October 13, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



Establishment of W. A. & J. S. Bitler, Kokomo, Ind. 



now. Also tell me what temperature I 

 must give them. J. G. 



Your marguerites which are now in 

 2-inch pots will make excellent plants 

 for Easter. They should be potted on 

 into 4-inch and later into Cinch pots, in 

 which size, if kept well watered and 

 fed, they should flower well. If you 

 want larger plants, you can grow some 

 in 8-inch pots. You do not state which 

 variety you are growing. Queen Alex- 

 andra flowers later than the older varie- 

 ties. A temperature of 46 to 50 degrees 

 at night is suitable for the plants, and 

 they will require some pinching until 

 the middle of January. 



You can take cuttings any time be 

 tween now and Christmas and grow 

 them on into nice plants in 4-inch or 5- 

 iuch pots for Easter, which comes next 

 vear later than usual, April 16. 



C. W. 



A KOKOMO ESTABLISHMENT. 



At Kokomo, Ind., W. A. & J. S. Bitler 

 <io a prosperous retail trade, growing a 

 ]mrt of their stock, but buying much 

 more from wholesale florists. The ac- 

 companying illustration gives a view of 

 their place, which consists of three 

 houses, one 16x75, one 20x75 and the 

 lean-to 10x75, all comparatively new and 

 erected with material supplied by the 

 .Tohn C. Moninger Co., Chicago. The 

 building for boiler and packing is 18x36 

 feet and there are two living rooms ad- 

 joining. The greenhouses are devoted to 

 carnations, mums, violets and bedding 

 stock. The plants seen in bloom in the 

 front of the greenhouses are geranium 

 stock plants, flie photograph having 

 been made August 26, 1910. 



GYPSOPHILA FOR FORCING. 



Would it be possible to get Gypso- 

 phila paniculata in flower during the 

 winter? If so, how should I proceed.' 



J. W. C. 



(lypsophila paniculata can be forced, 

 but cannot be had until late winter or 

 I'arly spring. Dig up and pot the roots 

 Jifter they have had a good freezing, or 

 place in boxes six inches deep, several 

 together. Give them a night tempera- 

 ture of 45 degrees when started, which 

 should not be before Christmas, raising 

 this to 50 to 52 degrees when the plants 

 have started well. A higher temperature 

 ^should not be given, as it will spoil 

 them. As the flowers open, a cooler 

 house will give them more substance. 

 C. W. 



SPIRAEAS FOR SPRING. 



Please let me know the right treat- 

 ment for Spira'a Gladstone, S. compacta 

 multiflora and 8. Queen Alexandra for 

 Easter and Memorial day blooming. I 

 have no forcing house or cellar for 

 storing. F. M. K. 



Leave the clumps where they can get 

 one or two good freezings before pot- 

 ting. Easter comes April 16 next year. 

 If you have no forcing house, allow 

 Gladstone and compacta multiflora nine 

 to ten weeks in an average night tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees. If you can give 



them 60 degrees, they will flower in 

 eight weeks. Queen Alexandra takes 

 longer and should be allowed ten to 

 twelve weeks. It comes much better 

 lat^ry-in the season when allowed to 

 cdme on without any forcing, and is 

 much better for Memorial day than for 

 Easter. Allow it ten weeks for the last 

 named holiday and the two white vari- 

 eties seven to eight weeks. All the 

 spirffias want a copious water supply 

 while growing and they appreciate 

 doses of liquid manure. As their foli- 

 age is tender, strong fumigation will 

 scorch it. C. W. 



MARGX7ERITES FOR EASTER. 



Will you please tell me when is the 

 proper time to make marguerite cut- 

 tings? I have 200 now in 2-inch pots. 

 Will these plants be in time for Easter? 

 I have them in the sweet pea house 



SCALE ON FERNS AND VINCAS. 



We are sending you a fern and vinca 

 leaf. Will you tell us a reme«ly for 

 such scale? We are greatlv troubled 

 with it. H. K. E. 



The scale on the vinca may be over- 

 come by dipping the plants in a solution 

 of tobacco extract, using one part of 

 Rose Leaf Extract to forty parts of wa- 

 ter. A somewhat weaker solution may 

 be used for the same purpose on the 

 ferns — one part extract to fifty of wa- 

 ter. 



More than one dipping will probably 

 be needed, and if the plants are pro- 

 tected from the sun while the foliage 

 is wet with the solution, they are less 

 likely to be injured bv this treatment. 



W. H. T. 



NEPHBOLEPIS. 



It is time to lift nopiirolepis plants 

 from the benches and get them some 

 what established in their pots before 

 selling them. It is a mistake to use. a 

 light, leaf-moldy and peaty compost 

 for these ferns.' They want something 

 heavier. Good, well" decayed, fibrous 

 loam, to which is added some sand and 

 some thoroughly decayed manure which 

 will readily crumble through the hands, 

 will make a soil which nephrolepis will 

 revel in. Do not keep the plants 

 heavily shaded. It may make the fronds 

 dark, but it will at the same time ren- 

 der them more brittle, especially such 

 sorts as Whitman! and elegantissima. 

 If the plants are lifted with a nice ball, 

 the soil carefully fllled in about the 

 roots when potting and the whole well 



