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Peoae renal FLORICULTURE;
A GUIDE TO THE SUCCESSFUL CULTIVATION OF
PEO Riss bono baie iS:
FOR THE
AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL FLORIST.
/ BY
PETER HENDERSON,
AUTHOR OF ‘‘GARDENING FOR PROFIT,” ‘‘GARDENING FOR PLEASURE,” ‘‘ HAND:
BOOK OF PLANTS,” “GARDEN AND FARM TOPICS,” “HOW THE FARM PAYS,” ETC.
NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION.
ILLUSTRATED.
NEW YORK:
0. JUDD CO., DAVID W. JUDD, Pres’,
751 BROADWAY.
1887.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 188%, by the
O. JUDD CU.,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
mMawscorbecomien Ploridt:.--. 25 .o2-° 9-4 22222 ci osece eee,
CHAPTER II.
The Prices of Nursery and Greenhouse Products Abroad and at
OMe foe oe oe en Sots oa cee ks Seems aeroats 15
CHAPTER III.
shieserontssor Mloricwlture: 20-2 52). 55-25---sseaoteoseccsccean ees 19
CHAPTER IV.
Jgpagteln Graal (Sols = oe oe cee Sees ee Se = Sac e PSS eS SOSA SOSoS 22
CHAPTER V.
The Preparation for New, and the Renovation of Old, Lawns----.-- 24
CHAPTER VI.
Ruyinevouutne Mower Gardens esse ceo oom eee nee nee 36
CHAPTER VII.
Designs for Ornamental Grounds and Flower Gardens-----.--.----- 31
CHAPTER VIII.
plamiinpyon Hlower BeGss=-\52sss-n22 5-2.) s-< ener e eect sececeesece| 46
CHAPTER IX,
Rt SPE OMEORNINO 2h a eee ano eon eee Nawalise ao Ssoeeckwceceace cs HON
CHAPTER X.
Pemperarureiand Moisture 2) 3. = 2222222 << seen scneececsasccensnencs 57
CHAPTER XI. ;
LE CwROlN OT O i Phan toes ase ons Kore Yes ence DOSE eceseces coe caee 63
CHAPTER XII.
Drainage in: Pots. -222 226 seen aoa e Sat eee cScuosee eae scenes 68
CHAPTER XIII.
expert: Garden. WOrkMGN 2 oan teeeeen + see en ccc coda Seca enee coce 69
(3)
4 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
CHAPTER XIV.
Cold Hrames—W inter Protection==- 22-20-2502 -tesce eee 2 eee val
CHAPTER XV.
TherConstriction oOfllOtBedse-e- 2-2 es. = = ee 74
CHAPTER XVI.
GreenhouseSiruciires. 2 =. -e 26. c bo eds. 2 5 eee eee 76
CHAPTER XVII.
Wide Greenhouses for Bedding Plants and Rose Growing--------_- 93
CHAPTER XVIII.
Glass; ‘Glazino and ‘Shading =. 22 2--6 3 - -2 3. 24-2eeeee ee eee 98
CHAPTER XIX.
Modes. of Heating. --222.-- +222 2222 222022 Selene =e 100
CHAPTER XX.
Heatine by Steam. 222... ..22 Sel 2 SS. ae; Soe ee 101
CHAPTER XXI.
ibase-burnine-Water-Heater- 22 soe eee 8 26 oe eee eee eee 103
CHAPTER XXII.
Propagation of Plants) by SeeGse-e=ees== 9s see a= = ae eee eee es 106
CHAPTER XXIII.
Propagation by Seeds—What Varieties Come True from Seeds ?_... 110
CHAPTER XXIV.
Propagation of Plants) by Cuttings] 22222 eee =—. =o e een eee 120
CHAPTER XXY.
‘Saucer system’ Of Proparabion= 2222-22). 65 fol ee seen eee 129
CHAPTER XXYI.
Propagating Soft-Wooded Plants in Summer .---.-...-..-.-------- hoi
CHAPTER XXVII.
Propazation of Roses by Cuttimps: -_--:----.----..---s5--cee=eeeeeos
CHAPTER XXVIIL.
Propagating Roses by Grafting and Budding--.---.-.------------- 141
CHAPTER XXIX.
Greenhouse Plants Most in Demand in Market in Spring. --.-----.- 148
CONTENTS. o
CHAPTER XXX.
PHNeLemitivation! Of the-Verbendes-as- se oat eat eeaseccc es ohensee 148
CHAPTER XXXI.
Cold-Frame Plants Most Sold in Market in Spring.----.-------.--- 151
CHAPTER XXXII.
Plants Most in Demand for Winduw Decoration in Winter--..------ 153
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Culture of Winter-Flowering Plants for Cut Flowers_---.--.-.-_--- 154
CHAPTER XXXIV.
ROsG-Gra will owin Vitter: css. 2. eae eee ane Sioa Se ReN en ee 155
CHAPTER XXXV.
Bal bsetorm WinterHlOWers---9-— esse > eae eee ee ee 175
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Violets, Chrysanthemums, Carnations, and Mignonette__-.________- 189
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Bouvardias, Steyvias, Eupatoriums, Heliotropes, Poinsettia, and
Other sWanter-HLow ering Plants y2osa2 522 ens 195
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
COURE 80-0 SY SP eno ee ae ee ee Se eS sy ane 204
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Chinese Primrose, Geranium, Camellia and Eucharis_-___.....-___- 208
CHAPTER XL.
Plants Used for Foliage—Smilax, Asparagus, Ferns, ete____._____- 211
CHAPTER XLI.
Plantsusem tor Mceorationvof ROOMS==2s22-2--.4----200--2--52--< 213
CHAPTER XLII.
General Collection of Plants Grown Under Glass._.__......._.__-- 215
CHAPTER XLIII.
Construction of Bouquets, Baskets, ete......---...-..--.----.----- 217
; CHAPTER XLIV.
Hiking oe paskete2 4: — cee were sere tee Pe weet See el 280
CHAPTER XLV.
RBRIOrMonm Wandow (Gardening® 2262225) 2. <2. cs one c cece es ce AQ
6 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
CHAPTER XLVI.
Formation of Rock-Work, and Plants for Rocks_...-..--.--------- 250
CHAPTER XLVII.
Are ‘Plants dnjurious tothiealth 2 2-22-25 a Pee eae aoe 252
CHAPTER XLVIII. ,
The Injury to Plants by Wercinge:.2222222-2 2-2 hs... 225. ee 254
CHAPTER XLIX.
Nature’siaw ‘of ‘Colors: 20... -05- s2cee eon eee en ee eee 256
CHAPTER L.
What Flowers will Grow in the Shade? =~" --2- 2c seeeesseecee eee 259
CHAPTER LI.
Succession Crops in the Greenhouse-------__.-----=-------2-seen- 261
CHAPTER LII.
Packing ‘Plantes. 2.2.28. cs6 5252 ae 263
Plants: by{Malljes: 2220 = 228525 sseose sh sc saw at e eeee 265
CHAPTER LIV.
Insects and Diseases affecting Plants_.....--...--.-.---------=---- 267
CHAPTER LY.
CHAPTER LVI.
Diary of ‘(Operations forthe Weatee=s 2s eeee = sae ee 282
CHAPTER LVII.
The Culture of Grape Vines under Glass__-.---.-..--.........----- 312
PREFACE TO FOURTH AND GREATLY
ENLARGED EDITION.
It is eight years since the last edition of ‘‘ Practical
Floriculture” was published. Great strides have been
made in Floriculture in this country, even in that short
time, particularly in the growing of Roses, Bulbs, and
other prominent classes of plants for winter flowers,
in all of which we have endeavored to give as plainly
as possible the details of the most approved methods
as practiced in the vicinity of New York City, where
at the present time, a higher degree of perfection is
believed to have been attained than in any other sec-
tion of the country, or, perhaps, in any part of the world.
London, Paris, and other large European cities may yet
excel us in the variety and in the greater care of plants
grown for sale, but by careful observations they seem to
be now far behind us in the methods of producing the
leading kinds of winter flowers grown for sale.
Although prices for both cut flowers and plants are
even less than when the last edition of this work was
written, the improvement in gceen-house structures, to-
gether with improvements to lessen the labor of culture,
have kept the business of commercial floriculture, so
that all things considered, it is quite as profitable as it
Was ten or twelve years ago. There are now believed to
be over 10,000 florists in the United States, a large per
centage of Whom, if not making colossal fortunes, are
making comfortable livings in a safe and_ pleasant
business.
PETER HENDERSON.
Jersey City Heights, N. J.,
July 1st, 1887.
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PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
CALA? EEE = 1
HOW TO BECOME A FLORIST.
J am often asked the question if it is necessary in order
to become a florist to enter some large establishment
for a few years, or whether it is possible to learn
from reading only. I reply, if it can be afforded, it will
be best, by all means, to serve at least two years in
some well-conducted establishment—one that has been
long enough established to have made the business a suc-
cess, for the best index of ability in any business is suc-
cess. I have said, if it can be afforded, as for the first
two years, unless a youth proves himself unusually smart,
he will not likely receive more than enough to pay his
board, for he is simply an apprentice under instructions,
who has come with the design of leaving when he has
acquired a knowledge of the trade, and just at the time
when he begins to be of use to his employer.
But to those to whom it would be inconvenient to place
themselves thus under instructions, a knowledge of the
business could be unquestionably obtained from books,
particularly if actual practice were followed conjointly
with the reading. There are now thousands of my
patrons (about one tenth of whom are ladies), located in
nearly every State of the Union, who have worked them-
selves into the florists’ business exclusively by reading
(9)
10 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
and their own practice, having had no opportunity for
other instruction. In not a few cases some of these haye
got ahead of what are known as professional gardeners,
those who have had no other experience than that received
in private gardens in Europe, which by no means fits them
for the American style of commercial floriculture. The
increase of a taste for flowers for the past thirty years has
been truly wonderful. A gentleman who has a turn for
statistics in this peculiar line, informed me that he had
begun to procure information from all parts of the coun-
try of the numbers engaged in the trade, together with
the capital employed. He said that his investigations
for this locality, taken in the rough, extending in the
radius of ten miles from the center of New York City,
proved that the number of florists’ establishments was
about 500, and the capital used in stock and struc-
tures upwards of $6,000,000. If the number of estab-
lishments is nearly correct—and there is no reason to
doubt it—I am certain that the value is not overestima-
ted, as we have at least half a dozen establishments where
the capital used in stock and buildings must be nearly
$100,000 each. And this, too, in New York and its
suburbs, where the taste is lower than it is in either
Boston or Philadelphia. In those places, no doubt,
their excellent Horticultural Societies have done much
to refine the tastes of the people, and it is to be regretted
that neither New York nor its adjacent cities, with over
two millions of people, have, until quite recently, had a
Horticultural Society, and even that at the date I write,
1887, it is not to be compared with either that of Boston
or Philadelphia.
GARDENING AS A BUSINESS—HOW TO BEGIN.
In response to continued inquiries from those who wish
to engage in gardening as a business, I propose in this
chapter, to give briefly, yet comprehensively, such advice
HOW TO BECOME A FLORIST. ial
and instruction as my long experience, together with my
intercourse and correspondence with hundreds engaged
in the various branches of gardening, enable me to offer.
I find that the persons who desire to begin gardening as
a business, are generally such as have had their tastes
turned in that direction by being amateur cultivators.
Their gratuitous distributions of slips, seeds, or roots, to
sometimes not over-grateful recipients, starts the idea
that ‘‘ what is not worth paying for is not worth having”
is as true of garden products as of other things, and that
they had better sell than give. As selling means busi-
ness, the question then is, how to best begin the business
to make it pay. My advice to all such inquirers is, to
keep away from large cities, unless they have a large
capital and a thorough practical knowledge of the busi-
ness. The beginner with limited means, and more limited
knowledge of the business, would be quite unable to
compete with those who have been long established, and
such are to be found in nearly all cities of 100,000 in-
habitants, or over. On the other hand, in cities of 5,000,
10,000, 15,000, or 20,000 inhabitants, the business may
be begun, and profitably carried on, with but little capital
and a moderate amount of knowledge at starting. How
to start is the all important question. In my work on
commercial gardening—‘‘ Gardening for Profit ”—I have
given advice on the culture of vegetables and fruits as a sep-
arate and distinct branch of the business. Further experi-
ence has led me to believe that it would often be of great
advantage to the beginner in smail towns to undertake the
cultivation of small fruits, flowers, and vegetables com-
bined. Ina town of, say, 5,000 inhabitants, the profits
from the sale of flowers alone would hardly be enough to
warrant a beginning, while an acre or two of well-grown
fruits or vegetables in addition would make quite a re-
spectable business. We will suppose, then, that a frugal
man, able and willing to work hard, has a capital of
12 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
$1,500 to $2,000; let him select not more than two acres,
either on a lease of, say, 10 years, or by purchase, as near
to the business part of the town as practicable. The soil
should be of a quality that has borne good crops of Hay,
Corn, Potatoes, or other farm produce. Do uot be induced
to go far from the business center of the town, because
land is cheap there ; it is better to pay $100 rent per acre
for, say, two acres, a mile from the center of the town, than
to buy land at that price three or four miles distant for
such a purpose. It is a fact beyond all question, that
whenever fine specimens of fruit, flowers, or vegetables
are offered for sale, a demand is created that did not be-
fore exist, and would not then have existed unless these
articles were placed before the eyes of the people. Pre-
suming, then, that the one or two acres is secured, if a
dwelling-house, stable, or other buildings are to be
erected, let them be placed, if practicable, on the north-
east corner, so that the part of the land to be cultivated,
or where greenhouses are to be erected, be not shaded.
