JLLY 28, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



9 



],e\v farm, makes 274 acres in all, a 

 magnificent achievement, crowning with 

 giircess the efforts of all the members 

 o! the Henry A. Dreer Co. Phil. 



STEVIAS. 



Will you kindly tell me how to grow 

 si viasf I have a nice batch of seed- 

 ]• gs in the field, but as I am a begin- 

 II I- at this business I do not know what 

 t do with them now. L. M. S. 



Keep the stevias closely pinched for. 

 s. ne weeks. Lift and pot them before 

 t! .'re is danger of frost. Keep outdoors 

 fi'^ long as possible, then place in a cold 

 greenhouse. Anything clear of frost 

 v.]]\ answer. If you are growing in pots, 

 Uwy should be flowered in 8-inch or 

 9 inch pots. Give them a shift before 

 thov can become matted with roots. 

 _^ C.W. 



LYCOEIS SQXJAMIGERA. 



Will you kindly inform me if Lycoris 

 squamigera is perfectly hardy? If so, 

 does it require a year or two to become 

 aeclimated and what soil is best for it? 

 Is it of any value as a cut flower? 



H. H. G. 



Lycoris squamigera, also known as 

 Amaryllis Hallii, has proved quite 

 hardy in New England, withstanding 

 temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees below 

 zero without injury. It blooms sparse- 

 ly for a year or two after planting and 

 until well established. A thoroughly 

 well drained soil containing plenty of 

 sand, in a warm location, suits it best. 

 I have in mind some clumps which 

 bloom grandly each year on the south 

 side of buildings, while at one place in 

 an open, sunny spot, well surrounded by 

 evergreens on the north and east, one 

 or two masses are superb each. August. 



In planting it, see that the soil is 

 well drained and add some half decayed 

 leaf-mold, sand and rotted cow manure 

 to the natural soil. It prefers a light 

 soil to a heavy one, and a mulch of 

 partly decayed" leaves or old manure is 

 of benefit. The leaves appear and van- 

 ish before the flowers are produced. 



Dinner Table Display in a Leading Pittsburg Store. 



As a pot plant it requires treatment 

 similar to that given to Amaryllis 

 Belladopna and nerines. This is a 

 splendid, hardy bulb when once estab- 

 lished, its fragrant rosy lilac flowers 

 being equal in quality to those of the 

 Belladonna lily itself . -v W. N. C. 



SEASONABI£ NOTES 



It will be quite a number of weeks 

 ' ^fore it will be safe to start the propa- 

 > ition of geraniums. The plants, how- 

 ' ^er, can be looked over in the field 

 •lid any rogues marked. Many florists 

 I 'ant beds of geraniums ab(Wt the ap- 

 1 roaches to their greenhouses. This 

 ''l^rves two excellent purposes, in beau- 

 tifying the establishments and giving 

 liter necessary stock for propagating, 

 •^•eraniums, when planted out, make a 

 '"ank, soft growth, especially later in 

 •^he summer. These soft cuttings are 

 liable to damp off. I have found it to 

 ^e a good plan, where the stock plants 

 ^re growing in nursery rows, to chop 



down each side of the plants with a 

 sharp spade a fortnight before taking 

 cuttings. This checks the rank growth 

 and firms up the wood on the plants, 

 reducing also the number of damped- 

 off cuttings. 



Geranium cuttings /rom outdoors 

 never root so satisfactorily as those 

 pot grown, for the simple reason that 

 those under glass have always firmer 

 wood, containing less sap. Speaking of 

 indoor geraniums reminds me that in 

 late summer the double ivy-leaved vari- 

 eties make excellent pot plants, being 

 also splendid in baskets. Plants for 

 this purpose have recently been given 

 a shift into 6-inch and 7-inch pots. Two 



or three stakes have been given to each 

 and flowers will be allowed to come 

 early in August and will continue al- 

 most indefinitely. These ivy-leaved 

 geraniums are not much seen commer- 

 cially, but where any one wants nice 

 flowering plants in August and Sep- 

 tember, they are welcome additions. 



The regular winter-blooming gera- 

 niums, being grown in pots, should have 

 the strong leading shoots pinched as 

 they show any tendency to tun away; 

 also keep all flower spikes picked off. 

 I do not aim at a vigorous growth on 

 these plants. They do not make as much 

 headway now as they will a few weeks 

 later. Avoid the use of liquid 

 manures. These only promote a soft 

 growth at the expense of flowers. Give 

 the plants a good light, plenty of .fresh 

 air and on hot days they are refreshed 

 by an occasional spraying overhead. 

 When potting ram the soil firmly. Do 

 not use any leaf-mold and let any ma- 

 nure be quite old and thoroughly de- 

 cayed. Spent mushroom manure may 

 torm one-third and add a 4-inch pot of 

 fine bone to each wheelbarrow load of 

 soil. C. W. 



Bloomfield, N. J. — The Greenhouse 

 Construction Co. has been incorpo- 

 rated, with an authorized capital of 

 $125,000, and will have its headquarters 

 at 143 Nelson street. The incorporators 

 are: E. J. Forhan, G. F. Martin and H. 

 f. Jones, all of Newark. 



