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Growing Bulbs Indoors 
The main essential to success in growing 
and forcing bulbs indoors during the winter 
is to ensure that a good root system has been 
developed before the bulbs are brot indoors. 
The bulbs should be potted as soon as re. 
ceived and they should have a period of at 
least six weeks in a cool, dark place or 
plunged outdoors, covered with sand or 
washed ashes, before any attempt at forcing 
is made. 
A good soil mixture may be made up of 
two parts loam, one part leaf mold or peat, 
half part sand with a S-inch pot of bone 
meal added to each bushel or two of the 
mixture. It should not be sifted too finely, 
a half inch sieve should be about right. The 
pots should be ‘crocked’ well, with a layer of 
rough peat or leaf mold to keep the drain- 
age clear; loosely fill the pot with the soil. 
and press the bulbs firmly in; the bulbs 
should be completely covered except in the 
case of hyacinths, which should have the 
tips showing. 
Water the pots of bulbs thoroughly and, 
plunge; on removing from the plunge-beds, 
a good watering should be given and tha 
ycung growth should be shaded until they 
become green. 
PARCEL POST!!! 
We just mailed an order to Arizona con- 
sisting of 4 packets of the new Japanese 
Morning Glories, a half bushel paper bag, 
of Vermiculite and the same of sphagnum 
moss, total weight 7 Ibs. and total selling 
price, $3.50. 
The postal charges were $1.22! Or 35% of 
the sales price 
To show how public officials figure for 
‘the people’s benefit’, this same 7 pounds 
could have been sent in 7.9 ounce packages, 
to 14 different postoffices in the fartherest 
sections of Alaska, to» Panama, to Hawaii 
and to Maine and California, for the total 
postage of 91¢. 
Is there any business in the country that 
would manage its affairs in this way? 
If Summerfield can manage a Chevrelot 
agency so successfully, why cannot there be 
some business-like changes made in the post 
office? A further suggestion — why are 
not all the franked letters sent out by the 
various office holders and goverment de- 
partments, metered and the postage charged 
to their various accounts? There would be 
a much different postal Jeport made! 
GROWING COLEUS FROM SEED. 
Few plants have such highly colored fol- 
iage as does the various strains of Coleus. 
They are highly ornamental and especially 
useful for late spring and summer decorat- 
ion. 
A liberal diet and plenty of sun-light, are 
essential for highly colored plants. 
Sow the seeds the later part of February 
and in following months. Sow seeds thinly 
on top of a firmly packed, light soil. The 
soil should be moist; cover seed with fine 
milled sphagnum moss and keep in a 65 de- 
gree temperature. They should be shifted 
to larger pots as they develope. Discard 
those plants that are of a poor color, keep- 
ing only the very showy specimens, 
A slight pinching of some plants will tend 
to make them more shapely pot plants, es- 
pecially when fair sized pot plants are to 
be sold. 
Always water indoor plants in the morn- 
ing; the evaporation cools them ‘and could 
tend to set them back by night watering. 
IRIS VARIETIES RECOMMENDED 
TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO 
Wister recommended Iris varieties in his 
Iris book, written twenty five years ago and 
some of them are still being grown today! 
In the dwarfs are Azurea, Black Midget, 
Glee, Marocain, Socrates and including the 
Chamaeiris. Of these, Marocain is still 
considered a good variety. 
In the Tall Bearded section. we are still 
growing several and consider them worth- 
while varieties. 
Ambassadeur, Corrida, Fro, Iris King, La 
Neige, Lord of June, Ma Mie, Rhein Nixe 
are eight varieties still in demand and in his 
“100 Best Varieties’’. 
In a list of a few outstanding “novelties”, 
none are well known today! This can be 
true of many of the novelties being offered 
today. Few ever turn out good enough to 
last a quarter of a century! 
HARDINESS OF LOUSIANA IRIS 
A testing program on the hardiness of the 
Lousiana Irises was inaugrated two years 
ago, the results of which are not final. Two 
years ago, also, some adventurous Irisar- 
ians bought several varieties from me and 
for two years I have sent plants as prizes 
to the large Mio Iris Show. To date I have 
had no complete report. 
Some of the Lousiana (hexagona) Iris spec- 
ies should prove hardy as some of the group 
range into Indiana. but others are not likely 
to survive. When the testing program is 
complete, the data will probably get much 
circulation for we are a publicity minded 
group of enthusiasts. 
Sidney L. Conger, Lousiana. 
NOTE: We would be interested in hearing 
from any of our readers who are growing 
any of the southern species of Iris in the 
northern states. 
