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12 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Fbbbuary 4, 1909. 



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cut is made above the fourth or fifth 

 joint. 



Use a Sharp Knife. 



In making use of the word "cut," I 

 do so with reference to and in recom- 

 mendation of the actual use of a sharp 

 knife, and with special protest against 

 employment of the thumb nail. 



We have seen this operation done by 

 bending the top to one side or back and 

 forth, but under this method the break 

 usually occurs at a joint, whereas it 

 should take place midway between two 

 joints. 



Eight here we perceive an advantage 

 in pot culture, for, as every plantsman 

 knows, when a plant is cut back the soil 

 should be held somewhat on the dry side 

 until growth is resumed in the hitherto 

 dormant eyes. In our case potted stock, 

 as soon as topped, can be stood over 

 apart from the others and water with- 

 held or applied sparingly until the side 

 shoots appear. This would be an im- 

 possibility when set in flats, unless every 

 plant in the flat was in condition to top 

 at the same time, which circumstance 

 would practically never happen. 



With some varieties the side shoots 

 start before the center is in condition to 

 top. This is a pretty sure indication of 

 an inborn disposition to neat, bushy 

 growth, and little trouble will be ex- 

 perienced in securing symmetrical plants. 



Others of sprawly habit, or those 

 whose side branches easily break away 

 from the main trunk, are more diflScult 

 to manage, but by keeping in mind an 

 ideal shape and training with that end 

 in view, every variety can be induced 

 to make satisfactory plants as regards 

 habit. 



It is well worth while to master these 

 rampant ones, for their blooms are often 

 superior to those requiring little effort 

 to train, thus proving the old saying that 

 ' ' anything which grows easily is of 

 small value." Geo. S. Osborn. 



WINONA IN ENGLAND. 



In a review of the behavior of the 

 newer American carnations in England 

 this season a writer says : ' ' Winona is 

 undoubtedly the pick of the packef; it 

 won't stand a lot of criticism, but it is 

 always doing something which tells on 

 the books, and it is a splendid type of 

 the bread and butter carnation. The 

 beautiful shade of pink is a selling 

 color, and its productiveness makes up 

 for size. It is difficult to tell when tlic 

 first crop ends and second crop begins. 

 A market grower said the other day : ' 1 

 like Winona because it always has plenty 

 of whiskers. ' He meant young growths 

 coming. ' ' 



STIGMONOSE. 



What is the disease on the enclosed 

 carnation leaves, and what is the cause 

 and the remedy f I think some are eaten 

 by spider, but I am not sure. The spot, 

 ;ind the one that is yellow on the tip, I 

 cannot account for. They were fed with 

 bone meal, and also with a mulch about 

 an inch and a half thick, of cow manure 

 that was about half spent. I put a light 

 dash of lime on the soil wheti the plants 

 were first housed. The disease seems to 

 be spreading over the entire carnation 

 houses, on all varieties. E. G. B. 



The specimens forwarded are covered 

 with the light spots which are known as 

 stigmonose. This subject has been treat- 

 ed repeatedly and fully in these columns 



this season. Refer to your recent back 

 numbers of the Eeview and you will find 

 full instructions. A. F. J. B. 



GOOD COOL GROWING REDS. 



We find Enchantress, Eose-pink En- 

 chantress and White Enchantress so 

 satisfactory to our patrons and profitable 

 to ourselves that we have about decided 

 to cut out other varieties of those colors 

 entirely for another year. But we are 

 uncertain what it is best to grow for 

 red in the same houses with those cool 



growing varieties. Cardinal, we know, 

 is agreeable to the temperature, but it 

 is scarcely satisfactory in size, etc. Can 

 you advise us? Z. K. J. 



You should have no trouble in growing 

 either Victory or Beacon in the same 

 temperature with the Enchantress var- 

 ieties. Both are good, and my advice 

 to you would be to plant both next 

 season and choose for yourself between 

 them, unless you wish to grow both. 

 Either one is better than Cardinal in 

 every way. A. F. J. B. 





I 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



I 



Cyclamens. 