If flowers are to be grown, of course a greenhouse or
some place where plants can be protected (see Greenhouse
Structures) is indispensable, and the proper construction
of that is a matter of importance. Perhaps the most ap-
propriate size for a beginner is one twenty feet wide by
fifty feet in length, which may be heated either by smoke-
flues or hot water circulating in iron pipes. At present
prices the house twenty feet wide would cost, if heated
by fine, about $9 per running foot ; if by hot-water, $15
per running foot. The details of construction are given
in other chapters of this work. This greenhouse, having
an area of 1,000 square feet, should produce a crop of
flowers and plants, when once properly stocked, which
should sell at retail for at least $1,000 each year. The
stock of plants to begin with, purchased from any whole-
sale florist, would cost from $100 to $200, according to
kinds. The annual cost of fuel, labor, etc., after it is in
HOW TO BECOME A FLORIST. 13
running order, should not exceed $300 per year. It will
be seen that the profit on the investment is good, if the
work is mainly done by the owner ; but a glass structure
of this size would not pay to hire a man to work it,
though it would be large enough at first for the wants of
an ordinary population of 5,000. But such a population
will buy far larger amounts in fruits and vegetables, and
will probably buy three times as many and give more for
them if fresh and home grown, than they would for
those that are packed and shipped from a distance. In
fruits, Strawberries hold the most prominent place, and
a quarter of an acre will contain, at two feet apart each
way, about 2,500 plants. If these are planted by August
1st, from plants layered in pots in July, the ground
having been properly prepared, at least 1,000 quarts can
be gathered as the first crop ; this is a low estimate, the
best cultivators claiming to gather one quart per hill of
the large fruiting kinds. Next inimportance in small
fruits come Raspberries, Blackberries, Grapes and Cur-
rants, with which another quarter of an acre might be
stocked. This would leave, if there were two acres at the
start, an acre and a half to be devoted to vegetables. Of
this, one-eighth of an acre might be devoted to Asparagus,
and the same amount to Rhubarb, Beets and Onions, Cab-
bages, Cauliflower. and Lettuce, and to Celery ; Cucum-
bers and Melons, ‘Tomatoes and Beans, may each have a
quarter of an acre, while one-eighth of an acre may be
devoted to other things not provided for. The cultiva-
tion of this quantity of land with such crops, together
with the care of greenhouse, would require the labor of
two active men during the summer months, and _ proba-
bly at some part of the time, three, but in winter, one
man could easily do it all. One horse would be sufficient
for cultivating and carting manure, etc., but the first
plowing of the land in spring should be done by two
horses, so that the work may be done deep and thoroughly.
14 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
As to the cultivation of fruits and vegetables, it is
not my object in this volume to give detailed directions
‘“‘how to do it;” for these reference may be made to my
work ‘‘ Gardening for Profit,” new edition published in
1887. I merely wish to show that in small towns the
combined culture of fruits, flowers and vegetables can
be more profitably carried on than the culture of either
by itself. My first attempt at commercial gardening
was a combination of the business of market gardener
and florist, and even for the great market of New York
I believe it was more profitably conducted than if cach
had been run separately, for on wet or stormy days, when
they could not work in the open vegetable grounds, the
men were turned into the greenhouses, where their labor
was just as profitable and valuable as in the open field.
But while arguing for the benefits to be derived from
this combination of the several departments of a kindred
business, let it be distinctly understood that it must be
done at one place, so that all can be under the eye of
the owner.
Thirty years ago, after the successful culture of a gar-
den of some ten acres, combined with quite an extensive
greenhouse business, my ambition led me to think that
if I made $3,000 a year from ten acres, I might as readily
make $9,000 from thirty acres, so 1 undertook the culti-
vation of two other places, each some ten acres in extent,
but about a mile apart. A trial of three years showed me
that I had made a serious mistake, for I found that I was
actually making less from my thirty acres than I had
made from my original ten, and yet I had experience,
capital, and, I believe, as much energy and business
capacity as the average of mankind. Had the thirty acres
been all in one spot, the result might have been different,
but it is probable that the profits would not have been in
the same proportion, as if ten acres only had been culti-
vated. This lesson to me was a salutary one, and I never
PRICES OF NURSERY PRODUCTS. 15
hesitated to state my own case to any one who informs me
of his intention of attempting to carry on gardening in
two or more different places at once.
CHAPTER II.
THE PRICES OF NURSERY AND GREENHOUSE PRO-
DUCTS ABROAD AND AT HOME.
While the price of labor is from one-third to one-half
more in this country than in Europe, nearly all the pro-
ducts of the nursery, greenhouse or garden are sold
lower here than there—not merely lower, but in a major-
ity of cases at less than half the price. In nursery stock,
I have the authority of Eliwanger & Barry, of Rochester,
N. Y., for stating that, in many leading articles in fruit
trees, the difference in prices in favor of this country ~
are as follows: In England, Standard Apple trees are
quoted at $18 per 100; the same quality are sold here at
$12 per 100. Dwarf Pear trees there sell at $35 per 100 ;
here at $15 per 100. Standard Pear, Plum and Cherry
trees average in England $18 per 100; here $15 per 100.
Apricots and Nectarines are sold for about the same price
here and in England, but Peach trees, which are sold
here at an average of $70 per 1,000, are sold there at $150
per 1,000. The gentral assortment of ornamental trees
and shrubs shows a corresponding average in favor of
lower prices here. In greenhouse or bedding plants, the
difference in favor of our lower rates here, is even greater,
both at wholesale and retail. Carnations, or Pinks,
which are quoted in England as specially low at $20 per
100, are sold here at $12 per 100. Ferns sold here at $6
ver 100, are offered at $8 there; Tuberoses and Gladioluses
that are now sold here at $2 and $3, are quoted there at
16 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
double these rates (in fact, their supply of Tuberoses
is now obtained from us), while, to take the average of
bedding or greenhouse plants, that may average here $6
per 100 to the trade, are offered to us by the wholesale
English houses as specially low at $8 per 100.
Owing to the unusually dry weather a few years since,
nearly all our stock Fuchsias were destroyed, so that we
had to import from London ; the price paid was $25 per
100, the very same quality that we sell at $12 per 100.
In sales at retail, particularly for new plants, the prices
paid in Europe are fully four times more than we charge
here. For example, a new Rose, when first offered, is sold
in London at £1 1s. (about $6) the plant ; here, the first
sales of the same plant are at from $2 to 83 each. New
Fuchsias or Geraniums are rarely sold in London at less
than $2 each ; here we think we are getting well paid if
we get one-fourth of that sum. In addition to the
greater price paid for the article itself, they mvariably
saddle us with the expense of boxing and packing, often
no small item, which is rarely charged by our florists.
The wonder is, that Europe can ever sell to us at all, par-
ticularly when it is known that at least one-half of the
imported plants are lost by injury sustained in transit.
The question arises, how can our nurserymen and florists
sell so much lower, and make the business pay—for that
they do make it pay quite as well as European grow-
ers do, there is but little doubt. The answer to this
is, the known fact that the high cost of labor has long
ago forced us to use our ingenuity in simplifyimg our
work. What we do with the plow, most of the English
gardeners still think it necessary to do with the spade.
What we do with our horse or hand cultivator, they still
do with the hoe, and often a very primitive sort of hoe
at that. Where we use stakes and labels that are made
by machinery, they, in many cases, yet make them by
hand, when a single one actually costs as much in labor
PRICES OF NURSERY PRODUCTS. 17
as do a hundred when made by machinery. When it
comes to the manual operations, necessary in the propa-
gating and growing of greenhouse plants, the same waste
of labor is appareut. Our average propagator will take off,
make and set in bench 2,000 cuttings per day ; at the rate
I saw the propagators of two of the leading establishments
in London working, when there a few years ago, I doubt
if the average was 500 a day, and when we tell them that
some of our crack workmen can place 10,000 rooted cut-
tings in pots in ten hours, they honestly think it false, for
probably not more than one-half of that number has ever
been done in the same time there. I do not wish to be
understood as saying that the English gardener cannot
’ move as rapidly as the American can, but custom there
clogs his hands with unnecessary work, to accomplish
the object desired. The other day a man of forty years of
age presented himself to me, with credentials from a
long-established Edinburgh firm, stating him to be an
experienced propagator and cultivator of plants. To test
his capabilities, I handed him a lot of Rose cuttings to
prepare, every one of which he cut at an eye or joint, in:
the approved orthodox style of a half a century ago;
all propagators of experience here have long known that
this is not only a great waste of materials, but a still
greater waste of time, and we never do it unless in par-
ticular cases that very rarely occur. I might mention
scores of similar operations which are performed abroad
in a manner which seems to us as primitive as this.
Those who have studied the subject, tell us that from
the specimens of the ‘‘stone period,” at the Smithsonian
Institution at Washington, there is reason to believe that
it took some thousands of years for our ‘rude fore-
fathers” to discover that the handles could be better fas-
tened to their hammers of stone, by drilling a hole through
them, than by lashing them to the handles with thongs ;
and it isa matter of not very ancient history, that in
18 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE,
parts of the South of Ireland, the plow was attached to the
horses’ tails, and that a great row was the consequence
when some meddling innovator suggested a change. It
appears that mankind, in all ages, is naturally conserva-
tive, and it takes years, sometimes centuries, to get out
of old ruts. If, while paying for labor one-third more,
we can sell our garden products here nearly one-half
lower than they are sold in Europe, the conclusion is in-
evitable, that we have learned how to make our labor
more effective than they do.
The adage, that ‘‘ A prophet is not without honor save
in his own country,” is true in this matter asin many
others ; for we find that most Americans having horti-
cultural tastes, when visiting Europe buy largely there,
their plants costing them twice as much for half dead
trees or plants, as they would pay at home for healthy
ones. It is often the case, especially with fruits, that
the varieties purchased are utterly useless for our climate.
For example, the Jargonelle Pear, Ribston Pippin Apple,
and Keen’s Seedling Strawberry, still hold a first place
in the English gardens, while experience has shown them
to be worthless here. So with many ornamental trees ;
beautiful as are the varieties of English Holly and Rhodo-
dendrons, hundreds of Americans have poured down
anathemas on the heads of European nurserymen for sell-
ing them as ‘‘ hardy,” plants that the frosts of our North-
ern States, or the hot sun of the South, utterly destroyed
the first season.
THE PROFITS OF FLORICULTURE. 19
CHAPTER ITI.
THE PROFITS OF FLORICULTURE.
It is much easier to estimate the profits of the products
of the soil, be they in fruits or vegetables, than to define
by any certain rule what the profits of our greenhouse
floriculture are. In fact, we can only approximate to it,
because the conditions in which the operations are carried
on at different places, or the different articles grown,
make anything like a general average for the whole coun-
try impossible. But, as we have heretofore done, we will
confine ourselves to the district of New York, which may
be taken at the present time as a fair representation of
the whole country.
The capital required in starting this department of
horticulture I consider need not be so much asin that of
either nursery, vegetable. or fruit growing, and the
chances of moderate success I believe, from my observa-
tions, to be far greater. I say moderate success, for the
chances of making a colossal fortune in this are by no
means so good as in the regular nursery business, while
to offset this the chances of failure are less, and the
business is pleasanter and less exhaustive to follow. I
have hardly ever known a man who has started in the
florist’s business to fail, unless he brought failure on him-
self by his own imprudence ; while I have known scores
to fail in the vegetable and nursery business, from causes
entirely beyond their control. ~ 6 , \ .
a
‘ i] x yo \ .Y
‘ ' ~ Cs \ ‘
’ | ' t 2S _* a t '
: ee oe fae
‘ 1 aie > < ' f ’
‘ i] pode ~ ’
.y ‘ va ve SN 1 t
ES VS oR Sos Dry apna / Py
a A La = a i re ae 3
5 x va -\ ¢
° . ¢ ny “7?
x aT, se.
s 4 eh ag ‘
‘ ee ae
x ’ ¢
> e
pos s ri
2 we "-esenr =” Ks 2
a 4
‘ ‘
. 4
x 2 ‘
s ff
¢
es » oe
Fig. 10.—A GARPET BED.
1. Echeveria Secunda. 4, Echeveria Extensa.
2. Sempervivum Californicum. 5. Yellow Alternanthera.
3. Echeveria Rosea. 6. Yellow Alternanthera.
7. Crimson Alternanthera.
the broad lawn, some skirting the edge of a clump of
trees. others planted in and among the trees and shrub-
bery as undergrowth, giving the impression, when look-
ing at it under the roofy shade of trees, that you were
viewing an undergrowth of the tropics rather than a piece
’
PLANTING OF FLOWER BEDS. 49
a Xe
an Ds
*
aS .'
