14 



The Florists' Review 



BnraMBiii 6, 19^12. 



- .' -Ki' '■;''■ '-.r.' 





SEASONASLE NOTES. 



Cattleya Labiata. 



This well known and highly esteemed 

 orchid, now has its growths well made 

 up; in fact, buds are discernible in 

 some of the more prominent sheaths, 

 and these should give a few flowers as 

 early as the latter part of September 

 or first part of October. 



Cattleya flowers are at the present 

 time as scarce as at any time in the 

 year, and if any considerable order for 

 them were given, it would be hard to 

 fill it. 



The earliest labiatas should be given 

 a little more warmth, not anything in 

 the way of forcing, but a light place 

 where they will be shielded from too 

 bright sunshine, a trifle warmer than 

 they have been growing. A few days' 

 difference in securing the first flowers 

 may mean quite a little added to the 

 cash account. A good supply of water 

 should still be given C. labiata, and on 

 clear, warm days a syringing will be 

 beneficial. Be sure, however, that the 

 foliage is dry before nightfall. This 

 cattleya is so productive and such a 

 great favorite that it is to be regretted 

 that its price steadily advances, and 

 unless fresh sources of supply are dis- 

 covered it will, in a few years, be the 

 highest priced of all the commercial cat- 

 tleyas. Plants arriving now are mostly 

 small. The large masses of a few years 

 ago are unprocurable. 



The Cattldya Houbc. 



I While nearly all cattleyas will still 

 require a good water supply, the arrival 

 of cooler nights, accompanied with 

 heavy dews, makes it necessary to 

 abstain to some extent from the damp- 



ing down, which ^ould be done quite 

 late during July and the first half of 

 August. It is always safer to allow 

 plants of this genus to get quite dry 

 between waterings. Have you ever no- 

 ticed — but of course you have, if you 

 are an interested orchid grower — how 

 healthy a plant will look when it has 

 been overlooked for several days at a 

 time, when you were soaking your other 

 plants around itt If you have not, try 

 the experiment and it will teach you 

 that it is easy, to overwater orchids, 

 even in the summer months. 



Wiile we will still have considerable 

 hot weather, it is a good plan to rub 

 off some of the shading from the glass. 

 This is, of course, unnecessary where 

 movable blinds or lath shades are used. 

 Heavy shade makes green, soft plants. 

 More light means somewhat paler foli- 

 age, but increased floriferousness. 



When the bulbs are well made up and 

 buds ready to show in the sheaths, if 

 you are one of those practicing the feed- 

 ing of orchids, it is better to discontinue 

 it, or it may cause the buds t6 rot in the 

 sheaths. Continue, however, to feed in 

 weak doses until the bulbs are well 

 made out. Do not close the ventilators 

 at night if the nights get rather cool. 

 Never mind if the temperature drops 

 to 55 degrees; it will not hurt the plants 

 half so much as shutting up the house 

 and creating a stuffy atmosphere. Fire 

 heat for cattleyas is not needed yet 

 a while. Always keep the ventilators 

 open, as these orchids want air, aad 

 the surest way to ruin them and make 

 them send out quantities of roots into 

 the air, rather than into the pots, is to 

 keep them too close and stuffy. 



Mexican Lselias. 



Such varieties as anceps, autumnalis. 



Gouldeana and some others which are 

 or should be, in a light, airy house, win 

 be pushing their spikes freely. These 

 are better grown coolei; than the cat* 

 tleyas until about the middle of Sep. 

 tember, after which give theim a posl- 

 tion at the cool end of the cattleya 

 house. The warmer and more heavily 

 shaded these Mexican orchids are 

 grown, the better they grow and the 

 poorer they flower. None of them 

 should have much shade, even in mid- 

 summer, and a house with top ventila- 

 tors wide open is just what they enjoy. 

 Growths will not be by any means ma.le 

 up yet and good water supplies, with 

 spraying overhead on the mornings of 

 clear, warm days, should be given. 



THE ASTEB BEETLE, v 



Is there anything better than Paris 

 green to epray asters with to keep 

 down the blister beetle! The sepals of 

 my plants have turned brown with its 

 use. I try to avoid spraying when the 

 sun shines, but that is hard to do, as 

 the bugs come in large numbers during 

 the day and get in a lot of work before 

 sunset. Could Paris green be mixed 

 with water strong enough to kill the 

 bugs and not hurt the. plants? 



0. A. K. 



Paris green is the best remedy for 

 the black aster beetle which annually 

 destroys an immense number of flowers 

 ovei a wide stretch of territory. The 

 spray is best applied on a cloudy day, 

 or in the evening of a bright day. You 

 do not state how strong a spray you 

 used. One ounce to fifteen gallons of 

 water will poison the beetles and not 

 injure the flowers in the least. Never 

 apply any stronger than one pound to 

 200 gallons of water or you are liable 

 to mark the flowers. A little lime 

 added to the water reduces the likeli- 

 hood of burning. Use a fine, misty 

 spray when applying the poison. 



Arsenate of lead is less liable to dam- 

 age the flowers, but it whitens the foli- 

 age so much as to render the flowers 

 unsalable, and this will not wash off 

 as does the Paris green. C. W. 



SPIBiEA JAPONICA. 



We have bought at a low price some 

 spiraeas which were forced last Easter. 

 Will it pay us to force them again this 

 wintier, or Would it pay better to buy 

 new? We have them plunged in a deep 

 coldframe, covered with a slat screen. 



The Canadian Horticultural Auodation at Li^y Qoutton't During the Montreal G>nvention. 



