246 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



May, 19 14 



houses and during the nights it usually averages 

 50 to 55 degrees, later on 6o degrees. Beginning 

 in March, and as the sun climbs higher, the temper- 

 ature increases very fast and in an average heat of 

 from ioo to no degrees, the plants are forced 

 rapidly to produce the propagating wood. Usually, 

 by the middle of May, cuttings of most varieties 

 are ready to be made and planted. This is kept up 

 until September, and three distinct periods of prop- 

 agation are observed. 



May and June propagations are ready for shipping 

 to Southern and Pacific Coast states by November 

 first. It takes 20- to 25 days to root the cuttings. 

 They stand from 40 to 50 days in thumb pots and 

 are then shifted into 2| inch pots, in which after 

 November 1st, they are kept in semi-dormant con- 

 dition by withholding water and keeping the tem- 

 perature in the houses just above freezing. 



So much for the length of time that it takes from 

 the time the parent plant is set into the greenhouse 

 until the time that the new plant is ready for ship- 

 ping. Now as to the fixed rule governing the hand- 

 ling of the frames during the period of rooting. 



The frames are filled with a two foot foundation 

 of spent manure, which provides a foundation and 

 drainage, not heat. On top of this are placed 4 to 

 6 inches of very fine sand, which is thoroughly 

 watered. Into this sand the cuttings are placed in 

 rows 4 inches apart, and then the sash is kept down 

 tight. 



Between 8 o'clock in the morning and 5 o'clock 

 in the afternoon the sash is shaded with canvas. 

 Since the sash is kept down tight, no evaporation 

 is possible and the watering, that was done when the 

 frames were started, is usually sufficient to last 

 through the whole period of rooting, which is, as 

 mentioned above, from 20 to 25 days. Some sand 

 needs to be watered between times. The temper- 

 ature in these frames 

 S^mBHB|^M varies from 80 degrees 

 at night up to no de- 

 grees on real bright, hot 

 days. 



Gladiolus primulinus pale 

 clear yellow. This is the 

 parent of the yellow flow- 

 ered varieties and explains 

 the "thinness" of the spike, 

 — but is worth while 



The successfully 

 rooted cuttings are 

 taken to the green- 

 house and planted 

 into small 1^ inch 

 pots where they re- 

 main for five weeks. 

 The tendency to 

 bloom can be ob- 

 served at this stage 

 and the benches con- 

 taining the 

 little grow- 

 ing plants 

 will often 

 be seen 

 carrying 

 thousands 

 of small 

 blooms. 

 No atten- 

 t i o n is 

 given to 

 thisbloom, 

 no effort is 

 made to 

 hinder it; 

 the plants are just 

 allowed to follow 

 their own sweet will 

 and inclination. 

 Usually at the end 

 of five weeks these 

 little plants are 

 shifted into 2\ inch 

 pots where they 

 make sturdy growth 

 and a larger root 



system so that by fall they will have ob- 

 tained a height of from 6 to 8 inches with 

 2 or 3 shoots, in which condition they are 

 transferred into the winter quarters — a 

 cool house with just enough heat to keep 

 out the frost. These are the plants that 

 are ready for delivery the following spring 

 and early summer. 



The purchaser on receiving a package of 

 these little rose plants must, of course, give 

 them reasonable attention. 

 They should be taken out of the 

 box with due care, and the 

 roots, with the moss in which 

 they were packed still adhering, 

 plunged into water. Disturb 

 the roots as little as possible so j 

 as not to shake off any more of 

 the soil than is absolutely un- 

 avoidable. This done, plant 

 the roses a tonce. The first re- 

 quisite to success with these plants is to get 

 them properly established in the bed out- 

 doors where they are to grow. This means 

 that they should be carefully shaded for 

 two or three days after planting. Curious, 

 isn't it, that we almost instinctively give 

 this little bit of attention to transplanted 

 lettuce or cabbage, but hardly ever think 

 of doing it in the case of a plant that has a 

 woody stem? After root action is estab- 

 lished and the plants have taken hold of 

 their new quarters, they will need no fur- 

 ther attention than that given to any other 

 garden crop. Cultivate and water occa- 

 sionally if there is insufficient rain, of 

 course, and other things being equal, the 

 plants being set out in a reasonably good 

 garden soil, they will develop additional 

 branches and attain a height of say 14 to 

 18 inches. 



The accompanying picture of a little rose 

 bed shows what can be had six weeks after 

 planting. Of course you do not get exhibi- 

 tion blooms, but we are not growing these 

 little rose plants for exhibition results — 

 merely for the fact that we want roses, and 

 we get them. If you wish to have extra fine 

 results it becomes necessary to mulch the 

 bed with four inches of coarse manure. It 

 helps to shade the plants and we should 

 always bear in mind that "roses like to 

 have their feet cool." Treated in this 

 fashion you can have Tea and Hybrid Tea 

 rose plants blooming and growing from 

 June until frost. 



Now further: If you know how to take 

 care of them you can carry them over until 

 next spring and have your own two-year 

 old plants. 



II — Tender Bulbs for Present 

 Planting 

 ByL. B. 



THERE are half a dozen flower roots 

 that can be set out in May for summer 

 flowering . To begin with there is the dahlia. 

 Whether to plant it out in May, June, or the 

 early part of July is a question. On dry 

 soils the greater success will probably be 

 found by late planting — or in regions where 

 a mid-summer drought is a general thing. 



The modern canna has flowers six inches across and comes 

 in a great variety of shades, white and pink as well as red 



One of the great advantages of the dah- 

 lia, however, lies in this latitude of plant- 

 ing time. It is the best tender flower for 

 late effects of gorgeous color in the garden 

 and is the most easily grown of all plants, 

 for once started it may practically be left 

 alone. The tubers should be given ample 

 space. Three feet apart in each direction 

 is not too great and it is better to plant 

 single tubers, seeing that each one has an 

 eye, of course, rather than planting large 

 field clumps which will result in a dense 

 mass of shoots, most of which must be 

 thinned out if the grower is to get the 

 best results from his clump. The one 

 common danger in dahlia growing is over- 

 feeding. The roots must have a good 

 supply of moisture and will give their best 

 results in an ordinary garden soil rather 

 than in one that is over-heavily manured. 

 A surface mulch of manure, however, is 

 advantageous, not so much, perhaps, for 

 the feeding quality as for the fact that it 

 tends to keep the part underground con- 

 stantly moist and cool. 



CANNAS 



Another flower root that is tender and 

 must also be planted after danger of frost 

 is the canna. The trouble with the canna 

 is that it is often improperly used in places 

 where anything like transient effects are 

 out of keeping. The canna is essentially 

 a summer garden plant and grows best 



