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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



December 31, 1908. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Bouvardias. 



The Christmas market usually finishes 

 the cut of the scarlet and pink varieties 

 of bouvardias. These one-tim(»>^avorites 

 are not now much grown, bub- are quite 

 useful in floral designs. It is time now 

 to start propagating for next season 's 

 plants. This is best done by cutting the 

 thicker roots in short pieces, half an 

 inch or so in length, and planting in 

 sand in a warm propagating bench. This 

 method of propagation is preferable to 

 taking soft wood cuttings, except in the 

 case of the fall blooming B. Humboldtii, 

 which can be quickly increased by either 

 method, but most easily by the soft wood 

 cuttings. Do not keep the old bouvardia 

 plants standing around any longer than 

 necessary, for they alwaysjpbecottyp- head- 

 quarters for mealy bug. 



Dutch Bulbs. 



The unusually clear and warm winter, 

 which we have so far been favored with, 

 has permitted of a larger number than 

 usual of the yellow Trumpet narcissi 

 being flowered for Christmas. The bulb 

 market is not what it was a number of 

 years ago. With the camellia, tuberose 

 and one or two other flowers, it had a 

 heavy slump. Nevertheless, there is a 

 fair call for well grown flowers of nar- 

 cissi and tulips during the winter months. 

 It is unwise to bring in too big a batch 

 of any one variety at a time, the market 

 for these being much more limited than 

 for carnations, roses and violets, bilt 

 where a good retail trade exists, a few 

 flats should be housed every fourth or 

 fifth day to keep up a steady succession. 



That beautiful and ever popular forc- 

 ing tulip. La Reine, should be kept dark 

 for a few days in a warm house to draw 

 up the stems, which are naturally short. 

 A case such as is used for valley will 

 answer well for this purpose. Some of 

 the other tulips are now well started and 

 a few pans or flats of these can be 

 started at intervals. The ffemand for 

 these is, however, small compared with 

 that for La Reine. Golden Spur and 

 Henry Irving are now in season and are 

 useful. Always let the flowers open out 

 in a cool house, to give them substance. 

 Narcissus poeticus ornatus, sweet scented 

 yellow jonquils and a few of the earliest 

 Dutch hyacinths may all now be started. 

 Look over the main lot of bulbous stock 

 and thoroughly water any that show the 

 least trace of dryness at the roots. 



Lilies. 



"Will my lilies be in season for 

 Easter?" is the burden of many in- 

 quiries now received. Easter, 1909, comes 

 on April 11, a week earlier than in 1908. 

 It is always better to have plants a little 

 too early than to be obliged to resort 

 to hard forcing a few days before the 

 Easter festival. Lilies which are now six 

 to eight inches high will be all right for 

 Easter, if grown along in a temperature 

 of 48 to 50 degrees at night for a few 

 weeks, giving them 5 degrees more heat 



a little later in the winter. Bulbs which 

 are just pushing through the soil will 

 also come in, but will require a little 

 more pushing. Give them 55 degrees at 

 night now, advancing to 60 degrees when 

 they are six inches high. We do not 

 like to force the plants until the pots 

 are well filled with roots. Look over the 

 stock frequently and throw away any 

 showing signs of " disease. Green aphis 

 will quickly secure a foothold in the tops 

 of the shoots if fumigating is neglected. 

 Blow a little fine tobacco dust on the 

 tops of the shoots. This will also help 

 to keep pests in check. 



Candidum lilies for Easter should be 



smilax beds. Keep them on the dry side 

 for a week or two, until the shoots have 

 started well, when water may be applied 

 more freely. Smilax will grow well in 

 a lower temperature than asparagus. 

 While it will stand 60 degrees at night, 

 we prefer to grow it at least 5 degrees 

 cooler. 



Palms. 



Take advantage of any spare hours to 

 clean over the foliage on the palms. You 

 cannot well expect customers to purchase 

 plants with dirty foliage, such as we too 

 often see, and if you have any decora- 

 tions to carry out, you cannot afford 

 to use dirty plants. If there is much 

 scale on the leaves, use some whale oil 

 soap in the water, being careful, how- 

 ever, not to use it on young, soft foliage, 

 or burning will result. Wash the wood- 

 work and glass with soap and water, 

 and if bug has gotten a foothold, it will 

 pay to paint the iron and woodwork 

 with kerosene, always being careful not 

 to let this drop on the foliage. It is 

 rather too early yet to do any repotting. 

 Wait until the days lengthen a little 

 more. 



Aster Gladys Evelyn. 



started at once. As these resent hard 

 forcing, give them a temperature of 45 

 to 50 degrees as a starter. A little more 

 heat may be given when the buds show. 



Asparasfus Plumosus. 



The Christmas trade occasions a heavy 

 demand for Asparagus plumosus. Where 

 the strings have been clean cut out of 

 portions of the beds, give the surface 

 soil a good cleaning over and apply a 

 mulch of decayed cow manure. Get the 

 new twine strung as soon as possible. It 

 is a big mistake to leave it until growth 

 starts. Cutworms frequently harass as- 

 paragus growers and do great damage 

 by eating the young shoots and tender 

 foliage. Pyrethrum insect powder and 

 Strawson's Vaporite are the best reme- 

 dies we know of for these destructive 

 pests. Fumigation with hydrocyanic 

 acid gas has failed to clean them out. 



Smilax. 



Treatment similar to that recommend- 

 ed for Asparagus plumosus nanus should 

 be given the cut-over portions of the 



Antirrfiinums. 



Antirrhinums benched in place of the 

 earliest mums are now growing apace 

 and will need a little attention every few 

 days. Supports must be given to the 

 flower stems, for if once bent or twisted 

 they are practically worthless. It is not 

 a good policy to let every shoot run up to 

 flower, or your spikes will be small. If 

 you want these to be of fancy quality, 

 reduce the number on each plant to half 

 a dozen and rub off all others as they 

 appear. Keep the side shoots rubbed off 

 the flowering stems as they advance. 

 The surface soil will require an occa- 

 sional stirring and, as the roots will now 

 run pretty well through the compost, a 

 little liquid manure can be given with 

 advantage. 



ASTER GLADYS EVELYN. 



Five years ago the aster illustrated as 

 Gladys Evelyn originated with E. A. 

 Muchow, of Clarence, N. Y. In the sea- 

 sons that followed he worked up a stock 



