28 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Decbmbbb 7, 1911. 



in outside bo they are exposed to frost. 

 Hot water treatment is best applied in 

 A basin of water of 85 to 95 degrees 

 ^Fahr. Only the buds and shoots need 

 to be treated; the root balls are left out. 

 This treatment takes about six to ten 

 hours. If the temperature of the water 

 is lower (70 to 80 degrees Fahr.) ten to 

 twelve hours will be necessary. Plants 

 that have been exposed to frost need 

 shorter treatment. Etherizing is done 

 in an airtight box in which ether is 

 placed and vaporized. This treatment 

 takes about twenty-four hours. 



Although it is rather diificult to give 

 definite rules for forcing lilacs, I shall 

 try to explain in the following lines 

 the most essential. It must, for the 

 greatest part, be left to the forcer to 

 understand the exact needs of the plant 

 and his requirements as to watering, 

 airing and heating. I shall also explain 

 how to insure Charles X its delicate 

 lilac color, which is something unknown 

 to the majority of lilac forcers. 



Lilacs can be had in bloom at Christ- 

 mas, but the success with them is not 

 sure when they are not previously ex- 

 posed in one of the three ways to shorten 

 the rest period. I would therefore ad- 

 vise not to bring more plants inside 

 than is necessary, for the results are 

 uncertain. The later the plants are 

 brought inside, the better. They force 

 easier and make better flowers and 

 trusses. 



High Temperature Needed. 



Lilacs want a high temperature and 

 the idea of letting them come slow, or 

 as florists sometimes say, "almost nat- 

 ural," is entirely wrong. They should 

 be forced. The meaning of that word 

 clearly expresses itself. 



When the lilacs are taken into the 

 greenhouse they should at once be given 

 at least 80 to 90 degrees Fahr. If it is 

 not possible to give them so much heat 

 from the greenhouse pipes, and if there 

 are other plants in the same house that 

 do not require so much heat, I would 

 advise placing the lilacs in one end of 

 • the house and have this part separated 

 from the other part with boards, glass 

 or canvas. Then bring the division to 

 the necessary temperature. The heat 

 of a stove is favorable to lilac forcing. 

 It makes the air dry, where the boilers 

 make it damp. 



One has to take care to spray abun- 

 dantly three or four times a day, 

 through the branches and buds, and also 

 to have the root balls in the pots suf- 

 ficiently wet. On account of this spray- 

 •ng the surface of the soil will look 

 /ather wet, but this is deceitful, for the 

 lower parts of the balls are sometimes 

 ioo dry. On the other hand, the balls 

 should not be too wet. The plants do 

 not consume much water in the first 

 "light days and if too wet, the roots 

 will rot. Here it is where the forcer 

 should use his own judgment. The buds 

 Have to be constantly kept moist. With- 

 in ten to twelve days the buds break 

 open and ara about of a finger length. 

 This la the time to lessen the heat until 

 ♦he trusses have attained their full size, 

 •fhich takes about two and one-half 

 weeks. Also the spraying should me- 

 thodically be lessened. When the flowers 

 begin to expand, a thin spray once or 

 twice a day, will be sufficient. If the 

 flowers are open, the spraying should be 

 Rtopped. Spraying on the open trusses 

 is ruinous to the blooms. 



The last eight to ten days the lilacs 

 can get sufficient heat from the green- 

 house pipes and it is only with dark, 



wet weather that the stove needs to be 

 used. During forcing it is well to give 

 them once in a while a little airing. 



The Best Varieties. 



The variety Charles X has a fine^lav- 

 ender color, but if forced wrong turns 

 into a dirty white. To insure this va- 

 riety its beautiful color it is necessary 

 to place the plants cooler after the sec- 

 ond week of forcing and in a place 

 where it is possible to give them fresh 

 air from the outside through the venti- 

 lation. This should not bie done when 

 it freezes. Charles X, when flowering 

 outdoors, always is blue. Even those 

 plants which do not show good color in 

 forcing get the right color outside. This 

 gave us the conclusion that forced 

 plants that were exposed to outside air 

 the last week of forcing also should 

 regain their natural color, and by doing 

 so we were successful. 



Marie Legraye, single white, is the 

 easiest to force, consequently the earli- 



H. R. Fisher. 



est. After this variety comes Charles 

 X, single lavender, and Souvenir de 

 Louis Spath, single purple, Mme. Le- 

 moine, double white, and President 

 Grevy, double lavender. These are the 

 varieties that gije best satisfaction. 

 ^ B. B. C. Felix. 



—which shows the good judgment of 

 the banker who staked him. 



H. B. FISHEE. 



Before starting in business for him- 

 self at Marysville, Kan., a little less 

 than a year ago, H. B. Fisher had 

 worked in flower stores all over the 

 country. He put in twenty years at 

 the trade before starting for himself, 

 but since getting the backing of a 

 banker that permitted ^him to make hia 

 start he has made splendid progress, 

 the trade at his place having increased 

 over 150 per cent since he took it over 



PUBLICATIONS BECEIVED. 



["What England Can Teach Us About Garden- 

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"What England Can Teach Us About 

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His knowledge of the subject, too, 

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But, after all, the most important 

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And, as this main idea of the book is 

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For sale by The Eeview at the pub- 

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