Ean eos " ‘\
4 ==
r =" “=,
i J t bee
i, 2 ! : .
Cn] | a ! i
a rT 1 a
-_— call ee 4 a
ai mee © et r ,
- YOUN ? 4
se \ % 4 fay
\ Bie 32 Be Nx
: ra » 9 is an .
4 i a a
e eae ee . 7 , 3 a
¢ ~~ 1" ae r]
i. ge Ree Pee r4 P
wa ¢ i “< ag 4
my I x Mes .
1 i N A aK
v \ as
1 a
é
A 7) i] e ry
N # j ‘
ac al 2 } a
eee k § 7] a
\ om ae.
en of ates
ae ia
Fig. 11.—DESIGN FOR BED.
1. Searlet Salvia. 2. Coleus Verschaffeltii.
All lines in the figure to be edged with Yellow Coleus, or reversed
if so desired.
i So hae eh a No ang apr nnd = donna Seah Sok pi aaa RY Gee es
penn uemipekinpine wegen nia eS es
1 Bscs pena ioe oo 2 «<-F-34 1
Wey & Fe aS +i cA a oe ns ¢ Se
' é ~ ¢ eo ere 7 e
| , coon \ ¢ Wie i. M ¢ 'S *, ” / aa Ne
Hs Gy aaah ae AN, Ais REO Ny 7 Ni Nye! oA ats
fect Wie Ss Tee Y Vy i wet Hee pey oe or Ue aes) os Peet
, Te aC ig ea aie: ally Cy tee SG i. WSs,
vy in , ieee ‘ ¥ oe
' Ue , 3 ‘ ~- ‘/ X ad % t s “1
1 3 ‘ « 7 Be te $ cy Fi Jj ca 2
| en dal ed Lee eee nd ;
Renee if ee ee a |
Fig. 12.—DESIGN FOR BED.
1. Alternanthera, Crimson. 3. Lobelia, Blue.
2. Alternanthera, Yellow. 4. Coleus, Golden,
5. Achyranthes, Crimson.
The Coleus and Achyranthes to be pinched low.
59 “PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
of the most artistical planting of an English park. One
particular spot, which will not soon be forgotten, was a
ravine of considerable extent, well shaded by tall trees,
where were planted immense plants of tree ferns, the
cack
x. s
A ‘
cooks
SSPE ft
-
Poe ears oe ~ nd
- .
° .
hf Az ~s Sy
7 eG \
a Pe 2 Ls ‘
aoe .
Re 5 !
[ty at 1 !
»o4 one e :
ipo o , a8
ay Ae *, as
Hil . » 3
Pe ¢ Sle
ers) 7 is ms ik
a “e A 3 . me
- 1 Y » .
gin Aa Ww 2 >. Sas ata
a hs . Po les bl
a4 aS mA ¢ 7 =< ee
¢ °” ‘ 14 2 ~e *
A AG ottr =, 2 \ ? <: sh
ve. -° Aye Ce rs Si aie
, ¢ ¢ are Co > . et
r iy é < 1,27 Che y \. 7
’ ° . 1 .t . AS
a v A) ~~ y ele * : Va
~=2.J o-a¥ -
a te Mee b ea 6, cess hee
. 1 t Ae ie - ' Lm
ean . xa m a ’ yea
ns > : Cas . ¢ a ae
‘ 0 ‘ \4 2.
. » ’ ros x * arx
‘ . > ¢ ‘ + * Bien ¢ a
Neat Sy He a 2 = = ase
SORE 2 A 3 note ioe
Sie Senen-= ne Ne saa ”
ps ct oD IN “Z i oF, Elle
re “ ' a i |
Nw i] 5 a e o
v8 \ a r ¢
A AA % , ry Fs
is a | » ? ee
Way | xs - a]
aN ha fa
toa “acme O7 Cakes
it a:
2 aos
Ws i
\ * 2 Ba '
. ie TF
Vans S Pg
Se a an 10
~ ed tle
se ,
as Ne ee
Se
“hy
N
* 9
Fig. 13.—DESIGN FOR A BED.
1. Walk. 4. Coleus, Verschaffeltii.
2. Grass. 5. Coleus, Black.
3. Coleus, Golden. 6. Coleus, Firebrand.
Or 3, 4, 5 and 6 can be alternations of crimson and yellow
Alternantheras if desired.
stems covered with Lycopodium, so exactly as to resem-
ble what would be their condition in nature. Behind
these and against the blue sky stood out strongly some
gigantic Palms, so that we had here again a glimpse of
what an Australian or Indian forest might be. In
PLANTING OF FLOWER BEDS. 51
e =
f don
asthe".
.
~s
cf I~ °
?
° + .
° wr%-¢@ . De pts ‘
é 2 . a me ae ‘ a
4 y e ¢ » it hfs ng
ee’ « @ of cP aia
* e ” is 6 ral s a
«
Ln G eres . Ae ‘os
Pp ”” *
, a e . ‘
: ° - . a Le « e
- @
¥ ben * ‘ ° ° of v
v e - ° pI q * Py °
® he set fu ’ Sea: e
- . °
ote ~! —~46 . { Ae
a a Che ve 6 re
=e ’ > WT a Oo Ted
ed a . Pd a . .
Ps s ¢ . * ”
a “ ee
Coes > 7 ry t Ss
ee a * pe RAM RARCSE cys
. . * e
6) SORICKS ° te Ae Pi e- “e
@ he e ° Ss at . 2 jee +,
s rhe << e, A iss = :
1 v e «
: oS MR v e* Ls
& e « ene =. e .
. ° .
= . e .
reas 6 Oe Ss cao
e NS oe NSLS! fe a
aie ke aS mt
e . < « e a
‘ 4 Ac eo ette < a Us
'° A . .* . SS ane 6
« «” > 2 < wis
\ NER price J 5 S gate
(es ae aa > . ol (oe
S a@* Ld
o “ey = * a « ms
> e ad .
eo rs e fA) ° <5 .
iene 4 - :
oe Ose ~ SD
4 s, . °
@ @ 3 ry - “4 4
e oo = . 5 és
4] 9 . ® ay re ne +
rl MRM Ger ans ie,
e a .Y -* - €
by @ ° _. . Poe Eh ate
of. @ Oe id ‘S i
fe =~ are * Ne a
ao ¢@ mictiour wer v =e
C & Vihar ss g ate
e oe ve Rn i
e
° on A a = ey
a . .
» 2 a Yy 2 == * e
@ » Pe ue . . ae Z
~
= cese a ertre - a a ol 4
ry ? - ‘2 a Leer
wien s re oa 3 Thi, Oats et
a > 4 zi ens 1S
a « ° A oe!
5 * u = ae Ag
« Pn . a a Sots Si
=<
Bene res a °. “ & 12 ~ a
9 *. e e x e
of betes “e ae 2 ‘ee rs .
¢ ° - 2 ses: ree @
& - o : e&
e *
at e * ? 7 i) s & » %S
o 4 a3
f] | e
‘ «
° Dee anc? See Oe ORNS
o ° e 2 a oh
eo «¢ ear A wa
i) . ° > aw
e ° ig ~ * e
e e 2 a ¢, ie 7
O Serer Fi! an Sean AG
° 7 ®, r
bY | wae noe sm eet an?
py (
1. Gravel Walk. 6. Double Alyssum Tom Thumb,
2. Grass. 7. Geranium, Silver Leaf.
8. Double Alyssum Tom Thumb. 8. Geranium, Happy Thought.
4, Double Alyssum Tom Thumb, 9. Centauria Gymnocarpa.
5. Double Alyssum Tom Thumb. 10. Scarlet Geranium.
52 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
direct contrast to these was a hill, a miniature Alp,
planted from base to nearly the summit with alpine
plants of the rarest kinds, among which were largely in-
terspersed Sedums, Sempervivums, and other succulents,
in rarity and variety sufficient to give joy to a botanist’s
heart. On the peaks and in the crevices of this little
hill, was planted closely one of the most common native
plants of Britain, Antennaria diotea, one of the Ever-
lastings, having white foliage, and this plant easily con-
veyed the impression of snow on the hill-tops and in its
gullies. Altogether, on this little mound of half an acre,
were planted probably three hundred distinct species.
Then from this mound of botanical interest, the first
turn brought us to a very different style of planting—the
massing or ribbon style, or what would be more appro-
priately (as 1t is done here) called the ‘‘carpet style,”
for it often resembles just such patterns as would makea
beautiful carpet. ‘This style is meeting now with much
oppesition from Mr. Robinson, editor of the ‘* Garden,”
and many others ; but whatever may be objectionable to
those whose conceptions of gardening are beyond this
rectangular system, there is no denying the pleasure that
it gives to the masses—as was apparent by the crowds
admiring those flower beds at Battersea Park, many
persons being engaged in sketching the plans and taking
notes of the varieties used to produce the effect. This
Park of Battersea contains only two hundred acres. — Its
natural beauties are far inferior to either our Central, of
New York, or Prospect Park, of Brooklyn ; but its judi-
cious system of planting, which gives novelty and fresh-
ness at every turn, conveys to the visitor a lasting
impression of pleasure that the plain, monotonous
shrubbery and lawn of our New York parks can never
give. The public parks in Britain or Ireland are the
best schools of taste in floriculture the people have to
model from; and so it should be with us, but with the
PLANTING OF FLOWER BEDS. 5
few extremely limited attempts that have been made at
the Central Park, New York, the past few years, there
has been no ornamental planting of a public character in
the vicinity of New York. Some fine examples of this
Pee pS eel ae Sh
- -
ACLS =S viet
Aor ink eee BO Stsi Be Ste
ae hips —s v4 isi es ow
Ua ’ MA wr \\ be
Ai at \\ y! Oy Net
he Ley 6 P ‘ y! 6 its ov
HAG AN ai 7H 49 ee
HAs AN ADRS, SITES or ‘
, i . ~>- -&’ Se ia SS as sal
OF Be Jareawies Same 4
4. it - oh Cae ON: | TW
) ' - ae Cm. “un Vis
ee sraie Oa hare AL \
t ” Aue Fe an | ‘ \
’ es ee At ¢ ~ VY Le er ' \
bi ie cae ai Foe Z & ve SSe= ee a . \
‘ e Sits yk . ‘ Vid ae ‘Sig
ie Bi A ae <8 i / \% '¢\
- {
‘ : ‘ ‘ 6 ah 3 7 : f 1° 3 va 6 27 :
Ds i , 1 oe! WW , VJ
t . os, ra ae ae oS v4
oak Ni Os ety aan Vi rif ale Ee) ine Sd st ae da
‘ SSCCE ts Tae Sy Ea Bag ee ewe 4
\ Sy AS 2 4 4
, eo & i!
5 . if | Sa Ss ciclo iS
« ‘ eee coe ’ ,
a ie a es ay GN 7 dirs
QA OS ae Bee e “4
as e ACES o EES Siena Sie z et
an A . ore NN f¢ .
aaa § a ae uae v4 a
‘ ' f ;
Oe a 6 zat ea 6 me ae
Nee dy ne ‘ rt 7
Sikim: is wf Nig oa oe,
view CaS yee 7? ‘wyse- s , oe
SK “ee ms Be ne
Sas peed
= Le eo ied
eee med mie
-~ ~ Ot ewergee oo sees
Fig. 15.—DESIGN FOR BED.
1. Coleus Verschaffeltii. 5. Achyranthes, Maroon.
2. Stevia Variegata. 6. Coleus, Black.
3. Coleus, Firebrand. 7. Coleus, Golden Bedder.
4, Stevia Variegata. 8. Achyranthes, Crimson,
All kept pinched even.
kind of gardening may be seen in the public parks in
Washington, D. C.; Chicago, Ill.; Allegheny City and
Philadelphia, Pa.; Boston, Mass., and even Albany,
N. Y., where the effects of massing may be studied to
advantage. But even as we write (1886), neither in
Central Park, in New York City, or in Prospect Park,
54 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Brooklyn, has there been anything done at all to compare
with that done in the far less imposing parks in the cities
already named.
The designs on the preceding pages for massing in
colors, from the ‘‘ Book of Plans,” recently issued by Geo.
A. Solly & Son, of Springfield, Mass., will be found useful.
Of course, there is nothing arbitrary in the use of the
different plants here reeommended to produce effects; that
is entirely a matter of taste and judgment in the oper-
ator. The distance apart in which plants should be set
for effect varies with the kind and size of the plants.
Coleus, Achyranthes, Geraniums and the other strong-
growing kinds should be set from ten to twelve inches
apart each way, while Lobelias, Echeverias, Alyssum,
Alternantheras, and all low-growing plants, should not
be set wider than five or six inches to produce the best
effects.
CHA PP ix
SOILS FOR POTTING,
I rarely pick up a work on floriculture but the matter
of soils is treated of in such a way as to be perfectly be-
wildering to amateurs, if not also to professional florists.
