The Floral World. 



A JOURNAL OF HOME FLORICULTURE. 



Vol. II., No. 5 Springfield, Ohio, February, J903 25 Cents a Year 



THE LAST SNOW STORM. 



Just as we thoug-ht that spring had come 

 With birds and bees and sunshine warnn. 



The wind blew cold, the sky grew dark, 

 And soon began a wintry storm. 



Old mother earth was warm at first 

 The flakes they melted as they fell ; 



But when all else was covered o'er 

 She was mantled in white as well. 



The stately tree, the budding bush. 



The tiny little blade of grass. 

 And every kind of plant that lives ! 



Drew nectar from the melting mass. 



The crocus held its head as high 



As it did in pleasant weather ; 

 The robins sang their sweetest songs 



As they built their nests together. 



All nature seemed to understand 

 'Twas winter's last caressing ; 

 Before he left for colder climes 

 He would give to each his blessing. 

 Colorado. I. M. B. K. 



WINTER WORK. 



Now is the time to prepare for next sum- 

 mer' s blossoms. It takes extra effort, but 

 when springtime comes we should have a 

 plentiful supply of rooted cuttings for open 

 ground planting. As I have a large shady- 

 yard I plant begonias, fuchsias, sultanas, 

 etc., with success. By wintering last 

 year's nicotianas and planting in open 

 ground I have an abundance of blossoms 

 throughout the summer. For the sunniest 

 beds I have geraniums. I also plant some 

 annuals in boxes and have them large 

 enough for spring setting, but for busy 

 housewives I find they require too much 

 time and care. Last year I kept a large 

 double red and white petunia in the south 

 sitting-room window until May, when I 

 prepared a bed (on the south side of the 

 house) with leaf mold, garden soil and a 

 little sand. I broke my petunia into small 



limbs and planted them two joints deep. 

 I shaded them (for the bed had the morn- 

 ing sunshine) a week " and they grew and 

 they grew, " and I had hundreds of blos- 

 soms lasting until frost. Truly it was a 

 thing of beauty, 



Indiana. Anna Brickert. 



[ Let us suggest that in making cuttings for 

 the purpose of rooting, yon use a very sharp 

 knife and cut them ofE. The commercial florists 

 always see to it that their cutting knives are quite 

 sharp so as to make as smooth a cut as possible, 

 thereby promoting the chances of the end of the 

 cutting callousing.] 



GROWING ANNUALS. 



February is the month to plan for the 

 preparation of our annual floral beauties. 

 While the seedsman has a full store and 

 plenty of nice fresh seed is the time to 

 make up our orders for spring planting. 

 During the open balmy days of February 

 we must saunter over the lawn and make 

 our plans for the various flower beds. 

 The very tiny seeds should be sown in 

 finely sifted soil in boxes, the surface be- 

 ing covered with muslin and sprinkled 

 lightly with tepid water. Remove the 

 cover when the tiny sprouts appear. 

 Some of the seed may be sown in the hot- 

 bed later on and transplanted ; still others 

 may be sown in the flower beds. To 

 grow annual bloomers successfully we 

 must study their nature, and not crowd 

 the plants too closely, nor crowd weak 

 growing plants in among those of more 

 sturdy growth, lest they lose their strength 

 and beauty. 



Ohio. George W. Brown. 



[ To prevent weak, drawn seedlings, allow them 

 plenty of air, not too much heat and a good light 

 location. The success of annuals depends quite a 

 little on obtaining strong, sturdy seedlings. Fre- 

 quent transplanting helps materially.] 



