20 



The Weekly Florists' Review^: 



November 18, 1909. 



ROSES FOR feASTER FORCING. 



[A paper by George A. Robinson, of Montreal, 

 Can., read at the twelfth annual convention of 

 the Canadian Horticultural Association, In To- 

 ronto, Noyember 11, 1909.] 



1 suppose every grower of pot plants 

 for EaSter includes in his list pot roses 

 and generally finds them among the most 

 difficult subjects to handle for that par- 

 ticular holiday. They last in flower so 

 short a time that careful manipulation is 

 necessary to have them in perfect condi- 

 tion for a given date. But what more 

 glorious sight than a bench of well flow- 

 ered rose plants? The hybrids with 

 their gorgeous colors and delicate per- 

 fume, the ramblers' immense clusters of 

 bloom and the polyanthas' dainty pink 

 or white flowers appeal to everyone and 

 are probably more admired than any 

 other flower at this spring holiday. 



These three sections are the principal 

 ones for Easter forcing. Hybrids are the 

 most important. These are shipped into 

 this country in large quantities every 

 spring and fall from the British Isles 

 and Holland. The Holland roses are 

 entirely unsuited for pot culture, being 

 budded foo high on the stem; they con- 

 sequently make unsightly pot plants. 

 The British roses, being low budded, 

 make excellent pot plants. 



Hybrids. 



Plants imported in the spring should 

 be potted up as soon as possible, select- 

 ing the largest and strongest for single 

 plants. These will require a 6-inch pot. 

 The smaller and more unshapely plants 

 can be put, two or fliree together, in a 

 7-inch pot and they will make elegant 

 specimens. They should be pruned back 

 hard, placed on or plunged in a bed of 

 ashes outside and allowed to break nat- 

 urally. They make a sturdier and 

 hardier growth than if started in the 

 greenhouse and put outside later in the 

 summer. Water liberally during the 

 summer month?, with frequent syringing 

 to keep down thrips and red spider. As 

 the season advances and wet weather sets 

 in, the pots should be raised, placed on 

 boards and kept on the dry side,- to in- 

 sure thorough ripening of the wood. 

 This is the one essential point in all 

 forcing roses. 



The fall imported plants Mill force 

 fairly well, but will not give as much 

 satisfaction as pot-grown ones. These 

 should be potted up on arrival, rather 

 than heeling them in until wanted to 

 force, and should be placed in a root 

 house or coldframe until time to start. 

 They will require two or three weeks 

 longer to get into bloom than the estab- 

 lished plants. 



Af 



*K 



There Itta only.- a few varieties of, 

 hybrids reaijy worth forcing. The best 

 'Qf "all -are Magna Charta, dark pink; 

 Mrs/ John Laing, light pink ; Bruuner 

 and Jacqueminot, red, and Frau Karl 

 Drusehki, white. 



American Beauties are very satisfac- 

 tory p»t plants for Easter forcing; that 

 is, if tiiey are well grown and properly 



Building of the McCallum Co. 



timed. Procure some plants from the 

 cut flower growers when they are throw- 

 ing them out in June. Pot them up, but 

 do not prune them at all. Keep them in 

 the greenhouse until well established, 



when they should be stood outside and 

 treated like hybrids. 



Ramblers. 



The rambler varieties force more eas- 

 ily and flower more freely if pot-grown, 

 especially the small sizes, but two or 

 three old plants dug in November, 

 potted up at once and kept cool until 

 time to start them, will flower satisfac- 

 torily if the weather has been favorable 

 for ripening the wood during the fall. 

 Crimson Rambler, Dorothy Perkins, Lady 

 Gay and Wedding Bells are among the 

 freest bloomers and best colors for 

 Easter. One-year-old ramblers used to 

 be extensively grown around here for 

 Easter forcing, but it was always a 

 speculation as to whether they would 

 flower, and with the advent of the Baby 

 Ramblers they are no more needed. 



Baby Ramblers do not need to be pot- 

 grown. Freshly imported plants, or 

 plants lifted from the field in the fall, 

 root and break away as freely as if they 

 had been established in pots. This va- 

 riety I consider the most valuable of all 

 the roses for forcing at this season of 

 the year. Two-year-old plants, potted 

 one in a 6-inch or two or three in a 

 7-inch pot, make elegant plants, which 

 retail at $1.50 to $4 each. They require 

 but little pruning, as they break freely 

 from any part of the old growth, 

 whether ripened or not, thus enabling 

 you to grow tall, medium or dwarf 

 plants from the same stock. 



""' ""■ Polyaotbat. 



The polyantha section has not given 

 us any good Easter varieties as yet, 

 apart from Clothilde Soupert, but I 

 think it is our own fault, for they have 

 not been given a thorough trial. They 

 are free blooming, as a rule, easily 

 handled and should prove useful if the 

 right varieties could be procured. 



In this latitude it is necessary to give 

 pot-grown roses a slight protection until 

 time to start them into growth. During 

 November they should be stored in a 

 cold root house, or laid on their sides 

 covered with boards and some litter, first 

 being sure that they are well soaked 

 with water, or the roots will suffer. 

 When brought in they should be pruned, 

 not too severely, and top-dressed, using 

 cow manure, Thompson's manure. Clay's 

 fertilizer or any animal manure you are 

 accustomed to, mixed in reasonable pro- 

 portions with good soil. 



They should be started in a cool 

 house, about 45 degrees, and the tem- 

 perature gradually increased as growth 

 advances. Hybrids and Beauties require 

 from ten to twelve weeks to get them in 

 flower, Crimson Ramblers about twelve 

 weeks and Dorothy Perkins about two 

 weeks longer. Baby Ramblers need about 

 twelve weeks to get them in flower. 



Always remember that freshly potted 

 plants need about two weeks longer to 

 make roots than pot-grown plants. It 

 is far better to start in time and grow 

 them moderately cool than have to force 

 them at the last minute. The blooms 

 will be of better substance and color and 

 will give more satisfaction to the store 

 man and purchaser. 



THE McCALLUM STORE. 



Reproduced on this page is the photo- 

 graph showing the building of the Mc- 

 Callum Co., Pittsburg, which is not old 

 in the business, but which is pushing 

 along and makes an excellent showing 

 with its establishment. It looks like 

 business. 



