JUNB 6, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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liVprB Summer Work Now in Order. 



The rush and turmoil of another 

 Memorial day is over and it seems to be 

 generally admitted that in volume of 

 business it far outranked any of its 

 predecessors. Our own experience was 

 that everything in the shape of a flower 

 sold, the only trouble being that orders 

 were more plentiful than flowers. The 

 cold ApriX. and May made exceptional 

 conditions which may not occur again 

 for a decade. 



Benches occupied a few days ago by 

 stocks, candytuft, feverfew, marguerites 

 and similar crops now present a sorry 

 aspect and the clearing out of these, 

 repairing any benches requiring over- 

 hauling, wheeling in new compost and 

 making ready for the benching of 

 chrysanthemums should now occupy con- 

 siderable time. While we may expect 

 some business from school graduations 

 and June weddings for a few weeks, the 

 volume transacted will now commence 

 to dwindle and we must perforce make 

 ready for another season. 



Bedding out has been greatly delayed 

 by the succession of cold waves, but 

 weather conditions being now a trifle 

 more genial, this work should be pushed 

 with all possible speed. 



Primulas. 



In the rush of other spring work 

 those useful little winter blooming 

 plants, the primulas, are liable to neg- 

 lect. They should now be in small pots 

 in a cool, airy house and be kept well 

 up to the light, but shaded from the 

 sun's rays. P. obconica is less affected 

 by bright sunshine than P. Sinensis, but 

 -each prefers some shade. 



After the middle of June if your cold- 

 frames are cleaned of bedding stock, 

 prepare a place in one of them for your 

 primroses. A coating of screened coal 

 ashes should be placed in the bottom. 

 The sashes will be better raised both top 

 and bottom all the time and if, instead 

 of coating the glass with limewash or 

 some other shading, wooden lath shades 

 are used when needed, the plants will 

 not become so drawn and weak. On 

 cloudy days the sashes will be better 

 removed altogether, taking care to re- 

 place them, however, if heavy rain 

 threatens. 



Primulas prefer a light but moder- 

 ately rich compost. One-half loam fairly 

 well decayed and one-fourth each leaf- 

 mold and old, dry cow manure, with the 

 addition of a little fine charcoal and 

 sharp sand, seems to suit th«m. Bone 

 and other chemical fertilizers should not 

 be used in the soil at this stage and in 

 fact are better left out altogether. 

 Plants in 2y2-inch' pots should, when 

 feady, be moved into 4-inch. Take care 

 in handling the Chinese varieties not to 

 bury the plants too deeply, and not to 

 break the rather brittle leaf stalks. 



Begonia Incarnata. 



While not equal to the Gloire de Lor- 

 raine in persistent blooming qualities. 



incarnata is a most excellent begonia for 

 Christmas trade. If you have forgotten 

 to put in any cuttings, do so without 

 delay. They will be ready to pot off 

 inside of three weeks and will make 

 serviceable stuff in 5-inch pots before 

 winter. This is a robust growing variety 

 and will need a little careful pinching 

 to keep it bushy. A stake to support it 

 will also be necessary later in the sum- 

 mer. In addition to being valuable as 

 a pot plant, this begonia is well adapted 

 for cutting. It does not need any shade 

 during the summer and we have seen 

 it succeed well stood outdoors in a 

 batch, the same as chrysanthemums. 

 There are one or two much improved 

 forms with flowers double the size of 

 the ordinary type. 



Begonia Rex. 



The beautiful foliage of the finer 

 varieties of Begonia Rex appeal to 

 many. Propagation in winter in brisk 

 bottom heat is usually resorted to, but 

 during the summer if some sections of 

 leaves are cut and placed either in a 

 propagating house facing north or in 

 flats of sand under a stage, where there 

 is not much drip, they will root readily. 

 Give a good watering after inserting 

 them and then damp slightly each day, 

 but do not water at all heavily or the 

 portions of leaves may rot. Potted up 

 as soon as young plants appear, nice 

 stock may still be had for winter sales. 



There are some beautiful named varie- 

 ties of Begonia Eex and, as the plant 

 can be safely recommended for dwelling 

 house culture, it will pay each retail 

 florist to keep a few on hand. If you 

 have any old plants looking rather seedy, 

 plant them outdoors under the shade of 

 a tree in good soil and they will grow 

 rampantly. 



Care of Outdoor Stock. 