One authority gives a table of not less than nineteen sorts!
’ Whether these authorities practice as they preach is very
questionable ; some of them I know do not, but why they
should thus write and mystify those they attempt to
teach, can only be ascribed to a desire to impress their
readers with the profundity of their knowledge on such
subjects. Now, what is the effect of such instructions ?
Our amateur cultivators are disheartened, as such combi-
nations of soils are to them perfectly impracticable. The
SOILS FOR POTTING. 5d
private gardener, perhaps, falls back on his employer,
and ascribes the unhealthy condition of his plants to the
effect of his not being able to procure such and such soil,
which, he says, is necessary to some class of plants, and
excuses his failuresthereby. The young florist, beginning
business in some country town, with restricted means,
and with limited knowledge of what he is undertaking,
looks upon this august authority in despair, and his heart
sinks within him when he knows that no silver sand is
within a thousand miles of him, and he is told, without
qualification, that it is necessary for his propagating
bench, or as an ingredient in his potting soils. He begins
without it, and as he will possibly make some failures,
these failures are laid at the door of the soil or sand
that he has been obliged to use, while the chances are,
twenty to one, that they were not. Not the least satis-
faction I have in writing this book is, that of being able
to attempt the simplification of many of our operations
to such an extent as to put the means of doing the work
within the reach of every one. Not the least simple of
these operations is the preparation of our potting soil.
We haye, we may say, only one heap—a big one at that—
but it contains only two ingredients, rotted sods, from a
loamy pasture, and rotted refuse hops from the breweries,
or, in lieu, rotted cow or horse manure, in about the pro-
portion of two of the sods to one of the hops or manure.
The sods are cut during the spring or summer, and laid,
with grassy sides together, so as to decompose, and the
heap is repeatedly turned until it becomes friable. The
rotted refuse hops (one year old), or rotted manure, is
then added, either at once or when the soil is wanted for
potting. For small pots—from two to four inches—we
run it through a sieve of one-half inch meshes, which
thoroughly incorporates the parts ; for larger pots, it is
not necessary to run it through a sieve, unless, perhaps,
for the sake of thoroughly mixing, it may be quicker to
56 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
run it through a screen or sieve with a one or one and a
half inch mesh. If the loam is rather clayey, we use
more hops or manure ; if rather sandy, less than the pro-
portion named. From this mould-heap the soil is taken
from which all our plants are grown and flowered ; we
make no exceptions, unless in the case of the few fine-
rooting plants, such as Heaths, Ferns, Gloxinias, Cala-
diums, Azaleas, Epacris, etc. In potting these, we use
about two-thirds of the decayed refuse hops to one of
loam ; if the hops are not attainable, leaf mould from the
woods will do, in lieu of the hops, for this purpose. Our
general mould-heap supplies the soil, alike for Bouvar.
dias, Begonias, Carnations, Camellias, Chrysanthemums,
Daphnes, Dracenas, Dahlias, Fuchsias, Gazanias, Garde-
nias, Geraniums, Hyacinths, Liliums, Lantanas, Petunias,
Pansies, Roses, ‘l'uberoses, Violets, Verbenas, ete., ete.
Whether plants show vigorous growth under this univer-
sal application of soil to their varied natures, our thou-
sands of patrons, who will be readers of this book, can
attest. If any of the disciples of the old school doubt this,
let them come and have ocular evidence of the fact.
Our location is within half an hour’s walk (or fifteen min-
utes’ ride) of the city of New York ; our gates and doors
are always open ; visitors are free to go and examine as
they choose. They will see our mould heap looming up
like a miniature mountain ; they will see hundreds of
thousands of plants, natives of every clime, deriving their
luxuriant growth from this one source. While ignoring
the necessity of special varieties of soil for special families
of plants, I do not mean to say that plants may not be
grown as well by the use of such compounds as by ours ;
but I claim that, as a whole, they can be grown no better,
and that the advice to use these combinations is bewil-
dering to the amateur, or inexperienced gardener, trouble-
some in its practice, and of no benefit whatever in its
results. In proof of this, I have, on many occasions, re-
TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE. Vy
ceived all kinds of plants from a dozen different growers
in different parts of the country, hardly two of whom use
the same soil, but all grow them well. So in the vicinity
of New York, where the soil is varied at the different
points, as much as soil can be; yet we see growers using
very different compounds with equally good results, show-
ing, as has long ago been satisfactory to me, that special
soils have less to do with the healthy growth of plants than
the proper application of temperature and moisture. In
cities having paved streets, we find the sweepings to be
a most valuable ingredient, which may be used to advan-
tage in lieu of refuse hops, manure or leaf-mould,
GE ACP RRs 22
TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE.
Many young gardeners and amateurs flounder befogged,
attributing failure of crops in the garden, or want of
health of plants in the greenhouse, to bad seeds, uncon-
genial soil or fertilizers, when it is much oftener the case
that the cause is of a totally different nature, and entirely
within their control. A temperature at which seeds are
sown and plants grown must be congenial to the nature
of the kind, else success cannot follow. In a temperature
at which a Portulaca will vigorously germinate, a Pansy
seed would le dormant, or, at least, show a sickly exist-
ence, and vice versa. Nearly half of the Corn and Lima
Beans sown annually, perish by being sown from two to
three weeks too early, by the impatience of our embryo
horticulturists. On the other hand, the cold-blooded
Carrot or Turnip seed all but refuse to germinate in the
sultry days of July. Seeds of Calceolarias, Cinerarias
and Chinese Primroses will germinate more freely if sown
58 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
in greenhouse or frame during the cooi months of March,
April or May, in our climate, than if delayed until June
or July, the time it is usually done in the colder climate
of England. It has been our own practice for years to
sow in these months; butif by chance it has been omitted,
we prefer to delay sowing till September, rather than to
sow in midsummer. Many failures are attributable to
want of knowledge of this fact, and they are, without
question, laid to the charge of the seedsman.
The same necessity of accommodating the temperature
to the nature of a matured plant, exists even to a greater
extent, than it does with the seed; and one of the main
causes of want of success in cultivating plants under glass
is, want of knowledge of the proper temperature, or from
carelessness in keeping a temperature unsuited to the
growth of the plants. In ordinary greenhouse collections,
the fault is oftener in the temperature being kept too high
than too low, for it is much ‘easier, requiring far less
watchfulness by the person in charge, to keep up a high
temperature. The injury done by this is gradual, and
will not, like the action of frost on the plants, show in the
morning. In consequence of this, we often see the green-
house containing Camellias, Azaleas, Pelargoniums, Uar-
nations, etc., ete., sweltering in midwinter under a
continued night temperature of sixty-five degrees, when
their nature demands fifteen degrees lower.
We too often see collections of hot-house and green-
house plants intermingled, and attempts made to grow
them together, which must result in failure to one or
the other. The temperature to grow, in healthy con-
dition, Coleus, Bouvardia, or Poinsettia (hot-house plants),
would not be likely to maintain Verbenas, Carnations, or
Geraniums, long in a healthy state. The same rules fol-
low as to the propagating house, showing the necessity,
even in a greater degree, of observing the requirements
of their different natures. Coleus, Bouvardia, Begonia,
TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE. 59
and Lantana, root in a bottom heat of seventy-five de-
grees, with atmospheric temperature of sixty-five degrees,
in ten days; at twenty degrees lower they will not root
at all, but will perish. Although cuttings and plants of
a more hardy nature will root in some conditions of growth
at this temperature, yet we prefer, to insure plants of
vigorous health, that Verbenas, Carnations, Geraniums,
Roses, etc., be rooted in a temperature at least ten de-
grees lower, both in bottom heat and temperature of the
house.
The subject is one that relates to so many varieties and
different conditions of organization at the different seasons
of growth, that it is impossible to convey to the inexperi-
enced what these varieties and conditions are; but my
object is to impress upon young or inexperienced readers
what I have long believed to be an important truth—that
the supplying the proper conditions of temperature to
plants under glass, according to their different natures
and conditions, has as much, or more, to do with their
welfare, than any other cause ; and that often when ascrib-
ing the unhealthy state of a plant to uncongenial soil or
defective drainage, or the ‘* damping off” of some favorite
cutting, to the way it was cut, or the sand in which it
was put, the true and sole cause of the failure was
nothing more than condemning the plant or the cutting
to an atmosphere uncongenial to its nature.
Thus far, we mainly allude to temperature. Serious
injury is often done to plants from a want of, or excess of,
moisture. The old gardener with whom my first essay in
gardening was made, used to define the difference in dry-
ness in plants as ‘‘ dry ” and “killing dry” “dry ” was
the proper condition that the plant should be in, when
water was applied, the surface indicating dryness by be-
coming lighter, but no flagging or wilting; but woe
betide the unfortunate that allowed a plant in charge to
become in the condition of ‘killing dry ;” this, in his
6 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
eye, was an unpardonable offence. ‘* Killing dry ” was, to
some extent, really killing, in such a collection as we grew,
which consisted largely of Cape Heaths, Epacris, Azaleas,
and other hard-wooded plants, which are easily killed
outright by allowing their tender, thread-like rootlets to
become dry; unlike soft-wooded plants, such as Gerani-
ums, Fuchsias, or Roses, they have less recuperative pow-
ers, so that a ‘‘ dry” that would kill a Heath or Azalea
would have only the effect to stagnate the growth of a Ger-
anium, and bring the tell-tale yellow leaves that are certain
to follow whenever such plants have suffered for a lack or
excess of moisture, Although the effect of drying is, for
the time being perhaps, less marked in a hard-wooded
plant than in a soft-wooded one, yet the ultimate effect
is much more fatal. ‘To the unpractised eye, a Heath or
Azalea that has been injured by drouth may appear all
right, while it has gone beyond recovery. The old gardener
before alluded to used to make his dead Heaths do excel-
lent service in assisting him in some severe jokes played
on his less experienced brethren. Specimen plants of
Heaths were scarce, and, in some sorts, very valuable, and
if he succeeded in making a present of one of these dead
plants to one of his less-knowing friends, it used to keep
him in good humor for a week.
No plant should ever be allowed to flag or wilt for want
of moisture, neither should it be watered until the neces-
sity for water is shown by thee whitening of the surface
of the soil, particularly if in dull weather, or if the green-
house is kept at a low temperature. As a rule, with
greenhouse plants kept in a night temperature of forty-
five degrees, with a day temperature of sixty degrees,
watering twice a week from December to March will
generally be sufficient ; on the approach of clear weather,
with higher temperature in April and May, they will re-
quire daily attention.
Our practice is to water during winter with the common
TEMPERATURE AND MOISTURE. OL
rose watering pots, giving the plants water sparingly, or
otherwise, as required. But as spring opens, we go at
the operation more expeditiously, using a one and a half
inch hose, through which the water is forced by a force
pump, or through pressure from the city water works. To
the end of the hose is attached a heavy sprinkler. In all
districts where there is no hydrant-water, the force pump
makes a good substitute, though, of course, entailing
double work. Most of our large florists, in the vicinity
of New York, who are out of the range of city water
works, use windmills to raise the water from wells to ele-
vated tanks, so as to get the necessary pressure, and thus
do away with the necessity of the force pump. When
practicable, we prefer to water or syringe plants early in
the forenoon (say from 9 to 11 A. M.), although it is by
no means imperative to do so.
Two rules are laid down by nearly all writers that I
have read on floriculture, in reference to the water to be
used for plants ; one, that if must be rain, or, at least,
“soft” water ; the other, that the water should be of the
same temperature as the atmosphere in which the plants
are growing. *
To both these dogmas, I beg to respectfully enter my
protest. Such dogmas are handed down from one to
another, without one in a hundred of those who hold
them, having either the opportunity or inclination to test
their truth by experiment. My greenhouses, at Jersey
City, for a dozen years, were entirely watered from a deep
well of hard water, winter and summer, which might
average in temperature forty degrees; most of my
greenhouses, now on Jersey City Heights, were watered
from cisterns inside the greenhouses, from rain-water
caught by the roof, for some ten years, and for the past
dozen years we have used the city water, yet we have never
been able to see that our plants have been in any way dif-
ferent under these three different conditions of watering.
62 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
If any one will take the trouble to reason for a minute, he
will understand why there is no necessity for this equality
of temperature between the water and the soil. If we
plunge a thermometer into the soil of a plant in the hot-
house, it may indicate, say, eighty degrees ; if we pour a
pint of water at forty degrees into the soil, the tempera-
ture will not be forty degrees, but about the mean between
forty and eighty degrees, say sixty degrees. Now, if
the soil remained for any length of time at sixty degrees,
it might be, to some extent, injurious ; but it does not.
In ten minutes it will become of the same temperature
as before it was watered, or nearly so, by the absorption
of heat from the atmosphere of the house. It is the
duration of extremes of temperature that does the
mischief ; place a plant of Coleus in a temperature of
thirty-three degrees for forty-eight hours, and it will be
almost certain to die, while it would remain as many
minutes without injury. Let a dash of sun raise the
temperature of your hot-bed to one hundred degrees, or
over, for ten minutes, and it will not seriously injure the
contents, but an hour of this temperature might destroy
all the plants.
