20 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



Fbbbuaby 29, 1912. 



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I^^^^SUGGESTIONS | 



liilies. 



At the end of February, if lilies are 

 not showing their buds, they are late 

 and to get them in flower for Easter 

 they must have a temperature of 65 to 

 70 degrees at night and be frequently 

 sprayed. It will pay to do this forcing 

 now, for it is well to remember that 

 lilies are little in demand after Easter 

 and fetch only low prices. Watering 

 once a week with weak nitrate of soda 

 water also has a tendency to forward 

 these laggards. Plants with buds prom- 

 inently showing will be all right in an 

 average night temperature of 55 de- 

 grees. Where the buds are already 

 hanging down a colder house is neces- 

 sary, but do not move from a high 

 temperature house directly to a cold 

 one or many buds will be destroyed; 

 place in an intermediate temperature 

 for a few days first. 



Ampelopsis Veitchil. 



There is always more or less call 

 for Ampelopsis Veitchii. This popular 

 hardy climber is the best clinging vine 

 that we have for covering stone, brick 

 or woodwork. If a good stock is wanted 

 sow seeds now; they are not long in 

 germinating. Pot them off singly later 

 and gradually harden off. If plunged" 

 over the pots outdoors, they will make 

 considerable growth the first season if 

 afforded some water during dry weath- 

 er. An easier plan, of course, is to 

 plant out the seedlings. This causes 

 a stronger growth, but such plants are 

 not so good for your customers as those 

 from pots. 



Feverfew. 



Feverfew is a useful crop for Mem- 

 orial day. It is not in much demand 

 at any other season, but the flowers 

 stand shipment well and although the 

 odor is not specially agreeable, it is 

 always in great request for bouquet 

 work. The earlier the plants are got 

 into the bench the better the crop will 

 be. Give a generous compost such as 

 would produce good mums or roses and 

 the feverfew will revel in it. 



Cinerarias for Easter. 



While Easter comes moderately early 

 this season, it is a little late for cin- 

 erarias, but if a cool house is at dis- 

 posal, with the glass well shaded, the 

 plants can be held back nicely. The 

 night temperature can go down to 38 

 degrees or 40 degrees, or, in fact, any- 

 where not down to actual freezing, 

 without injuring them. There are some 

 other plants, among which Primula ob- 

 conica is quite important, which can be 

 kept in good condition for the coming 

 Easter if grown cool, airy and well 



shaded. 



Seedling Primulas. 



As soon as the seedlings of P. ob- 

 conica, Sinensis, and the various other 

 primroses have made their second 

 leaves, and before they can crowd each 

 other, transplant them into shallow 



flats of light soil, the major part of 

 which is leaf mold with some sand. 

 Shade them for a few days, then gradu- 

 ally expose them to the sun. They do 

 not require a warm house; 50 degrees at 

 night is sufficiently warm. 



Fancy Caladiums. 



The tubers of fancy-leaved caladiuma 

 can now be shaken out and started in 

 flats of sand in a warm, moist house. 

 Be careful to water the tubers only 

 moderately or they will decay. Pot 

 them up before root and leaf growth 

 becomes too advanced. A mixture of 

 equal parts fibrous loam and peat, with 

 some old cow manure and coarse sand 

 added, makes a good potting medium 

 for these colored caladiums. 



Hydrangeas. 



In order to increase the stock of 

 hydrangeas and produce strong plants 

 for next fall, insert a good batch of 

 cuttings now, selecting the non-flower- 

 ing shoots. These will root in about a 

 month, when they can be potted off. 

 Kept growing along in pots outdoors 



The Editor Is pleased 

 ^v^hen a Reader 

 inresents bis Ideas 

 on any subject treated In 



«Vr0^ 



As experience Is the best 

 teacher, so do -we 

 learn fastest by an 

 excbanee of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 arebrouBht out 

 by discussion. 



Good i>cnmanBhip, spelling and 

 grammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you» would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WE SHALL BE GLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM TOU 



through the summer or planted out 

 in May, they will make fine stock for 

 next fall. 



Vegetable Seedlings. 



Many florists do a considerable busi- 

 ness on various vegetable plants, gen- 

 erally growing them in small flats con- 

 taining twelve or twenty-four plants 

 each, of tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, 

 cauliflower, egg plant, pepper or celery. 

 It is a little early to sow all of these 

 plants yet, but celery, cabbage and let- 



tuce can be started at once, while to- 

 matoes and egg plants are better sown a 

 little later. All these grow best in a 

 light and moderately rich soil. 



Foliage Plants. 



March is an excellent month in 

 which to do any necessary overhauling 

 among the pandanus, crotons, dracasnas, 

 marantas and other foliage plants. The 

 bulk of these plants need an annual 

 potting or surface dressing. Nearly 

 all do well in a compost containing 

 some fern fiber or peat in addition to 

 loam, but this is not really necessary. 

 Marantas like some peat, as do anthu- 

 riums such as Andreanum and colored 

 varieties like Veitchii, but crotons and 

 dracsenas do well in pure loam with 

 a little old manure and sand added. 

 Frequently plants can be shaken out 

 of their pots, have their bulbs picked 

 over, fresh drainage be given them 

 and some new surface soil and the same 

 pots will carry them for another year. 



The young stock rooted during the 

 present winter should have a bench 

 where they will get the benefit of some 

 bottom heat and be kept freely 

 syringed. It is astonishing how quickly 

 they fill the pots with roots in a warm, 

 moist, genial atmosphere. It will be 

 necessary to give a light shading to 

 some of the colored-leaved foliage 

 plants now, to prevent scorching. Be 

 sure to make it light, however, as we 

 are still likely to get considerable dark 

 and gloomy weather. 



Miscellaneous. 



Now is the time to prepare a goodly 

 supply of flats for seed sowing and 

 transplanting seedlings in. Do not wait 

 until the plants are ready for the flats 

 and discover that you have forgotten 

 to stock up on them. Also see that a 

 necessary supply of pots and pans is 

 on hand, and, of course, it is needless 

 to remind the average grower that 

 plants thrive best in clean pots. It is 

 most important to have the insides of 

 the pots clean, but it is best to have 

 the outsides clean also. New pots should 

 always be well soaked in water before 

 being used. 



BUSINESS EMBABSASSMENTS. 



Chattanooga, Tenn. — Oscar Scheiske 

 has filed a voluntary petition in bank- 

 ruptcy. Assets, $300; liabilities not 

 stated. 



PETUNIA PLANTS TURN YELLOW. 



Can you tell me why my petunia 

 plants turn yellow? Sometimes they are 

 quite small when they bfecome affected, 

 but more frequently they seem to be 

 all right until they are three or four 

 inches across; then the trouble begins 

 in the center of the plant and spreads 

 until the plant is a sickly yellow. I 

 lose a lot of the plants every year. The 

 soil I use is rotted manure from the 

 bottom of hotbeds. I put it in for the 

 heat one year and it rots until the next 

 year. It is horse manure. Is it too 

 strong for petunias f I have a number 

 of large hotbeds, and everything except 

 petunias and verbenas seems to do well 

 in the soil. I use it for all kinds of 

 plants. Will you please tell me what 

 you think is the trouble, and suggest a 

 remedy t C. A. H. 



The soil you are using is too strong 

 for your petunias and other seedlings. 

 Instead of using the pure manure, add 



J'lBU J- J 