NEW AFRICAN VIOLET BOOK 
A very complete variety list of African 
Violets has recently been published. It wag 
written by Mrs. Corolyn K. Rector, who also: 
wrote the Culture of the African Violet, 
which is offered by us. 
This new book lists many hundred variet- 
ies, gives the originator, the date and a brief 
description. It will be especially of value 
to those interested in growing this popular 
flower. 
, 
INTERESTED IN IRIS 
We are just in receipt of a long list of rave 
Iris species from Robert C. Henningsen of 
Portland, Oregon, who is one of those gard- 
eners like the writer, that enjoys the cultivat- 
ion of a collection of the species of Iris. 
He writes, December the Sth “This has 
been a very good Iris year for me; some 
form of Iris has been in bloom every month, 
now I. stylosa marginata and alba are giving 
buds every few weeks and they bloom out 
indoors.” 
Any of our readers who are likewise int- 
eresied, please write and no doubt both Mr. 
Henningsen and myself can make some 
trades! 
GERMINATING ACACIA SEED. 
After planting Acacia seed, pour very hot 
water over the bed and then cover with bur- 
lap, which can be left on till germination 
starts. Some nurserymen soak the seed in 
hot water and leave for 12-24 hours till 
cooled. 
i 
It is a good practice to water your house 
plants, during the winter months, with warm 
water, 
Spring is in the 
Southern Hemisphere 
The October garden magazines from the 
Southern Hemisphere are just arriving (Dec) 
and they are full of plans for the immediate 
starting of seeds for their coming summer! 
Here in Michigan, there is a little snow on 
the ground and I am worrying whether I will 
have to call the Standard Oil man for fuel 
oil before Christmas. Any way we hava 
had a rather mild fall so far and planting 
was done later than usual. We purchased 
some Iris from a Kansas grower that came 
in during late October; they evidently were 
dug in early July! They were planted in 
some raised beds and watered and as it was 
rather sun-shiny, they were covered lightly 
with straw; later it rained quite a little and 
the straw was pulled off the beds but now 
the ground has frozen some and this coverivg 
was put back. As soon as we can get the 
time, more straw will be put on these Iris 
to prevent their heaving out of the ground. 
We wonder how many will survive? 
About the Hydrangea 
By M. 8S. Brainard, Oregon. 
Throughout most of the country they can 
be chanced to winter out of doors. Where 
too rugged conditions prevail, may be they 
can be wintered under a heavy mulch or 
brot in to cool winter quarters. 
But the two bugbears of growth are insuf- 
ficiant water and food shortage. Remember 
Hydrangeas need plenty of water! And they 
are hogs for rich food, especially well rotted 
manure. 
They “slip” easily, preferably in sand or 
light soil and good dormant hardwood tips 
may bloom in a couple of months. Green, 
soft tips, will require a dormant season be- 
fore blooming. Should you have a potted, 
blooming plant, cut it back to two or three 
nodes above the surface when the bloom is 
gone. and hold it over. Always cut faded 
blooms well back. 
Hydrangeas are in our National colors, al- 
though there is no natural blue among them. 
Starting with the reds, try Charm, or maybe 
Strafford. If you feed the latter heavily 
you will get a deep, gorgeous pink. Regula 
is a good fixed white and rugged, and Eng- 
les White, much heavier though with a tend- 
ency to sere in extreme heat. 
Now we will have to make our own blues 
unless your soil is very definitely acid. Ham- 
burg and Altona, though normally delicate 
pink, blue most easily with heavy doses of 
aluminum sulphate, either in-solution or wat- 
ered in; but start treatment even before the 
buds begin to show. 
Ferrous sulphate and magnesium sulphate 
(Epsom Salts) are good dessert for any Hyd- 
rangea. too, and may tint your plants, de- 
pending on your soil conditions. 
But if your soil does not produce good, 
true color blooms, sweeten it up with lime. 
This is especially recommended where your 
plants bloom in washed-out purples or lay- 
enders but don’t expect over night results; 
it takes a growing cycle to permeate the 
plant’s whole system, either way. On house 
plant Hydrangeas,, water that just makes yout 
consicious of the Epsom Salt flavor, is fine. 
Hamburg is an old and probably most 
widely distributed Hydrangea variety. It can 
be easily told by its bright pink blooms with 
notched petals. 
If you “blue” the reds you may come up 
with some wonderful lavenders — and some 
not-so-wonderful colors! 
NOTE: Mr. Brainard is a propagator for 
Brookside Azalea and Bulb Farm in Oregon. 
