1740 



The Weekly Florists^ Revfew* 



Apbil 26, 1907. 



sition in the list you can tell about 

 where on the bench you will find them. 



If you had your field plowed late last 

 fall, as you should have done, you can 

 use a hillside plow to turn it over this 

 spring, as you need it, day after day, but 

 these plows are not adapted to bresJdng 

 up gn'ound that is packed to any extent. 

 With an ordinary plow you must plow a 

 considerable piece at a time, else you will 

 have your field full of trenches. If you 

 use an ordinary plow, have the field pul- 

 verized as fine as possible and finish up 

 by dragging it. This will m^e a rather 

 smooth surface, which will prevent dry- 

 ing out. It also does away with lumpi- 

 ness, and that is about the worst thing I 

 know of for not only the plants, but for 

 planters' tempers. 



When deciding in which direction 

 across the field to run the rows, take into 

 consideration the slope of the land rather 

 than the end nearest the approach or en- 

 trance to the field. If there is any slope 

 run the rows across it rather than up 

 and down. The reason for this is that 

 later on, when you cultivate, you make 

 more or less of a furrow between each 

 row and when it rains hard the water 

 will run down these furrows and wash 

 the soil if the rows run up and down. 

 But if they run crosswise the water will 

 be caught in each row and must soak into 

 the soil instead of running off. This is 

 of more importance than appears at first 



BLOOMS DEVELOP SLOWLY. 



I have a house of Enchantress and 

 Lawson carnations which are producing 

 very few blooms. The house is run at 

 about 50 degrees to 52 degrees at night 

 and the plants are in a healthy condition. 

 Each plant has from twenty to thirty 

 flowering shoots and, while they look 

 thrifty, they do not appear to grow very 

 fast. Are there too many shoots to each 

 plant, and if so should they be pruned? 

 Any information on this matter will be 

 greatly appreciated. I have not noticed 

 anything in the Review as to the num- 

 ber of shoots a plant should contain. 

 L. L. W. 



Without knowing more about your 

 carnations, I can not tell why they are 

 not producing more blooms. It may be 

 the fault of your culture, or it may be 

 due to the abnormal weather conditions 

 which have prevailed the greater part of 

 the year. The weather has been about 

 as unfavorable to a steady crop as it pos- 

 sibly could have been, and I am sure it 

 is primarily the cause of many benches 

 being badly off crop at this time. First 

 there was a long cloudy spell, which 

 tended to retard all growth, and espe- 

 cially such as had not begun to run up. 

 This alone would have caused a lull in 

 the crop. But, to make matters worse, 

 the hot wave in March drove out what 

 buds were on the plants without bring- 



Helianthtts Mollis Grandif lorut. 



glance. If you plant so that you can 

 cultivate both ways, of course it makes 

 no difference which way you run the 

 rows. 



If possible, top every plant a week be- 

 fore planting it out. A. F. J. Baus. 



It would be hard work to get along 

 without the Review. — ^F. A. Doeman, 

 Jamestown, N. Y. 



ing on the next crop appreciably. Then 

 followed the colder wave, which has fur- 

 ther retarded the progress of the crop 

 which rightfully ought to be on at this 

 time. All through the country we find 

 the conditions much the same, and the 

 probabilities are there will be an enor- 

 mous glut during late May and early 

 June. 

 It is possible, however, that your trou- 



ble may come from improper topping last 

 summer and fall. If the cut has been 

 light all winter and your plants have con- 

 tinued to stool out instead of throwing 

 up flower shoots, I would attribute it to 

 that cause. To keep on topping ui ril 

 late in the fall, after the plants h: ve 

 become of good size, and possibly !. te 

 planting, would likely cause such a c u- 

 dition. You do not say what date viu 

 planted or stopped topping, so I can o; iv 

 suggest this as a possibility. 



As to the number of shoots on e.^ h 

 plant, I would say, let them come alo f. 

 If the plants are strong and healthy ti y 

 will carry whatever shoots there are. 1 it 

 you must be liberal with both water ;, ;(i 

 food. I would suggest a dressing of 1 le 

 ground bone meal, about a 3-inch pot if 

 it to a row across a 5-foot bench, ri d 

 cover this with a good inch of half r t- 

 ted cow manure or of well rotted sta le 

 manure. If you can add to the lat r 

 about one-sixth its bulk of ground sh( p 

 manure it will make it much bett r. 

 Thinning out the blooming shoots af ; >r 

 the plants are well established is rot 

 practiced to any extent among commer- 

 cial growers. Where quality is the prime 

 factor of course it would pay, but the 

 commercial grower encourages his plants 

 to make as many shoots as possible and 

 then by judicious feeding and general 

 good culture helps them to produce as 

 high quality as possible. A. F. J. Baur. 



THE HELIANTHUS. 



The helianthus, which includes the 

 common sunflower, is among the most 

 useful of our coarser, hardy, herbaceous, 

 perennial plants. There are quite a 

 number of species indigenous to the 

 United States, many of which have re- 

 sponded quickly to improved conditions 

 and a little good culture. H. mollis is 

 one of these and so marked a difference 

 is there between the original species and 

 the well-bred plants offered by dealers 

 in hardy stock that some of them desig- 

 nate the variety as H. mollis grandi- 

 florus. 



All the perennial sunflowers are among 

 the most effective hardy plants for 

 borders, for planting among shrubbery 

 or in clumps on the lawn. They are free- 

 flowering and will succeed in poor soil, 

 although they are gross feeders and will 

 give evidence of appreciation if provided 

 light, fairly rich soil. They are invalua- 

 ble for decorative purposes or for cut- 

 ting in late summer. 



H. mollis has large, single, lemon-yel- 

 low flowers. The foliage is abundant 

 and covered by a white, downy pubescence, 

 as are the stems. It grows four feci 

 high and blooms freely in July, August 

 and September. 



ORDER AND CLEANLINESS. 



The note in a recent Review, undo 

 the above heading, suggests an importan 

 matter, says a writer in the Horticui 

 tural Advertiser. It often occurs tha 

 it is from want of funds that a plae 

 gets into disorder, yet there are soni 

 who have no -idea of keeping things ti 

 gether. I once took charge of an estal 

 lishment where a great variety of plani 

 were grown and I found the plants mixe 

 up in an indiscriminate manner. 1 

 took a considerable time to get ther 

 sorted out and to get them togethei 

 Yet, starting by clearing one house an 

 refilling it with subjects most suitable t 

 be grown together, and following througi' 