Probably with the rush of Memorial 

 business, weeds have got a start out- 

 doors and the cultivator or hoe must be 

 called into requisition. This question of 

 cultivation is a vital one. Take note, if 

 you will, how much faster plants in soil 

 persistently stirred grow as compared 

 with those left to bake. The intelligent 

 use of the hoe is of far more value to 

 your summer crops than the hose or lawn 

 sprinkler, unless a serious drought makes 

 artificial watering a necessity, and even 

 then if the watering be not done thor- 

 oughly it is better omitted altogether. 



Your carnations may need some top- 

 ping and if stout weeds grow close to 

 the plants, remove them carefully by 

 hand. 



Violets have made a good start this 

 season, thanks to the cool, moist weather. 

 Their principal growth is made during 

 and after August. Keep the ground 

 well stirred among them; and the same 

 applies to stocks, asters, gladioli, sweet 

 peas and many other outdoor crops. In 

 mowing your lawns, save any clippings 

 to mulch your sweet peas with. Any 

 old manure you may have, even if al- 

 most spent, will make a useful mulching. 



Fighting Insect Pests. 



Spraying calendars appear in about 

 every important seed catalogue, to say 

 nothing of the magazines, but in spite 

 of this we are being constantly asked 

 how to spray and what to spray with. 

 No one possessing a piece of land con- 

 taining shade and fruit trees, or who 

 grows hardy and tender flowering plants, 

 can well afford to neglect spraying. It 

 may be that a common syringe and pail 

 may answer all needs, but there are so 

 many useful auto-sprayers, knapsack 

 sprayers, barrel sprayers and other sim- 

 ilar appliances now made and offered at 

 a moderate cost that one or the other 

 will be found a necessary and paying 

 investment. Even if the fruit trees do 

 not need a dose of Bordeaux mixture or 

 Paris green, or the currants hellebore, 

 the shade trees may require protection 

 from the ravages of some leaf-eating 

 insects. For the latter purpose a prepa- 

 ration of arsenate of lead, ten pounds to 

 100 gallons of water, is effective. For 

 the rose slug use hellebore; for green 

 and black aphis, either kerosene emul- 

 sion, whale oil soap or one of the tobacco 

 extracts diluted. Arsenate of lead will 

 be found equally good and safe for 

 squash and potato beetles. For the 

 many blights affecting flowering plants, 

 Bordeaux mixture is the sovereign rem- 

 edy. Make it yourself, in preference to 

 buying the weak decoctions usually sold 

 in cans. About every plant appears to 

 have some special foe, some of them 

 several, and to grow outdoor crops of 

 any kind successfully, a spraying outfit 

 of some kind is as necessary as the hoe 

 for cultivating the soil. 



Brief Reminders. 



Fumigate gloxinias, begonias and 

 cyclamens for thrips, which are destruc- 

 tive if allowed any foothold. 



Dust your chrysanthemums with to- 

 bacco dust to keep aphis in check. Use 

 more care in fumigating now the weather 

 is warmer. After a heavy smoking, 

 spray the plants over early in the morn- 

 ing, before the sun strikes them, to 

 help prevent burning. 



If you have let your boiler fires out, 

 clear the ashes away, disconnect stove 

 pipes, oil all the heater you can reach. 

 Hot water heaters should be kept full 

 of water when not in use. Steam boilers 

 need similar care. It won't pay to neg- 

 lect them while not in service. They last 

 longer if always in use. 



Don't forget your Stevia serrata. Pot 

 along as needed and pinch to keep 

 bushy. 



Late gladioli should be planted during 

 the first half of June or early frosts 

 may cut off the flowering spikes. 



Sow aquilegias, Canterbury bells and 

 foxgloves to secure strong plants for fall 

 use. 



Any geraniums you may be growing 

 for winter flowering should be grown 

 under glass and potted on before roots 

 become matted. Pick off all flower 

 trusses and pinch the more robust shoots 

 to keep the plants shapely. 



Keep carnations in the benches well 

 hosed twice a week on clear days to 

 control red spider, which will speedily, 

 render them worthless. Force of water 

 is the best remedy for this dreaded pest, 

 which should be allowed no quarter. 



Look carefully after your late chrysan- 

 themum cuttings. See that the earlier 

 ones potted are benched as soon as 

 possible. 



Ply the hose freely during hot weather 



