40 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Decembeb 14, 1911. 



ing up the stems. If placed directly 

 in the light this early the flower spikes 

 will come short and squatty. Where 

 only a few are wanted a smaller pot 

 can be inverted over the growth, plug- 

 ging up the hole in the bottom of the 

 pot with putty. Do not, when water- 

 ing, lift the pots and pour water over 

 the tops of the plants, or many of the 

 flower buds will rot. 



Ixias. 



Those charming little bulbous flowers, 

 the ixias, are eagerly looked for each 

 winter by the up-to-date flower stores. 

 There always are critical l)uyers look- 

 ing for just such dainty flowers. They 

 should now be nicely rooted and have 

 shoots well above the ground, if they 

 have been kept in a coldframe or pit. 

 Give them a cool, light and airy house, 

 kept as near 45 degrees at night as pos- 

 sible. Avoid too much water; in fact, 

 they are better run a little on the dry 

 side. Similar treatment suits babianas, 

 sparaxis and tritonias, of which latter 

 crocata is popular. Never attempt to 

 force any of these bulbs or you will 

 ruin them. They all want a cool green- 

 house, and in such they are always seen 

 at their best. 



Protecting Bulb Beds. 



Bulb beds are better not covered 

 until the ground is hard frozen. If a 

 heavy mulch is applied when the ground 

 is soft the bulbs will push their growths 

 up into the mulch and many are broken 

 when removing it. Leaves, straw or 

 coarse litter all make good mulching 

 mediums. Lay some pine boughs, corn 

 stalks and light boards over them to 

 keep the mulch from blowing away. 



LILIES FOB EASTEB. 



Please inform me whether I can pot 

 giganteum lilies now and have them 

 in bloom for Easter. If not, is there 

 any other white lily that will force 

 any sooner? Is there any difference in 

 the forcing quality of cold storage 

 giganteums and the new bulbs? 



G. E. K. 



It is getting late now to pot any lilies 

 for Easter. Either L. longiflorum 

 giganteum or L. multiflorum could be 

 used. The latter comes in a little 

 earlier than giganteum, but has a small- 

 er flower. There would be little gained 

 by using cold storage bulbs; the fresh 

 bulbs would start just as quickly and 



more strongly. Pot in 5-inch or 6-inch 

 pots, according to the size of the bulbs. 

 Leave a good margin for top-dressing. 

 Place the pots in a shed, or under a 

 bench in a house kept at 55 to 60 de- 

 grees. Scatter some fine ashes or moss 

 over them. As soon as they are started 

 and rooted nicely, give them a night 

 temperature of 65 degrees right along, 

 in order to get them ready in time. 

 Easter in 1912 will be earlier th£tn 

 usual, April 7, and in order to flower 

 lilies then the buds must be showing 

 by the last part of February. C. W. 



BHODODENDBONS. 



Rhododendrons, to be successfully 

 wintered outdSbrs, must be thoroughly 

 damp at the ropts when the ground 

 freezes up. Failing the necessary mois- 

 ture from the skies, it is better to soak 

 them thoroughly before applying a 

 heavy winter mulch of leaves. If this 

 is given early in the autumn it keeps 

 the late fall and early winter rains 

 from reaching the roots. The scorching 

 or dying out so common in the spring, 

 and which is constantly blamed to the 

 frost, is due rather to the dry condi- 

 tion of the roots, as the thick mulch 

 prevents any winter rain or melting 

 snow from doing the plants any good. 

 During the present month is a suitable 

 time to protect any varieties of doubt- 

 ful hardiness with evergreen boughs 

 and burlap. Don't lace the plants up 

 too closely, but give a chance for plenty 

 of air to reach them. The real damage 

 is not done now, but in late winter and 

 early spring. The inadequacy of mois- 

 ture at the roots annually kills or se- 

 verely cripples more evergreens of all 

 kinds than the winter's cold. 



SAN JOSE SCALE. 



Scatter Tall Baskets Amone the Wide Ones. 



This pest is an increasing menace to 

 fruit growers and no orchardist, to be 

 successful, can afford to neglect spray- 

 ing for it. Were its ravages confined 

 to fruit trees we could more readily 

 control it, but it attacks many shrubs 

 and some trees, including lilacs, malus, 

 cydonias, cercidiphyllum, Crataegus, pop- 

 lars, willows, chestnuts, the evergreen 

 Euonymus radicans, and others, in- 

 cluding such roses as setigera and 

 rugosa ; in fact, nearly all the species 

 are subject to attack. Among fruit trees 

 and shrubs, currants often are dead be- 

 fore anyone knows what is the trouble 

 with them. Gooseberries, plums, apples, 

 peas and peaches are all attacked, and 

 cherries to a less extent. Now, when 

 the foliage has fallen, is the time to 

 attack and destroy the pest. There are 

 two principal remedies, the lime-sul- 

 phur spray or one of the soluble oils 

 The former is best where there is a 

 large orchard to cover, but it is dis- 

 agreeable to apply and the small 

 grower, with a few dozens of shr'iba 

 and trees to treat, had better use a solu- 

 ble oil, such as Scalecide, in the pro'))r- 

 tion of fifteen to one. Use a fine, misty 

 spray. Choose a clear day without 

 wind for the operation and be sure to 

 dampen every portion of the wood. To 

 make doubly sure, give another spraying 

 before growth starts in the spring. The 

 spraying is good insurance and even 

 if you have few or no scale it will pay 

 you to do it. 



Chicopee Falls, Mass. — Frank Burfitt 

 is negotiating for a new house, to be 

 built in the early spring, for general 

 purposes. 



