20 



The Florists^ Review 



jANUABy 30, 1913. 



BOSE TROUBLES. 



Under separate cover I am mailing 

 a Killarney rose plant. These plants, 

 along with Bridesmaid and Eichmond, 

 were planted the latter part of June, 

 Killarney and part of the Bridesmaid 

 and Eichmond being young stock and 

 part replanted 2-year-old stock. The 

 plants started nicely and gave two 

 heavy crops, the young stock three 

 crops, not being disbudded. These 

 plants are on concrete benches molded 

 on top of the old wooden benches, the 

 sides being wood. The only drainage ia 

 1-inch round holes spaced from twelve 

 to fourteen inches apart each way. 

 They had two dustings of lime 

 scratched into the soil, one dusting of 

 bone meal and liquid cow manure used 

 two times, each time just before the 

 buds were showing color. Along in 

 October and November the night tem- 

 perature dropped to 50 degrees or less, 

 perhaps 45 degrees at night, and went 

 up to 100 degrees or more in the day, 

 with full air on. After the last crop 

 the leaves began to drop. This kept up 

 until many plants had no leaves left. 



New growth started with many eyes, 

 but was yellow and soon shriveled up 

 when watered. They were not watered 

 heavily; just enough to moisten the soil 

 to the bottom. Many of the plants died 

 altogether. Some of them that were 

 just coming into crop at the time of 

 the low temperature came through fair- 

 ly well, but not as they should. Lime 

 and sulphur was blown in the air and 

 copper solution used several times. The 

 plants were well cared for and gave 

 good flowers and plenty of them until 

 the leaves began to drop, which started 

 after the low temperature. Most of the 

 young yellow shoots that came were 

 blind, from cut flower shoots, all shoots 

 being cut to three eyes. The stems 

 of many are of a rather purple color 

 now. The only way I can account for 

 the trouble is the low night tempera- 

 ture as stated and it seems to me not 

 by any means enough drainage in the 

 benches, and the molded bench does 

 not take up any water. S. S. 



The trouble among your roses, losing 

 their foliage and drying, is due less to 

 the few nights of low temperature than 

 to the inadequate drainage provided. 

 In the warmer months beds dry out so 

 quickly that lack of drainage is not 

 much noticed. In the fall, however, 

 with declining sun power and lower 



temperature, much less watering is 

 needed and once well soaked, with poor 

 drainage below, a sour and stagnant 

 condition of the soil could hardly be 

 avoided. 



Your treatment seems to have been 

 intelligent apart from the lack of drain- 

 age and the leaving of the decaying old 

 bench below the concrete one. To se- 

 cure adequate drainage, the slabs 

 should be spread half an inch or so 

 apart and below this a moldy, sour, 

 decaying mass should not be tolerated; 

 rather a good bed of stones, coarse cin- 

 ders or other suitable, sweet drainage. 



The few low night temperatures may 

 have aggravated your trouble and 

 helped to bring it to a head. I would 

 buy new stock from some reputable 

 firm and not take any cuttings from 

 even the best of your plants. Eosa. 



WINTEBINa BOSES IN CELLAE. 



I have several hundred rose plants, 

 hardy teas, hybrid teas, hybrid perpet- 

 uals and hardy climbers, stored in my 

 basement, to carry them through the 

 winter, dormant, for spring planting. 

 I tied them in bundles of twelve each, 

 stood them upright and placed enough 

 soil about the roots to protect them. 

 The plants had several freezings before 

 digging, but they had not dropped their 

 foliage. I noticed the other day that 

 they were beginning to mold and I 

 found that they were starting a root 

 growth. I was advised to remove 

 them from the soil and to store 

 them in straw. I opened each bundle 

 that was affected and shook them out 

 well, tied them up loosely, packed them 

 in old hay and put hay around the roots 

 in the basement. The basement is damp, 

 but can be aired out well. It has no 

 heat in it and is frost-proof except in 

 severe weather. I do not want them 

 to shrivel up or to sprout out. I want 

 to keep them for late spring planting. 

 Will they keep this way? Should they 

 be watered to prevent drying dutf 

 Would sawdust be better to pack them 



Tulipi in Heart-Shaped Hamper, Front and Back View, for St. Valentine's Day. 



