70 FRITZ BAHR'S COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE 



Fig. 18. — PoiNSBTTiAS IN DECEMBER. By planting them out on benches in a house 

 by themselves we can obtain the best results with these favorite Christmas plants 



the holidays get all you can out of them, it is a great mistake to 

 subject the plants to a hothouse in order to obtain more flowers. 

 Increase the temperature 3 or 4 deg. overnight and do not open the 

 ventilators quite so soon on sunny days a week or so before Christ- 

 mas, but let it go at that. 



The safest way, if you have a healthy lot of plants on hand, is 

 to maintain the same temperature as the plants have been used to, 

 cut what flowers you can for Christmas and be satisfied. You will 

 be money ahead in the end. There will not be such a great drop in 

 prices right after the holidays, while, on the other hand, plants 

 which have been abused may require weeks in order to get into 

 shape again. 



Feed the Poinsettias in pans a little and do not let them have 

 ice-cold water Time your Paperwhites, Roman Hyacinths and 

 Grand Soleil d'Or Narcissi just right. Often this means carrying 

 them back and forth from hot to cold quarters, so much depends on 

 weather conditions. A few flats grown along with other stock in the 

 same bench make as much trouble as a whole house full would. 



If you have to purchase Cyclamen, Begonias or Poinsettias in 

 pots and pans, do not wait until the last minute to have them 

 delivered. One can never depend on the weather, and a few days 

 in your own houses — as long as you can keep a temperature of 

 55 deg. for the Cyclamen and 60 deg. for the others— will do the 

 plants good. 



