May 26, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



15 



ducted for the purpose of solving these 

 diflSculties which meet him from time to 

 time. 



Experiments in floriculture at Cornell 

 have, by force of circumstances, been 

 largely confined to field work. This is 

 due to lack of greenhouse equipment. 

 Important results have been obtained in 

 connection with the study and growth of 

 certain of the important florists' crops. 



Peony Studies. 



As an example, the speaker cited the 

 cooperative peony study now going on 

 between the American Peony Society and 

 the Department of Horticulture. The 

 peony plots comprise some 1,200 or 

 more varieties of this plant. The study, 

 which was commenced in 1904, is being 

 steadily continued and its progress has 

 been marked by the publication, first, 

 of a peony check-list containing all names 

 and citations of peony varieties; and, 

 second, by a bulletin giving the history, 

 botany and classification of varieties, to- 

 gether with an authentic description of 

 a number of kinds best known to the 

 trade. At the present time a third pub- 

 lication is going through the press. This 

 will be available to peony growers in 

 two or three weeks, and it will contain 

 accurate and popular descriptions of over 

 200 varieties which have been studied on 

 the Cornell Experiment Station grounds 

 and on the grounds of two of the more 

 prominent peony specialists of the coun- 

 try. 



In dahlias and chrysanthemums, ex- 

 haustive studies have been made and re- 

 ports published, which the floricultural 

 public have appreciated. 



Sweet Pea Studies. 



Some ten years ago, sweet pea studies 

 were commenced at Cornell and as a re- 

 sult of these two bulletins were pub- 

 lished. Last year marked the organiza- 

 tion of a National Sweet Pea Society, 

 and the Cornell Department of Horticul- 

 ture was glad to cooperate with this 

 society to the extent of taking charge of 

 its trial grounds. At the present time 

 these grounds contain some 600 varieties 

 of sweet peas gathered from the four 

 corners of the horticultural world. A 

 thorough monographic study will be made 

 of this group of plants, and it is hoped 

 tLat a publication of large value tvill be 

 available at the close of the season. 



Forcing Plants. 



In the line of indoor work, or work 

 under glass, experiments have been con- 

 <liicted having for their object the dis- 

 <overy of the influence of artificial light 

 <'ti florists' forced crops and of the in- 

 <Uience of etherization. These lines of 

 ■'".ork have been in progress for some 

 years and are being prosecuted further 

 ;'-t the present time. In the etherization 

 of bulbs this year the work commenced 

 i>y the speaker is being continued by 

 I'rofessor Judson, on narcissi, hyacinths, 

 tulips^ Spanish iris, lilies, gladioli and 

 •ily of the valley. In the case of nar- 

 cissi the greatest maximum gain of six- 

 teen days was secured. "With hyacinths, 

 'he greatest gain was four days. With 

 fifteen varieties of tulips the greatest 

 gain was five days, while with lily of the 

 valley the greatest gain of etherized over 

 unetherized pips was four days. In addi- 

 tion to the hastening of the flowering pe- 

 riod, ^ a considerable gain in height in 

 etherized over unetherized was also se- 

 cured. 



Former experiments with artificial light 



Begonia Incarnata, Sander's Improved Form. 



have shown that acetylene, which closely 

 approximates in spectrum analysis the 

 rays of the sun, has important values in 

 the forcing of crops during the dark 

 months. The investigations have been 

 suspended, owing to insufficient glass 

 house equipment, but will be resumed this 

 year, and the Tungsten light will be com- 

 pared with acetylene for the forcing of 

 crops. 



The speaker cited many other experi- 

 ments which should be conducted by way 

 of emphasizing the necessity of investi- 

 gation on behalf of the florists. Among 

 these were fertilizers in the growing of 

 greenhouse crops, special methods in the 

 forcing of flowering shrubs, as, for in- 

 stance, the use of carbonic dioxide gas. 

 methods of sterilizing greenhouse soils, 

 methods of fumigating greenhouses with 

 poisonous gases, the breeding of florists' 

 crops for special purposes, the use and 

 application of flower dyes and the mono- 

 graphic study of important, but little 

 known, groups of plants. These lines 

 would be inaugurated as soon as war- 

 ranted by the extension of present glass 

 house equipment. 



Professor Craig pointed out that all 

 bulletins of the Experiment Station at 

 Cornell, whether bearing upon horticul- 

 tural matters or other studies, were free 

 and available to New York florists and 

 usually to florists of any part of the 

 country. 



BEGONIA INOABNATA. 



Begonia incarnata is an old and val- 

 uable winter-flowering plant. The vari- 

 ety grandiflora, known also as Sander's 

 improved incarnata, has flowers double 

 the size of the older form and is a better 

 thing in every respect. When first shown 

 before the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society, the improved variety was award- 

 ed a well deserved first-class certificate. 

 It was raised by Charles Sander, for 



many years in charge of Prof. C. S. Sar- 

 gent 's beautiful estate at Holm Lea, 

 Brookline, Mass., and one of the most 

 skilful all-round gardeners we have in 

 America. Mr. Sander is particularly suc- 

 cessful in the raising, by various meth- 

 ods, of plants generally regarded as diflS- 

 eult subjects. 



B. incarnata comes in season a little 

 later than B. Gloire de Lorraine and is 

 not at its best until January and Feb- 

 ruary. It is of much more vigorous 

 habit than Gloire de Lorraine and of 

 comparatively easy propagation. Plants 

 done blooming, if headed back, will soon 

 give an abundant supply of succulent 

 shoots, which are easily rooted, and, if 

 taken in April or May, will make nice 

 plants in 5-inch or 6-inch pots the fol- 

 lowing winter. Old plants, cut back, can 

 also be planted outdoors in rich soil 

 about the end of May and lifted about 

 the middle of September. A cool house 

 grows this begonia best, 48 to 50 degrees 

 at night being sufficient. For compost, 

 soil which will grow good mums or car- 

 nations suits this begonia. 



As a house plant B. incarnata is far 

 preferable to B. Gloire de Lorraine, hold- 

 ing its flowers much longer. Personally, 

 I consider it much the most useful bego- 

 nia on a private estate, and have often 

 wondered why one with such sterling 

 merits has so far been practically ignored 

 commercially. 



The illustration shows one plant of a 

 large batch of this begonia grown by 

 Daniel Whyte, head gardener to Win- 

 throp Ames, of North Easton, Mass., 

 who is a successful grower of fibrous- 

 rooted begonias in general. 



W. N. Craig. 



New Orleans, La. — Hermanif Eoss- 

 bach, at 4615 Ferrier street, has been 

 ill for about five months, but is now 

 recovering. 



