102 
trained to drape and screen the fence 
of the enclosure, will form an oasis 
that will prove pleasing to the eye, 
restful to the nerves and a fitting 
recompense for all the effort put forth 
and for the faith implied. 
As Bulwer-Lytton has expressed it 
in the following lines : 
Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod. 
And waits to see it push away the clod 
Trusts in God. 
THE DAHLIA 
Disbudding and Forcing 
for Exhibition. 
By J. K. Alexander. 
( Written expressly for The flower Grower. ] 
Many amateurs desire the largest 
and finest quality Dahlia blossoms 
obtainable, so the following may prove 
of value to both amateurs and profes- 
sionals. 
To obtain the largest and most per- 
fect flowers, only the best and largest 
buds should be allowed to mature ; the 
others should be removed, enabling 
the full strength to develop the most 
promising buds into exhibition blooms. 
Some varieties of Dahlias require 
thinning and disbudding, to produce 
the best flowers. Varieties having an 
excessive amount of foliage and small 
growth should have a considerable part 
of their branches removed, while those 
having more buds than can be properly 
developed or matured should be dis- 
budded. The operation in no way en- 
dangers the plants and anyone can do 
it. Thin and disbud if necessary, mod- 
erately or severely as conditions seem 
to require. 
Taking a budded stalk or branch, 
you will find the large or first bud on 
the stalk, and also, that at each leaf all 
the way down the stalk, new shoots or 
bud stalks form ; these in turn produce 
buds and flowering stalks, which over- 
top the first bud. The first bud on 
every stalk is always the largest and 
produces the largest and best flower, 
ordinarily. Before the first flower is 
in full blossom, the first two side 
shoots have formed buds and burst 
into flowers. These in turn become 
passe, to be replaced by flowering 
stalks from the set next below, or the 
second pair of side shoots. 
On most varieties the first flower has 
a short stem, and we disbud to lengthen 
the stem and to secure larger flowers. 
The proper way to disbud is when the 
first bud is small, the first pair of side 
shoots should be removed with a sharp 
knife. This forces all the plant life 
that ordinarily would have developed 
the first two side shoots, into the first 
bud, making the first flower much 
larger and giving it abetter stem. Re- 
moving the first set of buds forces 
ahead the second set and they in turn 
burst into flower. As you cut and re- 
move the flowers, your plants send 
forth new flowering stalks from the 
bottom of the plant ; the more you cut 
the more flowers will grow. 
TFlower (Brower 
Disbudding is more generally used 
for flowers for exhibition purposes. 
When wishing the largest flower pos- 
sible, for exhibition purposes, you can 
disbud every side shoot down the en- 
tire length of the stalk, forcing all the 
plant life that would have developed 
all its flowers, into one flower, thus 
growing one flower of gigantic size ; 
or, a portion of the side shoots can be 
removed. This disbudding in addition 
to forcing insures you much greater 
success at exhibitions. In forcing Dah- 
lias to secure the very best results, 
apply either fertilizer or manure, or 
both, broadcast or in liquid form, at 
each or every other hoeing, which with 
disbudding, will give you the best re- 
sults obtainable. Nitrate of Soda 
proves a very effective fertilizer for 
forcing, but should not be used in too 
large quantities. Apply in liquid or 
crystal form when plants are in bud, 
making application often, and not 
using too much at a time. Nitrate of 
Soda is powerful and if too much is 
used it will burn your plants or force 
them to such an overgrowth that the 
roots will decay during the winter. 
The Nitrate of Soda crystals are best 
applied if a small ring is made around 
the plant, and these placed in the ring 
that keeps them from washing away, 
so the plant will receive the entire 
benefit. If in liquid form, using one 
tablespoonful of Nitrate of Soda to a 
gallon of water, applying with sprayer 
or watering can. Anyone can grow 
Dahlias of exhibition quality if they 
will digest these remarks, study plant 
requirements, and act accordingly. 
Useful Dahlias. 
The Dahlia is one of the most beauti- 
ful and satisfactory of the fall flowers 
and there are so many different varie- 
ties, one may choose the kind which 
appeals to their individual taste. 
The Peony flowered (some call them 
Art Dahlias) are large and have usu- 
ally two or more rows of petals, with 
a large yellow center. Among the 
best are Queen Wilhelmina, pure white, 
very fine. Geisha, scarlet and gold, a 
gorgeous thing, and very popular. 
