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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



October 15, 1908. 



BEDDING GERANIUMS. 



I was glad to see the several letters 

 in recent issues of the Review on the 

 subject of geranium propagation. It 

 4 seems to be a generally accepted fact 



that more cuttings damp off from out- 

 door than indoor stock and I am satis- 

 fied that early propagation only aggra- 

 vates the evil with the outside cuttings. 

 There is no trouble in rooting the show 

 pelargoniums, even in warm weather. 

 The cuttings are, of course, from plants 

 pot-grown and naturally harder, but even 

 in summer propagation of zonals is at- 

 tended usually by a heavy loss. The 

 cooler the months, the better are the 

 chances of success. One year I tried 

 leaving the boxes of cuttings outdoors 

 and the results were the reverse of satis- 

 factory. Shading I have found of no 

 advantage, either in fall or spring, but 

 if the sand or soil is kept moist, as in the 

 ease of mums, carnations or coleus, the 

 bulk of the cuttings ifiay be expected to 

 rot. 



Cuttings put in a fortnight ago have 

 received no waterings since their first 

 one, but a spraying overhead has been 

 given in the middle of warm days. The 

 sand is dry, but not dust-dry, and the 

 cuttings remain plump. No further wa- 

 terings will be given until the sand is 

 very dry and only enough to keep the 

 cuttings from shriveling. Constant wa- 

 tering promotes decay and a too rapid 

 growth on the cuttings which may have 

 rooted. This is not what we want. The 

 opinions of others on this subject, which 

 is timely and important, would be in- 

 teresting. C. W. 



YOUNG STOCK FOR SPRING. 



I intend to buy geraniums from 2^!- 

 inch pots to grow for spring sales. When 

 should I order them? L. A. M. K. 



If you get your geraniums about the 

 last of February from 2Vi-inch pots, 

 they will be suflBciently early. Place 

 the order some time ahead to ensure 

 prompt delivery. C. W. 



IN THE SOUTH. 



Speaking once more about the rooting 

 of geraniums, I should say that J. S. 

 PoUand's directions, in the Review of 

 October 8, are certainly good. As applied 

 to the latitude in which he lives, his 

 method would probably be free from 

 fault. And yet there is one defect in 

 liis instructions; he neglects to state that 

 ills rules are intended for an Iowa cli- 

 mate, for they would not be of much 

 value down here or in any other state a 

 few hundred miles away. 



The idea of rooting geraniums under 

 glass, as some advocate, in such a tem- 

 perature as we have here today, October 

 10 — 85 degrees outside — is out of the 

 question. This is, however, en passant, 

 because it is the fault, also, of many 

 other writers in giving directions for the 

 care or propagation of plants or sowing 

 of seeds/ without allowing for the lati- 

 tude where tliey have to be grown. 



As a matter of fact, geraniums do not 

 take to any kind of forcing. Too much 

 heat overhead, too much water in hot 

 weathCT, or any bottom heat will bring 

 bad results. Study your climate. Make 

 them as late as possible without any 

 protection and you will be successful 

 with a large percentage. 



Down here in the south our worst dif- 

 ficulty is to keep our stock during the 

 summer. The red varieties of the Bruant 

 type stand well, but the soft colored, 

 light shades generally dry up. 



Another drawback is the shortness of 

 our season. As I previously stated, 

 geraniums cannot be propagated here 

 much sooner than the first part of No- 

 vember, and by March 1 or a little sooner 

 they must be offered in the market. If 

 we pinch them, they are put back too 



late, so we have to be satisfied with a 

 single stem, which is not by any means a 

 perfect plant, and this is the only reason 

 why we have sometimes to get fresh 

 stock from the north. M, M. L. 



BONE FLOUR AS FERTILIZER. 



If bone flour is good in a mulch for 

 roses and chrysanthemums, why could it 

 not be used as a liquid in connection 

 with the animal liquids that we use? 



S. M. 



Bone flour is a useful and quick acting 

 fertilizer on roses, carnations, chrysan- 

 themums and other bench crops, but 

 great care must be taken in applying it, 

 or more harm than good will result. I 

 have seen it used on some occasions as 

 a liquid stimulant. My own experience 

 has not, however, been favorable and I 

 much prefer it in the dry form. Liquid 

 from animal manure alternated with 

 chemical topdressings gives satisfactory 

 results. Too much of the liquid causes 

 soft, flabby growth. The chemicals 

 make the wood harder, although some of 

 the more powerful ones, like nitrate of 

 soda and sulphate of ammonia, promote 

 soft growth and heavy foliage. 



C. W. 



FLORISTS' BEST CATTLEYAS. 



Here are some of the best cattleyas 

 for florists to grow for cutting, as stated 

 by George E. McClure in a recent ad- 

 dress before the Buffalo Florists' Club: 



The first cattleya of the year to bloom 

 is C. Trianse, and its varieties. -If, is a 

 native of Colombia and is preeminently 

 the best in the genus. It has many dis- 

 tinct varieties, which range from pure 

 white to rose purple. C. Trianae begins 

 to bloom in early January and lasts 

 until March. C. Schroederae, which re- 

 sembles C. Trianse in size of bloom and 

 habit of growth, is sometimes referred 

 to as a variety of C. Trianse. It is lighter 

 in color than Triana; and blooms a little 

 later. It is also a native of Colombia 

 and is invaluable, as it is the only cat- 

 tleya obtainable in quantity to succeed 

 Triana? in time of flowering. It blooms 

 from March to April. 



The next cattleya of importance in the 

 order of flowering is C. Mossiae, a Vene- 

 zuelan species, which is in its prime from 

 Ajwil to May. It is a prolific bloomer 

 and for this reason it does .not last long 

 in cultivation, but with ordinary treat- 

 ment it will last long enough to amply 

 repay all care and expenditure. 



C. Mendellii blooms from the end of 

 April to early June and is an excellent 

 orchid, though seldom offered in quan- 

 tity. 



During the months of June and July 

 a number of fine cattleyas bloom. One 



of the best of these is Warscewiczii, and 

 its variety, Sanderiana, commonly called 

 gigas. It is a native of Venezuela, and 

 produces more flowers to the spike than 

 any other of the large-Upped cattleyas. 

 The flowers are large and beautifully 

 marked. It is easily recognized by the 

 two yellow eyes or blotches at the base 

 of the labellum. This species should 

 have a decided period of rest in order 

 to produce flowers in quantity. Other 

 fine sorts that bloom in June and July 

 are Hardyana, Dowiana and Schilleriana. 



One of the cattleyas of the first rank 

 blooms during August and September: 

 Gaskelliana. Its petals are narrower 

 than most of the large-flowered cattleyas, 

 but its lip is large and beautiful. It 

 might be called the best summer-flower- 

 ing cattleya. 



During October and November two of 

 the finest cattleyas make their appear- 

 ance, labiata and Bowringeana. Labiata, 

 one of the best of the cattleyas, begins 

 to bloom in October and continues dur- 

 ing November. It is of easy culture and 

 can be) obtained^ in large quantities at 

 low prices. It is 'a. native of Brazil, and 

 is soijle£imes sold under the name of 

 C. labiata vera to distinguish it from 

 othe/s of the labiata claSs of which it is 

 the type. 



Many other fine cattleyas might be 

 mentioned as among the best, but a collec- 

 tion of the above mentioned would give a 

 comprehensive idea of the whole genus 

 and abundance of satisfaction. 



J 



