June 17, 1U09. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



u 



CARNATION NOTES.-EAST. 



Size of Plants. 



My statement in the Review of June 

 10, that the size of plants is of secondary 

 importance when housing in July, was 

 not intended to imply that large size is 

 the first requisite in the selection of stock 

 for later plantings. Vigor and freedom 

 from disease always come first. Given 

 the choice between heavy plants and 

 those of medium size, we would choose 

 the latter every time, and if these were 

 not equal in point of health to a still 

 smaller size we would pass both heavy 

 and medium. 



What is true in transplanting young 

 specimens of any plant is equally true 

 in the case of carnations; they can be 

 handled more rapidly, with less breakage 

 of shoots and with less diflSculty in 

 maintaining an upright position in the 

 soil, than when large. But of still 

 greater importance is the fact that the 

 smaller plant becomes more quickly es- 

 tablished and, in completing its growth 

 under glass, attains a certain degree of 

 permanence, which enables it to better 

 withstand the strain of winter forcing. 



Proved by Experience. 



There is no element of theory in the 

 above; almost invariably have we ex- 

 perienced the greater percentage of loss 

 by stem-rot among the larger plants, and 

 while it is true that they can be allowed 

 to bloom earlier, this proves of no advan- 

 tage in the long run. 



Some growers seem to think the car- 

 nation should not be housed until the 

 plants are of large size, and then many 

 times we see them lifted with a crop of 

 buds, these being allowed to develop. 

 This is entirely wroDg if the best results 

 are anticipated, as it is too late when 

 plants r^h this stage for most varieties 

 to get ^eU settled in their new quarters 

 before cold weather. Then, if brought 

 in with buds and allowed to make bloom 

 at once, much energy which should go to 

 effect reestablishment is consumed in de- 

 veloping practically worthless flowers. 



Geo. S. Osborn. 



FEEDING IN THE FIELD. 



I had to put my carnation plants out- 

 side in poor and shallow soil this year, 

 and am afraid they will not make much 

 growth. May I feed them with sheep 

 manure, wood ashes or other fertilizer 

 with beneficial results! 



I understand that some government ex- 

 perts have been experimenting on carna- 

 tions with various fertilizers. Can I get 



any definite data anywhere? I believe 

 the fertilizers were added to the soil 

 previous to the plants being housed. 



J.M. 



Unless the soil on which the plants are 

 growing in the field is exceedingly poor, 

 I would not advise you to feed them 

 much in the field now. If you get fair- 

 sized plants by housing time, and well 

 matured, they will be better than large, 

 soft plants. However, if you think it 

 desirable to fertilize some, you can give 

 them some sheep manure or cattle ma- 

 nure, well broken up. In either case I 

 would put on only enough so that the 

 cultivator can be used to stir it into the 

 soil. Don't put on enough to make a 

 mulch, as in your northern climate it 

 would prevent proper maturing of the 

 growth next month. The shredded cattle 

 manure which is now sold and used quite 

 extensively would perhaps prove better 

 than the green material, as it could be 

 worked into the soil more easily with the 

 cultivator. 



Experiments with .fertilizers were con- 

 ducted at the U. S. Experiment Station 

 at Washington two years ago, and you 

 can get what information you want from 

 there. Address your inquiry in care of 

 the Department of Agriculture, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. A. F. J. B. 



HEIGHT OF SOLID BEDS. 



I am putting solid beds into one house 

 this season and have been reading up 

 back numbers of the Review on the sub- 

 ject, but should like to know if it is quite 

 immaterial whether the beds are twelve 

 or eighteen inches high. As I will have 

 to buy filling, would cinders such as are 

 got from the railroads be all right, or 

 can you suggest something better? 



J.M. 



It is quite immaterial whether your 

 beds are twelve or eighteen inches high, 

 as long as the soil underneath will allow 

 the water to drain away properly. It will 

 be somewhat easier to work the beds if 

 they are eighteen inches high, and there- 

 fore we prefer that height. If you have 

 trouble in getting enough filling material, 

 why not build them twelve inches high 

 now and when you can get more material, 

 get it, and the next time you replant add 

 another six inches? If you put in .con- 

 crete sides this will not be practical, but 

 with board sides it will be simple enougli. 

 Cinders such as you mention make good 

 filling material, but do not use them too 

 fresh, as sometimes they retain consider- 

 able sulphur. We use the cinders from 

 our own boilers. A. F. J. B. 



CYPRIPEDIUM INSIGNE. 



Still Remains a Leader. 



An English gardening journal re- 

 cently offered a prize for a popular essay 

 on the best six orchids. The winner 

 selected the following: Cattleya Trianse, 

 Coelogyne cristata, Cypripedium insigne, 

 Calanthe Veitchii, Dendrobium nobile 

 and Odontoglossum crispum. The selec- 

 tion is an excellent one. The last named, 

 which is unquestionably the finest orchid 

 in cultivation, is unfortunately a hard 



proposition in America, owing to our hot 

 summers. In spite of the host of valu- 

 able and beautiful cypripediunis raised 

 of late years, C. insigne still stands head 

 and shoulders above all others as a com- 

 mercial variety. Lasting, as the flowers 

 do, for several months, flowering during 

 the darkest part of the year and with a 

 freedom unequaled by any other cypri- 

 pediefP, it is not surprising that C. in- 

 signe still remains a leader in its class. 

 A native of Nepaul and in cultivation 

 for nearly a century, C. insigne has 

 given us a host of beautiful forms, the 



