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ThcWcckly Florists^ Review* 



AUOUST 31, 1911. 



PROPAGATING. 



September is sufficiently early to do 

 any propagating, even in the colder 

 states, although some growers start in 

 August and stand the flats of cuttings 

 in the open air until rooted. The 

 trouble with this plan is that torrential 

 rains will so saturate the flats that 

 many cuttings will rot, especially if 

 loam is used in the flats. Clean sand 

 is safest and should be quite sharp, 

 with a good drainage of broken crocks 

 or cinders covered with moss. 



In making cuttings early, we find 

 it an advantage to let them lie on the 

 benches at least a few hours after 

 making, to take some of the excessive 

 sappiness out of them. Short- jointed, 

 firm wood cuttings are more likely to 

 root than long, soft ones. The firmer 

 and harder the wood, the less likeli- 

 hood is there of their damping off. Trim 

 oflE the leaves closely. Cut below a leaf 

 joint. Cuttings will root if this is 

 not done, but chances of damping off 

 are greater. Soak well with water. 

 Give full sun and keep a little on the 

 dry side until rooted. Some prefer to 

 keep them under glass, but good results 

 can be had from open air treatment. 

 Do not propagate too early; October 

 or even November are excellent months 

 for rooting cuttings. Any time before 

 frost comes will be found all right. 



WINTER GERANIUMS. 



The geranium plants for winter 

 flowering should now go into their 

 flowering pots. Those five and six 

 inches in diameter are suitable. Let 

 any manure used be thoroughly de- 

 cayed and add some bone to the com- 

 post. What we want is a firm, short- 

 jointed growth. Given this, we may 

 be sure plants will flower freely. If, 

 however, rank, soft wood is produced, 

 the soil has an excess of nitrogen or 

 the plants have been overfed. Clay's 

 fertilizer is an excellent stimulant, 

 either in liquid or dry form; so is 

 Bon Arbor where the plants need quick 

 stimulating. Fine bone is good for top- 

 dressing. Keep the plants pinched 

 back for some time and remove all 

 flower trusses as they appear. For 

 Thanksgiving flowers do no pinching 

 of the shoots after the end of Septem- 

 ber and for Christmas discontinue by 

 the middle of October. Allow six 

 weeks for flower trusses to properly de- 

 velop in an average night temperature 

 of 50 degrees. 



DIVIDING HYDRANGEA OTAKSA. 



Will you please inform me how and 

 when to divide large sized Hydrangea 

 Otaksaf H. K. 



While this hydrangea can be di- 

 vided, this plan of propagation is sel- 

 dom resorted to, as it is so easily and 

 expeditiously raised from cuttings of 

 soft wood, which root in three weeks 

 in a cutting bench, and if started early 



will develop into strong stock in 8-inch 

 pots in a season. The cuttings can be 

 planted in the field in May, kept well 

 cultivated, and potted early in Octo- 

 ber; It would be better to throw away 

 any big, overgrown Otaksas and not 

 waste time and energy in dividing. 

 The results would at best be indiffer- 

 ent plants as compared with those 

 started from cuttings. C. W. 



WINTER STORAGE OF PLANTS. ' 



Will the general run of perennials 

 keep in good condition for spring plant- 

 ing if dug in the fall and stored in a 

 storage cellar in boxes of earth? I 

 followed this plan in handling Clematis 

 paniculata last fall, and though the 

 plants seemed in good condition this 

 spring, most of them being in bud, I 

 had heavy losses in planting. 



W. G. S. 



While a large variety of trees, shrubs 

 and climbers can be lifted and stored 

 in cellars over winter, such plants, 

 while convenient to get at for filling 

 orders, never .prove so satisfactory as 



stock dug from the open ground. The 

 roots get too dry in many cases, and 

 the plants, when exposed to bhu and 

 air, usually die back badly. Clematis 

 paniculata is one climber which does 

 poorly if fall planted. Even if dug and 

 stored, many plants will die. Leave it 

 outdoors and your losses will be prac- 

 tically nil. C. W. 



SUPPORTS FOR HOUSES. 



In one of my greenhouses the posts 

 show signs of commencing to rot in 

 spots. The roof and benches are in 

 good condition. Would a casing of 

 about three inches of concrete around 

 the three open sides strengthen the 

 posts and prevent further rotting, or 

 would 2-inch iron pipes with plates 

 on top, put in between the posts, be 

 better? The plates are heavy timbers r 

 4x8; the sides are five and one-half 

 feet high, with sixteen inches of side 

 glass. The ground does not freeze 

 around the posts, as there is a lean-te 

 on each side. The posts are 5x6 inches 

 thick, six feet apart, and set two feet 

 deep in cement. M. 6. 



Placing a casing of cement on three 

 sides of the posts would not materially 

 assist in staying their decay. Even if 

 you placed it on all four sides, you 

 would not be getting so good a sup- 

 port as from the 2-inch iron pipes with 

 plates on top, put in between the pres- 

 ent posts. But why not try supports 

 of concrete alternated between the 

 present posts? It is the most durable 

 form of supports and is as cheap as. 

 wood. C. W. 



PLANTING TIME. 



September is the best month in the 

 year for transplanting peonies. Of 

 course, they can be moved in October, 

 or even November, but September 

 planting permits of the stock getting 

 nicely established before winter, and 

 if good plants are set out quite a 

 little bloom will be produced the fol- 

 lowing season. Large, overgrown 

 clumps, which have become practically 

 blind, should be lifted and divided 

 with a sharp spade. It is practically 

 impossible to pull these apart, and a 

 chopping through of the roots seems 

 to have no injurious effects, any more 

 than on other perennials. ^ 



Peonies love a well prepared soil. It 

 should, if possible, be two feet deep; 

 more if possible, but few soils exceed 

 the former depth and many fall far 

 short of it. Use plenty of well rotted 

 cow or horse manure; bone meal is also 

 good. Fertilizer should not come in 

 direct contact with the roots. Do not 



cover the crowns too deeply. A heU 

 was seen some years ago doing poorly 

 and examination showed that there 

 was twelve to fifteen inches of soil 

 over the tops of the clumps. Thi» 

 might do well for many lilies, but is 

 ruinous for peonies. 



PEONIES NOT BLOOMING. 



The Eeview of August 10, page 22,. 

 contained an inquiry in regard to a 

 failure in peony culture, with a reply 

 by William A. Peterson, the well known 

 nurseryman. The inquirer stated, in 

 substance: "We divided some peony 

 clumps about five or six years ago and 

 they never amounted to anything. A 

 number of small, sickly looking stalks 

 came up every year, but did not grow 

 more than a foot high; they stayed 

 green all summer and never bloomed. "^ 

 Mr. Peterson replied by mentioning the 

 following four common causes of 

 "sulkiness" of peonies: Too dee(p 

 planting, leaving too many eyes on a 



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