We pour ice-water into our stomachs at a temperature
of less than forty degrees, with impunity, because but a
few minutes suffices to bring it to the temperature it
meets with there ; did we swallow a sufficient quantity
to keep the stomach at the temperature of ice-water for
any length of time, fatal results may follow.
Although I am emphatic against the necessity of
water being of the temperature of the house, where the
application of water is generally used, yet I admit that
if preference can be given without trouble, give it to the
warmer water. I also agree that in cases such as forcing
of Lily of the Valley, or for tropical cuttings or seeds
just germinating, that water should be used of the tem-
perature of the house.
THE POTTING OF PLANTS. 63
A point indispensable in our hot and arid climate is,
that all plants in the greenhouse should stand on close
benches, overlaid with sand or ashes, or some such ma-
terial. This keeps moist and prevents the plants from
suffering, if any omission occur in watering. We know
that the practice in many places is entirely different from
this, the plants being stood on benches of open slat-
work. Noplant can be kept healthy in such a place,
unless with at least double the labor of watering neces-
sary with those standing onsand. This, like many other
of our mistakes, is copied from the mode pursued in
England, where a colder, moister, and less sunny cli-
mate may make it a necessary practice.
For this reason, also, we prefer to use benches, or tables,
instead of the stair-like greenhouse stage, which is now
almost discarded. However, an exception to this rule is
necessary in growing Roses or other plants in large pots
or tubs for winter flowering, where complete drainage is
necessary. They should, in all such cases, stand on slat-
ted benches ; if placed on sand or ashes, it would stop
the free passage of water from the holes in the bottoms
of the pots or tubs. If placed on such benches, the pots
or tubs should be raised an inch or so on pieces of wood
to admit of free drainage.
Cleat Pe a. Xe 0
THE POTTING OF PLANTS.
The first operation of potting is, when the rooted cutting
is transferred from the cutting-bed to the pot. Almost
without exception, plants of every variety, at this stage,
should be placed in a two-inch pot; occasionally some of
the coarser-growing Geraniums may require the three-
inch size, from the fact that the roots are too large
64 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
for the two-inch pots; but. there are few exceptions of
this kind. The great mass of plants, when in the con-
dition of rooted cuttings, do much better in the smaller
size, for the reason that the smaller mass of soilin the
two-inch pot allows the moisture to pass off quicker, and
thereby prevents the soil from becoming sour, or sodden,
which would be the case, more or less, if the cuttings
had been overpotted in a three or four-inch pot. The
operation of potting cuttings is very simple, and, in
florists’ establishments, is performed with great rapidity,
average workmen doing three hundred plants per hour,
though expert working florists should do five hundred per
hour. We have quite a number of men who can do this
with ease. ‘he pot is filled to the level with soil, a space
made with the finger, in the center of the soil, of suffi-
cient size to admit the root, which is placed in the open-
ing thus made ; the soil is closed in again by pressing
with the thumbs close to the neck of the cutting, which
firms the soil around the root ; a smart rap is struck the
side of pot with the hand, which levels the surface of the soil,
and the operation isdone. After the plants are placed in
pots, they are shaded from two to six days by covering
them with paper while the sun is shining on them, care
being taken to keep the paper moist by sprinkling. For
nearly all the commoner kinds of bedding plants, such as
Roses, Verbenas, Heliotropes, etc., cuttings in these two-
inch pots, if stood on tables, which are covered with an inch
of sand, and occasionally moved, to keep the roots from
pushing too far through into the sand, will keep in a
healthy condition from one to two months, at the cool
season of the year, from January to May ; but when the
pots get filled with roots, the plants should be shifted
into larger sized pots, to keep them in good health. When
plants are required to be grown as specimens, or of larger
size, for sale in spring, they must be repotted at intervals
as the condition of their growth demands; for example,
THE POTTING OF PLANTS. 65
to grow a Fuchsia to a height of six feet, and three feet
in diameter, a pot of at least twelve inches across the
top and twelve inches in depth would be necessary ; but
it would not do to jump from the two-inch cutting
pot to this size at once; three or four different shifts
are necessary to attain this end; these shifts should
be made, as a general thing, not greater than from a
two-inch size to a three-inch, and so on. I know that,
afew years ago, considerable agitation was made in favor
of what was termed the ‘‘one shift system,” and fine
specimens were exhibited by its advocates, to show its
advantages. ‘There isno question that, in the hands of a
careful and experienced man, it can be done, but it
must necessitate much closer watehing in watering, in-
volying much more labor than the trouble of the safer
plan of repeated shiftings. The time to shift a plant
from a smaller to a larger pot is shown by the roots be-
ginning to mat around the outer surface of the ball. It
is not necessary to shift when the first roots touch the
side of the pot; let them curl pretty well around the
ball, but they must not be allowed to remain long enough
to become hard or woody. They must be of that con-
dition known to gardeners as ‘‘ working roots,” a con-
dition not very easy to describe, unless to say that the
appearance of such roots is white, soft and succulent.
We think that the mode of shifting a plant from a
smaller toa larger pot would soon suggest itself to the
operator, even though he had never seen it done ; but it
isa little ludicrous to see the various absurd methods some-
times resorted to by our amateur friends to attain this
very simple end. One proceeds with a knife and inserts
it all around the sides of the pot, and thus scoops it out ;
another favorite way is to break the pot with a hammer.
Ihave known many of our lady amateurs to practice
these methods, who, no doubt, know well how to turn a
pudding or ajelly out of a form, but who did not think
66 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
that the ball of earth enveloping the roots of a plant
could be turned out of a flower-pot in the same way. In
most cases the slightest tap on the edge ofthe pot is suffi-
cient to turn out the ball of earth. Soil, in depth accord-
ing to the size of the plant, should be placed in the bottom
of the pot, the ball placed in the center, and the soil
packed moderately firm in the space between that and
the sides of the pot, either by the fingers or by a piece of
wood, made of suitable size for the purpose. When plants
are first potted off, or shifted, they should be stood with
the pots touching each other, if the diameter of the plant
is less than that of the pot; but, as they begin to develop
growth, the plants should be spread apart, according to
their size or development of foliage, to allow the air free
circulation about the outside of the pots. The effect of this
is most marked in the greenhouse, and teaches us a les-
son as to the great necessity of the admission of air to the
roots in all our operations, whether under glass, or in the
open field. If we pot off a lot of Fuchsias, Geraniums,
or other large-leaved plants, with the pots touching each
other, and place them in a temperature of sixty degrees,
in eight or ten days they will have grown so as to cover
over the whole space, so that the pots can hardly be seen.
Examine those in the center of the lot, and it will be
found that the roots that have reached to the side of
the pot are few and feeble; but move a portion of the
pots so that a space of an inch or two is made between
them, to give the air a free circulation around the pots,
and in six days after it will be found that strong and
healthy roots will have been emitted by those that have
been given the additional space, while the others, left
standing close, have made little or no progress in root
formation, and but a slender and weakly upward growth.
The roots in the open field, could we see them in their
unbroken state, as we can in turning out a plant from a
THE POTTING OF PLANTS. 67
pot, would show the same differences in vitality under
corresponding circumstances.
It has often been a matter of surprise to many ama-
teurs, and even professional gardeners, how it is that such
extraordinary vigor and health are obtained in the plants
grown by many New York florists, in pots that seem to
be entirely inadequate in size for the support of such
vigor. This is done by a practice not generally known
outside of this vicinity. When a plant shows by the con-
dition of its roots that it requires a supply of fresh soil
for its support, instead of shifting it into a larger pot, it
is taken out and the soil washed clean from the roots, and
either placed back again in the same pot, in fresh soil, or
in one of only a single size larger.
This washing the soil from the roots, instead of shak-
ing it off, has the advantage of leaving all the fibres or
working roots intact, while by shaking the soil from the
ball, the most valuable parts of the root are injured.
Plants thus grown are particularly valuable for distant
shipment, as a strong-rooted and vigorous plant is ob-
tained without the necessity of shipping a heavy weight
of soil.
For many years we have sent to our patrons in the
trade thousands of plants annually, every particle of soil
being first washed from the roots ; the plants, in all cases,
arriving in as fine order as if they had been sent with
the ball of soil around them, and saving at least nine-
tenths of the freight.
This practice, however, is not good, unless the season
is early enough for the plants to have time to become
established in the pots, and it is not prudent to do so
Jater than March. If the weather is hot, more care is
necessary in shading the plants until they have begun to
take root in the new soil.
68 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
GH APA A Rae Tate
DRAINAGE IN POTS.
Many years ago, in some of my first writings on the
subject of drainage in pots, I admit to having taken
rather too radical ground against the practice, because,
in those days, almost everybody used to ‘‘ crock” or drain
the very smallest pots. ‘The absurdity of this soon be-
came apparent to me, as I found that, with hardly an
exception, for plants in pots up to the size of four inches,
it was worse than useless to drain; and as all my prac-
tice, up to that time, had been with pots but little larger
than four inches, I rather rashly jumpec to the conclusion
that, in our warm, dry atmosphere, the European prac-
tice of crocking all sizes of flower pots might be wholly
dispensed with here ; but added experience showed that
even in our dry atmosphere, flower-pots of five inches in
diameter and upward, in which are grown Roses or other
plants with rovts sensitive to moisture, had better be
crocked or drained, particularly if to be grown in winter.
It is not pleasant to admit an error, particularly when
promulgated in print for the “instruction” of others ;
but it is better to make what amend is possible, by making
the acknowledgment, than to continue to stick to opin-
ions before given, when there is reason to believe these
were formed in error.
DRAINING IN FLowrER Pots.—If the pots are over five
inches in diameter, charcoal broken into pieces from one-
half to one inch in diameter, I prefer to every other kind
of drainage; this should be in depth from one inch to
four inches, according to the size of the pot to be drained,
an extra quantity being necessary if the plant is being
shifted into a pot too large ; then ample drainage is indis-
EXPERT GARDEN WORKMEN. 69
pensable to admit of the quick escape of water. This
drainage, so called, is not alone of use as a means for the
rapid escape of water, but also for the admission of air to
the roots, which brings in another important matter in
connection with the drainage in pots, the necessity of
standing them on some rough material (when solid
benches are used in the greenhouse, or when placed in
the open air in beds), such as gravel or cinders; for if
placed on sand, soil, or anything that will close up the
orifice in the bottom of the pot, all the drainage placed
in it will avail nothing. It is far better to use no drain-
age at all, and stand the pots on a rough surface, than to
use the drainage and place the pots on some material that
will close the outlet. If, however, the bench is formed
of slate, or boards that have been cemented over, so as to
form a smooth surface, there is no necessity for placing
any gravel or other rough material under the pots, as such
a surface will allow the water to pass from the pots more
freely than if anything, such as gravel, were placed under
them. For very large pots slatted benches are best.
OEP ACP Hen. Xe DEE:
EXPERT GARDEN WORKMEN.
In my long experience with workmen, I have observed
that, other things being equal, the man who could move
his hands quickest, was almost certain to be the man
most successful in hfe. Rapid movement of the hands in
such light operations as writing or typesetting, argue
quick mental decision, and if such a mind is well-balanced,
its possessor is more likely to distinguish himself than he
who movesmore sluggishly. Now, two-thirds of all garden
operations—particularly those of flower gardening—are
70 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
as light as either writing or typesetting, and for many
years I have taken great pains to stimulate my workmen
to rapidity of movement in all our light work, and it is
astonishing what the gain in labor has been in this par-
ticular. The average work of a man planting Cabbage or
Lettuce plants, when we began market gardening, did not
exceed 2,000 a day; now, and for many years past, a
man, with a boy to drop the plants, will set 6,000 a day,
and one of my old foremen, John Scarry, has repeatedly
planted 10,000 inaday. In the lighter work of our
greenhouses rapid movement is even of more importance,
and the rivalry among our workmen for distinction in
this matter is of great benefit to themselves as well as to
us.
Four years ago the acknowledged ‘‘ Champion ” in all
our force of seventy hands, was a young Irishman named
James Marvey, who died in 1883 at the age of thirty-two.
He had been in my employment for nearly twenty years
and had ever distinguished himself for rapid and neat
workmanship, for, some years before his death, he had
repeatedly potted 10,000 cuttings, in two and a half inch
pots, in ten consecutive hours, and had attained on one
occasion the extraordinary number of 11,500 in ten con-
secutive hours. I paid him for years $5.00 per day, and
always considered him one of our cheapest workmen,
because, not only did he earn all he got, but his example
fostered a spirit of emulation among our other em-
ployees, valuable alike to themselves and to us.
COLD FRAMES.—WINTER PROTECTION. 71
CHAE LEER xXTYV.
