38 FRITZ BAHR'S COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE 



JANUARY 



General Cultural Notes 



JANUARY the first finds us in the midst of Winter, when careful 

 watering and watching the thermometer play an important 

 part in the Carnation, Rose and other houses where plants for cut 

 flowers are grown. 



You can never go wrong with an even night temperature of 

 50 deg. in the Carnation houses. You may not cut quite as many 

 flowers as those who maintain 52 deg. or over, but you are on the 

 safe side, for you subject the plants less to chances of weak growth 

 and disease. Your Roses according to the varieties, will stand from 

 8 to 10 deg. more than the Carnations, but these, too, always do 

 best in an even temperature at night. There isn't much danger of 

 the temperature running up too high during the day time, but when- 

 ever the sun does warm up things, give a crack of air. 



Always examine the soil in the benches before you water. 

 The appearance of the surface doesn't prove anything, for a wet 

 surface may cover a dry bottom, and a dry surface hide a soil 

 soaking wet below. Excess of moisture during dark weather 

 breeds trouble, while soil reduced to a dry state by heating pipes 

 near the benches is as bad. To my mind, there is nothing in the 

 assertion that it is a good thing to let the soil in the benches dry 

 out thoroughly every once in a while to keep it sweet. When you 

 have perfect drainage and healthy plants growing in the benches, 

 you can best encourage their future development by maintaining 

 as nearly as possible an even degree of moisture at all times. But 

 don't mistake for that a soaking wet condition often caused by a 

 lack of drainage. With Roses in particular, the mistake is frequently 

 made, according to no less an authority than E. G. Hill, of not 

 watering them enough. 



With proper drainage there isn't much danger of oVerwatering 

 a bench holding 5 in. of soil, that is, if you just use a little judg- 

 ment. With poor drainage you will have trouble no matter how 

 little you water. 



Do your watering in the forenoon, so as to avoid wet foliage 

 overnight. The giganteum Lilies need a 60-deg. house from the 

 time they are making growth, and should have a sunny bench. 

 The formosums can get along nicely in a 50-deg. house, and those 

 planted during October should have made from 6 to 10 in. of growth. 

 Should you want them before Easter, let them have more heat. 



The Sweet Peas may drop some of their first buds. Dark, cloudy 

 weather often has this effect on them. Fifty degrees is enough for 

 them. The Violets have to be watched; keep them clean and the 



