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JANVABT 18, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



setts is causing so much agitation and 

 discussion throughout the country, the 

 Review's readers will naturally be inter- 

 ested in the following communication 

 from Christ. Winterich, of Defiance, O., 

 narrating his experience: 



"In the spring of 1909 the auditor 

 here undertook, of his own accord, to try 

 to tax the local florists. The board of 

 review called me three times to the office 

 and asked me to list my plants for taxa- 

 tion, to the amount of at least $1,500, 

 but I tried to put them off. The prose- 

 cuting attorney also wanted me to pay 

 a tax on my plants, but I refused, untU 

 another florist yielded to them and paid 

 $50 as a tax on his stock. Then a mem- 

 ber of the board of review advised me to 

 pay a tax of $100, in order to avoid a law 

 suit. I did so, and at the same time I 

 asked the board not to increase my 

 assessment for the next five years. This 

 was promised, but it remains to be seen 

 whether the promise will be kept." 



FORCING HYDRANGEAS. 



There is much to be learned by the 

 grower of a general stock in regard to 

 the hydrangea before he can turn out 

 stock that in any way approaches that 

 grown by expert handlers of this plant. 

 Articles have frequently appeared in the 

 Eeview telling how the gardeners on 

 private estates handle the superb speci- 

 mens seen at Newport and other places, 

 also articles in Seasonable Suggestions 

 telling when to lift, etc., but I do not 

 remember reading a general article giv- 

 ing the method of handling from the 

 stock plants up to their flowering pots. 

 The average small grower cares nothing 

 for this plant for Easter forcing, but he 

 thinks much of it for Memorial day 

 trade, and I think if you could give us 

 an article covering the whole ground — 

 sand bed to spring sales — it would be 

 appreciated by many. 



Some plants were brought past our 

 place last spring on their way to the 

 cemetery that bore heads of bloom larger 

 than the pots they were growing in. How 

 do the experts produce flowers on every 

 shoot and we only on some? We had a 

 batch of shapely, field-grown plants that 

 were being held in a cool house, but a 

 sudden drop in temperature has com- 

 pletely spoiled the large leaves, but not 

 the terminal shoots in any case, which 

 are plump and perfect. These are now 

 in a carnation house. We want them for 

 Memorial day. Will these make new 

 leaves? A batch of June propagated 

 stock that have bpen under glass all sum- 

 mer are about nine inches in lieight, 

 with single stem. Will these bloom this 

 spring? A pair of strong eyes push up 

 through the surface of the soil at the 

 base of the plants. Should these be 

 rubbed off? G. F. B. 



The culture of hydrangeas will be re- 

 ferred to from time to time in the cul- 

 tural calendar of the Review. As you 

 state, these plants are more popular at 

 Memorial day than at Easter with the 

 average retail florist. They require con- 

 siderable forcing to flower them for so 

 early an Easter as we will have this 

 year,* and this early forced stock never 

 approaches in quality such as are flow- 

 ered later in the season. To give de- 

 tailed culture of hydrangeas would re- 

 quire considerable space. I will boil it 

 down for you. 



Take cuttings of soft wood in January, 

 February or March — the earlier in the 

 season the better. These can be easily 



Fred Vittbold. 



rooted in an ordinary propagating bench, 

 such as carnations will root in. Pot ofi: 

 into 2%-^nch or 3-inch pots when rooted. 

 Grow along in a temperature of 48 to 50 

 degrees at night. If propagated early 

 they may require a shift before they are 

 planted outdoors, which should be when 

 danger of frost has passed. 



Choose a rich piece of ground. Apply 

 water freely in dry weather. Early in 

 October these plants can be lifted and 

 placed in 7-inch and 8-inch pots. A few 

 small ones may go in 6-inch pots. Keep 

 outdoors for a while, but never let them 

 get more than slight freezings. Place 

 under glass (in a coldframe will answer) 

 and keep drier at the root after the early 

 part of November. The aim should be 

 to ripen the wood to a nice brown color 

 in full sun, with little frost. On the ap- 

 proach of colder weather store in a cellar 

 or pit, which is frost-proof. They will 

 need little water until started, but should 

 be freely aired to prevent them from be- 

 coming moldy. Lifted plants which are 

 wanted at Memorial day will not require 

 any further potting, nor should they be 

 pruned, unless it be to shorten some long 

 shoot. If placed in heat early in March, 

 starting with 50 degrees at night and ad- 

 vancing 5 to 10 degrees later in the sea- 

 son, they will flower when wanted. They 

 can be advanced or retarded as wished. 

 It is always well to open them in a lower 

 temperature. They then have more sub- 

 stance and a better color. At all times 

 while growing, hydrangeas require a lot 

 of water and, once the pots are root- 

 bound, liquid manure should be afforded 

 twice a week. In this way only can big 



flower heads be secured. Plants should 

 carry three to six flower heads each, any 

 one of them of greater diameter than the 

 pots they are growing in. 



The other plan of growing hydrangeas 

 is to keep them in pots all the time, giv- 

 ing them successive shifts from 4-inch to 

 6-inch and 6-inch to 8-inch pots and 

 plunging them in a bed of ashes out- 

 doors in a sunny spot, where they are 

 within easy reach of the hose. From 

 6-inch pots grown thus I have had six 

 large heads each and from 8-inch pots 

 as many as eight to a dozen, but allow- 

 ing three to six the plants will look well. 

 Cuttings taken as late as June and car- 

 ried over winter in 4-inch pots vfill give 

 one mammoth head each if potted into 

 0-inch or 6-inch pots when started. 



Well-ripened wood and plenty of water 

 and feeding while growing are necessary 

 for successful hydrangea culture. The 

 time to prune the plants is after and not 

 before flowering. 



The loss of leaves on the field-grown 

 plants will not harm them at all. If the 

 buds are fresh and plump they are all 

 right. Those in 4-inch pots may have a 

 shift to 5-inch or 6-inch and will flower, 

 probably giving one good head each. 

 Leave the eyes at the base. They will 

 send up some nice shoots, from which you 

 can secure cuttings for another season's 

 plants. C. W. 



Mankato, Minn. — The Windmiller Co. 

 reports a satisfactory holiday trade. Red 

 roses, carnations, poinsettias, azaleas and 

 holly wreaths were the favorites at, 

 Christmas. 



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