COLD FRAMES.—WINTER PROTECTION,
Many of the plants used for the decoration of the flower
borders in summer, may be kept through the winter in
what are termed cold frames, or sunken pits. These are
formed by excavating the earth about two feet deep and
of a width to suit the usual six-foot sash, and of such
length as may be required. The sides of the pit are
boarded up, on the front or south side, to a height of
eight or ten inches, and at the back or north side, some
six inches higher, to give the necessary slope to carry off
the water from the sashes and to better catch the sun’s
rays. Thus formed, the frame will measure about three
feet deep from the sash in front and about three feet and
one-half at the back. Or, if the work is desired to be
permanent, the sides may be built of brick instead of
boards.
Above all other considerations, the place where the pit
is built must be free from standing water, andif not nat-
urally dry, must be so drained as to carry off the water.
A good plan is to cement the bottom of these pits, which
tends greatly to keep the bottom dry. We adopt this plan
in all our sunken pits, having the bottom so formed that
all water is carried off from the front or lower side.
Whenever practicable, the situation should be warm and
well sheltered, as such a position will save a great deal in
winter covering. In such a pit, tender Roses can be kept
in the best possible condition, better, in our opinion, than
in any greenhouse. If kept in pots (which is the best
way to keep them), the pots should be plunged to the rim
in sawdust, leaves, tan-bark, or some such light material.
Besides Roses, the plants embraced in the following list
may be wintered over with safety in this latitude, pro-
72 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
vided that care is taken to admit light and air, whenever
the weather will permit. The pits must be thoroughly
covered up at night with mats and shutters ; this, if well
done, will keep the plants from freezing injuriously in
any district where the thermometer does not fall more
than ten degrees below zero.
Azaleas, Pentstemons,
Antirrhinums, Verbenas,
Carnations (Monthly), Stock Gilliflowers,
Camellias, Wallflowers,
Fuchsias, Roses of all kinds,
Geraniums, Pinks, (Florists’).
Plants to be kept over in frames should be potted at
least a month previous to the setting in of cold weather ;
all had better be well established in pots before the
middle of November, and until that time the plants
should be fully exposed to the light and air, by the entire
removal of the sashes, unless on unusually harsh and cold
days. From the middle of November to the middle of
March but little watering will be required. In cases of
severe snow storms, the pit may remain covered up, if
the weather is cold, for two weeks at a time, without
exposing the plants to the light, and Roses, Camellias, or
Azaleas, in a dormant state, may remain even a month;
but, as before said, whenever practicable, admit light and
air. For outdoor protection of Roses, see chapter devoted
to them.
Many plants may be saved in a dry, cool cellar. The
plants that can be best kept during winter in the cellar
are: Carnations, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Roses, Lemon
Verbenas and Dahlia roots. If the plants are to be lifted
from the ground, cut away all strong growing shoots ; in
the case of Geraniums or Fuchsias, cut them well in, and
plant them in shallow (six-inch deep) boxes of soil,
keeping them exposed to the open air as late as the
weather will permit. This can be best done by taking
COLD FRAMES.—WINTER PROTECTION. 13
them into some shelter at night and exposing them to
light and air during the day; this will harden them to
endure their winter quarters in the cellar. Once placed
in the cellar, if cool and moist, as cellars usually are, no
water should be given until they are again moved out to
the light in May. Remember that thus immersed in the
dark cellar in their dormant state, water or moisture will
injure them beyond recovery, unless they have become
unusually dry.
Shallow cold frames are used for keeping Pansies, Car-
nations, Daisies, Forget-me-nots, Primroses, Auriculas,
etc., over winter. They are formed by using a ten or
twelve inch board for the back and a seven or nine inch
board for the front of the frame, which should be of a
width that can be covered by a six-foot sash. All of the
plants above named, will keep safely over winter without
other covering than the sash, but if wanted for early
flowers, it will pay well to cover at night with shutters, or,
better, with straw mats. There has been recently intro-
duced a thin, light fabric, which has been named ‘‘protect-
ing cloth,” which, after April 25th, answers all the pur-
poses of sashes in this latitude. When all danger of severe
freezing is past, and at a time when greenhouses get
crowded with bedding plants, such as Geraniums, Ver-
benas, Roses, or other plants that can be grown at a low
temperature, the covering with this cloth will answer
quite as well as sashes—in fact, in inexperienced hands,
better, for there is no danger of the frames being too
much heated when so covered, as is the case with sashes,
if ventilation has been neglected. ‘‘Sashes” formed of
the protecting cloth can be made for twenty-five or thirty
cents each, as the cloth can be bought for nine or ten
cents per yard, and all that is necessary is to tack it on to
a light frame and you have a cover as useful during the
months of May and Juneas a glass sash would be, costing
ten timesasmuch. We have also found this covering of
T4 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
the protecting cloth sash to be an excellent covering for
Pansy and other seeds sown in the fall, as it keeps the
ground moist, preventing it from drying up by the sun
and air, and giving just the amount necessary for the
germination of seeds; but it should not be used to cover
anything in this latitude from the first of December to
the middle of April, as it would not answer in severe
weather.
CGA. P Wn, ave
THE CONSTRUCTION OF HOT-BEDS.
The most economical way of making hot-beds is to
place the manure in pits made in the way described for
cold frames, except that they may be made a foot or so
deeper, so as to admit at least eighteen inches of manure.
The heating material for hot-beds is usually horse manure,
but refuse hops, leaves from the woods, or tan-bark, will
answer nearly as well when one is more readily attainable
than another.
Whatever material is employed, it should be thrown into
a heap of sufficient size to generate heat, and be repeat-
edly turned until the rank heat has been expelled, which
will usually be done by turning twice. The mass will be
in the proper condition to be put into the pit in eight or
ten days from the time of starting with the raw
material. In spreading it in the pit, it should be firmly
trodden down to the depth of eighteen inches, so that
the heat may be longer retained. If the hot-bed is to be
used to receive plants in pots, a covering of four to six
inches of sawdust, in which to place or plunge the pots, -
should be put over the heating material. If the bed is to
be used for the sowing of annual or other seeds, acovering
of six inches of light soil should be put over the manure.
Before placing plants, or sowing seeds in the hot-beds,
CONSTRUCTION OF HOT-BEDS. Wd
plunge a thermometer in the bed, and when the heat begins
to decline from 100 degrees, then operations may be
begun with safety. But for whatever purpose a hot-bed
is used, in all such latitudes as New York, the beds should
never be made before the first week in March ; great risk
is run if they are made much sooner, with but little ad-
vantage in earliness. Greater caution is necessary in air-
ing than with the cold frame, for with the hot-bed the
heat from the manure, together with that of the sun’s
rays, will often, in an hour, run the temperature so high
as to destroy its entire contents, if airing at the proper
time has been neglected. Many a merchant, doing busi-
ness in the city, has gone home in the evening to his
country residence to find that his hot-bed, that had been
his pride in the morning, had become a scorched brown
. mass at night for want of attention to the safety-valve of
“airing.” In such cases, when no competent person is
in charge, the safest way is to tilt the sashes a few inches,
even before the necessity arises, rather than run the risk
of the sun coming out strong, and destroying the whole.
In a southern exposure, in a sheltered place, there is
rarely danger in admitting air in most days in March or
April from nine to four o’clock. But, of course, judg-
ment must be used in extreme cases. The greater heat
in the hot-beds necessitates watering freely whenever the
surface of the soil appears dry, which, in dry weather, if
the heat is strong, will usually be every other day. In
the absence of sashes, the ‘‘ protecting cloth” alluded to
in the chapter on cold frames, can be used to cover the
hot-bed. Its use is safer than that of glass sashes, for the
bed does not heat up as if covered by sashes—in fact, there
is no necessity of ventilating at all, if covered by the
**cloth sashes,” although in mild days they should be
taken off altogether to admit the light to the plants, but
protecting cloth should not be used on the hot-beds
sooner than the middle of March.
76 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Coe ASP TR ite eo ae
GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES.
I have a peculiar pleasure in begining to describe our
present modes of constructing greenhouses, well knowing
that hundreds of my readers will turn with interest to
this page, in the hope that they may be enlightened on a
subject on which doubtless many of them have seriously
blundered. I have no reason to complain of success in
business, but I feel well assured that, for the first ten
years of my time, many thousands of dollars were sacri-
ficed in the blunders made in my endeavors to get on the
right track.
There was no fixed system ; all was confusion, hardly
two of us building alike, and, in my humble opinion, most
of us building wrong.
The style of greenhouse to be built must be governed
by the purpose for which it is wanted. »If for the grow-
ing of a general assortment of greenhouse or bedding-
plants, many years’ experience in working of those on
the ridge and furrow system, on the extensive scale in use
by us, makes us confident in the belief that this system
is all we have previously claimed for it, as being the most
economical of space, most economical of heat, and most
economical in cost of construction.
For greenhouses to be constructed of movable sashes,
figure 16 represents the end section and ground plan of
the style of house referred to, which may be used for the
purpose of growing Roses, greenhouse or bedding-plants,
or anything requiring protection in winter. The green-
houses represented in this plan are 100 feet in length,
and each eleven feet wide inside. The heating of the
whole (that is, the three measuring from the outside walls
thirty-six by one hundred fect) is done by one of Hitch-
GREEN{IOUSE STRUCTURES. he
Fig. 16.—GREENHOUSE HEATED BY HOT WATER PIPES.
78 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
ing’s Combination Boilers (C), heating about 1,200 feet
of four-inch pipe (D). The glass roof (#’) is formed of
portable sashes, each six feet by three feet ; each alter-
nate sash is screwed down, the others being movable, so
that a full supply of air can be given when necessary.
The movable sash is elevated by an iron bar fifteen
inches long, attached to the sash by a staple ; in this bar
three holes are punched, at distances of three inches
apart ; by means of these holes the bar can be hooked
upon an iron pin placed in the ridge-pole, and thus
hold the sash more or less open, to graduate the admis-
sion: of air. When the sash is shut down, the bar is
hooked on to a pin that secures it in place, so that the
sash cannot be moved by wind. I am particular to
describe this method of airing, as it is, as far as our expe-
rience has gone, the best method we have ever seen used.
The ridge-poles are cut out exactly as is shown at J, and
the sash lays on the shoulder, braced by the angle shown
in the cut. The interior arrangements are shown by the
end section. G shows the bench, or table, as it is com-
pleted. The space beneath the bench, if bottom heat is
required for propagating or other purposes, should be
boarded up below the bottom of the pipes, the lower board
being hinged, so that, on cold nights, additional heat can
be given to the atmosphere of the house, if required. But
for the general uses of growing plants, the benches must
be left open below, so that the heat given out by the
pipes will pass freely to all parts of the house. If one
house is wanted of a higher temperature than the others,
it will be necesary to board up along the posts from the
ground to the top of the posts, and by wholly or partially
shutting the valves in the pipes of the other houses,
throw a greater heat into the one in which the high tem-
perature is wanted. The walks through the house (A’)
are two feet wide, which leaves four feet and one-half on
each side for bench room. These widths we find to be
GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES. 79
most convenient for the working of the plants ; if nar-
rower, too much space would be lost; if wider, the fur-
ther side of the benches could not be reached easily.
The width of the walk, however, must be determined
by what the greenhouses are designed for ; if for workmen
merely, two feet, or even less room, will do for the walk ;
but if visitors are to be accommodated, it should be at
least two feet and one-half in width.
A brick shed (A) covers the boiler pit (/’), and is
attached to the north end of the houses, the back wall
being about twelve feet high, the front eight feet, width
sixteen feet ; besides breaking off the north wind from
the greenhouses, we find this shed indispensable as
a potting and packing room. It will be understood that
these greenhouses have their ends north and south ; con-
sequently one side is exposed to the east in the morning,
the other to the west in tbe afternoon, while at noonday
the rays of the sun strike directly upon the apex of the
roof. There is nothing arbitrary in having the green-
houses end north and south ; a point to the east or west
would not make any material difference, but, if circum-
stances will admit, we prefer them to end direct north
and south.
At present prices, built in a plain, substantial manner,
with the outer walls of brick or stone, and heated with
hot water, they will cost about $8 per running foot, or
$2,400 for the three connected—that is, the range of
three greenhouses 100 feet long by thirty-three fect wide,
together with the shed to cover the boiler-pit ; if put up
singly, the cost would be at least ten per cent. more. If
walls are formed of wood, which we now prefer, the whole
cost might be'lessened ten or fifteen per cent.
Another plan in use is shown in figure 17, combining the
flue and boiler, from the same furnace. This is the most
economical plan in which hot water can be used. As
shown in the engraving, there are two houses joined
80
PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Fig. 17.—PLAN OF HOUSE HEATED BY BOTH FLUE AND PIPES.
GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES. 81
together, each eleven feet wide by seventy feet in length.