Sherlock Holmes, a beautiful shade of 
mauve. 
The Cactus Dahlias with their finely 
cut florets are some of them straight 
and some very much incurved. Snow- 
storm is a lovely pure white. Marguerite 
Bouchon is one of the finest, color a 
deep pink with white center. T. G. 
Baker, a good yellow. 
The decorative Dahlias are the 
largest of all with broad petals and 
a very full flower. Hortilanus Fiet is a 
very beautiful shade of salmon. Lc 
Grand Manitou is white, striped and 
splashed with violet purple. Delice, a 
lovely rose pink, fine for cutting. 
The show Dahlias are the old-fash- 
ioned kind, a round full ball, and some 
are very large and beautiful. American 
Beauty, Crimson, Dreers While, W. W. 
Raivson, delicate lavender, and many 
others. 
Mrs. H. M. Walker. 
July, 1920 
How to Keep Cut Flowers Fresh. 
In the issue of Nov. 15, an article entitled, 
“How About It, Florists?” contains this 
statement of an eastern agricultural college: 
“It is claimed that cut flowers placed in water 
slightly colored with laundry bluing will last 
longer than if placed in clear water.” 
The following notes upon the keeping of 
cut flowers, compiled from official and grad- 
uate work carried on at Cornell University, 
may prove of interest in this connection : 
1. The factors concerned with long keep- 
ing of freshly cut flowers are, proper temper- 
ature, humidity, light and ventilation. The 
temperature should be from 35 deg. to 45 
deg. F., cool crops doing better at the lower 
temperature. A high humidity (85 per cent) 
should be maintained by sprinkling the floor 
of the storage room; this will also help to 
reduce the temperature, since evaporation is 
a cooling process. (The notable exception 
to this treatment is Sweet Peas which are in- 
jured by a damp atmosphere.) Light should 
be reduced to a minimum. A constant and 
uniform circulation of air should be provided 
for, to prevent the rotting of the flowers. 
2. The average of the results of over a 
thousand experiments made in this country 
and in France indicate that Carnations will 
keep best in a 10 to 15 per cent, ’Mums in a 
15 per cent. Orchids in a 10 to 20 per cent, 
and Roses in a 7 to 10 per cent sugar solu- 
tion. Prof. Knudson found that soluble min- 
eral salts in the water greatly retarded (or 
prevented) the fouling of the water, by their 
inhibiting effect upon the growth of bacteria. 
This treatment may prove advantageous 
where the water in the vases cannot be fre- 
quently changed. I believe that the laundry 
bluing (usually a ferrocyanide) mentioned in 
the Nov. 15th article, would act in a way 
similar to any other salt in preventing the 
development of bacteria in the water. There 
is little doubt, however, but that the daily 
changing of the water in which flowers are 
placed is the most efficient and most econom- 
ical method in the long run. 
3. Most flowers should be cut, not broken, 
straight across the stem, in the early morn- 
ing when the water content is highest. Of 
course, Roses and other flowers whose buds 
open quickly, must be cut twice a day. The 
longer the stem, the better, since there is 
more tissue for water storage, and more sur- 
face which can absorb water, providing the 
vases are deep and well filled with water. 
4. A heavy application of fertilizers to the 
plants, prior to cutting, will sometimes send 
the flowers “to sleep,” and may affect their 
keeping qualities. Heavy fumigations act in 
a similar way. 
5. Clipping the stems under water every 
day caused flowers to last for 11 days, as 
against 9 days when clipped out of water. 
There are many other pointers, such as 
charring the stems of Poinsettias, etc., which 
every florist knows. A great deal depends 
upon the kind of flower and how it was 
grown. In general, the problem consists in 
arresting development, not in feeding the 
blooms. Flowers and fruits, when cut from 
the plant, tend to oxidize their carbon to 
carbon dioxide gas, hence any method which 
tends to prevent this will tend to increase the 
keeping. For the florist with a store window, 
the aim should be to maintain cool, moist 
and airy conditions, to protect the flowers 
from intense light, and to use deep vases 
well filled with pure water, which is changed 
daily. Drue Allman, B. S. 
Assistant in Horticulture, Cornell University. 
— (In Florists' Exchange.) 
Weather conditions have been quite 
variable this year. Parts of the East 
have suffered the most severe drought 
on record but soaking rains have re- 
cently occurred. Most sections, how- 
ever, have had seasonable rainfall. 
