JUNE 3, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



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Lawn Scene at the Home of Wm. F. Gude, Washington, D. C. 



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speedily improve if given a little atten- 

 tion. The cultivator should be frequently 

 run between the rows and hand weeding 

 resorted to to pull up any weeds among 

 the plants. A mulch of well decayed ma- 

 nure, straw, hay or grass between the 

 rows assists in keeping the roots cool and 

 moist, and where it is possible to provide 

 this a wonderful improvement in stems, 

 as compared with plants not so treated, 

 ^~^<dll be noted. 



, XPhe mistake of too thick sowing, or a 

 neglect to do necessary thinning, is still 

 the rock on which sweet pea culturists 

 stumble. You cannot get strong stems 

 carrying three or four flowers each where 

 your plants are crowded. 



Poinsettias. 



It is time to get in an early batch of 

 cuttings of poinsettias. Those taken with 

 a heel root most readily, but there is no 

 trouble in propagating if clean, fresh 

 sand is used, Avith good drainage below it. 

 Do not put your cuttings where they will 

 get any drip, or they will speedily rot. 

 Give at least one thorough watering each 

 day and if you are unable to root the 

 cuttings in your greenhouses, put them in 

 flats of sand and place them in a cold- 

 frame close to the light, but well shaded 

 during sunshine. Keep the frame quite 

 close until cuttings are rooted, then air 

 more freely. Be sure to pot oflf as soon 

 as rooted, as the roots break easily. 



English Ivy. 



If your stock of English ivy is low, the 

 present is a good time to root a good 

 batch of cuttings. It is not necessary to 

 depend on tops of shoots, as any portion 

 " of the wood will root. The harder por- 

 tions take a little longer. Just now there 

 is no special pressure on the propagating 

 bench and it may well be utilized for any 

 of these useful odds and ends. Any ivy 

 plants in pots left over should be plunged 

 over the pots outdoors. These will make 



lots of growth before fall. When propa- 

 gating of ivy or, in fact, any other 

 plants, is being carried out during hot 

 weather, frequent waterings are neces- 

 sary. One good wilting and drying up 

 will ruin them. 



DAHLIAS. 



Can you inform me how to grow 

 dahlias so they will bloom well? I» it 

 proper to let all the stems grow, or/nip 

 some off? G. E. S. 



In planting out dahlias, if your clumps 

 are large, divide them with a strong, 

 sharp knife, leaving at least one strong 

 eye to each division. Plant in the field 

 in rows three feet apart and twenty-four 

 to thirty inches between the plants, de- 

 pending on how much room you can 

 spare them. Reduce the growths to one 

 to each plant. This is much more satis- 

 factory than leaving several on each. 

 When the shoot is eight to twelve inches 

 high, pinch out its top, then let it go 



ahead. Plants treated thus will need 

 little staking, but flower a little later 

 than if unpinched. In the latter case, 

 however, staking is a necessity or your 

 plants will be broken with the first 

 strong winds. The largest dahlia grow- 

 ers do not stake at all, but all adopt the 

 single-stem, pinched-back system. The 

 ground' between dahlias should of course 

 be kept thoroughly cultivated during the 

 whole growing season. C. W. 



GUDE'S GROUNDS. 



The accompanying illustration is re- 

 produced from a photograph made in a 

 suburb of Washington, D. C, and will 

 be of interest because many will recog- 

 nize the gentleman in the carriage as 

 William F. Gude, formerly president of 

 the S. A. F. and now president of the 

 Chamber of Commerce at Washington. 

 The picture was made on the grounds at 

 Mr. Gude's suburban home. The pipe 

 summer-house at the left is planted with 

 Lady Gay roses. 



CARNATION NOTES.-EAST. 



Wet Weather Items. 



In this section we have had an unusual 

 amount of rain and cloudy weather, 

 which will naturally produce a soft, 

 sappy growth. 



When the sun does come out, and the 



soil has dried out sufficiently to crumble 

 or not stick to the cultivator, then is the 

 accepted time to break up the surface 

 thoroughly. To start the cultivator toa 

 soon makes the soil pasty and causes it 

 to dry out in lumps, thereby defeating 

 the prune object of stirring the surface, 

 namely, to form a linely divided, loose 

 mulch. 



After a soaking rain, if the cultivating 

 is not done at the proper time, the soil 



