14 



The Florists^ Review 



Sept'bmbbk 17, 1914. 



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? SEASONABLE s^ \ 

 I s^ SUGGESTIONS j 



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 ft 



Dutch Bulbs. 



Dutch bulbs are arriving extra early 

 this season and they appear to be of 

 unusually good quality. The thrifty 

 Hollanders probably anticipated this 

 war and made shipments earlier than 

 usual on that account. All fears of 

 any bulb shortage are proving to be 

 groundless; in fact, it is likely that 

 more Dutch bulbs will arrive than ever 

 befpre and low prices for them seem 

 probable. Every country florist needs 

 a good supply of these bulbs and now 

 is the time to purchase if orders were 

 not givei;! earlier.^?. "" 



Unpack all bulbs on arrival, open the 

 bags and spread out the bulbs on .the 

 floor or on shelv^ of a e<Mil room. 

 There are complaints each year of many 

 bulbs failing to flower. This is often 

 due to their becoming heated in transit. 

 Certain narcissi, such as Victona, Hors- 

 fieldii, ornatus and Emperor, are liable 

 to be damaged in this way. If in doubt 

 about their condition, cut one or two 

 of the bulbs through with a sharp knife. 

 If the embryo flower is fresh, the bulbs 

 are all right; if it is brown, they are 

 useless. 



Get a good pile of compost ready for 

 the bulbs. The sooner they are in the 

 soil, the better flowers they will give 

 you. Avoid all fresh manure. Use two 

 parts well decayed fibrous loam and 

 one part spent mushroom manure, hot- 

 bed manure or old cow manure. The 

 manure should be passed through a 

 %-inch screen. Also add some sharp 

 sand. A few shovelfuls of soot also 

 make a good addition, but do not use 

 any chemical manures, as they would 

 do more harm than good. If your loam 

 is naturally stiff and retentive, one- 

 fourth leaf -mold, not too well decaye3, 

 will be found good. Do not accept any- 

 one's dictum that any old, discarded 

 soil is good enough for bulbs. If you 

 want to prove the truth or otherwise 

 of this old fable, try a few flats in 

 your old bench soil and compare the re- 

 sults with those obtained in properly 

 prepared compost. Have a good supply 

 of flats and pans in readiness; too often 

 growers find they have a shortage and 

 fail to order any until planting time 

 arrives. 



Stevias. 



Frost often arrives in the northern 

 states quite early in September and it 

 is well, therefore, to keep careful watch 

 on all naturally tender plants. One of 

 these plants is the stevia, which is of 

 great value to the majority of florists. 

 Even a light freeze will spoil these 

 plants, and, while it is not advisable to 

 house them any earlier than is absolute- 

 ly necessary, the plants should be stood 

 where temporary protection can be af- 

 forded them on cold nights. 



Solanum Capsicastrum. 



If the Jerusalem cherries are not yet 

 potted, lift them at once. The plants • 

 are now sure to be full of fruit and 

 will need 5-inch or 6-inch pots, accord- 



ing to their size. After potting, soak 

 the plants well and stand them where 

 they can be given some shade on hot 

 days, and whenr they will be within 

 easy reach of the hose, so that they 

 can be freely syringed. Plants lifted 

 from the open are vastly superior to 

 such as are pot-grown. The latter may 

 ripen fruit a trifle earlier, but are much 

 smaller and do not fruit as freely as the 

 planted-out stock. Some growers still 

 propagate from cuttings; such plants 

 always ripen fruit early, but it is im- 

 possible to get nice, bushy plants by 

 this method. A light freezing will not 

 hurt solanums; they arohimuch less deli- 

 cate than steviaM^ * ^^ ^X''' 



'^^'^ Mignonette'. Jj -*^ 



Thci^earliest adding o'f*' niigiionetll^s 

 now coming along rapidly. Before ^ 

 plants get too large, be sure to pull out 

 all weak and useless plants. Keep the 

 surface soil loosened and weeds pulled 

 out. The ventilators must be open 

 night and day, as mignonette will sim- 

 ply not tolerate any coddling. Of the 

 several pests which occasionally attack 

 mignonette, the one most to be feared 

 is the larva of the white butterfly, 

 which at this season deposits its eggs 

 on mignonette, cinerarias, calceolarias 

 and all members of the brassica family, 

 to mention only a few plants. Kill all 

 the butterflies you can reach; look 

 over the plants carefully and hand-pick 

 any caterpillars found on them. 



