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14 



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The Fldri^' R^^ 



OCTOBBB 10, 1912. 



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House Tender Plants. 



While the first killing frosts have cut 

 down tender plants in many places, 

 there are some sections where it may 

 not be cold enough for a month yet to 

 harm anything; still, even there pre- 

 vention is better than cure, and all 

 plants of doubtful hardiness should be 

 placed where they can be speedily put 

 under cover when necessary. A little 

 frost will not damage genistas, azaleas, 

 ericas, acacias, camellias and others of 

 the hard-wooded section, but bou- 

 vardias, heliotropes and scented gera- 

 niums go almost as quickly as alteman- 

 theras or coleus. 



The hard-wooded plants should go 

 into a cold pit, where there is no fire 

 heat and where there is little danger 

 of the growths pushing ahead at the 

 expense of the flowers. All of the 

 plants named should be lifted care- 

 fully. If they are firmly potted, 

 sprayed and kept as cool and airy as 

 possible they will be in the best of con- 

 dition when wanted for forcing. Of 

 course, ericas and acacias will not tol- 

 erate forcing. Azaleas rather seem to 

 like it. 



Shamrocks. 



October and the first half of Novem- 

 ber is the best possible time to make 

 a liberal sowing of shamrock seeds. 

 Use shallow flats for the seedlings and 

 give them a light shelf, with an aver- 

 age night temperature of 48 to 50 

 degrees until germination occurs, when 

 a few degrees cooler will suit them bet- 

 ter. Use a light compost, containing 

 some leaf-mold and lots of sand, for the 

 seeds. We note each year several tri- 

 foliums all labeled the "true sham- 

 rock," the larger portion being a form 

 of Trifolium repens, the common white 

 clover. 



Greenhouse Bepairs. 



There is seldom a time when the 

 average florist gets all needful repairs 

 made to bpilers, piping and greenhouse 

 roofs before the first killing frost ar- 

 rives. There is a disinclination to do 

 this work during midsummer and a 

 too general agreement to postpone such 

 duties until the heated period has 

 passed. Whatever repairs are still in- 

 complete should be pushed to a finish 

 with all possible celerity. Some crops, 

 such as violets, mums and carnations, 

 may not suffer for a short time if they 

 have no fire heat, but there are cold, 

 damp periods when mums and carna- 

 tions require a little, and if roses are 

 grown and no heat is yet available mil- 

 dew and other troubles are almost un- 

 ayoidable. 



If the winter supply of fuel is on 

 hand, growers may congratulate them- 

 selves, as the car shortage at present 

 existing is serious and all orders are 

 subject tq long and vexatious delays. 

 Particularly is this true of anthracite 

 coal. If fuel supplies are on hand, the 

 houses glazed and the heating plant 

 in good condition, we can breatl^ freely 

 and face with serenity the usual prog- 



nostications of "the most severe win- 

 ter on record." 



Violets. 



Double violets should have been all 

 planted indoors some weeks ago and 

 by this time will have become well es- 

 tablished. Keep them as cool as possi- 

 ble. Ventilators can usually be kept 

 wide open all the time until the middle 

 of October and no fire heat should be 

 necessary before that time. Violets do 

 not like artificial heat, and were it pos- 

 sible to have suflBcient warmth without 

 using it they would do all the better 

 and be less susceptible to insect at- 

 tacks. Scratch over the surface soil 

 occasionally. Eemove all weeds, run- 

 ners and spotted or decaying foliage. 

 If your plants are growing in raised 

 benches, do not allow rubbish to accu- 

 mulate below them. Neatness, cleanli- 



ness, careful watering and ventilating, 

 and the keeping of a sweet, buoyant 

 atmosphere are what violets like. Given 

 this, there will be little likelihood of 

 attacks of leaf -spot or aphis. If plants 

 were attacked by red spider before 

 housing and any. are still lurking on 

 the leaves, keep them sprayed regu- 

 larly. Use a soap or nicotine spray if 

 the attack is serious, and use a fine, 

 misty spray nozzle in applying it. 



Single violets can be planted during 

 October. It is a great mistake to house 

 them any earlier. What they require 

 before lifting is one or two moderate 

 freezings to check their leaf growth. 

 They will then start away to flower 

 freely. If housed too early, leaves are 

 always produced at the expense of 

 flowers. If runners have been removed 

 from tixnie to time, there will be a 

 great saving of labor at planting time. 

 Of course, these runners may be left 

 on and they will produce flowers, but 

 with shorter stems and of poorer qual- 

 ity than will be had from the crowns. 



Single violets do best with a winter 

 minimum of 40 to 42 degrees. It is not 

 possible to keep the night temperature 

 down to these figures yet a while, but 

 all possible air should be afforded day 

 and night. 



CRIMSON BAMBLEB BOSES. 



Please let me know if I could trans- 

 plant Crimson Rambler roses the second 

 week in October and if I could cut some 

 of the big canes away with perfect 

 safety. Q, T. 



Yes, you can dig up and transplant 

 Crimson Bambler roses in October. It 

 would be better to wait until the end 

 of the month, but the plants would sur- 

 vive if moved now. Moisten and firm 

 the roots well when moved. You can 

 cut away as many canes as you wish 

 without in any way injuring the plants. 

 C. W. 



PBOPAGATINa BOSES. 



I am starting several thousand rose 

 grafts, and cuttings from outside wood 

 of ramblers, hybrid teas and hardy per- 

 petuals for outside growing. I am plac- 

 ing them just over five return pipes on 

 each side of a carnation house that I 

 can run at 55 degn^ees, except during 

 east winds, which are severe. Then the 

 temperature will drop to 50 degrees. I 

 expect to have them rooted before win- 

 ter comes on. We are using hot water, 

 with two 4-inch flows and ten l^^-inch 



returns. Would it be better to cover 

 the benches with glass or leave them 

 open, and would you advise enclosing 

 the heat under the benches with burlap 

 or boards? F. E. W. 



It would be an advantage and would 

 insure a better and more uniform bottom 

 heat if boards or burlap were used to 

 confine the heat. Cuttings should root all 

 right, if carefully tended, without being 

 enclosed in a glass case. Your cuttings 

 would have rooted more readily if 7°" 

 had taken them from the middle to the 

 end of July. They would then have 

 done well under ordinary hotbed sashes, 

 with a little bottom heat. The wood is 

 now tolerably hard and well ripened, 

 and roots less easily. C. W- 



DOBOTHY PEBKINS FOB EASTER 

 I have a number of Dorothy Perkins 



roses that have been kept in pots 



all 



summer and are rooted through in* 

 the soil underneath. I wish to h*y 

 them in bloom at Easter. What treat- 

 ment should I give them, and shouw 

 they be put in larger pots when lirtfi*^' 

 or allowed to remain as they are no^ 



K. C. B. 



Keep the canes well tied up on yo^ 

 roses, in order that they may ^^'^°^. 

 hard and well ripened. Remove t"® 



