NOTEMBBS 25, 1900. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



and, with Indian summer temperatures 

 prevailing, it may seem passing strange 

 to suggest protection to hardy roses. We 

 never know after this date how soon zero 

 weather may come in our northern states, 

 and the necessary protection to hybrid 

 perpetuals should be given just before 

 the ground freezes up. Of the various 

 protecting methods, none is so good as 

 drawing earth up to the stems of the 

 plants. Where the plants are pruned 

 back hard each spring, this is much the 

 simplest and safest plan. Leaves, straw, 

 manure and other materials as coverings 

 are none of them equal to mother earth. 

 We can be morally certain that such wood 

 as is covered with soil will be green and 

 fresh when exposed in spring. 



In the case of hybrid teas, an increas- 

 ingly popular and persistently blooming 

 class of hardy roses, soil protection is 

 not always sufScient and a safer plan is 

 to dig up the plants and bury them out- 

 doors on land which is well drained, or 

 better still, plant them thickly in cold- 

 frames over winter. With rambler roses 

 in some of the coldest states, protection 

 is absolutely necessary. Much the easiest 

 plan is to cut them loose and lay them on 

 the ground, where a little later in the 

 season some evergreen boughs spread over 

 them will usually carry them through 

 nicely. Crimson Rambler is a little har- 

 dier than the pink varieties. In some 

 states none of these will require any pro- 

 tection, while in others they will be sim- 

 ply killed to the snow Une if left exposed. 



Hardy Pereimia.1 Borders. 



Any delayed planting should be com- 

 pleted without delay. This has been a 

 wonderful fall for outdoor work, and the 

 absence of any severe frosts causes some 

 plants to carry foliage almost as green 

 and fresh as in midsummer. Late bulbs, 

 such as Spanish and English iris, are 

 best planted now, while spaces for hardy 

 lilies should be covered with straw or 

 leaves, as these generally are not to hand 

 in some cases before December. All her- 

 baceous borders look neater in winter 

 with the tops cut from the plants. There 

 is no need to haul away these tops, unless 

 you are fastidious as to appearances. Let 

 them lie on the leaves or other mulching 

 material which the borders should get 

 toward the end of the present month. It 

 pays to mulch all perennials, no matter 

 how hardy they may be. The great in- 

 jury comes in February and March, when 

 hot suns following sharp frosts cause 

 many of the plants to be loosened or 

 thrown from the ground when not 

 mulched. 



"Wituixig Evergreens. 



Last summer was unusually warm and 

 dry over most of the country, and both 

 summer and fall have been noted for a 

 marked deficiency in rainfall in many 

 states. Before applying the regular win- 

 ter mulch to evergreens, particularly such 

 broad-leaved varieties as hybrid rhododen- 

 drons, andromedas and kalmias, it will 

 pay to delay mulching until we get a 

 soaking rain, or, failing that, give the 

 plants a thorough watering artificially. 

 Every spring we hear lamentations about 

 the damage wrought to evergreens by the 

 severe winter. It is far more frequently 

 lack of moisture at the roots than cold 

 which kills so many plants. An evergreen, 

 no matter whether it be a conifer or a 

 broad-leaved one, will stand the average 

 North American winter all right if moist 

 at the root, but where soil conditions ap- 

 proach dryness, the death roll is bound to 



be heavy, especially if, as is sometimes 

 the case, no moisture can percolate the 

 soil for two or three months. 



A prominent nurseryman remarked a 

 few days ago that he had come to the 

 conclusion that it paid to water ever- 

 greens well before the ground froze up 

 and he proposed to soak several acres of 

 stock this fall, including not only rhodo- 



dendrons, but retinosporas, abies, piceas 

 and other ^ varieties. This successful 

 grower attributes his light winter losses 

 to watering practiced in late fall, when 

 the soil was insufi&ciently moist to carry 

 evergreens through the winter. Growers 

 of stock on a small scale might well emu- 

 late this example, particularly in the case 

 of stock planted during the present year. 



