10 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Jolt 15, 1909. 



scribes Wittmaan's peony as a shy 

 flowerer for some time after planting, 

 and says some patience is requisite be- 

 fore flowers are produced. It is best 

 cultivated in a rich soil, well manured, 

 and is one of the peonies which prefer 

 a partial shade. It should have a place 

 where the sun cannot reach it before ten 

 or eleven o'clock, yet where it will not 

 be exposed to its full glare at midday. 

 A half-shaded place near trees is excel- 



lent except in cold districts, where, nat- 

 urally, a little more sun is required. Still 

 scarce in gardens, this species is a fa- 

 vorite with all who grow it, and who 

 have had it long enough for it to bloom 

 in their hands. Plants can be had in 

 pots, and can thus be planted out at any 

 time. ' Should roots from the open 

 ground be obtained, however, they may 

 be best planted during the autumn ub 

 with other peonies. 



I SEASONABLE .^^^^| 

 l-^gf^^ SUGGESTIONS I 



Lorraine Begonias. 



Those who have not been in the habit 

 of growing Lorraine begonias may be 

 disappointed at their slow progress 

 during the hot months. They never make 

 much headway in the summer months, 

 but after the middle of August they will 

 surprise you with their rapid growth. 

 Look over the little plants frequently, 

 and dd not allow them to become starved 

 at the roots before repotting them. Keep 

 runaway tops pinched and all flowers re- 

 moved. This begonia is a perpetual 

 bloomer, if given its 9wn way, but it is 

 inadvisable to allow any flowers to de- 

 velop now, as they only cripple the plants. 



In potting, always use a light compost, 

 half flaky leaf-mold, half loam and 

 plenty of sand. Small shifts are to be 

 preferred; overpotting is a constant 

 cause of failure. The plants want shade, 

 but it need not be heavy, and if your 

 greenhouse bench space is cramped they 

 will" grow capitally in a frame. 



Crotons aod Dracaenas. 



These are the months of rapid growth 

 with all tropical plants. The rate at 

 which they now progress is almost be- 

 wildering. Plenty of moisture is abso- 

 lutely necessary, and the air in the house 

 must never feel at all arid. 



If you are growing your young stock 

 plunged in coldframes, the ideal place 

 for them in summer, see that the shade 

 on the glass is put on evenly, to pre- 

 vent scorching of the foliage. A heavy 

 shade will destroy the brilliant coloring 

 of the foliage. For this reason, double- 

 thick cheesecloth is preferable to white- 

 washing the glass. One advantage of a 

 movable shade is that the plants can 

 have full light on cloudy days. Shut the 

 frames up about the middle of the after- 

 noon, after syringing the plants thor- 

 oughly. A brisker heat is possible in 

 frames than houses, and plants grown in 

 them are stockier, better colored and 

 grow much more rapidly than when 

 placed in a greenhouse with a mixed as- 

 sortment of plants. 



Fancy-leaved Caladiums. 



Fancy-leaved caladiums are useful 

 decorative plants during the hot summer 

 months. Like dracsnas and crotons, they 

 will grow to perfection if plunged in 

 leaves in a frame. They love heat and 

 moisture, and the rate at which they 

 grow in warm weather, when "bottled 

 up" each afternoon, is astonishing. 



For piazza-boxes these caladiums are 



extremely useful. When nicely started 

 they can be planted out and will render 

 a good account of themselves. To follow 

 hydrangeas, fuchsias, pelargoniums, mar- 

 guerites and other early summer flower- 

 ing subjects, they are valuable. In hot 

 weather, flowering plants, outside of 

 cannas and geraniums, do not stand long, 

 but the beautifully colored leaves of 

 these caladiums are just as attractive as 

 any flowers, and boxes, vases or urns filled 

 with them can be depended upon to re- 

 tain their beauty until cool fall nights 

 necessitate their removal. 



While fancy-leaved caladiums will 

 stand full sunlight, they want a little 

 shade under glass, and should therefore 

 be given locations where the sun 's direct 

 rays will not focus on them. 



Cyclamens. 



There will be time, now that the mum 

 benching is completed and while you are 

 waiting for the carnations to grow just a 

 little longer before lifting, to give the 

 cyclamens some attention. The only place 



for cyclamens now is in a coldframe, 

 where the sashes are kept tilted night and 

 day, both top and bottom, to allow a 

 free current of air to circulate among 

 them. Do not shade the glass. It is an 

 easy method of keeping out the sun's 

 rays, but means more spindling plants. 

 Lath shades keep the plants cool, and are 

 readily removed. The plants really are 

 better without any glass covering at all, 

 except in cases of heavy rainfall. At 

 night the dews are beneficial, and if you 

 will take note of how plants progress 

 treated in this way when compared with 

 those in sweltering greenhouses far from 

 the light, you will get a striking object 

 lesson. 



This is not saying that good cyclamens 

 cannot be grown in the greenhouses, 

 but better ones will be produced by sum- 

 mer frame culture. Some growers are 

 alarmed when they see a few flower buds 

 appearing. Rub these off and do not 

 worry about them. Keep the plants 

 potted as required. For flowering at 

 Christmas, 6-inch and 7-inch pots are ser- 

 viceable. Larger ones must be sold at a 

 price a little high for the average flower 

 buyer, to be profitable. In hot weather 

 thrips is liable to damage cyclamens 

 seriously. Either fumigate once in ei^ht 

 or ten days, or spray with a nicotine 

 solution, wetting the under as well as 

 upper surfaces of the foliage. 



HOV MANY FARMERS. 



"It is an interesting speculation," 

 said Prof. L. H. Bailey at the seedsmen 's 

 convention, "as to how many people will 

 in the future be needed on the land to 

 supply food and clothing which persons 

 in other occupations must have. The 

 estimate has been put as low as one- 

 fourth .of all the people. I think, my- 

 self, that with the growth of intelli- 

 gence, an.d with the improvements in 

 farm machinery, we shall eventually find 

 that not more than one-fifth of our popu- 

 lation needs to be on the land in order 

 to produce food and clothing for the 

 other four-fifths." 



CARNATION NOTES.- EAST. 



Treatment of Plants Before Housins. 



For a week or two previous to lifting, 

 stock in the field should be handled with 

 a view to encouraging a more firm growth 

 than has been the case during the grow- 

 ing season proper. The idea in producing 

 this mature condition is to enable the 

 plants to better withstand the strain in- 

 cident to transplanting and reestablish- 

 ment. 



Since frequent stirring of the surface 

 soil by cultivation favors rapid growth, 

 it follows that discontinuance of this 

 practice will bring about the opposite 

 result, provided the rainfall is not too 

 great. 



This slow growth produces tougher 

 leaves and harder stems, and plants lifted 

 in this condition will wilt very little. 



We cannot govern weather conditions. 



but should a soaking rain occur just pre- 

 vious to the time chosen for housing, it 

 would be best to postpone the work for a 

 while, allowing the land to remain in the 

 condition in which the rain leaves it. In 

 any event, cultivation should cease long 

 enough before lifting so that the plants 

 may be free from soft, sappy growth. 



When to Cease Topping. 



Topping should be discontinued at such 

 time as will allow the new breaks to at- 

 tain a length of two or three inches by 

 the time the plants are lifted. 



Growers having a heavy clay soil are 

 obliged to lift the plants before the sur- 

 face becomes too hard. For several years 

 we grow our stock on land from which it 

 was impossible to dig plants during a 

 dry spell Tiithout serious loss of roots; 

 our only course was to wait for a shower 

 or use the hose. 



Weeds should be kept down to the last, 

 not only to prevent the plants being 



