The Weekly Florfsts' Review, 



'.'■JW?*^ 



Pebruabt 6, 1008. 



coldframes during summer. If you have 

 no spare house to grow them in, dig out 

 the earth below a few sashes, so as to 

 afford ample head room, and spread a 

 coating of oinders over the bottom. Stand 

 your pots on the cinders, and if at any 

 time snails are troublesome, dust the 

 ground over with fresh lime. Shade the 

 sashes well with a mixture of kerosene 

 and white lead. Keep moderately close 

 for a time, but air freely on hot days. 

 Plants can be grown in the frames from 

 June until the end of September, and 

 these will give you an invaluable crop of 

 fine fronds for winter use. C. W. 



ROOTING GERANIUM CUTTINGS. 



Would you kindly inform me regard- 

 ing the damping off of geranium cut- 

 tings? Do you think that- cutting above 

 or below a joint would make any differ- 

 ence in damping off or prolonging root 

 formation! F. S. 



While the general practice has been 

 to trim geranium cuttings below a joint, 

 it is of course well known that they will 

 root if cut halfway between pairs of 

 leaves. Those rubbed off with a heel 

 will make roots the quickest and, being 



harder at the base, are also less liable to 

 black rot. - We believe it makes little 

 difference whether the cut is above or 

 below a joint, in regard to damping off. 

 Cuttings taken from outdoor stock, or 

 from indoor stock which has made a rank 

 and soft growth, are much more liable 

 to rot off than those taken from plants 

 under glass, which have made a firm and 

 short-jointed growth. The percentage of 

 loss from the softer cuttings will be less 

 if, when they have been trimmed, they 

 are allowed to lie in the sun a few hours 

 before being placed in the cutting bench. 

 Geranium cuttings should always be 

 rooted in full sunshine. Give one thor- 

 ough watering at the outset; then allow 

 them to become (juite dry before giving 

 any more. A little overwatering will 

 speedily ruin a fine batch of cuttings. In 

 winter and spring it is far the best plan 

 to insert the cuttings singly in small pots 

 of light, sandy loam. At least ninety per 

 cent should root if they have a little 

 bottom heat and a top heat of 50 to 60 

 degrees. Cuttings taken with a heel or 

 cut below a joint will root a little quicker 

 than those taken above a joint, and we 

 would prefer taking them in that way. 



C.W. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Ventilation. 



The long delayed cold wave has at last 

 arrived and taken its departure. Win- 

 ters which display such abnormal mild- 

 ness in December and January, usually 

 give us in February, March or April that 

 which has been omitted. The florist does 

 not chuckle as do the lumbermen and ice 

 dealers at the advent of severe weather, 

 for he knows it means a speedier diminu- 

 tion of his coal pile and a reduced output 

 of flowers, with, as a rule, no advance in 

 prices. In severe weather the demand 

 for flowers to be worn on the streets, at 

 the theaters and other public resorts, is 

 much reduced and florists ' trade is hardly 

 ever as good as when milder climatic con- 

 ditions prevail. 



The old adage about the cold strength- 

 ening as the days lengthen is again hold- 

 ing good. With the longer days, however, 

 we get more sunlight and old Sol 's power 

 is increasing quite appreciably. While 

 heavy firing will be needed at night to 

 keep up temperatures, on sunny days, 

 even with a low temj>erature, nearly all 

 houses will require a fair amount of ven- 

 tilation. It is a poor plan to shut off 

 most of the fire-heat and cool off the 

 houses so that little air is required. Of 

 course, some valves must be closed, but 

 suflScient should be left on to keep the 

 atmosphere warm and buoyant and per- 

 mit of ventilation being admitted for 

 several hours a day. In ventilating, use 

 due caution; put it on gradually and 

 reduce it in the same way. The man who 

 allows his house to run up to 80 or 90 

 degrees and then rushes on a foot of air, 

 deserves to have mildewed roses or burst 

 camationa. Try to admit a little air 

 every day when conditions are suflSciently 

 genial,^ in order to sweeten the atmos- 

 phere in your houses. Your plants can 

 no more be expected to thrive in houses 



with closed ventilators than you your- 

 selves will do so in dwellings where the 

 windows are not opened daily. How to 

 properly ventilate is difficult to teach. 

 The man who can master it will make a 

 successful grower. At no time of the 

 year is careful ventilation so necessary 

 as during ^ the late winter and early 

 spring months. 



Chrysanthemums. 



