diligently removing 

 the former they will have the best re- 

 sults with the latter. Ardent lovers of 

 flowers will be glad to learn that. For 

 those who are too busy or don't care, the 

 own root plants, I admit, may be bet- 

 ter, but I believe it is only fair to state 

 to the amateur the difi'erence between 

 the two and let him have his choice. 



If the roses are budded low, the stock 

 eyes removed before planting and the 

 roses planted good and deep, compara- 

 tively little sucker trouble will be en- 

 countered, and I for one shall want 



is not of sufficiently vigorous stock to 

 overcome this change of soil texture and 

 quality. Yet the buyer has planted them 

 as directed — in any ordinary soil. The 

 two-year-old plant will fare better and 

 give much more return and value in 

 every case. 



Before I leave the subject of one-year- 

 old plants I want to ask the question 

 whether it is not a fact that those plants 

 on their own roots are mostly winter 

 cuttings from more or less continually 

 forced stock, and some of them second 

 cuttings from rooted cuttings in the 

 bench? If so, can it be reasonably ex- 

 pected that plants so produced will at- 

 tain the vigor, productive quality and 

 sustaining strength and hardiness so es- 

 sential to outdoor culture? If not, is it 

 not more or less a fraud on the public, 

 justifj'ing the saying "Cheap cloth, tools 

 or help are too dear at any price"? I 

 claim that all own-root roses intended for 

 outdoor culture should come from solt 

 or hard-wood cuttings from outdoor 

 plants. I say, propagate from good 

 stock and otfer good stock if you want 

 to grow good roses and satisfy and re- 

 tain your customers. 



As already stated, I am not an expert 



many Avays of accomplishing the same 

 purpose, provided the purpose is clear- 

 ly defined and understood. To benefit 

 the lover and amateur grower of roses, 

 we must reach him outdoors. We must 

 stimulate and advocate outdoor culture, 

 and educate those we reach with our 

 pleas. To benefit the amateurs means to 

 benefit the growers. 



To encourage outdoor rose culture, I 

 would suggest that we work along the 

 following lines: 



Suggest and advocate through our 

 trade papers and through all other pos- 

 sible means the introduction of public 

 rose gardens in public parks; not only 

 in the large cities, but everywhere. Such 

 gardens could be inaugurated and helped 

 along through donations of plants by 

 local growers and dealers, and where the 

 experienced gardener is missing, help 

 along this line might be furnished 

 throughout the same sources. 



Let the florists' clubs and other kin- 

 dred societies of the country arrange for 

 free lectures, giving the public plain, 

 true and comprehensive instruction and 

 information on the subject, and have, if 

 possible, a rose show connected with the 

 lecture. 



Oae of the Ranges of the Pittsburg Rose and Carnation Co., Bakerstown, Pa. 



budded plants wherever 1 have something 

 to say in this matter of choice. 



One-year Roses. 



The planting of one-year roses, which, 

 if not especially advocated, is at least 

 widely advertised, is all right as far as 

 it goes, but it must, to a certain extent, 

 be misleading and disappointing to many 

 amateur rose growers. The offer of one 

 dozen rose plants for $1, guaranteed to 

 bloom the first year, from June to Octo- 

 ber, is certainly very attractive and 

 tempting; but if this $1 is the extent of 

 the available funds for such investment, 

 I would advise my customer to take four 

 or six two-year-old budded plants, plant 

 them wider apart, be satisfied with a 

 few flowers the first year and get the 

 benefit and more blooms forever after- 

 ward. 



The one-year-old plants, which have 

 been planted close, will, if they grow, 

 crowd each other in no time and conse- 

 quently should be transplanted the sec- 

 ond or third year at the latest, which in 

 most cases is not done. If they don't 

 grow it is because the soil to which they 

 have been transferred out of the pots 

 is not congenial, and the plant in itself 



rose grower and don't pretend to be, but 

 I believe that here as elsewhere the un- 

 derlying principle in securing good re- 

 sults is good structural foundation. 



It is so evident that propagation from 

 continuously forced plant stock and 

 through too soft wood means degenera- 

 tion and deterioration of quality and 

 strength, that I need not dwell on this 

 subject any longer. The best proof of 

 this statement is the rapid degeneration 

 of so many varieties used for forcing for 

 a period of ten or even less years, com- 

 pared with the same varieties grown out- 

 doors and propagated from outdoor 

 plants. 



There is one thing the buyer of bud- 

 ded plants is pretty sure of, and that is 

 he need not fear to get in his purchased 

 plants the weak, degenerated blood which 

 he is apt to get by buying own-root 

 plants, and so-called slips. 



Suggestions for Encouragement. 



To discuss such matters is the princi- 

 pal purpose of our gatherings. The 

 question has been put by our execu- 

 tive committee, "what can the A. K. S. 

 do to help the lovers of roses and the 

 members of the society?" There are 



Let each rose grower or nurseryman 

 establish a small rose garden in which 

 he practices good culture; let him ar- 

 range for a rose show of his own and in- 

 vite his customers near and far to his 

 grounds when the plants are at their 

 best. 



A PITTSBURG PLANT. 



The accompanying illustrations show 

 the two ranges of the Pittsburg Eose 

 & Carnation Co., Bakerstown, Pa. The 

 ranges stand on opposite sides of a ra- 

 vine, with the boiler plant below in the 

 ravine. 



The Pittsburg Rose & Carnation Co. 

 was organized in 1901 with a capital 

 stock of $100,000, by Fred Burki, who 

 associated with him F. Kocher, L. Eltch- 

 er, and several others. They purchased 

 the Crystal farm at Bakerstown, about 

 nineteen miles from Pittsburg on the 

 B. & O. railroad. The farm comprised 

 210 acres, on which were three dwellings 

 and two large barns. 



The first year they erected and planted 

 in roses two Lord & Burnham houses, 

 each 28x400 feet. They also built three 

 dwellings, boiler-houses and ice-house, 



