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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



JANUABY 16, 1008. 



makes them look as cheerful as they do 

 in the field on a dewy morning. 



E. E. Shupuelt. 



SPIRAEAS FOR EASTER. 



Is it too late to plant spireeas for Eas- 

 ter? Also, is it absolutely necessary to 

 expose to frost before potting and forc- 

 ing? Kindly state the method. 



H. C. O. 



As Easter comes late this year, the 



date being April 19, there is no need to 

 pot up the spiraais yet. Freezing is not 

 necessary. Recourse is frequently had to 

 it where early forcing is done, but a nat- 

 ural rest for the clumps is all that is 

 needed to ensure their starting well. If 

 you start your clumps about the end of 

 January they will be in season, if grown 

 in a night temperature of 55 to 60 de- 

 grees. The ordinary S. Japonica will 

 come in ten days to a fortnight earlier 

 than such sorts as Gladstone, astilboides 

 and grandiflora. C, W, 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Adiantum Farleyense. 



Erroneous ideas about the culture and 

 propagation of Adiantum Farleyense 

 have caused many a grower to fight 

 shy of it. This ia to be regretted, as 

 there is no more beautiful fern for many 

 decorative purposes, while in design work 

 it is unexcelled. 



Those who are intending to increase 

 their stock should start right away by 

 dividing the crowns of the older plants 

 and planting them in a propagating case 

 where they can obtain a brisk bottom 

 heat. Plant the divided crowns in clean, 

 sharp sand three or four inches deep, 

 which has good drainage below it. The 

 gllass must be well shaded, and the 

 case kept moderately close and moist. 

 It is really surprising how soon, under 

 such conditions, the little crowns will 

 emit new roots and can be lifted with 

 a ball of sand adhering to them. Use 

 very little loam at the first potting into 

 2-inch pots, but good leaf -mold and sand. 

 At the next shift, equal parts loam 

 and leaf-mold may be used, while for 

 later pottings some well dried cow manure 

 and fibrous loam, with some powdered 

 charcoal and sharp sand, make suitable 

 compost. 



Grow the plants in a close and moist 

 house, keeping them well shaded until 

 they have attained a size carrying salable 

 fronds, when more light will harden the 

 fronds. Copper or galvanized wires will 

 be needed to support the individual 

 fronds. These can be comparatively thin 

 and should be about a foot long, with an 

 eye partly open at the upper end to 

 rest the stalks of the fronds on. When 

 in active growth liquid manure water 

 is beneficial. Always keep water from 

 the fronds, but keep the surface of the 

 benches moist. Use great care in fumi- 

 gating, as this fern is very susceptible 

 to injury. Farleyense will stand well 

 in a comparatively cool house if the 

 fronds have been inured to moderately 

 strong light and have not been coddled 

 too much. A temperature of 60 to 65 de- 

 grees at night grows this fern well. 



Adiantum Cuneatum. 



Seedlings raised from spores are the 

 easiest method of propagation for the 

 ever popular maidenhair, Adiantum cune- 

 atum. Casual seedlings can be picked 

 up, also, as they frequently germinate 

 under benches in the summer months or 

 in any spot where cool and moist con- 

 ditions prevail.. Propagation by division 

 of the root is often practiced and works 



fairly well, but seedlings grown along 

 develop into finer plants. In dividing 

 the plants, which, if pot grown, will 

 be a network of roots, the best plan is 

 to chop them into pieces with a heavy 

 knife. Start in small pots of leaf -mold 

 and sand, keeping close and moist until 

 nicely rooted. 



Large specimens in pots, which may be 

 in sour and wormy soil, • should have 

 the compost washed clean away with the 

 hose and be given a fresh start in new 

 soil. Fibrous loam, leaf -mold, sand and 

 a little dry cow manure are a good 

 medium. Plants seem to be benefited by 

 a rest before being overhauled. Com- 

 parative dryness at the root and slightly 

 cooler quarters for a few weeks will be 

 followed by vigorous growth when the 

 plants start up again in heat. 



Snails are very troublesome among all 

 adiantums and soon destroy a great many 

 fronds if not looked after. Traps of 

 potatoes or turnips, scooped out and fre- 

 quently examined, will catch both 

 these and wood-lice. Lettuce and cab- 

 bage leaves are also good bait, while 

 fresh. Removal of the pots and pour- 

 ing boiling water over the bench will 

 kill many, as will dusting air-slaked 

 lime over it. When sphagnum moss is 

 spread over the surface of the benches 

 for moisture, as is sometimes done in 

 the case of A. Farleyense, there is sure 

 to be added trouble. Better to use com- 



mon wood moss, which is usually free 

 from these destructive pests. 



Palms. 



At this season of the year root action 

 is not very active, but it is a time when 

 commercial florists can better spare a 

 few hours to overhaul palms and other 

 foliage plants than will be the case a 

 month hence. Probably you have found 

 time to clean most of your plants since 

 the Christmas rush ended. If not, take 

 advantage of any spare time to do it. 



Palms do not require large shifts. In 

 doing any repotting, therefore, use care 

 not to transfer into pots more than two 

 inches larger than the plants have been 

 growing in. Make the drainage good. 

 Cover this with moss; put some of the 

 rougher compost in first and be sure 

 that you pack the soil firmly with a 

 potting stick around the sides of the 

 plant and leave ample surface space 

 for water. In the case of such palms as 

 Cocos Weddelliana, which develop roots 

 slowly, very small shifts are necessary, 

 and the use of even dry cow manure is 

 not to be recommended. On the other 

 hand, in the case of kentias, arecas, 

 phoenix, latanias and livistonas, we gen- 

 erally add some bone meal or old cow 

 manure to the fibrous loam and sand. 

 Except for young seedlings, leaf-mold 

 is of no value. Where plants are be- 

 ing shifted into large pots or tubs, where 

 they must remain some years, somewhat 

 coarser bone can be used. Some soot 

 is also a useful ingredient in the soil, 

 as well as being of much benefit when 

 the plants are well established, if used 

 in liquid form occasionally. Palms re- 

 quire but little shade yet. They need, 

 however, a good syringing at least once 

 a day and plenty of moisture in the at- 

 mosphere. 



Miscellaneous Bulbous Plants. 



Hitherto tulips have come rather short- 

 stemmed, but after the middle of Janu- 

 ary it is possible to get more length 

 to La Reine and other popular forcing 

 varieties. It is still necessary to draw 

 these up well in the dark before placing 

 them on the benches. This will be un- 

 necessary after February 1. Trumpet 

 narcissi are now coming of good quality, 

 particularly that excellent variety Golden 

 Spur, which quite discounts such sorts 

 as N. princeps and Trumpet Major after 

 it comes in season. Batches of these 

 narcissi and the tulips, housed once a 

 week, will keep up a good succession. 



Establishment of Godfrey Aschmann, Philadelphia. 



