'^iev^mi- 



OCTOBEB 17, 1007. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



MORE AIR WANTED. 



I enclose, some leaves of the Bride 

 rose and would like to know if the yel- 

 lowed condition is caused by too frequent 

 fumigating with sulphur on the pipes, or 

 •if it is the result of too much water. It 

 has notw been at all serious, but the 

 trouble is growing worse and the leaves 

 finally drop off the plants. J. F. D. 



The apparent cause of these bushes 

 dropping their leaves, irom the indica- 

 tions furnished, is want of veutilation. 

 There is no sign of their suffering from 

 overwatering, or the reverse, to cause 

 such an effect. The texture of the leaves 

 shows that the atmosphere has been too 

 close. 



Extra strong fumigating has a very 

 bad effect on rose foliage and should al- 

 ways be avoided. Fumigate periodically, 

 say once a week, and if this is persisted 

 in a light fumigation will suffice. 



Keep on plenty of air both night and 

 day, even at the expense of firing, and 

 be careful in watering for some time, 

 till the plants have got over the period 

 when nature calls for a rest. Bibes. 



ROSE DOROTHY PERKINS. 



Among rambler roses Dorothy Perkins 

 is one of the best for clothing a fence, 

 wall or unsightly object, says . a writer 

 in the Gardeners' Chronicle. "As with 

 climbing roses in general, plants under 

 three years old transplant more sucess- 

 fully than older plants and are capable 

 of making a good display in less time^ 

 The plants should be obtained in Octo- 

 ber, or early in the following month. As 

 it is always advisable to trench the soil 

 for roses and allow time- afterwards for 

 the settling of the soil before planting is 

 commenced, the work of trenching should 

 be undertaken in September. If the 

 trenching is three spits in depth, place 

 about four inches of fich manure, not 

 greatly decayed, two spits deep, say eight- 

 een inches, and if the trenching should 

 only permit of two spits being taken out, 

 put the manure at the bottom after loosen- 

 ing the base with a digging fork or mat- 

 tock. A small quantity of weak nianure 

 should be mixed with the top spit in 

 each case. See that the roses, when they 

 come to hand, do not suffer from dry- 

 ness at the root, and after cutting back 

 the strongest roots a little, dip all the 

 roots into a puddle of clayj|pd water, 

 adding a little cow dung if this is procur- 

 able. In planting a rose tree spread out 

 the roots in all directions and cover them 

 with some of the finer soil; partially fill 

 in and make firm with the feet, then com- 



plete the filling in and again make the 

 soil firm. In planting these climbers and 

 any roses that are not growing on their 

 own roots, bury the point of union of 

 rose and stock t^o inches deep, and 

 those on their own roots a little deeper 

 than when they were growing in the nur- 

 sery. If the soil be dry at the time of 

 planting, afford the plants a good soak- 

 ing with clear water; and before hard 

 weather sets in, apply a strawy mulch over 

 the roots. Cut back the plants to five or 

 six inches in the following April and en- 

 courage growth in after years as much 

 as possible. 



POOR VENTILATION. 



We have a number of plants going off 

 as if. of low vitality. They don't bloom 

 much and many shoots die iat the top 

 and wither. The roses were planted in 

 May in new soil, one-fourth cow manure 

 in the soil. Can you tell us what the 

 trouble is? J, C. F. C. 



From a careful examination of the 

 specimen sent it appears as if the at- 

 mosphere in which it was grown must 

 have been close and damp, as the plant 

 is suffering from the disease kpown as 



anthracnose. Although this condition 

 may not be the cause of the disease, it 

 certainly fosters it, and so long as the 

 condition exists there is no chance for 

 recovery. 



Keep the house at night at a tempera- 

 ture of 56 to 58 degrees, with ample ven- 

 tilation, allowing it to run up to 85 

 degrees during bright sunshine, but with 

 plenty of air on. 



At this season great and extra care is 

 required in gauging the supply of water, 

 as the plants are not able to use much 

 by reason of the sluggishness of root ac- 

 tion and the decrease in evaporation. The 

 soil is not of a really good quality for 

 roses, being deficient in fiber and clay 

 and. possessing few of the constituents 

 required by roses. Bibes. 



WINTERING WATER HYACINTHS 



I would like to know how I can carry 

 through our North Dakota winter a lot 

 of water hyacinths which I have had 

 growing in a small fountain all summer. 

 They have not bloomed, but have grown, 

 finely. Is there any way in which I can 

 keep them over winter and have them in 

 shape to put out in the spring? 



C. E. M. 



The water hyacinths, or eichhbrnias, 

 can be carried over winter successfully 

 in tubs of water, in which they may be 

 stood quite thickly in a moderately warm 

 greenhouse. If you have a tank which 

 gets good light, they will do well in it. 

 Both Eiehhomia speciosa and E. azurea 

 (lavender blue) increase in size rapidly, 

 a small plant often growing several feet 

 across' in a season. As is well known, 

 these pretty aquatics have proved a ter- 

 rible pest in Florida waterways, where 

 they seriously impede traffic, and large 

 sums are b^ng spent to keep them with- 

 in bounds. - C. W. 



,<#^^»?l»^»»LV»-fiL»»^^.#^<#^iS,>#;n,^#-?^<^-^«^-»v^-y^ x#<yi>, ^•^^^^^yv^^'yi^-w 



SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



^ 



^tc9s^de9^f^'n.^ti^'t^e9^'Urm^'n.'^d,^y*^\^^^'^!9^■^^f^^ 



i 



Canoas. 



Frosts now will have cut cannas down 

 in most localities, unless it may be in 

 some of the warmer-,and more southerly 

 states. Cut the tops off a few inches 

 above the ground and allow them to" 

 stand a few days before lifting. The 

 stems will bleed considerably where they 

 are cut off, and it is not good policy to 

 dig the roots until they have dried. Let 

 the roots stand in the sun a few hours 

 to dry out somewhat. Do not shake too 

 much soil away. They will keep all the 

 better with a fair amount of loam at- 

 tached. Some growers place them under 

 the benches in a cool greenhouse. The 

 water dripping on them may create mold 

 in the winter months and start prema- 

 ture growth if the house is warmer. 

 Shelves in a shed or cellar are excellent 

 storing places, a temperature of 40 to 

 45 degrees being ample, indeed, being 

 preferable to one 10 degrees higher. Be 

 sure the labels are tied securely to each 

 plant if you grow a number of sorts, for 

 a mixture spoils your bedding. 



Dahlia*. \ - 



The first breath of frost blackens the 

 dahlias, most gorgeous and increasingly \ 

 popular of late summer flo.wers. Do not \ 

 be in too great a hurry d-bout cutting 

 them down. It is a great mistake to 

 hoe off the tops level with the ground 

 as soon as frost has struck them. Far 

 better Jet them stand a few days and 

 allow the stems to dry up before doing 

 so. Do not cut down nearer than six 

 inches of the ground. Shake away all 

 soil from the tubers and let them dry 

 well in the sun before storing them. A 

 cellar or shed where potatoes will keep 

 well is ideal for dahlias. They must 

 be quite dry at the root. Any moisture 

 is ruinous. They are also better in an 

 unheated cellar. The tubers will shrivel 

 badly in a furnace-heated cellar. Bet- 

 ter have them in one which occasionally 

 goes below freezing. If the roots are 

 stored in boxes or barrels of dry sand, 

 sawdust, refuse hemp seed, dry earth or 

 any similar material they will take no 

 harm. 



{ 



