Flappers 
A number of years ago this was a popular 
nickname for the girls who rolled their stock- 
ings. 
F. R. Pierson, the well-known rose grower, 
who passed away several years ago, referred 
to some of his 6-year-old rose plants of the 
variety America, as “‘flappers’” when they lost 
their foliage and the long stems looked like 
bare knees. 
If your Pornsrrrras at Xmas time begin 
to lose their foliage, a handy item for fillers 
are TABLE Ferns. We have a good stock of 
fern seedlings each summer and they will not 
be too plentiful this year. Order them now! 
All the good Pteris varieties and some of the 
Holly variety are available. 
Poinsettia Stock Plants 
These will arrive immediately after Easter. 
But don’t let the plants lie around for several 
days before potting. Do so at once, using 
a rather poor soil but with plenty of humus 
in it. That is a rule that if followed generally 
will result satisfactorily. No plant in a dor- 
mant state or when young requires high amounts 
of fertilizer in the soil. The roots develop 
with the presence of moisture and heat, but 
no plant food is really needed until the leaves 
begin to grow. Then gradually the richness 
of the soil may be increased. Hence, if you 
use well rotted manure in your poor soil, it 
will begin to give off some of its value as the 
plant needs it. The same is true of bone meal 
or even tankage. Later when tops grow, 
fertilizers will be added to the soil and in- 
cidentally, poinsettia stock plants will take 
them plenty, especially nitrogen. These fer- 
tilizers then should be supplemented with 
manure mulches to keep the soil from drying 
out. Enough for the present—propagation 
will come later. 
Tartar Emetic 
No question about this being a good spray 
for thrip on most crops. If you have a supply 
of this material but cannot get sugar, sub- 
stitute honey or molasses in the same pro- 
portion: 1-2 lbs. of tartar emetic, 3-4 lbs of 
sweetening, 100 gals. of water. 
Hardy Perennials 
As a sideline, hardy perennial plants are 
worth growing. They should be started soon, 
erown on in frames during the summer, fall, 
and part winter, and then forced in the spring 
for quick sale as small flowering plants ready 
to set out in the garden. The cost of growing 
these is low and these days that’s a consid- 
eration.. Among the better additions to this 
group of plants this year are: Royal Red 
Buddleia, several hardy asters, a besutiful 
blue Campanula, a brilliant pink Eupatorium, 
a pink forget-me-not which grows from eight 
to ten inches high and blooms from June to 
September, a violet-colored primula and a 
new blue one. This blue primula is really an 
accomplishment after many years of waiting 
and should command a ready demand. For 
more detailed descriptions, ask us for a list. 

Hydrangeas 
The hydrangeas this year have been well 
timed and of good quality. They were par- 
ticularly important because of the shortage 
of lilies and undoubtedly will remain quite 
as important during the next year. The de- 
mand for plants these days is for popular- 
priced kinds and the hydrangea answers that 
purpose well. It is profitable to grow, sells 
well and looks substantial. We can furnish 
you some well rooted cuttings or else 214 
inch plants, now or later. The treatment of 
these cuttings is simple. Upon arrival, pot 
in a soil which contains about one-third acid 
peat so that it retains moisture well and stays 
acid. Shade for a few days and then grow 
on in 60 deg. If gotten soon, one pinch will 
be needed before planting out-doors. Like- 
wise it will be necessary to shift into threes 
or fours while in the greenhouse. Two methods 
are used—growing directly in the field or in 
pots plunged in the field or frame. The field 
method produces larger canes but in careless 
hands may cause difficulties in later forcing. 
If your water is not too alkaline and you have 
proper facilities for irrigation, then plunging 
of pots in beds, especially under lath, is an 
excellent method (by using lath you speed up 
bud breaking after your 
July pinch). Incidently, 
don’t plan to set the 
plants out before late 
May, when all danger 
of frost is over. 
Just a tip—if you 
srow in pots before 
plunging, make a cone- 
shaped hole with a 
stick, so that the bot- 
tom of the pot has an 
air cushion under. This 
will promote better 
rooting and keep worms 
out. 

