300 FRITZ BAHR'S COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE 



there to prevent the roots from getting busy in the moist soil below 

 and starting a top growth. Look after your Gannas and once in 

 awhile examine them. They don't want any drip from above nor 

 heating pipes so near as to dry them up. 



Starting Cannas into Gbowth 



The man who propagates many thousands of Cannas makes use 

 of the propagating bench with about 70 deg. of bottom heat. He 

 uses every live eye and but Uttle of the rhizome or stem so as to get 

 as many in the bench as possible. The retail grower, however, finds 

 it best and most convenient to start his eyes in ordinary flats, cover- 

 ing the bottom with about a l-in.-thick layer of coarse soil and fol- 

 lowing this with a thin layer of sand on which the eyes are placed, 

 pointing upward, each eye with a 2- or 3-in.-long piece of rhizome. 

 More sand is placed over the eyes — ^just enough to cover them— 

 or even soil will do; the flats then receive a good soaking and are 

 placed on the return hot water pipes. The first batch of eyes, in- 

 tended for bedding stock, is usuaUy started about the latter part of 

 February, but in order to have every eye make good, you must 

 have at least a little bottom heat. Without this, they are very 

 likely to rot. With the second and later lots bottom heat isn't so 

 important, yet it is best to use it. When the young growth develops 

 and is about 3 in. in length, remove the flats to a fight bench and 

 two or three weeks later pot the plants up singly in 33^-in. pots 

 where they can remain until bedded out. Those started first can 

 be grown on in larger pots, but you never want anything from more 

 than a 4-in. pot for bedding stock. When you take the small plants 

 out of the flats you will always find some just starting into growth, 

 and others hardly large enough to be potted; place the latter back 

 in the flats, or rather use them to make up new flats and put these 

 back on the pipes for awhile. 



Varieties 



Here, as with other plants, the only way to get good results is 

 to invest a few dollars each year in the new introductions. Some of 

 the finest sorts we grow today are from American breeders, and new 

 ones are coming right along. Mrs. Alfred F. Conard and Hungary 

 are especially in demand on account of their beautiful pink color, 

 and both are ideal bedders. Maybe you have never tried them as 

 cut flowers, yet it can be done. There are times in the Fall, after 

 the Gladiolus season is about over, when you are in want of long- 

 stemmed pink flowers. Cut a Conard with two or three flowers, 

 and you cannot beat it for decorating. King Humbert, which re- 

 placed that old standby Egandale, is still the most showy of all for 

 large bedding, but what we could use today would be a large yellow 

 with King Humbert bronze foliage. The President is one of the 



