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Seitkmbeu 3, 1008. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Planting^a the Grounds of A. G. Greiner at St. Loois, Mo. 



not to overwater. Too much moisture in 

 the early stages of growth is responsible 

 for much of the so-called disease. ^ 



The Madonna lily, L. candidum, wants 

 potting as soon as it is received, as leaf 

 growth is already appearing on some of 

 the bulbs when received. Stand the pots 

 outside in full sun and leave them there 

 until there is quite sharp frost. Of the 

 several types of this useful lily on the 

 market, the broad petaled French is the 

 best. 



Ventilation. 



Quito cool nights are probable dur- 

 ing September. The majority of country 

 florists do not want to start fire heat 

 yet a while, and there is really no need 

 of it, unless roses or plants rf a tropical 

 nature are grown. With the latter a 

 warming of the pipes in damp weather 

 and on cool nightafwill be helpful. It is 

 poor policy to close down the ventilators 

 tight as soon as cool nights arrive. This 

 causes a damp and musty atmosphere, 

 one much more harmful to plant life 

 than if a few inches of top and bo.ttom 

 air were left OTi. Avoid late syringing 

 overhead now, so that foliage and paths 

 will be dry at nightfall, unless you are 

 Rising fire heat. 



A UNIQUE DISPLAY. 



Much emphasis lias of late been put 

 upon the desirability of every florist 

 maintaining a first-class display on his 

 home grounds. It has been ])ointed out 

 that a neat, well-kept place is a model 

 for all the neighborhood, but that neg- 

 lected surroundings are a positive ob- 

 stacle to floricultural progress. It has 

 been said that the florist's own place 

 stands in the same position as the cob- 

 bler's wife, who must go with ragged 

 shoes while other people's footwear gets 

 mended, but this should never be. The 

 grounds around a greenhouse establish- 

 ment doing a retail business are the 

 show window of that place — and who 

 of the downtown retailers would think 



of neglecting the show window? It 

 always is fixed up as well as the skill 

 of the owner will admit. 



A. G. Greiner, at St. Louis, believes 

 in making a show on his home grounds, 

 even though, only a small part of his 

 trade is local. His specialty is the 

 cactus and he makes a unique display, 

 as may be seen from the accompanying 

 illustration reproduced from a recent 

 photograph. Mr. Greiner 's stock of cacti 

 is said to be the largest commercial col- 

 lection of these plants in the United 

 States, and the planting on his home 

 grounds attracts a great deal of atten- 

 tion from the public. 



SPANISH IRIS. 



Can Spanish iris bylbs be successfully 

 grown a second time, or would you ad- 

 vise growing them a second time after 

 having failed with them the first time, 

 and how can they be grown successfully? 

 "^ F. J. K. 



The bulbs of Spanisli iris are of no 

 value a second season for forcing, but 

 will last for several years outdoors in 

 your state (Virginia). For indoor cul- 

 ture put the bulbs in flats four inches 

 deep as soon as received. A flat 12x30x4 

 will hold 100 bulbs. After planting place 

 in a frame or cool pit, but do not cover 

 with ashes or soil, as you would tulips or 

 narcissi. Give them a light position all 

 the time to prevent them from becoming 

 drawn. 'In January you can place in a 

 house where the night temperature runs 

 from 45 to 50 degrees, but on no occa- 

 sion let it be any warmer, as these bulbs 

 will simply not stand forcing such as 

 you would give the general run of Dutch 

 bulbs. An abundant supply of water, 

 occasional doses of liquid manure and a 

 position well up to the light are necessary 

 for first-class flowers. These may be had 

 from March to June, according to the 

 time they are housed. They can also be 

 planted in benches in a cool house, but 



flats are to be preferred, as they can be 

 moved around at will. 



For outdoor culture, plant in Novem- 

 ber, just before the ground freezes, and 

 give a covering of leaves or straw when 

 the surface is hard frozen. If you plant 

 in September, when you . get the bulbs, 

 they will make considerable growth above 

 ground before winter, although severe 

 cold does not seem to injure such growths 

 materially. C. AV. 



ROOT LOUSE ON ASTERSl 



My asters have been a failure. The. 

 green root louse killed them. Is thei'e 

 any preventive for another year? 



P. S. 



Give the plants, if possible, a new piece 

 of land another year, where asters have 

 not previously been grown. Give the 

 ground a liberal dressing of air-slaked 

 lime; plow it and leave rough over win- 

 ter. In early spring give a good ooating 

 of manure to the land and harrow ^t in. 

 Once the root lice have secured a good 

 start in a bed of growing plauts, it is 

 diflicult to eradicate them. Scattering 

 tobacco dust around the stems and . hoe- 

 ing it in has proved beneficial. Liquid 

 tobacco extract will kill the pests, but it 

 is a slow job to apply it, besides being 

 quite expensive if your field is a large 

 one. C. W. 



THE READERS' CORNER. 



Root Lice. •'•"'' 

 I was interested in an article published 

 in the Review of July 30, concerning 

 ' ' Root Lice on Asters. ' ' I think L. J. B. 

 might find something of interest to him 

 concerning this subject in Circular No. 

 86. on "Corn Leaf -aphis and Corn Root- 

 aphis, ' '' published by the United States 

 Department of Agriculture.' Last year 

 I tried late fall plowing, as suggested in 

 the circular, and have not been bothered 

 by any root lice this season. or.lin 



C. R. Cranston. * 



