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The Weekly Florists' Review. 



15 



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Seed Supplies. 



The aeedsmen have, in most cases, 

 issued their catalogues, and at no sea- 

 son of the year is there more time to 

 examine them than now. Early orders 

 are always appreciated aiid any florists 

 who have not yet made out their lists 

 should do so forthwith. There are 

 several excellent reasons why seeds 

 should be ordered early. One is that 

 we then have our supply at hand when- 

 ever we want to sow anything and do 

 not need to send a hurry-up order to 

 our seedsman when he is buried with 

 busiaesfi. A second good reason, is. that 

 by ordering now we get prompt de- 

 livery, which is impossible a few weeks 

 later. The seedsman also appreciates 

 these early orders, as without them the 

 volume of business later in the season 

 would be almost overwhelming. Do 

 not buy cheap mixtures of seeds. A 

 few special colors always are popular. 

 Others sell indifferently, if at all. As 

 a rule, separate colors are best to buy, 

 and get the best quality. There are 

 always a few novelties worthy of a 

 trial. Never mind if all do not come 

 up to expectations. If you secure one 

 really good new thing it is worth a 

 little time spent in trying out a number 

 to secure it. 



Jerusalem Cherries. 



If you want nice, bushy plants of the 

 Jerusalem cherry, Solanum Capsicas- 

 trum, sow the seeds now. You can also 

 propagate by means of cuttings, but 

 the latter, while they ripen early, never 

 make neat plants like seedlings. They 

 are sprawly and hang over the pots 

 too much. Seed will soon germinate 

 if sown in pans in a warm house. Do 

 not keep too warm; once they are 

 through the soil 50 to 55 degrees should 

 not be exceeded. Pot off singly when 

 large enough to handle. Gradually 

 harden and plant outdoors in May. 

 Keep well cultivated; dig up and pot 

 in September. Give the solanums rich 

 ground and they will make heavily 

 berried, bushy plants, far better than 

 any you ever get from rooted cuttings. 



Petunias. 



If not yet sown, seeds of petunias 

 should be started at once. The seeds 

 are fine and should not be covered at 

 all. Sow thinly, and after germinating 

 avoid growing them too warm. If you 

 have any shell snails around, keep a 

 sharp watch on your seedling petunias 

 or the snails will make short work of 

 them. Seeds of double petunias are 

 offered; at least the seed is guaranteed 

 to give a percentage of doubles. The 

 best way to perpetuate good forms of 

 these, however, is by means of cuttings. 

 Petunias are among the most satisfac- 

 tory of all annuals for bedding pur- 

 poses. They are also splendid for 

 piazza and window boxes, vases and 

 hanging baskets, never being out of 

 flower the whole summer. As with 

 other bedding plants, it is an advantage 



to have some of them flowering at 

 bedding time, for it is always noticed 

 that with the multitude the plants 

 carrying flowers move the quickest. 



Lobelias. 



Both the drooping variety, L. graci- 

 lis, and the dwarf, compact forms, such 

 as Emperor "William, should be sown 

 now. The latter is not such a success 

 as a bedder here as we often would 

 wish. It has a faculty for damping 

 off badly during spells of hot, moist, 

 sunless weather in summer. There is, 

 however, nothing to take its place as 

 a blue carpeting plant. Quite often 

 old plants are carried over in a cool 

 house and these will now yield quan- 

 tities of cuttings, which root easily and 

 make stocky plants for bedding. The 

 trailing varieties are useful in boxes 

 and vases. There are white as well as 

 light and dark blue forms, but usually 

 the dark blue is the color mostly asked 

 for. 



Verbenas. 



Unless it be to perpetuate some 

 special color, there is no special ad- 



vantage in propagating verbenas from 

 cuttings. We do not consider they 

 have the vigor of seedlings, and as the 

 latter are raised so easily, it is the only 

 method of propagation we would ad- 

 vise. Verbenas are everblooming an- 

 nuals, excellent either for window 

 boxes or bedding. They are desirable 

 to use in benches in conjunction with 

 other annuals to fill up blanks created 

 by the removal of or dying down of 

 Dutch bulbs. Here, again, it pays to 

 run to special colors. Scarlet, pink 

 and white are the leaders. By sowing 

 now and growing only moderately 

 warm you will get your plants in 

 flower before the bedding-out season 

 starts. 



Hardy Perennials. 



While late summer is the best time 

 to sow most of the perennials and 

 biennials, the present is the next best 

 season to start a good batch of any 

 of the popular varieties which are in 

 demand. This list should include 

 aquilegias, delphiniums, asters (Michsel- 

 mas daisies). Chrysanthemum maxi- 

 mum, lupines, lychnis, hibiscus, gyp- 

 sophila, pyrethrums, oriental and Ice- 

 land poppies, and campanulas. There 

 are, of course, others, but the foregoing 

 are among the leaders. It is too early to 

 sow hollyhocks, unless it be the an- 

 nual variety; Canterbury bells and 

 digitalis. The plants would become 

 unwieldy before fall. Many of these 

 perennials, if planted out in beds or 

 nursery rows, will flower the first sea- 

 son and all will make nice stock for 

 fall planting. 





BAGATELLE BO.SE TBLALS. 



M. J. Forestier, the Conservator of 

 Promenades of Paris, advises that a 

 trial of new roses will take place in the 

 Bagatelle rosery during 1912 and 1913, 

 as in previous years. These new roses 

 are contributed by the raisers, and 

 raisers who have not previously sent 

 roses for trial should note that as far 

 as possible the plants should have been 

 grown in pots, that at least five plants 

 of each variety must be sent to reach 

 the rosery before April 15, 1912, and 

 that if special treatment is desired, in- 

 formation must be sent with the roses. 

 The roses will be planted in the beds 

 soon after their arrival, and remain 

 there until October of the second year, 

 to give the members of the jury an 

 opportunity of having them under ob- 

 servation during two seasons, and thus 

 be in a position to determine their rel- 



ative merits both as regards flower 

 production and habit of growth. The 

 parcels containing the roses should be 

 addressed to "Monsieur de Conserva- 

 teur des Promenades de Paris (Eoseraie 

 de Bagatelle, au Bois de Boulogne, k 

 Paris) en gare de Neuilly-Port-Maillot- 

 Paris. ' ' 



FIELD KAISEBINS FOE FOBCINO. 



Are field-grown Kaiserins desirable 

 for planting and growing inside? 

 What is the best way to handle them? 



J. G. 



Field-grown Kaiserins are not near- 

 ly so good for forcing as pot-grown^ 

 stock would be. If you decide, never- 

 theless, to use the field plants, they 

 can be started now if you want ani 

 early crop. However, as this rose is 

 most largely grown as a summer 

 flowering variety, it would be better- 

 to wait until the middle of March be- 

 fore starting them. Prune them back 



