10 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Jandaby 21, 1909. 



As a matter of fact, they will keep 

 harder and healthier iif run a trifle on 

 the dry side. Allow them to get tolerably 

 dry before watering. You will find less 

 diseased foliage if you treat them in this 

 way. A temperature of 45 to 50 degrees 

 at night should not be exceeded. 



In shifting geraniums, avoid the use 



of manure not fully rotted and well 

 dried. It is safer to use more bone and 

 less cow manure at the final potting, 

 which should be into 4-inch pots. Do not 

 allow any flowers to be produced yet 

 and remove all moldy or decaying leaves, 

 which will quickly cause others to be 

 afl"ected in damp, sunless weather. 



CARNATION NOTES.- EAST. 



In the Cutting Bench. 



When inserting cuttings in the sand, 

 always begin at a certain end of the 

 bench when facing it — right or left, as 

 may be most convenient, but make a 

 practice of working at all times in the 

 same direction, following the last cut- 

 ting in a batch with a label denoting the 

 variety, and instead of filling out the row 

 with the beginning of another lot, start 

 a new row at the far side. This may 

 seem somewhat elementary, but fsfilure 

 to observe this simple rule, or a similar 

 one, has led more than one grower to be- 

 lieve himself the fortunate (?) possessor 

 of a sport. 



Do not try to see how many cuttings 

 can be gotten into a certain space, but 

 give them breathing room, allowing 

 more for the larger sized. 



A common table or putty knife is all 

 that is required to cut the furrows which 

 are to receive the cuttings, and the only 

 guide needed to make them straight is 

 the eye. The late William Scott once re- 

 marked that "the man who cannot draw 

 a straight line in the sand across a bench, 

 without a rule, had better go back to 

 vrashing pots." 



Be particular that no leaves, clippings 

 or wilted cuttings are left ■ in the sand 

 to decay. Do not permit discarded cut- 

 tings or any vegetable matter to be 

 thrown in the path or under the bench. 

 All such should be removed as found, 

 and destroyed. 



In removing a batch of rooted cuttings 

 from the sand, there is an occasional one 

 which has failed to root or possesses but 

 a poor apology for a root. Such may as 

 well be thrown away at once, for al- 

 though given another trial and induced to 

 root, they are quite sure to lack vigor. 



Twenty-one days is considered about 

 the minimum time in which the average 

 carnation cutting should root and be in 

 condition for potting. It is preferable 

 that the process consume a longer pe- 

 riod rather than a shorter one, as, if com- 

 pleted sooner, it is safe to conclude that 

 too much heat is being used. 



I am not an advocate of allowing the 

 rootlets to attain much length in the 

 sand. Taken up when about one-eighth 

 inch in length, they come away from the 

 eand readily, without injury, and being 

 disposed in natural position around the 

 cutting's base, there is no bunching or 

 cramping of these delicate feeders. 



The Question of Pots. 



. The question arises in the minds of 

 some as to the advisability of growing 



young stock in pots. Quite a few claim 

 that if pricked out in flats as taken from 

 the sand, much less attention is needed 

 to produce plants equal in size to those 

 grown in pots. Others object to the use 

 of pots on the ground that stock suffers 

 more or less unless shifted, which entails 

 increased expense for labor. We will 

 admit that it is less work to set out and 

 care for rooted cuttings in flats than 

 in pots, also that equally large and even 

 larger plants can be grown by this 

 method. But, while in adopting the pot 

 system we may increase labor, the ad- 

 vantage gained in later operations re- 

 pays us fourfold, and as to comparison 

 of size in plants the relatively small one 

 is, as a rule, the more desirable. 



By the use of pots we are able to give 

 each plant more individual attention, but 

 one great advantage derived is most ap- 

 parent at housing time, when it will be 

 observed, as the plant is lifted, that the 

 root system, instead of extending over 

 considerable area, is in a compact mass, 

 the original ball quite frequently being 

 intact. This lessens ■■ liability of serious 

 check and facilitates rapid benching. If 

 this is given full consideration for its 

 aid in r66stablishment, the labor expend- 

 ed in potting fal^ into insignificance. 



Extra earty propagation, employment 

 of rich soil and too high temperature are 

 the principal causes of stocl^ outgrowing 

 the pots and needing a shift. In order 

 to secure the desired quantity of stock, 

 extra early propagation is sometimes un- 

 avoidable, and, if the varieties are like- 

 ly to be valuable, a shift will pay, but 

 there is no excuse for using rich soil or 

 maintaining excessive temperature. 



