20 



The Florists^ Review 



OCTOBBK <i, 1921 



^■^' 





Dorothy Perkins, Extensively Forced for Easter Sales. 



lengths. Of these all but Tausendschoen, 

 which is a rambler, or dwarf polyautha, 

 are hybrid Wichuraianas. There are a 

 number of other climl)ers which are 

 gaining popularity, though they have 

 not gained that attained by those al- 

 ready named. Among them are, in 

 the ramblers, American Pillar, which 

 has single flowers; Graf Zeppelin, 

 Kosiere, also known as Bed Tausend- 

 schoen, and Climbing Orleans. Among 

 the hybrid Wichuraianas arc, chiefly, 

 Paul's Scarlet Climber, a new variety 

 fast winning a prominent place, and 

 White Dorothy Perkins. A small num- 

 ber of other varieties are favored by 

 one grower or another. 



The varieties named are obtained 

 from nurserymen, usually in the fall, 

 being field-grown, budded or own-root 

 plants 2 years old. These are received 

 in November or December, when they 

 are potted up and placed in a cool 

 house. After the Christmas stock is out 

 of the way, the plants are brought into 

 heat and "the temperature of the house 

 they occupy gradually raised to bring 

 the' roses into bloom in time for Easter. 



Some stock is purchased from the 

 nurserymen for spring delivery. I'lants 

 received at this time are potted up and 

 plunged outside over summer, so that 

 they may become better established be- 

 fore being forced. The plants thus 

 treated make larger s])e('iniens and 

 throw more flowers, with less chance of 

 failure, than do those received in the 

 fall. The latter, however, arc more 

 likely to give larger flowers and trusses 

 and to produce leaves of a deeper green 

 than those which have been carried so 

 long a time in pots. Some growers favor 



one method and some the other, depend- 

 ing upon each one's success and the size 

 and type of plants he wishes to produce. 



Chief Points in Culture. 



In employing either of these methods 

 there are several points which must not 

 bo overlooked if success is to be 

 achieved. The first of these is not to al- 

 low the roots of the plants to become 

 dry and thus lose vigor. They may be, 

 in the nurserymen's term, "puddled"; 

 that is, dipped in a tub or pool of water 

 in which there has been enough soil 

 mixed to produce what might be called 

 a liquid mud. This penetrates to every 

 part of the roots and keeps them moist 

 until potted u^. 



Another point is to give the plants 

 plenty of nourishment and moisture, 

 both when tliey are planted in the field 

 during the summer and when they are 

 brought into the houses to be forced. 

 When they are first brought into the 

 greenhouses, the temperature should not 

 be too high. After the roots have made 

 some new growth and the tops are ready 

 to break out anew, the plants may be 

 given a warmer place. The length of 

 time required to force the plants de- 

 pends upon tlioir condition. If they 

 have lieen established in pots the preced- 

 ing summer, they will not require so 

 long a time as if they had been potted 

 uj) after liaving l)een received from the 

 nurseryman that fall. Approximately 

 twelve weeks will ))e required for the 

 earlier batches of plants. The later 

 ones will not take so long. 



The plants should be allowed plenty 

 of room, both when outdoors and in the 

 greenhouse. The bush, or baby rambler 



varieties will need staking. The climb- 

 ers will need to be trained; the pliant 

 canes may be formed into any variety 

 of shapes desired. The plants which 

 have been outside in pots will have to 

 have some pruning. 



If the plants are grown outdoors in 

 pots through the summer, they should 

 not be allowed to make growth too late 

 to ripen before being brought inside. If 

 the autumn proves to be wet, it will per- 

 haps be necessary to raise the plants 

 earlier than otherwise. After the canes 

 have become ripened, the plants may be 

 repotted into the size pots in which they 

 are to be forced. Then they should be 

 kept in a cool house until time to be 

 brought into the heat. 



Any roses that are not sold at Easter 

 can be cut back. They will sell easily 

 at Mothers ' day. Indeed, it will be well 

 to hold some plants back for this occa- 

 sion. Potted roses can be sold easily 

 any time during early spring, when the 

 housewife wants something green and 

 growing before life appears outdoors. 



It might be added here that some flo- 

 rists, long experienced in the business, 

 prefer to propagate their own roses for 

 pot forcing, although most of them also 

 buy some from nurserymen. Some grow- 

 ers, too, force 1-year-old plants, with 

 evident success, though others prefer 

 the older stock. Indeed, variations of 

 method are so many in forcing roses in 

 pots that so brief a treatment of the 

 subject as this must necessarily be gen- 

 eral in outline and can touch little more 

 than the main points that arc most com- 

 monly observed. 



MEETING THE POPULAR DEMAND. 



Forcing 1-Year-Old Roses. 



Noting a greater and greater call for 

 moderately priced rose plants at Easter, 

 compared with the demand for large and 

 fancy stock, Frank Oechslin, whose pot 

 roses are among the best received in the 

 Chicago market, began two years ago 

 to take steps to meet the situation. The 

 first season he experimented. The result 

 was so successful that his course was 

 repeated on a larger scale the following 

 year and will be on a still greater one 

 this coming season. 



In the spring some of the baby ram- 

 bler varieties which had proved to be 

 most popular in the Chicago retail 

 flower stores were propagated. The first 

 year a few were tried. Last spring 

 about 20,000 were propagated of these 

 varieties and nearly an equal number 

 of the leading climbing varieties. 



These own-root plants were carried 

 along during the summer, being repotted 

 into larger sizes as growth progressed. 

 When the weather was warm enough 

 those propagated earliest were plunged 

 outside in the open ground, where a 

 Skinner system insured their receiving 

 plenty of water. The plants not so far 

 advanced were placed in frames. Ample 

 feeding and watering produce sizable 

 plants by autumn. Then the plants are 

 gradually dried off and ripened, being 

 placed, in November, in a shed kept at 

 freezing. 



After Christmas stock is out of the 

 way the roses are brought into the 

 greenhouses, where the heat is increased 

 gradually so that the blooms will be at 

 their best by Easter. Some are held for 

 Mothers' day, when these smaller-sized 

 and moderately priced roses have been 

 iToncliulod on pa?o ?2, > 



