24 



The Florists' Review 



Mabch 12, 1914. 



FEEDING THE BLOOMING STOCK. 



Caution in Cloudy Weather, 



The weather conditions during the 

 last three months in this part of the 

 country have been such that any con- 

 siderable amount of feeding could have 

 resulted only disastrously. During such 

 continuously cloudy weather as has pre- 

 vailed here during almost the entire 

 winter, the plants are not able to take 

 up any extra food besides what is pro- 

 vided in any good soil at planting time. 

 Extra feeding could only result in soft 

 growth and flowers that would lack in 

 keeping quality. During the last two 

 weeks, however, there has been a de- 

 cided change in the weather, and the 

 plants are rapidly assuming a condition 

 in which a little feeding will be bene- 

 ficial. The spring crop will be shooting 

 up and a little stimulant at regular in- 

 tervals will improve the quality. 



If you have some wood ashes, a light 

 sprinkling over the beds will sweeten 

 the soil and tone up the appetite of the 

 plants for the feed you will give them 

 a little later. A week later, give them 

 a liberal application of sheep manure, 

 providing there is a moderate amount 

 of sunshine. 



The Spring Mulch. 



About two weeks after the applica- 

 tion of the sheep manure, your plants 

 will be ready for the spring mulch 

 which should be provided to prevent the 

 severe drying out caused by the hot sun 

 and the drafts when the ventilators are 

 opened. Growers usually aim to get 

 manure which is about half rotted for 

 this purpose, but during the last two 

 years we have used, for this spring 

 mulch, manure that has recently come 

 from the stables, and with excellent re- 

 sults. It is put on quite heavily, but 

 is ridged up between the rows instead 

 of being spread evenly over the beds. 

 The watering will soon spread it around 

 after it has been leached somewhat. 



If the weather continues moderately 

 sunny, a plentiful supply of water 

 should be given. If the drainage is 

 good, it is almost impossible to over- 

 water from this time on, but one must 

 be guided somewhat by the weather. 

 Plenty of water, judicious feeding and 

 a light shade on the glass later, when 

 the sun gets hotter, will be the main 

 factors in keeping up the quality of 

 your cut. But do not wait until the 

 quality is gone before you bestir your- 

 self. You cannot restore the quality 

 after the warm weather has set in; the 

 thing to do is to preserve it now. 



Stock for Benching Next Fall. 



Has your winter's propagating been 

 successful? Have you provided your- 

 self with fifty per cent more good young 

 plants than you expect to bench next 

 fall? If you have not, you will likely 

 be buying plants to finish out your 

 benches next fall, unless providence is 

 kind enough to send you plenty of rain 



next summer. We are now putting in 

 our last batch of carnation cuttings for 

 this season. These cuttings will still 

 make splendid stock for benching dur- 

 ing August or later. Conditions from 

 this time on are not likely to be favor- 

 able for propagating and a fair strike 

 can only be obtained with extreme care 

 and attention. The stronger sunlight 

 and the drafts resulting from the neces- 

 sarily increased ventilating will cause 

 wilting unless the spraying and shad- 

 ing are looked after closely. Bottom 

 heat, too, will be less steady than for- 

 merly. On the other hand, the nat- 

 urally increased vigor of the spring 

 growth will cause these late cuttings to 

 root quickly and to come along faster 

 than those that were propagated earlier. 

 A month in 2-inch pots will establish 

 them well enough to be planted in the 

 field and, with favorable weather, they 

 will make splendid plants by late sum- 

 mer. We have seen stock of this kind 

 make better plants than earlier propa- 

 gated stock which had been allowed to 

 get stunted in small pots. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



BENCH SOIL SPBEAD ON FIELD. 



When our carnation houses were enip- 

 tied last fall the soil was hauled to the 

 field and piled. When the ground was 

 frozen this winter, the soil was hauled 

 and spread about eight inches deep. 

 After giving this a good application of 

 rotted manure, would it be advisable 



it has been in clover two seasons, sow 

 it down in bluegrass and after two 

 years in bluegrass it will be ready for 

 use in the greenhouses again. Handle 

 it just as you would new sod. 



A. F. J. B. 



FBED DOBNEB MEMOBIAL MEDAL. 



At the Cleveland carnation show last 

 January interest centered on the award 

 of the Fred Dorner Memorial gold 

 medal to the originator of an undissem- 

 inated seedling carnation. This was the 

 first time the award was made, and the 

 strictness of the conditions warranted 

 the winner of high class. The winning 

 variety must have been in cultivation 

 not less than three years; a^ vase of 

 fifty blooms must have scored not less 

 than eighty points in a preliminary con- 

 test at the show the preceding year, and 

 100 blooms had to score eighty-five 

 points at the show at which the award 

 was made. 



The medal awarded this year, which 

 is shown in the accompanying illustra- 

 tions, went to Matchless, exhibited and 

 originated by the Cottage Gardens Co.,. 

 Queens, N. Y. The medal is paid for 

 each year with the interest from a fund 

 raised by voluntary subscription among 

 the members of the American Carnation 

 Society. On one side is a good likeness 

 of the late Fred Dorner and on the 

 other a symbolic design. The designer 

 of the medal is H. Eyden. 



ANGLO-AMEBICAN EXPOSITION. 



The horticultural, arboricultural and 

 forestry section of the Anglo-American 

 Exposition, which is to be held in Lon- 

 don from May to October, this year, to 

 celebrate the hundred years of peace 

 between the United States and the 

 British Empire, is to be one of the 

 important features of the exposition. 



The I>orner Memorial Medal, Awarded for the First Time at the Cleveland Show. 



to grow carnations on it this summer — 

 that is, the young stock for benching in 

 July and August? Would it be advis- 

 able to grow carnations on it each 

 year, with a liberal application of de- 

 cayed manure before plowing? Would 

 this soil be suitable to be taken back 

 into the houses again in, say, three 

 years? W. B. 



If your carnations were free from 

 disease last winter, the soil from the 

 benches spread on the field can do no 

 harm; in fact, it will be richer than the 

 ordinary field soil, even without any 

 covering of manure. If you wish to 

 use it in the greenhouses again, I would 

 suggest that you sow it in clover. After 



Plants, both greenhouse grown and 

 hardy, outdoor varieties; ornamental 

 shrubs and trees, fruit trees, and sup- 

 plies and materials for this line will be 

 shown. The British seedsmen and 

 growers are preparing large exhibits of 

 special merit. W. A. Manda, of South 

 Orange, N. J., is a member of the com- 

 mittee for this section of the exposi- 

 tion, and he will have a display of 

 American specialties, including dahlias, 

 cannas, roses and cacti. 



An exhibit of American trees and 

 shrubs will be made by John .Tefferies 

 & Sons, of Cirencester, England. Amos 

 Perry will show his famous achilleas 

 and Kelway & Son herbaceous borders 

 and gladioli. 