Hard-wooded Plants. 



It seems to be a foregone conclusion 

 that we shall have to worry along with- 

 out azaleas from Belgium the coming 

 season, and left-over stock is likely to 



be worth good money. It is a fact that 

 carried-over plants, if they have been 

 well supplied with water, will bud more 

 freely and flower decidedly earlier tian 

 the imported plants, and it seems too 

 bad to see many left-over plants thrcwn 

 away each season. 



Azaleas, ericas, camellias and other 

 hard-wooded plants prefer a somewhat 

 peaty soil, but all succeed well in loam, 

 especially when some leaf -mold and s md 

 are added to it. Eeduce the balh as 

 much as possible, in order to get tliem 

 into pots of moderate size, and firm the 

 soil thoroughly, being particularly care- 

 ful to press it well around the side?, of 

 the pots. The plants can stand out- 

 doors until frost threatens, when they 

 should be stored in some frost-proof 

 pit or frame. Use the hose freely on 

 them during bright weather. 



Primulas. 



All the primulas are now making 

 rapid growth. The best place for them 

 for some time yet iq a coldframe. The 

 plants will be much stockier there than 

 in any greeuhouse. P, Sinensis and P. 

 obconica, i| wanted for Thanksgiving 

 and Christmas, should now go into their 

 flowering pots, which should be of the 

 5-inch or 6-inch size. They prefer a 

 light but fairly rich soil. 



P. Kewensis, with its golden yellow 

 flowers, is an exceedingly decorative 

 variety and worthy of the increased at- 

 tention of florists. Its leaves are brit- 

 tle and more care is necessary when 

 repotting it than in the case of other 

 varieties. P. malacoides has jumped 

 wonderfully to the front. It is far 

 the most decorative of all the primulas 

 and last winter it made a lot of head- 

 way commercially. The mistake was 

 often made of sowing this variety too 

 early. Huge plants resulted, which 

 rotted badly in midwinter, owing to the 

 foliage being densely packed on the 

 plants. When seed sowing is postponed 

 until about July 1, plants of adequate 

 size can be had and there is little likeli- 

 hood of their centers rotting if the 

 hose is kept off them and the plants are 

 given a light, sunny, airy house. 



FOBCXNG QLADIOLL 



Will America and Augusta gladioli, 

 which were planted this spring and flow- 

 ers cut from them, force this winter! 

 When should the bulbs be taken up and 

 planted in the housef How long before 

 they will bloom again f A. F. C. 



They will flower, but not so satisfac- 

 torily as new bulbs. If you have been 

 forcing them under glass I would not at- 

 tempt to force them, as failure is sure to 

 result. Bulbs, if outdoors, can bo taken 

 up from the middle to the end of Oc- 

 tober. America and Augusta can be 

 planted indoors as early as January. It 

 is not advisable to start them earlier, 

 or a large proportion will grow well but 

 will not flower. Better keep your bulbs 

 and plant them outdoors any time after 



frost has left the ground. GlalioU 

 planted indoors in January will blooo 

 in April. Those planted in February 

 will flower in May and early in Jui e. 

 C. W. 



VABIEGATED GLADIOLI. 



I want to find out if I have a ne* 

 departure in gladioli, a seedling <>' 

 Mrs. Frank Pendleton, having sir ila^ 

 flowers but smaller. This is its ^^ 

 bloom. It has fine variegated lef;vc9» 

 with a distinct white edging, wlii*'' 

 makes the growing plant hands »ni«) 

 instead of dull and stiff in appear inc* 

 as is the usual growth. It is sometniD? 

 like the aspidistra. If it is new, it •* [ 

 worth working up. M. P- 



Gladioli with variegated foliage c^^P 

 up occasionally. Usually the varieg.itio" 