It is, of course, much too early to 

 propagate chrysanthemums for bench 

 planting, but many fiorists have no doubt 

 picked up a limited stock of desirable 

 novelties or standard sorts they would 

 like to plant in larger quantity another 

 year. In such cases a good batch of cut- 

 tings should be placed in the cutting 

 bench at once. In about three weeks 

 these, under proper conditions, can be 

 potted off. If these plants, when estab- 

 lished, can be set out in a bench or in 

 boxes, they will soon give a lot of splen- 

 did cuttings. Do not run exclusively to 

 single-stem Japanese varieties. The pub- 

 lic taste favors the single anemone and 

 pompon classes more strongly than ever. 

 Grow some of each of these, especially 

 if you have a local retail trade. A tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees at night will root 

 mums nicely. Do not allow the sun to 

 strike them until they are rooted. Keep 

 the cuttings well watered until roots ap- 

 pear; then reduce the supply. 



Heliotropes. 



Heliotropes are always popular for bed- 

 ding and are invaluable for window and 

 piazza boxes and vases. A good bottom 

 heat is needed to root them. Few cut- 

 tings vdll fail to root if conditions are 

 right. Keep warm a few days after pot- 

 ting; then place in a house kept at 50 to 

 54 degrees at night. From these early 



rooted cuttings plenty of tops can be ob- 

 tained later to still further increase the 

 stock. Heliotropes are also easily propa- 

 gated from seed and some fine forms may 

 be obtained in this way. The plants show 

 a surprising vigor, where standard helio- 

 tropes are grown, and they are becoming 

 popular in formal gardens. They can be 

 grown much more easily from seedlings 

 than from rooted cuttings. '■_ ^^• 



>' ",Show Pelargoniums* 



• As Easter comes unusually late this 

 year, it will be quite possible to have a 

 batch of pelargoniums in flower for that 

 holiday. When they are wanted in bloom 

 thus early, no further stopping of the 

 shoots must be done. Give them a shift 

 into their flowering pots as soon as possi- 

 ble and grow on in a cool, airy and sunny 

 house. Where the flowers and plants are 

 more in demand at Memorial day, any 

 necessary pinching may be done for a 

 month yet. Green aphis has a special 

 fondness for these pelargoniums and will 

 speedily ruin them if not persistently 

 fought. A fumigation once a week will 

 keep this pest in control, while some to- 

 bacco stems scattered among the plants 

 and renewed every two or three weeks 

 will materially aid in keeping them clean. 

 Pelargoniums should not have a night 

 temperature exceeding 50 degrees, and 45 

 degrees will be better. 



Hydrangeas. 



Hydrangeas will probably be rather 

 more in evidence than usual next Easter. 

 Its late date makes it possible to have 

 these showy plants in flower without too 

 hard forcing. Plants, to have them in 

 flower by April 19, should have been 

 started right after Christmas and ought 

 now to be growing freely. As they grow 

 very rapidly, it is necessary to frequently 

 give them more room. Keep them well 

 exposed to the sunlight to make them 

 stocky, and remember that hydrangeas 

 are very thirsty plants, needing lots of 

 water, and when the pots are well filled 

 witn roots, liquid manure every fourth 

 to fifth day should be applied. Probably 

 some of your plants do not promise to 

 flower well, but carry a good crop of cut- 

 tings. Get a good batch of these in the 

 cutting bench. These can be grown along 

 to make fine stock for forcing for another 

 Easter or Memorial day. 



Brief Reminders. 



A mulching of well decomposed and 

 broken-up cow manure on the violet 

 benches will now benefit them. 



If you have not started spiraeas (as- 

 tilbes) for Easter yet, get them under 

 cover. They will not need hard forcing. 



Keep the propagating benches filled 

 while you have a good bottom heat. Do 

 not leave cuttings any longer in the 

 sand than you can help, after they are 

 rooted. 



Water seed boxes and pots carefully. 

 A little neglect may mean many failures. 



If you have not already sown fibrous 

 rooted begonias, such as Erfordii and 

 Vernon, do so at once. 



Start amaryllis as you see the flower 

 spikes pushing. A little bottom heat 

 is good for them. 



When firing heavily, damp under the 

 pipes and benches to prevent excessive 

 aridity. Keep a watch for red spider 

 where plants are nearest to the pipes. 



Do not keep the leaf cuttings of 

 Lorraine begonias too close, or most of 

 the leaves will rot. As soon as little 

 shoots show, pot them up. Get in a 

 further crop of well ripened leaves. 



