10 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



May 23, 1907. 



and thoughtful study to work out a bed 

 of this kind, both on the plan and in 

 the execution of the work. 



Needless it is to say that coleus ar- 

 rangements have almost disappeared. 

 We have seen Salvia splendens planted 

 through shrubbery borders. It certain- 

 ly looked as if the shrubs or the salvias 

 were not at home; we said the latter. 

 Bedding plants of any variety are out 

 of place used in this way. We only men- 

 tion a few varieties of bedding plants 

 that we may confine this paper to a few 

 minutes in reading. We might go on in- 

 definitely discussing bedding plants, 

 their uses and abuses. 



middle of August give them a light 

 spraying over on warm evenings and you 

 will have some handsome plants before 

 fall. When well rooted in the pots, oc- 

 casional applications of manure water 

 will be found beneficial. If you have 

 no coldframe at disposal, stand the plants 

 under a tree with rather high, overhang- 

 ing branches. We have seen excellent 

 ones grown in such a location until the 

 end of September. C. W. 



. FLORISTS TO ADVEET" 



The amendment to the general appro- 

 priation bill for the Illinois State Ex- 

 periment Station, which provides $7,500 

 per annum for two years for the study 

 of the problems of greenhouse owners, 

 places the direction of the expenditure 

 in the hands of the Illinois State Flo- 

 rists' Association. It will be the duty 

 of President Albert T. Hey to appoint 

 an advisory board of five members. This 

 board will meet twice a yfer at Cham- 

 paign and the expenses of the board will 

 be defrayed from the appropriation. 



PRIMULA OBCONICA. 



I have a few Primula obconica left 

 over. What is the best way to keep these 

 plants during the hot summer months f 

 Some are now in 5-inch pans and some 

 in 3-inch and 4-inch pots. I generally 

 use them for cut flowers in the winter. 



H. H. 



The plants in question can be carried 

 over successfully and will make splendid 

 specimens for next winter. Probably 

 they are pretty well potbound now and 

 will need a shift. Remove the drainage 

 and loosen up tlie balls a little with a 

 pointed stick. Use a compost of two- 

 thirds pasture loam, fairly well rotted, 

 one-third old dried cow manure, and a 

 sprinkling of sand and leaf -mold. Place 

 the plants in a coldframe after potting. 

 Shade the sashes and pull them off on 

 dull days and at night. Give them a 

 further shift, if required. About the 



SEASONABLE ^ORK. 



How quickly the months roll around 

 and the violet grower finds himself up 

 to the planting time of the next sea- 

 son's stock! There is always the dan- 

 ger, where one does not make a specialty 

 of violets, of postponing or slighting 

 this work, owing to the many things that 

 need doing at this time of the year, but, 

 if you are going to grow a house of 

 them, you can better afford to neglect 

 something else than not to give them 

 the proper start and attention whenever 

 they need it. 



If you have not already thoroughly 

 cleaned up the house that you are go- 

 ing to devote to them, you ought to do 

 so at once. If you have previously had 

 violets in the house and grown them in 

 borders, at least six inches of the soil 

 should be wheeled out, after having 

 pulled up all the old plants and cre- 

 mated them, and I would emphasize this 

 point, as they are very liable to spread 

 disease if heaped up and left to decay 

 anywhere about the place, to say noth- 

 ing about the unsightliness of them. 

 Then, while this re.iteration may seem 

 hackneyed, yet now is the time to go 

 over the house in a thorough manner, 



making all the repairs or improvements 

 needed for next year ^f ore you get the 

 now soil in. It is seldom that a border, 

 if of brick or concrete, does not need a 

 little work where it has been broken in 

 some way. Or, if of wood, it is likely 

 that some new pieces should be insprted, 

 or Eome hose bib should be relocated for 

 greater convenience, or some heating 

 pipe or pipes should be graded anew; 

 missing glass must be replaced, or, last 

 but not least, the woodwork should be 

 treated to a fresh coat of white paint, 

 as no house can be too light and sweet 

 for the dark winter days when we are 



Inokinff for qll t he fl»wf*'ra ma n ft n pn n ni 



biy get. 



After having done all these things and 

 having given the house Several heavy 

 sulphur- fumigations, you will be ready 

 to proceed to filling the house. First 

 cover all the border with a coating of 

 lime, enough to whiten it, and then, 

 using a fine spray nozzle, moisten it 

 enough to thoroughly slake it. This is 

 SAveetiening and will kill anything that 

 may have previously escaped. This may 

 be raked into the bottom soil with ^ 

 iron rake and you can then wheel in the 

 soil that you have previously had pre- 

 pared. 



I suppose it is needless to mention 

 that the soil should not be stepped on or 

 wheeled over after being brought in. 

 However, some careless boy or man may 

 do so unless watched or warned, but if 

 the work is begun at the far end of the 

 house there should be no occasion to 

 have to get on to it. In this connec- 

 tion let me caution you also not to 

 bring the soil in if too wet, as a few 

 days' delay is better than to ruin the 

 soil by handling it when in thi^ condi- 

 tion. R. E. Shuphelt. 



DAHLIAS FOR MASSING. 



It is a mistake to assume that dahlias 

 are simply good for furnishing cut fldwer 

 material, or at most for the planting in 

 borders by amateurs and enthusiasts of 

 another calibre. They are also commend- 

 able for formal beds, if the right kinds 

 are selected, and for that purpose per- 

 haps the decorative is the most suitable 

 type. The two varieties especially well 



Bedding at Lincoln Park, Cbicaeo, Mn. E. G. Hill Geranium in the Foreground. 



