Dbcembeb 9, 1909. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



\7 



CARNATION NOTES.-EAST. 



Preparation for Propagation. 



Severe freezing weather and the holi- 

 day rush will soon be upon us, but before 

 their arrival everything should be in 

 readiness to take up the work of propa- 

 gation soon after the new year. The 

 propagating house should receive a 

 thorough cleaning, especially the bench, 

 which, after the removal of old sand and 

 a faithful -washing with broom and hose, 

 will require a generous coat of hot lime 

 wash. 



Any needed repairs will now demand 

 immediate attention, that there may be 

 no delay in getting a batch of cuttings 

 under way when they are in proper con- 

 dition. 



The Sand. 



We prefer storing the sand in an un- 

 heated building or leaving it in a pile 

 'outside, protected from storms, until a 

 few days before it is needed, when it is 

 brought in and spread evenly, to a depth 

 of about three inches, over the brick bot- 

 tom of the propagating bench. 



Eecently considerable attention has 

 been given to sterilization, and while 

 there is no doubt that disease germs, if 

 present in the propagating sand, can be 

 destroyed by this means, it seems to me 

 to require, with the average grower, an 

 expenditure of too much labor and ex- 

 pense on a doubtful precaution. Rooted 

 cutting specialists, or large growers who 

 supply stock to the trade, are in a posi- 

 tion to conduct this operation on a large 

 scale, thus reducing the cost per thou- 

 sand cuttings, and then the knowledge 

 that the cuttings were rooted in sand so 

 treated might influence sales. 



The SoiL 



The question of the soil into which the 

 cuttings, as taken from the sand, are to 

 be potted, is one which vitally concerns 

 every grower. Many a promising batch 

 has been seriously handicapped by not 

 having had a fair chance at the outset, 

 and this is surprising when we think how 

 simple in nature and how easy of prepa- 

 ration such soil is. 



Plain rotted sod, containing no manure 

 or fertilizer of any kind, has proven to 

 be the ideal medium in which to start 

 young stock. A sufficient quantity should 

 be conveniently located outside, and pro- 

 tection should be given against rain, 

 snow or too deep penetration of frost. 

 Brought in a week or so before using, 

 that It may acquire the inside tempera- 

 ture, this soil cannot fail to suit the 

 young plants. 



The Pots. 



If the supply of small pots is low, now 

 is a good time to have a new lot come 

 along, a good size being 2-inch or 2%- 

 inch, but let them be all one size. 



Old pots are in every way equal to 

 new ones, provided they are clean out- 

 side as well as inside, but I must again 

 insist that they do not comprise a multi- 

 tude of sizes; no one can expect even 



CARNATION MRS. WARD. 



At the Washington convention of the 

 American Carnation Society, in 1908, the 

 two most striking features of the exhibi- 

 tion were the varieties Alma Ward and 

 Mrs. C. W. Ward, exhibited by the Cot- 

 tage Gardens Co., and which have been 

 grown extensively at the Queens estab- 

 lishment the last thre^ years. The ac- 

 companying illustration is from a photo- 



•.v_.> 



f'.R 



W!^2^^ ^^ 







Carnation Mrs. C. "W, Ward. 



growth in a batch of young plants placed 

 in various sizes of pots. 



Geo. S. Osborn. 



East Stroudsbubg, Pa.— Paul Mader 

 has opened his branch store in the Win- 

 termute building, on lower Main street. 



graph of a vase of Mrs. Ward. It is a 

 large flower, well formed, in color deep 

 pink, lighter than Lawson and deeper 

 than Winsor. As shown at the recent 

 exhibition of the Horticultural Society 

 of New York, it captured the sweepStakes 

 silver medal for the best vase of 100 

 blooms in the show and Mr. Ward con- 



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