I venture the opinion that compara- 

 tively few growers realize the benefits to 

 be derived from growing young stock in 

 a low temperature. As soon - as the 

 newly potted cuttings are sufficiently es- 

 tablished to stand full sun, they should 

 be gradually accustomed to lower tem- 

 perature, until finally the thermometer 

 of the house in which they are to remain 

 until planted out, registers around 45 

 to 50 degrees during the day and 35 to 

 40 degrees at night, with air in abund- 

 ance. This treatment not only encourages 

 a slow, steady growth, but induces a 

 partial rest, not to mention the value of 

 low temperature as a hindrance to the 

 existence of insect pests. 



Geo. S. Osboen. 



"CARRIED OVER" CARNATIONS. 



At Joliet, Dl., the Chicago Carnation 

 Co. this season tried an experiment with 

 last year's plants which turned out re- 

 markably successful. The stock which 

 was used specially for propagating for 

 the season of 1907-8 was cut back and 

 grown on for blooming for the season of 



1908-9. Results to date have been more 

 than satisfactory. For instance, White 

 Enchantress is said to have given fifteen 

 blooms per plant before January Land 

 the present condition of the stock assures 

 a fair cut for some time to come. 



The plants were cut back in April, 

 after they had been on the benches at 

 least seven months, but it should be 

 noted that they had been grown for cut- 

 tings and not pushed for blooms during 

 the dark days of winter. After cutting 

 back, some were treated just as roses to 

 be carried over are handled, n part of 

 the old soil being scraped off and re- 

 placed with fresh compost, while some 

 were lifted and planted on another 

 bench in fresh soil. There is to be noted 

 no apparent difference in results by 

 either method. White Enchantress, 

 White Perfection and Beacon each did 

 equally well handled this way. 



Manager Pyfer says the Carnation Co. 

 has about 200,000 cuttings in the sand, 

 a good part of the space now carrying 

 its second batch. The demand is run- 

 ning largely to White Enchantress, 

 White Perfection and Beacon. There is 

 some call for Splendor, for Lawson is 

 down and out and there is need for a 

 good pink. The next novelty to run into 

 big figures for sales the year it is sent 

 out will likely be a dark pink. The 

 Chicago Carnation Co. has a variegated 

 that both Mr. Pyfer and Mr. Olsem 

 think will travel. It could be used as a 

 pink when first open, but later is like a 

 good Prosperity. "You know everybody 

 would be growing Prosperity," said Mr. 

 Olsem, "only they can't make it bloom. 

 Well, this will bloom." It is not yet 

 named. 



JOTTINGS ON VARIETIES. 



Beacon gave five flowers per plant up to 

 January 1, accordiflg to the record kept 

 by P. W. Peterson, foreman for the 

 J. D. Thompson Carnation Co., at Joliet. 

 He says, moreover, that cuttings of Bea- 

 con ^rfe thu^ far in greater demand than 

 any other variety with them, although he 

 looks for an increase iti the call for 

 White Enchantress that will, before the 

 end of the setfeon, run its sales up to a 

 total above all ^ others. This 'year the 

 Thompson Co. has about three times as 

 many White Perfection as White En- 

 cMantress, but Mr. Peterson says the pro- 

 portions will be reversed next season. 

 Up to January 1 White Enchantress had 

 given an average of about one and a 

 half blooms per plant more than Perfec- 

 tion. There is still a good call for cut- 

 tings of Enchantress, although it is the 

 one sort everybody is offering. The call 

 for Bose-pink is good, but not so great 

 as last year, nor so great as for White 

 Enchantress, but Mr, Peterson thinks 

 the grower who fills his space with noth- 

 ing but Enchantress and its sports 

 won't go very far wrong. The plants 

 of Winsor are literally full of good cut- 

 tings that the demand thus far does not 

 seem to warrant taking off and rooting. 

 Mr. Peterson says he finds it worth 

 while taking extra precaution to keep 

 his cuttings from wilting between the 

 time they are taken from the plants and 

 insertion in the sand. When taken from 

 the plants they are not held in the hand, 

 but are placed in small baskets. When 

 a few have been gathered they are taken 

 to a couple of dexterous young women 

 who have a table in the same house. As 

 quickly as twenty-five are trimmed up 

 they are tied in a loose bundle that is 

 stood in a shallow fibrotta pot containing 

 a couple of inches of water. They stay 