TOO COOL FOR ROSES. 



Will you kindly tell me through the 

 Eeview what varieties of roses are best 

 to grow in a greenhouse where the night 

 temperature is 45 to 48 degrees! The 

 house is twelve feet to the ridge, and has 

 concrete walls five feet high. H. M. 



There are no varieties that can be 

 grown profitably at this temperature. It 

 would be possible to get a few flowers 

 from most of the varieties used for forc- 

 ing, but ten degrees more is necessary 

 for success. Golden Gate and Ivory may 

 suffer less than most other varieties at 

 this temperature. Bibes. 



WHITE ROSES COMING GREEN. 



What is the cause of white blooms 

 coming green? C. L. W. 



There are many causes for white 

 blooms coming green. Among the most 

 common is allowing the temperature at 

 certain stages of growth to take a heavy 

 drop. This is more frequently the cause 

 than any other condition, and happens 

 most frequently in the fall, when the 

 growth is soft. Gross feeding can also 

 produce the same effect. Rises. 



FERTILIZER FOR ROSES. 



Under separate cover I will send a box 

 containing some soil from my rose bed. 

 The soil, when put in, contained one-fifth 

 rotted cow manure, and added to this was 

 a 3-inch pot of bone meal to the bushel. 



The roses were put in July 1 and have 

 made good growth. Some of them have 

 new shoots coming now. Some of the 

 buds have been allowed to mature. I 

 should like advice as to what fertilizer 

 to use and the quantity. There has been 

 nothing in the soil. C. L. W. 



This soil is of fairly good quality, but 

 deficient in fiber. The compost of soil 

 and manure is in propor proportions, as 

 is also the addition of bone meal. There 

 is no reason why good stock should not be 

 produced. 



A sprinkling of wood ashes once in five 

 or six weeks would be of benefit. Liquid 

 feeding, made from fresh cow manure, 



and used once a week if the weather is 

 bright, will give vigor to the plants and 

 size to the blooms. Rises. 



MEALY BUG AND MILDEW, ZZ 



I wish to ask for your advice, as I am 

 troubled with a scale bug on my Climb- 

 ing Perle rose. It is a little grayish bug 

 and it gets around the joints of the 

 leaves and turns them yellow. I should 

 like to be informed as to how to check 

 the pest. G. H. R. 



The insect on the rose leaves is mealy 

 bug. Coccus adonidum. If this insect 

 is attacked when it first makes its ap- 

 pearance, it is easily exterminated. Where 

 there is a good force of water it is easily 

 destroyed by the use of the syringe. 

 Where the pest has got a good hold and 

 is very numerous, it can be destroyed by 

 a weak solution of kerosene emulsion. 



A critical examination of the leaves 

 revealed also traces of mildew. Take 

 notice of this, because it is a worse trou- 

 ble than mealy bug. Rises. 



BLACK SPOT ON ROSES. 



I have a small house of roses and the 

 varieties are Killarney, Richmond, Chat- 

 enay and a few plants of My Maryland. 

 There is black spot on them and I have 

 been trying to get rid of it, but with- 

 out success. I run my house at 54 to 

 56 degrees at night and 63 to 65 degrees 

 on cloudy days. I syringe once a week 

 and I keep my plants wet. They are in 

 good health and free from mildew. 



C. K. O. 



The surest remedy for black spot is 

 the copper solution (cuprum). This 

 should be applied once a week, using a 

 nozzle that will make a fine spray. Every 

 part of the leaves and stems should be 

 thoroughly wet. 



Although the temperature may be kept 

 right, it is still possible to have an at- 

 mosphere in the house unfavorable to 

 roses and favorable to the growth of 

 black spot. Keep the atmosphere dry 

 and a good circulation of air in the 

 house, by putting on some heat and giv- 

 ing ample ventilation. Syringing once a 

 week is rather a risky proceeding, as at 

 rose temperature it will be diflScuIt to 

 keep spider in check. It is quite usual 

 to syringe every bright day, and good 

 results follow. " Rises. 