For colder sections of the country than the vicinity of
New York, from fifty to sixty feet in length would prob-
ably be sufficient, but much depends on exposure, and
the manner in which the building is constructed. One
of the houses is heated by the flue, #”; the other by the
pipes, P. The boiler, 2, shown in the end view of the
same house, figure 18, is what is termed a “saddle”
boiler, which answers at the same time the double purpose
of an arch for the furnace and a boiler. The fire in this
Fig. 18.—END VIEW OF FIGURE 17.
furnace does nearly the same amount of heating as two
such fires, if used in heating by flues only. Thus, by this
combination of flue and pipes, the construction of the
heating arrangements costs about fifty per cent. less than
if the house were heated entirely by hot water. The
probable cost of two houses of this kind, each seventy by
eleven feet, so heated, and otherwise complete, would
cost about $1,000. In erecting all houses on the ridge
and furrow plan, the site should, whenever practicable,
be such as will admit of extension by future buildings, to
meet the increase of business. A good plan in beginning
is, to erect three houses, as shown in figure 19, fifty
feet in length, so situated, that as business increases,
and with more means in hand, the south ends can be
. 19.—GREENHOUSE HEATED BY FLUES.
GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES. 83
taken out, the walls extended twenty-five or fifty feet
further, the flues thrown out, and the heating done by
hot water or steam. For, whenever it can be afforded,
the heating by hot water or steam will be found to be
much the best ; not that there is very much saving in fuel
over heating by flues, but it is more durable, more free
from danger from fire, or the escaping of gases, so trouble-
some with flues; besides it is an immense saving of labor,
more particularly if the greenhouses are extensive. AlI-
though there is less danger from fire when greenhouses
are heated by steam or hot-water boilers, yet all care
should be used. One of the dangers is in covering
the boiler-pit with wooden beams, which, if placed too
near the chimney, often ignite. Every season there are
many greenhouse fires from this cause. In our own
establishment all our pits are covered with railroad iron,
over which are built brick arches; even the ladders lead-
ing down to the boilers are of iron.
CHEAP GREENHOUSES—HOW TO HEAT THEM.
In the American Agriculturist for November, 1874, I
described and gave a diagram of a method of heating a
greenhouse twenty feet wide by one hundred feet long,
by the ordinary smoke-flue and with only one fire. Here-
tofore it had been believed that it was impossible to heat
a structure of that size with but one furnace, and few
ever risked a house more than one-third of the size with
a single fire. The principle there described, although
not a new one (as I afterwards ascertained, as it had been
recorded in the Transactions of the London Horticultural
Society some fifty years before), had certainly never been
generally practised, and its publication in the American
Agriculturist created a great deal of interest, and also
involved me in an extensive correspondence. In that
article 1 showed only its application to that particular
84 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE,
structure, which was too large and expensive for the wants
of beginners in floriculture. I will here show how other
houses of different designs and of smaller dimensions may
be heated on the same principle. Figure 20 shows three
of the usual ridge and furrow houses, which are sixty feet
long and eleven feet wide, each, with a furnace-room or
shed, at one end, which is twelve by thirty-three feet.
Of course, the length may be increased or diminished as
desired, but this width is found to be the most convenient.
<----
EL
bean |
wD
Fig. 20.—PLAN OF THREE HOUSES COMBINED.—Length,60 ft.; width,33 ft.
F, R, Furnace Room, 12x33 ft.; B, B, Benches, 4% ft. wide ; W, W, Walks,
2 ft. wide ; S, S, Smoke-flue for heatung ; C, F, Furnace, with Chimney built
on top of it.
It will be seen that the three greenhouses are heated by
two furnaces, the flue being so disposed under the center
benches of the houses as not to cross any of the pathways.
This gives, of course, two runs of the flue to the middle
house, and only one run each to the outside houses. This
would, in coldest weather, give a temperature of forty
degrees to the outside houses, and sixty or sixty-five
degrees to the middle house, which has two runs of flues,
This difference in temperature is indispensable in a geu-
eral collection of plants, and the neglect of it is, more
than anything else, the cause of failure where growers
GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES. 85
have but one greenhouse. It will be necessary to have
the flues built as close to the walks as possible, so that
the heat may be evenly distributed in the two outside
houses. ‘The cost of three greenhouses, each eleven by
sixty feet, connected as shown on the plan, heated by
flues, would be about $600 at present prices in this
locality. Figure 21 shows a greenhouse twenty feet wide
by sixty feet long, with furnace-room, or shed, twelve by
twenty feet. Here again the flues are so disposed as to
avoid crossing the walks, being placed under the center
bench, but as near as possible to the walk on each side,
4 {a=
Fig, 21.—PLAN OF A SINGLE HOUSE.—60x20 ft.
F, R, Furnace Room, 12x20 ft.; B, B, Side Benches, 4 ft. wide ; C, C, Cen-
’ ter Bench, 8 ft. wide; W, W, Walks, 2 ft. wide; S, S, Smole-
flue; C F, Furnace, with Chimney above.
so that the heat may be evenly diffused throughout. This
is our favorite style of greenhouse to heat by a flue, and
such as is now mostly used by beginners ; it would, in this
locality, at present prices, if built of wood, cost about $400,
If a difference in temperature is required in a house of this
kind, it may be obtained by running a glass partition
across the house, say at twenty-five feet from the furnace
end, which will, of course, make that end the hottest.
It will be seen that the principle set forth in my article of
November, 1874, is carried out in both these plans, and it
would be unsafe to attempt to heat greenhouses of these di-
mensions without conforming toit. Its peculiarity consists
in running the flue, in each case, back to the furnace
from which it starts and into the chimney, which is built
86 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
on the top of the furnace, not in the furnace, as some
have supposed. As soon as a fire is lighted in the
furnace, the brick-work forming the arch gets heated,
and at once starts an upward draft, which puts the
smoke-flue into immediate action and maintains it;
hence there is never any trouble about the draft, as in
ordinary flues having the chimney at the most distant
point from the furnace. By this plan we not only get rid
of the violent heat given out by the furnace, but at the
same time it ensures a complete draft, the heated air from
the furnace being rapidly carried through the entire
length of the flue, so that it is nearly as hot when it enters
the chimney as when it leaves the furnace. This perfect
draft, also does away with all danger of the escape of gas
from the flues into the greenhouse, which often happens
when the draft is not active. Although no system of
heating by smoke-flues is so satisfactory as by hot water,
yet there are hundreds who have neither the means nor
the inclination to go to the greater expense of hot water
heating, and to such, this revived method is one that will,
to a great extent, simplify and cheapen the erection of
greenhouses. Many old-established florists, who have
had the old plan of flues in use, have changed them to
the one here described, and with great satisfaction. The
wonder is that such an important fact has been so long
overlooked, for at the time it was discovered, heating
greenhouses by flues was almost the only method in use.
In constructing the furnace for flue heating, the size
of the furnace doors should be, for a greenhouse twenty
by fifty, about fourteen inches square, and the length of
the furnace bars thirty inches; the furnace should be
arched over, and the top of the inside of the arch should
be about twenty inches from the bar. The flue will
always draw better if slightly on the ascent throughout
its entire length. It should be elevated in all cases from
the ground, on flags or bricks, so that its heat may be
YREENHOUSE STRUCTURES. 87
given out on all sides. The inside measure of the brick
flue should not be less than eight by fourteen inches. If
tiles can be conveniently procured, they are best to cover
with ; but, if not, the top of the flue may be contracted
to six inches, and covered with bricks.
After the flue has been built of brick to twenty-five or .
thirty feet from the furnace, cement or vitrified drain
pipes, eight or nine inches in diameter, should be used, as
they are not only cheaper, but radiate the heat quicker
than the bricks ; they are also much easier constructed
and cleaned. Care should be taken that no woodwork is
in contact with the flue at any place. It should be taken
as a safe rule, that woodwork should in no case be nearer
the flue or furnace than eight inches. In constructing,
do not be influenced by what the mechanics will tell you,
as few of them have any experience in such matters, and
are not able to judge of the dangers resulting from wood-
work being in close contact with the heated bricks.
On one occasion I had in use two houses heated with
flues each about 100 feet in length. The chimneys had
been made of wood, and they had been safely used for
three winters, but on the occasion of a severe storm in
winter, when our fires were going at full blast, both of
them took fire within an hour of each other, though fully
100 fect from the furnace. Fortunately the chimneys
had been attached to the outside of the house, and were
knocked off without material injury being done. On
another occasion, a house containing upwards of 10,000
plants took fire by a workman placing kindling wood on
the flue near the furnace. The result was great injury
to the greenhouse, and total destruction of its contents.
I mention these cases, to show the necessity of the utmost
caution. Every winter there are are hundreds of fires
originating in greenhouses by the woodwork taking fire
either from smoke flues, or when the heating is done by
me
88 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
not water. In the case of hot water the dangerous point
is from the smoke pipe, which is in many cases placed
under the beams that support the flooring that covers
the furnace pit. In all such cases the beams should be
covered with asbestos, and an air space of at least nine
inches left between the beams and the smoke pipe. In
our own establishment all our furnace pits are covered
over with railroad iron for beams, over which brick
arches are sprung ; even the ladders used to get down to
the boilers are iron, thus using every precaution against
fire. This, though somewhat costly, is in the end much
cheaper than insurance, for thus protected there is hardly
a possibility of damage from fire. Our greenhouse
establishment was begun in 1848, nearly forty years ago,
and yet in all that time our total loss from fire was con-
fined to the loss of the 10,000 plants above alluded, to
which at the season of the year it occurred was replaced
at an expense of, perhaps, $200.
The Cost of Construction must necessarily be only
approximate, according to the manner in which the work
is done, when done, and the ever-changing cost of material
and labor. At this date, 1887, greenhouses, as shown in
figure 16, when finished and heated by hot water, com-
plete, would cost in this vicinity about $15 per running
foot; if by steam, $13 per running foot, or by flues, $9 per
running foot, less or more according to the extent—less if
joined in blocks of three attached than when built singly.
GREENHOUSES ATTACHED TO DWELLINGS.
One of the most frequent inquiries made to me is:
** How can Iattach a green-house to my dwelling-house ?”
Nothing is more simple, so far as the greenhouse is con-
cerned, but the difficulty is to heat a small structure of
this kind. Many may not know that even in this latitude,
GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES. 89
a greenhouse without artificial heat can be made very
useful, in fact, even better in inexperienced hands, than
one that is heated, if not used before the end of April ;
after that date, glass protection alone is sufficient for
nearly all kinds of bedding plants.
In the diagram of an end section of a simple house,
figure 22, the sashes (B and () are three feet wide by six
long; the top one is so placed that it can be let down over
SSESSS
SSS |
SS
Fig. 22.—SECTION OF A CHEAP GREENHOUSE.
the lower one by weights and pulleys, and thus secure ven-
tilation.
A greenhouse of this kind, twenty-five feet long by
eleven feet wide, should not cost more than $100 com-
plete, if plainly built ; that is, without heating. Heat-
ing is a difficult matter in greenhouses so attached to
dwellings, unless in cases where there is a surplus heat
at night, from furnaces or stoves in the rooms adjoining.
In such cases, the windows or doors, if low enowgh, could
90 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
be opened, and enough heat be supplied from the rooms
of the dwelling ; or, better yet, if it were so arranged that
a register from the furnace opened into the floor of the
greenhouse. But when this supply of artificial heat can-
not be obtained, the greenhouse as it is, will be sufficient
to protect plants against any frost that is likely to occur
in this latitude after April 20th, particularly if light
wooden shutters are put over the lower tier of sashes. I
have recommended this style of greenhouse to many
dealers and retail florists in the different States. Those
who are simply dealers in plants, experience great diffi-
culty and loss in keeping what they purchase for sale, in
stores or dwelling rooms; for if not sold at once, they
quickly get injured. But this cheap and simple style of
greenhouse, not only by its appearance advertises their
business as dealers in flowers, but it enables them to buy
from the wholesale florists at an earlier season. Besides
this, they can purchase in March and April, at less than
half what the same plants would cost in May, and it gives
them time to repot into larger pots. Placing them in the
greenhouse, where they have sufficient space to grow, the
plants that are bought for $5 per 100 in March, with but
little trouble in potting, airing and watering, will freely
retail for twenty-five cents each in May. These green-
houses are also economical and useful to the amateur who
purchases for his flower garden in the spring. Bedding-
plants, as they are called, cannot be safely planted out in
the Northern States until the middle of May, and if the
amateur buys from the florist then, he generally pays
quite double the price that he could purchase the same
plants for in March or April, for the florist always wants
room in his greenhouses, and can better afford to sell a
dozen Geraniums in March for seventy-five cents than for
$1.50 in May. Besides, the plants if purchased in March,
and shifted into larger pots, and allowed plenty of room
to grow, would be far better than could be purchased at
GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES. 91
any price from the overcrowded tables of the florists in
May. ‘The care of such plants in the greenhouse is very
simple. The board benches or tables, # and G‘, should be
covered with two inches of sand, upon which to stand the
pots; place them so far apart that the leaves will not
touch ; water thoroughly whenever the surface of the soil
in the pot appears dry, which will be every day in hot
weather. Ventilate by letting down the sashes, more or
less, as the day is warm or cold, whenever the thermom-
eter indicates seventy-five or eighty degrees; in other
words, keep the temperature in the day-time as near as
may be to sixty or sixty-five degrees, as marked by a ther-
mometer in the greenhouse where the sun will not strike
it. Burn half a pound of damp tobacco stems on the
floor of the greenhouse twice a week, to destroy the aphis,
One dealer in Maine informed me, that from a greenhouse
so constructed, thirty feet long by eleven feet wide, placed
against the south side of a high board fence, he sold in
six weeks, sufficient bedding-plants that he had purchased,
and vegetable plants that he had raised from seed, to af-
ford him a profit of $200, or nearly double the cost of his
greenhouse.
