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AvansT 24, 19U. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



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M Mme other crops. There is undoubt- 

 edly the most monisy in sweet peas that 

 are sown to flower from the end of Feb- 

 ruary until the outdoor crop comes in. 

 The demand is stronger then, the qual- 

 ity is better and the plants seem to 

 flower mueh more freely; so, personally, 

 if I were growing sweet peas for a 

 livelihopd I would prefer to have them 

 follow feme crop which would be clean- », 

 ed from the end of Nov«nber to the i k 

 end of January. 



*'What temperature should they 

 havel" iirani almost every-day^ query 

 notr. They can be grown as low as 

 40 or 42 degrees at night, but to do 

 their best should have a temperature, 

 5 to 8 degrees higher, and while flow- 

 ering they should be kept as near 48 to 

 50 degrees at night as possible. I 

 would not advise anything above 50 de- 

 grees, for while they will bloom well in 

 such a temperature they will also run 

 out more quickly and fall a more easy 

 prey to mildew, spider and iphis, all 

 of which must be guarded against. 



Freesias. 



Most of the freesia bulbs are now 

 at hand. They need not all be planted 

 at once, but the bulbs not potted or 

 placed in flats should be spread out in 

 a cool, dry shed. It does not pay to 

 keep freesias out of the soil very late. 

 Probably you have noticed how much 

 longer and stronger the stems are on 

 the early planted ones than on those 

 started, say in October. Be careful 

 not to overwater after potting. There 

 are many bulbs irretrievably ruined 

 every year by too m^vch. water in the 

 early stages of grow|fc-«nd incidentally 

 many of these failWes, due to igBor- 

 ance of cultural^ requirements, are 

 charged to the dealers, who are blamed 

 for selling diseased stock. 



Calceolarias. 



The nights are now getting cooler, 

 and calceolarias, which standjil^racti- 

 cally still during the torrid weather, 

 are commencing to make some growth. 

 Keep them in a coldframe, with air 

 on the top, bottom and sides. Fumi- 

 gate or spray to keep aphis in control. 

 They should never really be allowed to 

 get any foothold, as they soon ruin a 

 batch of plants. Take off the sashes 

 in the evening; the heavy night dews 

 at this season are just what they revel 

 in. They have some other enemies, 

 besides green aphis. If snails attack 

 then, Bse lime. Hand-pick any cater- 

 pillars, as poison cannot be used with- 

 out disfiguring or burning the leaves. 



Lilinm Candidnm. 



Lilium candidum usually arrives from 

 August 20 to September 1. Do not leave 

 them in the boxes or baskets a day 

 after receiving them. If you can not 

 pot or plant at once, stand the bulbs 

 in single layers in flats and place them 

 in a cool room. Bemember that the 

 Madonna lily, as this is commonly 

 called, started to root and make leaves 

 quite early; not infrequently they will 

 $e found in active growth when un- 

 packed. Do not put single bulbs in a 

 pot, as you would Harrisii or longi- 

 florum. Use three to an 8-inch and 

 four or flve to a 10-inch pot. Use a 

 compost that is fairly rich, with plenty 

 of sand. Give one soaking of water; 

 then let the soil become quite dry be- 

 fore applying any more. Do not put 

 them in a cellar or under the green- 



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i 



John Gx>Ic. 



(Rosarlan and Dean of the Vlortato of Baltimor«..froin a Photocraph by Fred LantnnaehlaKer.) 



house bench. Keep outdoors, but 

 where they can be protected from rains 

 until they are well rooted. Leave them 

 outdoors until they have had several 

 good freezings. Herein lies much of the 

 secret of successful candidum eulture. 

 When ordering, insist on being supplied 

 with north-of-France bulbs only; they 

 are the true broad petaled type. The 

 brand commonly offered is a narrow 

 petaled and miserable sort, sufficient to 

 discourage anyone from growing them 

 a seppnd time. 



V^*^ ; Berried Solannmi..- 



. About the last of the month is a 

 good time to dig up and pot the berried 

 solanums,,or J^rusalejn, cherries, an^ 



Christmas peppers. Try to retain a 

 little soil on the roots. Soak well with 

 water after potting and give some 

 shade, , with abundant spraying, until 

 they stiffen up, which will not take 

 long. Owing to the dry season, the 

 plants may run a little smaller than 

 -usual and, except in the more northerly 

 States, the lifting can be delayed until 

 the middle of September if desired. 

 Plants which were pot-grown over sum- 

 mer and which are, or should be, 

 plunged, will want lots of water, and 

 now that berries are becoming nu- 

 merous and there is more of a drain 

 on the soil, they should have liquid 

 manure twice a week. . 



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