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12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



Januabt 20, 1910. 



VHITE KILLARNEY. 



We can all see that the White KlUar- 

 ney rose is a growing favorite. It has 

 had an excellent demand so far, and un- 

 doubtedly the demand will increase as 

 the rose becomes more widely known. We 

 think it superior to the Bride in most re- 

 spects. It is much more prolific of 

 salable flowers. The stems on the Bride, 

 during dark weather, are very weak and 

 make the blooms unsalable, while the 

 White Killarney may go through a great 

 deal of dark weather and still have good, 

 stiff stems. It also saves a great deal of 

 time and labor, as it needs little tying 

 and it is not so subject to mildew. Dur- 

 ing the hot days of May and June the 

 flowers on the Bride are inclined to get 

 small, but on the Killarney it is just the 

 other way, as the flowers seem to in- 

 crease in size. In fact, it is an ideal 

 rose for the entire year. 



Here at our establishment we have 

 only one house of White Killarney, but 

 they have done so well that we intend to 

 have several houses next year. At the 

 time the houses were planted, which was 

 early in July, the plants were all grow- 

 ing vigorously in 4-inch pots. Near the 

 middle of August, as I remember, we 

 gave them a light mulch of shredded 

 cattle manure and then again about the 

 middle of September. During the months 

 of October and November they received 

 a liquid dressing once a week. On De- 

 cember 1, the plants were given another 

 mulch. We do not believe that a liquid 

 dressing is good for the plants during 

 dark weather, as it is too strong and 

 there is danger of overfeeding. A good 

 heavy mulch applied about December 1 

 will keep them well fed during the dark 

 weather and there is little danger of 

 their being overfed. 



We have in this house one solid tile 

 bottom bench and a raised bench and at 

 all times the plants on the raised bench 

 have shown more vigor. So it is easily 

 seen that this rose wants bottom heat. 

 The house is carried at a temperature 

 of 60 to 62 degrees at night. 



It is always a serious problem with 

 the growers to know whether they are 

 going to have their crops in for Christ- 

 mas and Easter. I can safely say that 

 this is a rose that we do not need to 

 worry about, for by pinching it at the 

 right time it can be brought into bloom 

 just before Christmas. By pinching I 

 do not mean to just nip the bud off, for 

 with this rose, in order to get a clean 

 break, it is necessary to cut off the stem 

 down to the first leaf showing five sub- 

 divisions; and even then the shoots will 



spring up from the eyes below, so in 

 order to obtain a clean stem it is neces- 

 sary to take all these shoots off. 



We find that the average flowering 

 stem, before it is pinched, grows to about 

 twenty inches. After it is pinched the 

 new shoot grows to about the same 

 length. So, by this method of pinching, 

 you can get a stem thirty-six to forty 

 inches for the holidays. By pinching 

 from October 20 to 25, you will have no 

 trouble at all in having your crops in for 

 Christmas. W. J, Vesey, Je. 



TEMPERATURE FOR KAISERIN. 



Will you please tell me what tempera- 

 ture is best for Kaiserin roses that have 

 just been potted from the sand bed? 

 E. J. S. 



Kaiserin cuttings from the sand 

 should, after being potted, be put in a 

 house with a night temperature of 56 to 

 58 degrees and should be shaded for a 

 few days from bright sunshine, until the 

 roots begin to work. Bibks. 



TIME TO FLOWER BULBS. 



Can you tell me at what time Lilium 

 Harrisii will come into flower if brought 

 in at once, and also hyacinths, tulips and 

 Paper Whites? They were potted and 

 put outdoors the latter part of October. 

 I ^et them on a bed of ashes about six 

 inches deep and covered them with ashes 

 about four inches deep, with a top mulch 

 of leaves and branches. I have a house 

 that is kept about 45 to 50 degrees and 

 one that I can keep at about 60 to 70 

 degrees without forcing. W. G. B. 



Lilium Harrisii, if just showing 

 through the pots, will flower in about 

 twelve weeks in an average night tem- 

 perature of 60 degrees. It would be too 

 late for Easter, unless at least six inches 

 high now, in which case it should have 

 your warmest house. 



Hyacinths and tulips should be housed 

 when they have growths at least two 

 inches long. They are better kept dark 

 for a few days at this season, to draw 

 them up a little, but after February 10 

 can go into full light at once. Allow 

 them each four weeks in a temperature 

 of 60 to 70 degrees, or six weeks in your 

 cooler house. A month later this time 

 can be reduced a week or ten days. 



The Paper Whites should not have been 

 treated the same as the Dutch bulbs. 

 They should be placed under a green- 

 house bench or on a cellar floor after 

 being planted, and do not need any cov- 

 ering at any stage of their growth. 

 Three weeks in a warm house and four 

 weeks in your cooler house will suffice 

 for flowering them. C 



Berlin, Mass. — A. L. Brewer is start- 

 ing a greenhouse range with the erection 

 of a fine, modern house, 34x125 feet. 





AN ALL-THE-YEAR-ROUND CROP 



Would you kindly give me a few hints 

 on lily of the valley? I have never grown 

 it before until this winter. I put 1,000 

 cold storage pips, for which I paid a 

 fancy price, in a bench that I erected 

 with slate bottoms, containing sand four 

 inches deep, which I held at 65 to 70 de- 

 grees. They grew twelve to fourteen 

 inches high and had plenty of foliage, 

 but the flowers were so far apart on the 

 stem that they did not bring much of a 

 price. The first week I kept them dark, 

 the next a little lighter. After that I 

 took the shade off, except on sunny days. 

 What could be wrong? The next 1,000 I 

 put in about five weeks ago. It was new 

 valley, kept frozen until then. My treat- 

 ment was the same, only I kept them a 

 little warmer, 70 to 75 degrees. It took 

 them a good bit longer to start. They 

 have a good flowering stem, but the flow- 

 ers are still too far apart and they have 

 little foliage. There must be also some- 

 thing wrong here. I would like you to 

 help me out in this, as I do not want to 

 give it up as a bad job. I would like to 

 be able to cut 1,000 every week, as there 



is a good market for them here, but the 

 valley must be good. What treatment 

 would you give through the summer? 

 Kindly give me details in growing it tbe 

 year around, if it does not take too muvh 

 space. M. B. S 



Your valley will come along quicker in 

 winter if you give it a bottom heat i8 

 near 85 degrees as possible; 55 to 60 de- 

 grees is sufficient for top heat. I word 

 prefer sand six inches deep, as it ho Is 

 the heat longer and more steadily. Cue 

 good watering each day suffices. Moist- 

 ure must be afforded carefully after ti^e 

 flower buds appear. The more light is 

 admitted the better the foliage will ^^^ 

 Some growers grow the small offsets p'"' 

 posely for foliage. With forced vajley 

 the flowers are usually somewhat wi'^"' 

 apart on the flower stalks than •when 

 more naturally grown, viz., in full liP'" 

 under glass or outdoors. 



Your treatment, apart from a deficiency 

 in bottom heat, has been pretty nearl) 

 correct. It takes some time to master the 

 exact requirements of valley, but you are 

 evidently on the right track and will un- 

 doubtedly succeed. There is little use m 



