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10 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



January 26, 1911. 



A 



A CHECK IN GEOWTH. 



I am sending you under separate 

 cover a branch from one of my Brides- 

 maid rose bushes and also a small quan- 

 tity of soil. The plants were placed on 

 the benches about September 1. About 

 October 1 I burned some sulphur in the 

 house and got the fumes ^a little too 

 strong. Some of the plants lost most 

 of their foliage, while others were not 

 affected. All of them grew well for 

 about two weeks afterward, but since 

 that time they do not seem to grow or 

 bud. Some plants have had only ona 

 or two buds on them and some not auJiPi • 

 The temperature in i^ house is from 

 58|to 6^ degrees at niglit and about 70 

 to; 75 degrees in the daytime. The 

 house is new. This is my first year 

 with them. If you can tell me the 

 cause of the trouble and a remedy, 1 

 shall greatly appreciate the favor. 



W. S. 



much better quality when not hard 

 forced. 



There should be no delay in starting 

 any of the climbing ramblers if they 

 are wanted in flower at Easter. Every 

 year we see batches of fine plants being 

 subjected to suffocating heat in an ef- 

 fort to force a few flowers open. Such 

 plants fall an easy prey to mildew and 

 will give nothing but discouragement 

 to "those who purchase them. Spray all 

 roses until they break nicely. Then 

 hold off the water, or you may easily 

 start mildew. If you maintain a genial 

 atmosphere and leave no dry places on 

 the floors or benches, there will not be 

 much likelihood of red spider getting a 

 foothold. 



A STABT IN BOSES. 



We wish to grow roses to supply our 

 retail trade and should be pleased to 

 have you advise us about trying to 

 grow them in a house 20x100, four feet 

 to the eaves, and running north and 

 south. If, in your judgment, this can 

 be profitably done, what varieties would 



The sample sent appears to have suf- 

 fered from some shock, possibly caused 

 by the sulphur fumes. The plants will 

 require great care to bring them back 

 to good condition. Eeduce the tempera- 

 ture 5 degrees for a time, and also re- 

 duce the quantity of water until the 

 leaves regain their dark green color. 



The soil is rather light and poor. It' 

 will be well, therefore, when your plants 

 regain their vigor, to feed them by giv- 

 ing half an inch of mulch, composed of 

 two parts cow manure and one part 

 loam. This should be renewed once a 

 month. Eibes. 



RAMBLER BOSES. 



The so-called baby rambler roses, in- 

 cluding red, pink and white varieties, 

 make neat pot plants, and as they can 

 be grown profitably at a moderate price 

 it is not surprising that they are more 

 used each year. For some years the 

 Crimson Kambler had a tremendous 

 Easter sale, and while it still is sold 

 in considerable numbers, the pink and 

 white varieties are increasingly popu- 

 lar; so it is with the dwarf ramblers. 

 The call for the original variety will not 

 be so good as for the other shades. At 

 Easter white flowers sell the best, and 

 next to them pinks. If the small ram- 

 blers were fall potted and have been 

 stored in a cool pit, they will by this 

 time have made quite a few roots and 

 will force and bloom much better than 

 if potting were delayed until now. Cut 

 away merely the weak and dead wood, 

 and as a starter a temperature at night 

 of 4.') degrees will suffice. They are of 



you recommend? Our location is south- 

 ern Wisconsin. L. B, T. W. ; 



In such a house as you describe, you 

 might, if you can keep a ■! emperature 

 of 60 degrees in zero weather, grow Kil- 

 larneys. White Killarneys, Brides, Maids, 

 Ivorys or Marylands. I would advise 

 you to grow not over three varieties. 

 By care in culture these can be grown 

 profitably, either for retail or whole- 

 sale. Ribes. ■ 



COST OF MAKING A LAWN. 



Will you kindly state what you con- 

 sider the average cost per acre of mak- 

 ing a lawn, after the ground is plowed 

 ana dragged? It would include seed, 

 seeding, raking and rolling. The grounjd 

 in question is sandy and easy to work. 



N. N. : 



To properly seed a new lawn requires 

 four bushels of seed per acre, which is 

 worth ,$5 per bushel at retail. If you 

 get it at wholesale rates, the total cost 

 may be reduced to $16. The seed sow- 

 ing, raking and rolling, if well done, 

 should be worth an additional $25, and 

 the sum of $50 per acre, including seed, 

 would not be at all unreasonable. This 

 cost might be reduced by using less 

 seed per acre, or cheaper and coarser 

 grasses, but if you use such seed as 

 Kentucky blue grass, red top, Rhode 

 Island bent, fine -leaved fescue and hard 

 fescue, with an addition of one-half 

 pound of white clover per bushel, you 

 will have a mixture suitable for your 

 soil, one which will resist drought bet- 

 ter than the average grasses and be 

 well worth $5 per bushel. Fifty dol- 

 lars per acre will do the work well and 

 leave you a fair profit. G. W. 



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I SEASONABLE 



|-^€^^ SUGGESTIONS 



I 



i 



Sweet-Scented Verbenas. 



There is always a good call for young 

 plants of the sweet-scented verbena. It 

 is of easy propagation at this season. 

 The best way to secure suitable cuttings 

 is to place in heat one or two old 

 plants, which have been kept cool and 

 on the dry side. Head them in a little. 

 They will soon produce a good crop of 

 cuttings if kept warm and sprayed over 

 occasionally. Rub these off with a heel 

 and few will fail to root. They need a 

 warm propagating bench, and when 

 potted off they should still have a good 

 heat to keep them growing. 



Gardenias. 



Gardenia plants, which flowered 

 freely early in the winter, are now mak- 

 ing some excellent propagating wood, 

 and if you have a brisk bottom heat 

 under part of your cutting bench and 

 keep them simply saturated with water, 

 few will fail to root. It makes little 

 difference whether the cuttings are 

 taken off with a heel or not. The main 

 essentials are plenty of bottom heat, 

 '^and of good porosity and a copious 



water supply. Most of the failures to 

 root gardenias, and, for that matter,, 

 many other cuttings, are due to an in- 

 suflBcient water supply. From the cut- 

 tings taken now you will have strong 

 plants in 4-inch pots to bench next June. 

 The old plants will flower more freely 

 as the days lengthen. Maintain an even 

 night temperature of 65 to 70 degrees 

 for them. Mealy bug can be kept in 

 control if the spray nozzle is properly 

 used once a week. Guard against too 

 much water at the root, as that would 

 cause a heavy loss of buds. 



Spiraeas. 



The early part of February is a suit- 

 able time to start such spiraeas as Glad- 

 stone, grandiflora compacta and astil- 

 boides floribunda. The beautiful pink 

 variety. Queen Alexandra, should also 

 be placed in heat at once if wanted for 

 Easter. Its flowers should be opened 

 in a moderately cool and shaded house, 

 to make them retain their delightful 

 pink color. A night temperature of 

 60 degrees will be found about right. 

 Spread the plants out as they grow, 

 and if they are found to be coming on 



