10 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



JUNB 24, 1909. 



of extreme heat, but so soon as hot 

 weather comes along they will quickly 

 become pale and sometimes burn if the 

 glass is not sufficientJy shaded. Not only 

 are the plants of a darker hue under 

 shade, but the water supply is less of a 

 problem. Scale and other insect pests 

 will spread fast now if hosing is neg- 

 lected; one thorough syringing a day, at 

 least, should be given, but on hot days 

 two or three wettings overhead will re- 

 fresh the plants. The atmosphere should 

 never feel dry at any time. 



There is no time at this season of the 

 year for any sponging or cleansing of the 

 plants, but by judiciously using a spray 

 from the hose, pests will be held in check 

 and the foliage kept clean at the same 

 time. Plants in pots or tubs which are 

 matted with roots should be afforded 

 liquid manure once in ten days. In fact, 

 about all palms well established will be 

 benefited by its use. There are several 

 special plant foods of a chemical nature 

 which are also excellent for keeping the 

 foliage a dark green color. 



Cold-storage Lilies. 



Early in July is a suitable time to start 

 some cold storage bulbs of Lilium longi- 

 florum, speciosum and speciosum album 

 for flowering from Thanksgiving to 



case is too high. If a frame is used, 

 place some board shutters over the sashes 

 to keep the bulbs cooler and prevent dry- 

 ing out. Overwatering should be guarded 

 against. More lilies in the early stages 

 of growth are ruined by too much 

 moisture than all other causes combined, 

 and not infrequently the diseased foliage 

 charged to dealers' accounts is caused 

 by an overplus of water in the begin- 

 ning, which simply rots all the roots and 

 causes a sourness of the soil which no 

 plants will thrive in. 



Primulas. 



The proper place for primulas now is 

 in coldframes, where they can have an 

 abundance of air, which can be provided 

 by elevating the sashes a few inches, 

 there being now no need to close them 

 at night. Shade must be provided either 

 in the form of cheesecloth or lath blinds. 

 The latter are preferable, being heavy 

 and not blown away by every gust of 

 wind. 



Potting should be attended to, so that 

 the plants will not get starved before re- 

 ceiving their final shift. Pots five and 

 six inches in diameter are the usual com- 

 mercial sizes used and the early sowings 

 should be ready to go into these about 

 the end of the present month. Use as a 



Jerusalem Cherry, a Big Christmas Seller. 



Christmas. The longiflorums, as a rule, 

 will go in 5-ii|ch pots; the speciosums do 

 rather better in boxes containing six 

 inches of soil, or if in pots succeed better 

 in large sized ones, five to seven bulbs 

 to a pot. After potting, all should be 

 placed on the floor of a cellar or pit 

 w liore the sun will not dry them out. 

 One good watering should carry them 

 until growth starts. Do not stand the 

 pots in a coldframe or under the green- 

 house bench. The temperature iij each 



compost for all the primulas, including 

 Sinensis, obconica, Kewensis and Forbesi, 

 a compost comprising two parts fibrous 

 loam, one part leaf -mold, one part rotted 

 cow manure and sufficient sharp sand to 

 keep the whole porous. Pot moderately 

 firmly. On the afternoons of hot days a 

 light spraying overhead refreshes the 

 plants. 



The Keview can supply any horticul- 

 tural books at publishers' prices. 



SOLANUM CAPSICASTRUM. 



Of the various berried plants grown 

 for Christmas, the one of easiest cul- 

 ture, which still sells well in many places, 

 is the old Jerusalem cherry, Solanum 

 Capsicastrum. It is true that it does 

 not bring the price of Ardisia crenulata, 

 but it takes three years to grow a salable 

 plant of the latter and only nine months 

 for the former. "Where a berried plant 

 to retail profitably at a comparatively 

 low price is wanted, there is nothing to 

 equal the Jerusalem cherry. 



Propagation can be either by cuttings 

 or seeds, the latter method being much 

 the better one. Cuttings produce plants 

 which berry and ripen earlier than seed- 

 lings, but they lack the size and sym- 

 metry characteristic of the latter. Seed 

 sown about the end of February is in 

 good season. There is no need to buy it. 

 Select a few fine berries from an extra 

 good plant. These will give you more 

 seedlings than you can use. The seeds 

 germinate quickly, and when of suffi- 

 cient size can be potted off into 2%-inch 

 pots. Place in a coldframe about the 

 end of April and plant out not later than 

 the middle of May. Allow a foot be- 

 tween the plants in the rows. No top- 

 ping is needed, but the ground should be 

 kept well stirred all summer. 



About tlie last of August the plants 

 will be heavily fruited and they can be 

 dug up and placed in 5-inch and 6-inch 

 pots; extra heavy plants may need 

 7-inch. Shade for a few days; then stand 

 in full sun. Syringe freely until the 

 plants stop wilting. The plants can be 

 kept in a cold pit until November, or, if 

 space permits, may be placed in a cool 

 greenhouse about the last of September. 

 A few degrees of frost will not harm the 

 plants in the least. 



For either Thanksgiving or Christmas 

 trade, Jerusalem cherries are still found 

 excellent sellers by many country florists, 

 although they do not sell at the higher 

 class stores as well as ardisias, probably 

 on account of their being too common. 



C. 



VOOD LICE AGAIN. 



We are troubled with a little, brownish, 

 scaly worm, about an inch long, resem- 

 bling the ' ' thousand leg ' ' worm. It is 

 just under the surface of the soil and 

 under crocks. What is it and what can 

 we do to get rid of it, also the wood lice? 



M. & B. 



The wood Uce or sow bugs can be 

 trapped in large numbers by laying 

 halves of potatoes or turnips which are 

 scooped out. The sow bugs will crawl 

 into the excavated parts and can be de 

 stroyed by picking up the portions of 

 roots and shaking the pests into hot 

 water. Pots or small boxes of dry moss 

 laid near their haunts will attract many 

 and they can be similarly destroyed. 



The other pest referred to can bo 

 controlled by using tobacco dust on tin' 

 surface of the pots or benches. Put 

 some under pots where the pests arc 

 troublesome. Keep the space below your 

 benches clear of decaying wood and any 

 other rubbish likely to attract insects. 

 Whitewash any stonework, and when 

 benches are empty give them a similar 

 treatment. Cleanliness will do much to 

 wards reducing the numbers of these two 

 pests. C. W. 



East Rochester, N. Y.— E. A. Corson 

 has built another greenhouse near his 

 conservatories on Autumn street. 