Seedlings of cyclamen started early 

 last October are still in flats on a shelf 

 in a light, sunny house. The surface soil 

 is scratched over frequently and it is 

 really surprising how the little plants ap- 

 preciate and respond to these little at- 

 tentions. You cannot get them, or for 

 that matter any other plants, to grow 

 satisfactorily if you allow the surface to 

 become caked, mossy and weedy. Care- 

 ful watering and cleanliness are as im- 

 portant as proper soil and temperature 

 in plant cultivation under glass. The 

 little cyclamens should go into 2% -inch 

 pots before they become crowded. At 

 this first potting, use a light compost 

 containing two-thirds leaf-mold, one- 

 third loam and some fine sand. Do not 

 use any manure, even if old and well 

 decayed, until the next potting. Give 

 your plants a stand on a light bench and 

 a temperature of 45 to 52 degrees at 

 night. A light spraying overhead early 

 in the afternoon of warm days will be 

 beneficial. Watering with the hose is 

 easy and often necessary. If you want 

 good cyclamens, use a watering pot, how- 

 ever, in the early stages of growth. 



Campanula Medium. 



Campanula medium, better known as 

 Canterbury bells, have during the last 

 few years become quite popular at 

 Kaster. White colors usually sell best at 

 that time, but the pink shades are spe- 

 cially attractive. The blue shades are in 

 less demand. Double varieties are less 

 desirable than the single and Calycan- 

 thema varieties. To ensure your plants 

 being on time, if they have not yet been 

 started, lose no time in placing them in 

 a night temperature of 50 degrees. It 

 will not pay to run them any warmer, or 

 the plants will become weak and spind- 

 ling. When in active growth the Can- 

 terbury bells want lots of water, so do 

 not let them suffer on this score. 



Hydrangeas. 



The flower heads on hydrangeas are 

 beginning to show in the shoots of some 

 of the earliest plants. These will be in 

 good season for Easter without any need 

 of resorting to hard forcing. Like 

 spiraeas, the hydrangeas want an abun- 

 dant water supply, and where the pots 

 are filled with roots, use liquid manure 

 once in four or five days. If the foliage. 



perchance, looks pale, use a little soot or 

 nitrate of soda in the water to tone them 

 up. Do not allow aphis to get any foot- 

 hold. If you remember the weekly fumi- 

 gation, you will have no trouble on this 

 score. Any plants which are throwing 

 few flowers will probably yield you a 

 good crop of serviceable cuttings. These 

 can be grown into strong plants to force 

 another year. If your plants are a little 

 backward, they can stand a temperature 

 of 58 to 60 degrees at night, but it is 

 better to reduce this 5 to 10 degrees as 

 the flower heads develop. 



Fuchsias. 



Old fuchsia plants started in gentle 

 heat a short time ago will now have 

 broken freely and a good crop of nice, 

 short, stocky cuttings will be obtainable 

 from them. In a propagating bench 

 they will root and be fit to pot off within 

 three weeks. While not of much value 

 fpr bedding-out purposes, fuchsias make 

 desirable pot plants and flower nicely in 

 window boxes or in vases on piazzas, 

 where they get a little broken light from 

 the midday sun. At bedding-out time, 

 nice little plants in bloom in 4-inch pots 

 usually sell well. 



Petunias. 



A crop of nice cuttings should now be 

 gotten in of the double varieties of 

 petunias and any special singles which 

 have been selected. As pot plants, 

 petunias have much to recommend them. 

 They are persistent flowering, even in 

 the hottest weather, and make ideal 

 dwelling house plants. Whether in vases, 

 boxes, baskets or flower borders, there 

 are no more satisfactory bedding plants 

 than petunias. If at bedding-out time 

 you have a good batch of doubles and 

 singles of the California Giant type car- 

 rying a few flowers, you will find them 

 one of the best sellers, next to geraniums 

 and cannas. 



BougainviUeas. 



Bougainvilleas have become quite im- 

 portant Easter plants of late years. 

 Their color is not popular with some peo- 

 ple, but they meet with a satisfactory 

 sale each year. Easter stock is now 

 growing freely in a house kept at 60 

 degrees at night. Having been started 

 three weeks ago in this temperature, the 

 flowers should be well developed ten 

 weeks hence. A light spraying overhead 



