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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



July 9, 1908. 



New varieties are secured only from 

 seed, and there is no argument which 

 would convince the modern grower that 

 chance seedlings, by bees, butterflies and 

 other insects, are as good as those pro- 

 duced by hand hybridization, especially 

 when hybridized by one whose experience 

 and knowledge of the habits and consti- 

 tution of the parent plants, as well as the 

 proper methods to secure color results, 

 have taught him when and how to make 

 such crosses. Sports now and then ap- 

 pear in my fields, but, so far, I have 

 been unable to establish and reproduce 

 them. 



General Usefulness. 



The blooming of the gladiolus, coming 

 as it does at the time of the year when 

 there is comparatively a dearth of other 

 flowers, is a boon to the florists. "With 

 its new forms and coloring, there is no 

 decoration for which it is not eminently 

 adapted, and the absence of perfume, as 

 well as the odor from decomposition, 

 which takes place with many other flow- 

 ers, places it in the lead for table deco- 

 ration. Beautiful and artistic wedding, 

 funeral and other designs can be made 

 with the individual flowers, while the 

 spikes can be arranged with green foliage 

 in sprays and other forms, lasting much 

 better than roses or carnations, or, in 

 fact, any other flower, which by reason 

 of such use must remain some time with- 

 out water. 



No florist, whether growing for the 

 general or local market, should neglect 

 to force each year at least a few gladi- 

 oli. Very few are so fortunate as to 

 have their carnation houses entirely free 

 from stem-rot and consequent bare 

 spaces, in which the gladiolus may be 

 planted with excellent results and gener- 

 ally with a reasonable profit for tho 

 space occupied. Then, too, there are 

 other house crops, among which are chry- 

 santhemums, which can be economically 

 and profitably followed t)y the planting 

 of gladioli. ; 



Planting in the Bench. 



The temperature in which the best re- 

 sults can be secured is that under which 

 the' carnation thrives. Bulbs, after be- 

 ing harvested from the fields in the fall, 

 should be given a reiy^onable resting 

 period, after wjiicli they'^ay .be'.=^rftrted 

 in the betch, mifjway, b^terpen the., sur- 

 face and the "botttim of the soll.^. , SuflB- 

 cient root depth is thereby given and 

 the necessity pf taking fia ,^so avoided. 



The gladiol'u?^ i^ well cailW'the "Peo- 

 ple 's Flower, '[ ^nd I hQjje that, ^y care- 

 ful selection and combination of those 

 varieties best -adapted t^/the use of the 

 craft, the day will not*be far distant 

 when it will be a necessary asset to flo- 

 rists in general and will- in due time re- 

 ceive the additional title of the "Flo- 

 rists' Flower." 



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SUGGESTIONS 



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Hardy Roses. 



As the blooming season for the ma- 

 jority of hardy roses is now over, it will 

 pay to look over the plants and remove 

 the seed pods. Particularly is this neces- 

 sary with the hybrid perpetuals. Of 

 course, with such varieties as Rosa ru- 

 gosa, the fruits are even more attractive 

 than the flowers and should not be cut 

 off. 



In the case of the hybrid perpetuals, 

 which are generally budded or grafted 

 stock, it is important to look over the 

 plants carefully and remove the sucker 

 growths of Manetti or seedling briar, or 

 these will soon kill out the grafted por- 

 tions. How often do we see handsome 

 plants making vigorous growth each year 

 and never blooming — the results of al- 

 lowing the stock plants to grow and kill 

 out the roses! It is easy to detect the 

 difference between these stock growths 

 and the true roses. They usually carry 

 seven to nine leaf petioles, while most 

 of the roses have only five. They pos- 

 sess far greater vigor than the roses and 

 are invariably very spiny, the spines of 

 the Manetti being of a reddish color. 

 These sprout growths should not be cut 

 off near the surface, but pulled out bod- 

 ily, or the evil will only be perpetuated. 



Only a small cut of blooms can now be 

 expected from the hybrid perpetuals, al- 

 though there are some varieties, like 

 Frau Karl Druschki, Mrs. Sharman 

 Crawford and Mrs. John Laing, that are 



good fall bloomers. The hybrid teas are 

 an invaluable class of roses. Their per- 

 sistent blooming qualities and great va- 

 riety of colors are strong points in their 

 favor. For design work these are valu- 

 able, for there is scarcely a day from 

 June until October when nice flowers 

 cannot be picked. To keep them bloom- 

 ing well and growing vigorously, artifi- 

 cial waterings, with occasional doses of 

 liquid manure and constant tickling of 

 the sou with the hoe, are necessary. Keep 

 the dead leaves picked off. It is sur- 

 prising how quickly one crop of flowers 

 succeeds another. 



