1905. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
373 
GREENHOUSE WORK IN MAY . 
Care of Palms. —In a former article 
reference was made to the fact that palms 
and ferns are among the many plants 
that need a sort of Spring cleaning and 
repotting at about this season. With 
plants of this character repotting once 
each 3 r ear usually suffices, the exception 
to this rule being found in the case of 
young stock in the smaller sizes that may 
be grown on fast enough to require shift¬ 
ing into larger pots twice in the year. 
The ordinary palms, such as are grown 
by florists generally, comprise a very 
short list, the first in popular favor being 
two varieties of Kentias, namely, K. Bel- 
moreana and K. Forsteriana, the next on 
the list being the Chinese Fan palm, Liv- 
istona Chinensis, then the very graceful 
Areca lutescens, some of the Date palms, 
or Phoenix, and the dwarf Cocoanut 
palm, Cocos Weddeliana. While there are 
several other species that are sufficiently 
grown to be termed common, yet the few 
names mentioned above cover the chief 
representatives in floral commerce of this 
great family of plants, out of a total of 
more than 1,200 species of palms that arc 
known to botanists. The chief require¬ 
ments of these palms under greenhouse 
culture are the following: First, a good 
soil, such as might be used for forcing 
roses; good drainage, plenty of moisture 
at the root and in the atmosphere; shad¬ 
ing from full sunshine from March 1 to 
November 1, and a night temperature 
throughout the Winter of 60 degrees. 
When repotting the palms, the old drain¬ 
age material should be removed from the 
bottom of the ball of earth, and the loose 
soil from the top broken away carefully, 
but beyond this it is safer not to disturb 
the roots. Then take a clean pot one to 
two inches larger in diameter than the 
one formerly occupied by the plant in 
question, put a piece of broken pot or a 
few cinders in the bottom for drainage, 
cover this with coarse soil, and ram down 
firmly to such a depth that the old ball of 
earth will be fully buried up to the base of 
the plant when the new pot is filled. The 
newly potted plants should be kept moist 
but not sodden, else the soil may be¬ 
come soured and the roots fail to take 
hold promptly. In potting on small palms 
we usually shift from two to three-inch 
pots, and from three to four-inch, but 
from four to six-inch, if the plants are 
strong and healthy, and in larger sizes, a 
shift of two inches each potting is cus¬ 
tomary. 
Repotting Ferns. —The small ferns that 
are used in such tremendous quantities 
each season for filling table ferneries are 
mostly grown by specialists, but it is a 
most interesting business; though requir¬ 
ing much care and a large stock of pa¬ 
tience. These young ferns are raised 
from spores, as the minute seeds of these 
flowerless plants are termed, and much 
experience is needed in order to gather 
the spores in just the right condition, to 
sow and care for them correctly, and then 
to go through with the various tedious 
operations of transplanting and finally 
potting them off. But the older ferns that 
may be in need of fresh soil may be re¬ 
potted as soon as they begin to grow in 
the Spring, and if the pots in which they 
are growing are large enough for con¬ 
venience, a reduction of the old ball of 
earth may be made in order to repot in 
the same size. After such treatment the 
plants must be protected from the sun, 
and also from strong drafts until they 
become re-established. The very popu¬ 
lar Boston fern, a form of Nephrolepis 
exaltata, is one that is very easy to grow 
and to propagate, the most common meth¬ 
od for the increase of this fern being to 
plant out on a side bench of the green¬ 
house a few old plants, being careful to 
select plants for this purpose that are free 
from insects. The ferns in question are 
planted out about one foot to 15 inches 
apart on the bench, given plenty of mois¬ 
ture, full sunshine at least until midsum¬ 
mer, and liberal ventilation, and under 
such conditions soon begin to throw out 
runners in much the same -way as a 
strawberry. The young plants form on 
these runners, and as soon as they make 
a few roots may be cut off and potted into 
small pots, and should be shaded* from 
sun and wind until they can take hold of 
the soil. In order to grow sturdy Bos¬ 
ton ferns with short leaves that stand up 
well they should have but little shade, 
only enough to avoid scorching in hot 
weather, and also be given a strong soil. 
Do not listen to advisers who suggest 
"woods’ earth" or leaf-mold as the fmly 
proper soil for fern growing, for such 
advice does not agree with the most suc¬ 
cessful practice in growing Boston ferns 
and some other strong-growing members 
of this family. Instead of using such 
soil, the best results are had from rotted 
sod with a liberal mixture of good stable 
manure, but not fresh horse manure, for 
this contains too much free ammonia for 
the welfare of the ferns. 
Summer Plants. —May brings us to 
the planting-out season for many of the 
bedding plants, it being safe in the lati¬ 
tude of New York City to plant out near¬ 
ly all the plants that are thus used during 
the latter half of this month, though the 
altitude of the location also governs this 
operation in some degree, for while it 
may be perfectly safe to put out tender 
plants near the sea coast, yet there are 
many inland points of greater altitude 
where such plants may suffer before 
June 1. At the planting time it is well 
to remember that provision should be 
made for stock for another season, it 
being a good plan to set aside a sufficient 
number of each particular variety for the 
home planting before the best part of the 
stock is sold, thus ensuring a supply of 
cuttings for next Autumn. These stock 
plants should be carefully labeled that 
there may be no question of nomenclature 
in the future, for it is not always an 
easy matter to identify such plants as 
geraniums and Cannas by their foliage in 
case they should be out of flower at the 
time they are lifted at the end of the 
seasdn. Fancy-leaved Caladiums and the 
beautiful flowering Gloxinias are among 
the Summer-growing bulbs that should be 
now started, both of these plants being 
tender in foliage and needing some shade. 
These are plants that cannot be recom¬ 
mended for outdoor use, but for green¬ 
house decoration and occasional use in the 
dwelling are very effective and attractive. 
w. H. TAPLIN. 
THREE-HORSE “DOUBLETREE.” 
Here is a sketch of a three-horse 
“doubletree" that is the best T have ever 
used. It is light, and can be used as 
two-horse doubletree by changing two 
clevises and taking off the short single 
tree. The doubletree is four feet from 
center to center of outside holes. The 
single trees are two feet six inches; short 
one is 10 inches. Irons on single trees 
are all six inches. The short single tree 
should be made with a hook on the under 
side so that all will be on a line. s. p. 
Newark, O. 
y EHicie catalog FREf 
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The name Keen Kutter 
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Tools received the Grand Prize at the St. Louis Exposition—the only such award ever given a complete 
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, Some kinds of Keen'Kutter Tools 
Chisels, Knives of all kinds, 
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Shears, Adzes, Axes, 
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St. Louis, Mo. 298 Broadway, N.Y. 
WHITMANS W2 
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York, Pa. 
250 DIFFERENT STYLES 
WE MANUFACTURE ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE UNES OF VEHICLES AND HARNESS IN THE WORLD. 
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Write for our 
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Concord Wagon No. 82 E 
Buekboard No. 46 E 
Spring Wagon No. 441 E 
Runabout No. 54 E 
Good Vehicles at Factory Cost 
Canopy Top Surrey No. A 17 E 
Those readers of this paper who have bought bug 
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IHARNESS 
We don't sell cheap harness, but we sell No. 1 Har¬ 
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V <1 l lM ll 
. N* 1 
