24 



The Florists^ Review 



Dkcembek 5, 1012. 



SEASONABLE CULTUBE. 



The August sown sweet peas have 

 now been flowering for some time and 

 will be benefited by a little feeding, 

 but at this season of the year, when 

 the days are getting shorter, the feed- 

 ing must be done with extreme caution, 

 or the plants may be caused to drop 

 their buds. Cow manure water, well 

 diluted, is a safe stimulant, and a light 

 top-dressing of fine bone, pulverized 

 sheep manure or cow manure, not too 

 fresh, can be applied. The surface soil 

 should be loosened after applying the 

 manure, before watering is done. Do 

 not use any of the strong chemical fer- 

 tilizers at this season. They are liable 

 to do considerable harm. For instance, 

 if nitrate of soda water is used, and 

 we chance to get a succession of dark 

 days after applying it, the plants will 

 most probably wilt badly on the first 

 sunny day. 



A day temperature of 55 to 58 de- 

 grees in dark weather and 60 to 65 de- 

 grees when clear, and an average of 50 

 degrees at night for plants which are 

 flowering, should be maintained. There 

 are few days, even in midwinter, when 

 ventilation cannot be given. Do not 

 rush on a lot at a time or neglect to 

 lower the ventilators when the sky be- 

 comes overclouded. If you do, you 

 must expect mildew and blighted buds. 

 If the house, when entered, feels 

 draughty, you are likely to have trou- 

 ble, not only with sweet peas but any 

 other plants you may be growing. It 

 is necessary for the next two or three 

 months to ventilate with great care. 



Later batches of plants should be fur- 

 nished with supports and be kept tied 

 up before the growths are twisted, and 

 at all times it is essential to keep the 

 growths erect, for bent flower stems are 

 never salable. Avoid anything in the 

 nature of heavy fumigation. The to- 

 bacco papers are safe. Tobacco dust 

 laid in small heaps on the paths and 

 lighted by means of a little kerosene 

 is also safe. Guard against an arid at- 

 mosphere, for it will assuredly bring 

 red spider in its train, and, when once 

 the plants are attacked, it is an uphill 

 fight to clean them, no matter how good 

 a pressure of water may be at com- 

 mand. 



For flowering in early spring, some of 

 the Spencer or wavy varieties should 

 now be started. We are promised a 

 fine assortment of Spencers of the true 

 winter-flowering type. These, when in- 

 troduced, will soon displace the grand- 

 iflora varieties under glass, as they 

 have already done outdoors. A few 

 suitable varieties to sow now for early 

 spring flowering are: Nora Unwin and 

 White Spencer, white; the original 

 Countess Spencer, pink; Asta Ohn Spen- 

 cer and Frank Dolby, lavender, and 

 King Edward VII, scarlet. 



SWEET PEAS DROPPING BUDS. 



We are having trouble with our sweet 

 peas, as they are dropping buds. They 

 were planted August 24, in benches 

 with tile bottoms, and did well until 

 about two weeks ago. We picked about 

 two batches of flowers and the vines 

 were full of buds; then, for some reason, 

 the buds began to blast and drop. We 

 have tried plenty of ventilatioi; and 

 have been running them on the dry side 

 for a few days, but can see little im- 

 provement. Can you suggest anything? 

 About one-third of the soil is well 

 rotted cow manure and the rest is good 

 loam. We have done no feeding or 

 mulching. D. F. C. 



There are several possible causes for 

 the sweet peas dropping buds. Fumi- 

 gation with tobacco stems, if overdone, 

 will cause it; so will the use of nitrate 

 of soda, dried blood, sulphate of am- 

 monia and other fertilizers high in 

 nitrogen. Dryness at th6 root would 

 also cause it, as would cold draughts. 

 You do not state what temperature you 

 are giving your plants; it should not 

 be below 48 degrees at night and 50 

 degrees is better. If your drainage is 

 good, as it would appear to be, there 

 should not be much danger of an excess 



of water. The compost you used is all 

 right. 



As you have not yet done any feed- 

 ing, it would be well to give the plants 

 some liquid cow or sheep manure once 

 a fortnight. Use it moderately weak. 

 Or, if preferred, give them a top-dress- 

 ing of well decayed manure, lightly 

 forking it in before watering. Avoid 

 draughts from the ventilators. Add 

 and remove ventilation a little at a 

 time. On dull days let the temperature 

 run up to 58 or 60 degrees, and 5 de- 

 grees higher on sunny days. C. W. 



MILDEW ON SWEET PEAS. 



In previous seasons I have grown 

 sweet peas successfully, but this year, 

 though I gave them the same culture, 

 they are affected with mildew. The 

 house runs east and west, with venti- 

 lators on the north side. I have let- 

 tuce, tomatoes and carnations in, the 

 house. Any suggestions will be thank' 

 fully received. W. O. S. 



It is difficult to grow such a variety 

 of crops, requiring different tempera- 

 tures and widely different treatment, 

 successfully in the same house. In a 

 carnation house sweet peas will do quite 

 well, but lettuce should be grown 10 

 degrees cooler and tomatoes 10 degrees 

 warmer, for best results. A night tem- 

 perature of 50 degrees when flowering 

 suits sweet peas. Mildew is usually 

 caused by cold draughts, and as your 

 ventilators open on the worst side, air 

 must be given with great care. Give a 

 little at a time and reduce it in the 

 same way. If you heat with steam, use 

 a little sulphur on the pipes. Do not 

 spray the vines. Maintain an atmos- 

 phere which feels genial and is never 

 clammy or draughty. Above all, venti- 

 late carefully. If you do not use steam, 

 blow some powdered sulphur on the af- 

 fected plants and keep a drier atmos- 

 phere. C. W. 



BOSES PLANTED TOO LATE. 



I would appreciate some advice 

 through your valued paper. I got some 

 roses in 4-inch pots about the last part 

 of August and, as the greenhouse was 

 not ready for them, I potted them in 

 5-inch pots and kept them in shaded 

 frames. The soil was a mixture of 

 three parts old sod, one part old hotbed 

 manure and a little sand. The green- 

 house was completed by October 1 and 

 then I planted them in the benches, in 

 the same soil as was used for potting. 

 They have grown little since I got them. 



The lower leaves turn brown at the 

 edges, then become yellow and drop off, 

 so there are never more than three or 

 four leaves on each plant. With the 

 exception of a few green flies, they 

 seemed to be clean. I have cleared out 

 the flies by fumigating. I have cut a 

 few roses, with stems six and seven 

 inches long. The stems are beginning 

 to show signs of eyes all the way up. 

 The varieties are Bichmond, Killarney 

 and White Killarney. I keep the tem- 

 perature between 56 and 60 degrees at 

 night. ■ R. P. 



Your roses were planted much too 

 late. June and July, and not October, 

 should be the time to bench them, and 

 I am afraid that you will get little or 

 no returns from your plants through 