Attacks of Aphis. 



Both under glass and outdoors, aphis 

 attacks are at this season very persistent 

 and, unless speedily combated, great dam- 

 age to the plants will result. Under 

 glass, of course, fumigation will keep 

 these pests in control, but in hot weather 

 injury easily results from closing the 

 houses up tight all night, and spraying 

 methods are really preferable. 



Black fly on chrysanthemums breeds 

 fast now. A partial cure is dropping to- 

 bacco dust on the tops of the shoots, but 

 spraying once a week with a nicotine or 

 soap solution is better. Kerosene emul- 

 sion makes a useful and safe insecticide 

 for all forms of aphis. It is easily made 

 and will keep for months when pre- 

 pared. If a small quantity is needed, 

 shave eight ounces of any hard soap fine 

 and dissolve in a gallon of boiling water. 



Remove from the fire and stir two gal- 

 lons of kerosene into it. Churn until it 

 becomes creamy and later butter-like. 

 Keep in a stone crock for use. Do not 

 use wooden kegs, or much of the oil will 

 escape. Use one part of this emulsion 

 to ten parts of water for green fly, one 

 part to six for black fly, applying it in 

 the evening. This can be used on practi- 

 cally all plants subject to aphis attacks. 

 Even the white fly is kept in check by its 

 use. 



In using whale oil soap, one pound to 

 eight gallons of water will destroy aphis. 

 "We find this more liable to burn the foli- 

 age, especially under glass, than the kero- 

 sene emulsion. Before applying whale 

 oil soap, remove the sediment which floats 

 on the surface of the water and be sure 

 to keep the mixture thoroughly agitated. 



San Jose Scale. 



There is probably not a single state in 

 the Union where the San Jose scale is not 

 now firmly established. The absence in 

 ifiost locations of natural parasites, the 

 astounding fecundity of the scale and 

 the fact that it is carried from place to 

 place on the feet of birds cause it to 

 spread with alarming rapidity. Its small 

 size renders it so inconspicuous that it 

 is only when shrubs begin to have a 

 sickly appearance or are entirely dead 

 that its presence is detected. 



For badly affected plants, pulling up 

 and burning is the best remedy. Where, 

 however, some valuable shrubs are at- 

 tacked which it is desired to save, a syr- 

 inging with one of the soluble oil prepa- 

 rations, such as Scalecide, in the propor- 

 tion of one part of the oil to twenty of 

 water, will be found effective. "Where 

 large areas are to be sprayed, the cost of 

 this remedy may prove a deterrent and in 

 such case the lime and sulphur mixture 

 should be applied. This is, however, dif- 

 ficult to prepare and disagreeable to both 

 man and beast to apply. 



All the roses are subject to San Jose 

 attacks. So, also, are lilacs, hawthorns, 

 poplars, willows, Japanese quinces, pears, 

 plums, currants, gooseberries and many 

 other fruits and ornamental shrubs. For 

 application to the bark with a brush, two 

 pounds of whale oil soap in a gallon of 

 hot water will kill the pest. This mix- 

 ture must not be applied to the foliage, 

 or it will burn it. It can, however, be 

 applied in spray form while trees and 

 shrubs are dormant. Under glass, hydro- 

 cyanic acid gas is the only safe remedy. 



It is now compulsory for many nur- 

 series to fumigate their stock before 

 sending it out. Probably this is not al- 

 ways done. At all events, the receipt of 

 shrubs from nurseries advertising clean 

 bills of health from state inspectors, 

 which come badly affected with the 

 scale, shows that greater care is still 

 necessary in this respect. 



Lorraine Begonias. 



Growth is never rapid with Lorraine 

 begonias during the hot months. With 

 the advent of cooler nights they will, 

 however, make quicker headway. Grow 

 them in a house or frame where the glass 

 is just sufiSciently shaded to break the 

 hot rays of the sun. Heavy shading is 

 quite harmful. Spray them over once or 

 twice a day lightly and close up about 

 4 o'clock, to give them a warm, moist, • 

 growing atmosphere. Put on a little ven- 

 tilation for the night. Do not allow the 

 plants to become potbound. When pot- 

 ting, avoid large shifts and use plenty 

 of flaky leaf-mold in the compost. Keep 



