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The Garden Magazine, July, 1922 



and a love for nature study, with particular attention to and 

 coordination of its social and civic aspects; to further landscape 

 planting and to awaken an interest in reforesting ■ among the 

 people of every state in the Union. 



Working Plans and Policies 



FOR putting the machinery to work select a good motto, and 

 live up to it ! 



Membership in our club consists of active, associate, honor- 

 ary, and auxiliary groups; the dues for each class to be deter- 

 mined, of course, by individual clubs in accordance with the needs 

 of their individual treasuries. 



Two meetings a year, spring and autumn, are devoted to the 

 "question box," and to the interchange of seeds and plants from 

 members' own gardens. The surplus is also distributed by a 

 committee to community and school gardens. 



A vase of choice blooms exhibited occasionally by club mem- 

 bers in some centrally located shop window greatly stimulates 

 public interest. 



Beautify some special spot in your village or city, and ar- 

 range to have at least one lecture a year by some eminent horti- 

 culturist open to the public without charge. For example, the 

 Lexington Garden Club presented Mr. John C. Wister, Presi- 

 dent of the American Iris Society, who spoke on "American, 

 English, and French Gardens," illustrating his talk with beauti- 

 ful slides. 



Clubs whose policies are broad and democratic prove much 

 more far reaching in their influence, 1 believe, and accom- 

 plish infinitely more good than those organized on social ex- 

 clusion. A club may gain much by affiliation with such or- 

 ganizations as the American Iris, Rose, and Peony Societies; and 

 by all means have membership in the Garden Club of America. 



THE RIGHT WAY TO CUT A ROSE BLOOM 



S. C. HUBBARD 



Summer Activities Among the Roses to Keep Up Growth and 

 Build the Plant for Next Year's Flowers — Feeding and Pruning 



JHERE'S more to cutting a Rose than appears at first 

 sight, and done the right way you not only get longer 

 stems to your flowers but the plant is improved in vigor 

 W and habit. When gathering a bloom cut the stalk 

 at a point within two inches of the branch which bears the 

 flowering shoot. This usually leaves two good eyes which will, 

 in about four weeks, produce more flowers. There are several 

 reasons for cutting so hard: 



i. The quality of the bloom is always in proportion to the 

 strength of the stem which carries it; and the strength of 

 that stem is always in proportion to its proximity to the 

 base of the plant. 



2. Cutting low builds up a well-branched plant which will 

 give more flowers of fine quality than one which is 

 allowed to make a tall scraggly growth of light wood. 



3. In many localities the latter part of June and July are very 

 hot and dry and what few flowers are produced at this 

 time are always of inferior quality even though the growth 

 be fairly strong. 



It is admitted that cutting low tends to check the continuity 

 of bloom. On the other hand it must be borne in mind that all 

 the shoots do not flower at the same time, so that even when 

 cut back to two eyes a succession of bloom will be the result. 

 The slight check in the succession of bloom at the beginning of 

 the season is more than offset by the growth made during the 

 hot dry weather; and, when the nights grow cooler, this new 

 strong growth will yield flowers of exceptional quality. 



The disadvantage of cutting blooms with short stems is that, 

 as a rule, too many buds are allowed to remain which produce 

 either flowers of very poor quality or "blind wood" (shoots 

 which contain no flower buds). In other words, there are so 

 many buds to nourish that none of them are perfected. During 

 the hot, dry weather the transpiration is so great that the smaller 

 shoots or branches become very hard and, there being almost no 

 action in them, the eyes cannot possibly develop. Letting the 

 flowers remain till the petals fall and then removing the old head 

 reacts in the same way, through not forcing new young growth. 



Plants thus properly pruned in the process of cultivation fre- 

 quently require little pruning the following spring other than 

 cutting back the heavier canes. 



TO INSURE the keeping qualities of a rose bloom cut it 

 early in the morning while the wood is cool and firm. After 

 the intense sun has been shining upon a plant for a few hours 

 the stems become somewhat wilted and the colors of the flow- 

 ers start to fade. 



Cut blooms that are placed in the display vases as soon as 

 they are gathered do not last as long as those that are plunged 

 into cool water and placed in an ice-box or cool cellar for four or 

 five hours before being brought into use in decoration. Also 

 remember that a rose cut just as the outside petals start to unfold 

 and put into a cool place will develop to larger size than if left 

 on the plant. 



Feeding the plant while it is giving its flowers means much if 

 done with a thought to the effects of different treatments. For 

 the sake of refreshing the memory let us recall the three most 

 essential elements of plant food, their functions in plant growth, 

 and their sources. 



A Little Dissertation on Fertilizers 



NITROGEN is the one element to a great extent lacking in 

 most soils. It causes a somewhat rapid vegetative growth 

 and must be used with care on flowering plants. If the plants are 

 not making sufficient growth or are somewhat backward, two or 

 three light applications of nitrate of soda (2 oz. in 5 gallons of 

 water) at intervals of ten days is usually enough to give them a 

 decided start. The five gallons of this solution should cover 

 thirty to thirty-five square feet of bed surface. Using the nitrate 

 in liquid form insures an even distribution and lessens the danger 

 of root injury. Dried blood and tankage also contain a high 

 percentage of nitrogen but in a form not as readily available. 

 Nitrogenous fertilizers should always be used early in the flower- 

 ing season rather than too near the blooming period. 



Phosphorus is the next most important element, giving color 

 to fruit and flower, and stimulating flower and seed production. 

 The two most common sources of phosphorus are bonemeal and 

 acid phosphate, but the phosphorus is not as readily available 

 in either of the above fertilizers as is nitrogen in nitrate of soda; 

 therefore it must be applied three or four weeks before the 

 flowering season for full benefits. A pound of bonemeal should 

 cover twenty-five square feet, for the same area about half that 



