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Apbil 27, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



CUTTINGS FAIL TO ROOT. 



A number of times I have thought of 

 writing to inquire about matters that 

 I was anxious to know about, but it 

 seems strange to me that when the next 

 week's Review came it had just the in- 

 formation I was looking for. But there 

 is one question that I wish to ask. I 

 have had some trouble in rooting cut- 

 tings. In rooting carnations I think I 

 did well, as I got as many as ninety 

 per cent, but with roses and chrysan- 

 themums I have had a great deal of 

 trouble. It seems, indeed, that my best 

 mums go back on me; they damp oflf 

 before they form any roots. This may 

 be caused by too much water, but they 

 wither if I do not sprinkle them. I 

 have the bench covered with thin white 

 muslin for shade. Please let me know 

 what is the cause of my trouble. 



J. G. K. 



It is possible that J. G. K. 's chrys- 

 anthemums have been grown in a 

 warm house and are too soft to have 

 a high percentage of them root. If the 

 stock plants have been growing in a 

 cool, airy house, with a night temper- 

 ature of 45 degrees, there seems to be 

 no reason why they should fail to root. 



If the propagating house is kept too 

 close, so that the cuttings do not dry 

 off after watering, they will often 

 damp, but I would assume from J. G. 

 K. 's letter that they are growing in an 

 ordinary bench, shaded from the sun by 

 muslin. When cuttings are put in the 

 sand, they must be kept from wilting 

 if possible, and at this season of the 

 year .frequent spraying is necessary, as 

 well as shading from the sun, and the 

 air should not be permitted to blow 

 directly across the plants from the open 

 ventilators. It the cuttings have such 

 a position and such treatment, and are 

 free from rubbish left by previous 

 propagations, I see no reason why J. G. 

 K. cannot root his chrysanthemums 

 satisfactorily. Chas.' H. Totty. 



WHEN TO TAKE THE BUDS. 



On the Chadwick and Golden Glow, 

 which buds Mould it be advisable to 

 take — the first or second crown or the 

 terminal buds — for good results? I am 

 located in northwestern Oregon. 



J. J. S. 



These two chrysanthemums differ 

 widely, both in their season of flower- 

 ing and in general characteristics. 

 Golden Glow is the earliest yellow va- 

 riety we have, while Chadwick is one 

 of the latest. 



I have always argued that the terms 

 "first and second crown," in handling 

 chrysanthemum stock, are misleading, 

 for the simple reason that a grower 

 who plants his stock in April would 

 get two or jnore crown buds before one 



could be retained that .would produce 

 a satisfactory flower, while another 

 grower, handling the same variety and 

 planting in June, might be able to 

 secure the first crown bud and handle 

 it in quite a satisfactory manner. 



Golden Glow buds can be taken in 

 almost any season and the flower will 

 develop. If J. J. S. wishes flowers in 

 August and his plants were sufficiently 

 advanced to throw a bud in June, that 

 bud will develop, but there is no call in 

 our market, in New York, for chrysan- 

 themums until the last part of Septem- 

 ber, and buds secured from the middle 

 of July to the middle of August would 

 give a flower early enough, I imagine, 

 to be a profitable proposition in al- 

 most any market. 



Chadwick taken on any bud during 

 July and August is worthless, as the 

 buds will not develop. If a bud can 

 be secured about the middle of Sep- 

 tember on this variety, it will give a 

 thoroughly satisfactory flower late in 

 November. If planted late, and the late 



bud taken, Chadwick can be kept for 

 Christmas or later, but it is a question 

 whether there is any money in growing 

 stock to meet so late a date, as people 

 generally seem to be tired of them 

 after Thanksgiving. Chas. H. Totty. 



DAHLIAS. 



If dahlias in pots are wanted, the 

 roots should be started now. An over- 

 whelming proportion of the stock sold 

 is, however, in the form of dry divided 

 tubers, some dormant and others started. 

 There is no special advantage in early 

 starting, unless cuttings for progagat- 

 ing are wanted. Just as good results 

 will be had from planting out divided 

 portions of tubers as from strong pot 

 grown plants, and not only is it needless 

 to start dahlias early for retailing, but 

 when you are growing them outdoors for 

 cutting, the end of May is quite early 

 enough to plant, and we have seen 

 splendid blocks planted even a month 

 later than that. 



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SEASONABLE NOTES. 



Nephrolepis. 



After Easter some of the carnations 

 are hardly worth carrying any longer 

 and a side bench will make an ideal 

 place in which to plant out the young 

 nephrolepis. The varieties of this 

 popular fern are becoming something 

 bewildering, but still they come. In 

 spite, however, of all the newer in- 

 troductions, N. exaltata Bostoniensis 

 is still the leader and more of this 

 sort are grown, probably, than any 

 other two combined. It is the fern par 

 excellence for the dwelling-house, and 

 anyone who can grow a fern at all 

 succeeds with this one. Whitmani and 

 elegantissima come next in order of 

 popularity, but all the other ferns have 

 some special points of merit which will 

 find them purchasers. The average 

 country florist, however, cannot afford 

 to grow more than one or two kinds 

 and the old Boston and "Whitmani, or 

 the Boston and the improved elegan- 

 tissima, will satisfactorily fill the bill. 



Nephrolepis are not fastidious as to 

 soil, and succeed even better in loam 

 than in the lighter compost of leaf- 



mold and peat that is sometimes recom- 

 mended. If the carnation soil is stiff, 

 give it a dressing of coarse sand and 

 well-decayed manure before turning it 

 over. A little shade can be given on 

 the glass, while cheesecloth can be 

 suspended from the roof the length of 

 the bench. This will give the necessary 

 shade and keep out an excess of air. 

 As the plants begin to grow, scatter a 

 thin mulch of spent hotbed manure or 

 any other old manure on the surface. 

 It is surprising how the young ferns 

 enjoy this mulch and send their roots 

 into it. 



Cibotium Schiedei. 



Cibotium Schiedei is a fern worthy 

 of more attention from small growers. 

 At exhibitions it invariably attracts 

 attention by its graceful sweep, and 

 if it can be given an elevated position 

 on a stand, so that it can show its in- 

 dividuality, and if its fronds can re- 

 ceive full, free play, it cannot fail to 

 grow into a handsome plant. This 

 variety is quite robust and succeeds 

 well in fairly large pots in a mixture 

 of loam and sand, with a little well 

 rotted manure. No fern, or, for that 