A greenhouse attached to a dwelling, instead of being
covered with glass, may be covered by stretching the
“* protecting cloth ” already alluded to over the rafters,
which would give light enough and give sufficient pro-
tection to any kind of plants by May 1st. A greenhouse
twenty-five feet by eleven, so covered, could be built for
$50, attached to a wall or dwelling, and plants would do
quite as well in it in May or June, as if covered by glass ;
no ventilation is needed when the protecting cloth is
used. There are now hundreds beginning the florist’s bus-
iness, by buying a few plants to sell in spring, that would
find their profits doubled by the use of this very cheap
style of a greenhouse ; the covering by the protecting
cloth would cost only about one-tenth that of the glass
92 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
covering. A glass sash three by six feet costs from $2.50
to $3, while a ‘‘sash” of the same size, made of the pro-
tecting cloth, would cost from twenty-five to thirty cents.
The covering by protecting cloth, however, could not be
very well used in winter, as it would not sustain a weight
of snow, but it might be used to great advantage in the
Southern States.
These greenhouses can also be used for all the purposes
of a hot-bed, thus: Soil placed to the thickness of four
inches on the benches will grow fine plants of all varieties
of vegetables, if the proper time in sowing the different
kinds is attended to—presuming that the greenhouse has
no artificial heat or other than that produced by the sun’s
rays which pass through the glass. In this latitude, Cab-
bage, Cauliflower and Lettuce seed had better be sown
about the 15th of March. By attention to ventilating and
watering, fine plants may be had in five or six weeks from
time of sowing, which will just bring them into the proper
season for planting in open ground. ‘Tomatoes, Pepper,
and Egg-plant, and the tenderer kinds of flower seeds,
should not be sown much sooner than the end of April.
True, they would not be so early as if sown a month sooner
in a hot-bed, and replanted into the greenhouse bench
in May, but if no hot-bed is at hand, the protection of
the greenhouse over these tender plants in May will give
satisfactory results, if earliness is not particularly desired.
I have so many inquiries about the heating and general
construction of cheap greenhouses, that I am compelled
to give instructions which are known now to nearly every
one in and around our large cities. Yet, simple though
the matter may be to us who see so much of it, it is evi-
dently perplexing enough, when they come to construct,
for those who have nothing to copy from. Those of us
who write on such subjects too often take for granted that
those for whom we write know something about the mat-
ter, when for the most part they really know nothing.
WIDE GREENHOUSE AND ROSE HOUSE. 93
The cheapest kind of construction is the lean-to just
described, that is, where there is anything to lean it
against, such as the gable of house or barn. But if the
greenhouse has to be constructed entirely new, I think
the span-roof is best—see figure 23. ‘I'he roof can be
formed by the ordinary three by six feet sashes, placed as
shown on figure 22, “‘ Section of a Cheap Greenhouse,” or
what is better and which is the plan now in general use,
is to make the roof fixed, using bars one by two inches,
in which the glass is laid. For ordinary greenhouse work
the glass used is eight by ten inches, put in the ten-inch
way, but for Rose forcing houses, or for other plants grown
for flowers in winter, a larger size glass should be used—
say, twelve by sixteen inches, put in the twelve-inch way.
O:H A PUI Re XV.
WIDE GREENHOUSES FOR BEDDING PLANTS AND
ROSE GROWING.
The plans and descriptions of greenhouses given in the
preceding pages, have been mainly for narrow green-
houses eleven feet wide, but further experience has led
me to believe that the wide greenhouse, twenty feet wide,
is for general purposes better than the narrow. ‘The most
approved plan of greenhouse for growing bedding plants
for commercial purposes is that shown by figure 23,
which usually average twenty feet in width, and are of a
uniform length of 100 feet. Of course, the length is a
matter of convenience, but the width we find is an im-
portant point to consider; for if over twenty feet the
benches are too wide to reach easily, and if under twenty
feet, room is lost by the necessity of having two walks in
a narrow space. Figure 24 shows the inside arrangement
of this style of greenhouse as we haveitin use. One
94 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
ie]
S
eo
Fig. 23.—END VIEW OF WIDE GREENHOUSES.—(Scale 1/, of an inch to the foot.)
|
©6@
section shows a bench in the
middle, the other either a
solid bed of soil or a raised
bench, as desired. Thescale
(one-eighth of an inch to
the foot) will give the height
of the walls, benches, ete.
These greenhouses are
joined together on the ridge
and furrow plan, having
one slope to the west and
the other slope to the east ;
but if wanted for the pur-
pose of growing rose-buds
in winter, or, in short, for
almost any kind of plants
grown for the flowers dur-
ing the winter months, this
style of greenhouse (that
shown by figure 23) is not
so well suited, as it is found
that, when joined on the
ridge and furrow plan, they
shade each other in the dull
winter months, and that
there is not sufficient hight
for the best development of
flowers, so that we now find
that for all kinds of flower-
ing plants, Roses particular-
ly, the greenhouse struc-
ture should stand alone,
leaving an empty space of
fifteen or sixteen feet be-
tween the houses, and be
of the style known as the
a4
WIDE GREENHOUSE AND ROSE HOUSE. 95
three-quarter span; that is, having an angle of about
thirty-two degrees to the horizon to the south, and an
angle of thirty-six or thirty-eight degrees to the north,
as shown by figure 25, which is on the same scale.
For the same reason (the necessity of sunlight in win-
ter), the woodwork should be made as light as possible
consistent with strength, and for this purpose I prefer to
use well-seasoned yellow pine, as it has more strength, in
Fig. 24.—ROSE HOUSE, END SECTION.—(Scale '/, of an inch to the foot.)
proportion to bulk, than white pine. It is also necessary
to use glass not less than ten by twelve inches, put in the
twelve-inch way. Many now use twelve by sixteen inches,
put in the twelve-inch way. ‘This style of greenhouse is
now preferred for forcing Lettuce, Strawberries, and other
fruits and vegetables in winter, as well as flowering plants,
as they, too, require all the light that it is possible to ob-
tain.
Although this style of greenhouse would also shade, if
joined together on the ridge and furrow plan, when built
on level ground, yet, whenever a convenient location can
be had, where the ground slopes to the south at an angle
of ten or fifteen degrees, they may be joined together, as
PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE,
(-yooy oq} 07 Your Ue Jo */; a[vog)—aNQOUD ONIGOIS NO SHSNOHNATAN— "Cy “BIG
WIDE GREENHOUSE AND RQSE HOUSE. 97
seen in figure 25 (one-eizht of an inch to the foot scale),
which shows a slope or angle of fifteen degrees.
It will be noticed in this design (figure 25) that the
larger number of pipes are placed under the front bench,
there being four there, while there are only two under the
back bench. The slope of the ground makes this arrange-
ment necessary in order to secure an equal distribution
of heat. It will be observed that there are six ‘‘runs”
of four-inch pipe for each house; this will give a temper-
ature of fifty degrees at night in the coldest weather. If
a higher temperature is wanted, an additional ‘‘ run ” of
pipe should be added for every five degrees. For fur-
ther information see ‘‘Modes of Heating,” page 98.
With the ordinary arrangement of pipes (half under
each bench), the back of the house would always be
much the warmest, as a moment’s reflection will make
manifest. The position of the ventilators near the ridge
is distinctly marked in this and all the other figures, the
dotted lines showing a ventilator raised or open. The
position of the benches is also shown. Through the mid-
dle there may be either a bench or a solid bed of earth.
By use of the scale (one-eighth of an inch to the foot) the
proportions of the details of this house may be readily
obtained.
The construction of greenhouses when formed of con-
crete, stone, or brick, is not only more costly, but after
the wall has risen to the surface of the ground, it is found
that, unless the wall of stone or brick is very thick indeed,
the high temperature and moisture inside of a greenhouse
soon injures the mason work by warring with the low
temperature outside, particularly on the north or north-
west side. For this reason it has been found that wooden
walls, for ordinary purposes, are equally as good as an
eight-inch brick wall for resisting cold, far cheaper, and
more durable.
A common error with the inexperienced is to build the
98 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
wooden wall of a greenhouse hollow, filling up the space
with sawdust, or some such non-conducting material.
The method found best is to sink locust, cedar, or chest-
nut posts to the required depth, and at distances of four
or six feet apart; against these (outside) nail common
rough boards; then against these tack asphalt or tarred
paper, and against that nail the ordinary weather board- -
ing. Such a wall will resist cold better than an eight-
inch brick wall, and will last for twenty years, if kept
painted. If a better finish is desired inside, the posts can
be hid by weather boarding ; but nothing should be put
in to fill the space. When the walls have been finished
to the required height, the wall plate to secure the rafters
is laid on. Supporting posts should be placed under the
ridge-pole, and also near the middle of the rafters, where
these are very long, as is the case in many of the three-
quarter span houses. At present prices, the cost of a
Rose House, as shown in figure 24, is about $15 per run-
ning foot, heated by hot water or steam, complete, or
$1,500.
Ct AVP Welt ke Ve Lae
GLASS, GLAZING AND SHADING.
Ii for winter forcing of either fruit or flowers, the
glass should (as we have before said) be not less than ten
by twelve inches in size, and laid in the twelve-inch way.
It should be of what is known as second quality French,
and it is economy always to use the double thick. All
panes should be rejected having flaws or ‘* blebs,” as these
will act like lenses, and, forming a focus for the sun’s
rays, will burn the leaves of the plants ; but even with the
greatest care, some flaws will usually remain, and less or
GLASS AND GLAZING. 99
more burn the leaves after the sun becomes strong; to
counteract this, a slight shading had better be used on
the glass from April to September. We use naphtha,
with just enough white lead mixed in it to give it the
appearance of thin milk. This we put on with a syringe,
which sufficiently covers up all flaws in the glass to pre-
vent burning, and at the same time tends to cool the
house by mitigating the violence of the sun’s rays. ‘This
is by far the cheapest and best shading we have ever used.
It can be gradated to any degree of thickness, and costs
only about twenty-five cents per 1,000 square feet of glass,
for material and labor.
In glazing, the method now almost universally adopted
is to bed the glass in putty, and tack it on top with
glazier’s poirts, using no putty on the top. The glazier’s
points are triangular, one corner of which is turned down,
so that when it is driven in, it fits the lower edge of each
pane and prevents it from slipping down. A great mis-
take is often made in giving the glass too much lap ; it
should only be given just enough to cover the edge of the
pane (from one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch). Tf
given too much, the water gets in between the panes, and
when it freezes it cracks the glass.
Although no putty is used on the top of the bars, we
have found it an excellent plan to fill an ordinary oil-can,
such as is used for machinery, with white lead and oil,
and by its narrow-pointed funnel run a thin stream of
the white lead at the edge where the glass fits against the
bar; by shaking dry sand over this, it forms a cement that
will hold for many years. We find this, even on old green-
houses, to be an excellent plan for closing up leakage and
firming the glass. Had I known of this most excellent
method of glazing twenty years ago, I would have saved
at least $10,000 that it has cost me in that time for
repairs.
1U0 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
CHAPTER XTX:
MODES OF HEATING.
Until the past few years the almost universal plan of
heating commercial greenhouses was by hot water, and
as that plan has yet many advocates, we herewith give
some of the leading points to observe when it is used;
further on, we will refer to steam heating as now being
adopted in many large establishments.
In heating by hot water, it is important that the work
be given to some reputable firm, whose knowledge is such
as will enable them not only to judge what is the proper
capacity of the boiler for the number of pipes to be used,
but also how many pipes are necessary to be used for the
surface of glass to be heated. Men who have done a
large business in heating greenhouses, have. far better
opportunities for knowledge in this matter than the aver-
age gardener or florist ; and if those erecting greenhouses
have not had extensive and varied practice, they had
better be guided by the men who make a business of heat-
ing, as the want of the requisite knowledge of these
matters often works serious mischief. Of course, the
size of the greenhouse or greenhouses to be heated must
determine the capacity of the boiler required; but the
boiler being properly apportioned to the length of pipe,
the following data, used in our own establishment
(which is mostly heated by hot water), may be useful.
In our houses, which are twenty feet wide and one hun-
dred feet long, when a night temperature ot seventy de-
grees is required in the coldest weather, ten runs or rows
of four-inch pipe, five on each side, are required; when
sixty degrees is wanted, eight runs of pipe, four on each
side; when fifty degrees is wanted, six runs of pipe will
be needed ; and when only thirty-five or forty degrees is
HEATING BY STEAM. 101
required, four runs of pipe will meet the requirement.
This is for the latitude of New York City, where the
temperature rarely falls lower than ten degrees below zero.
Latitudes north or south ef New York should be graded
accordingly. If estimated by glass surface, about one
foot in length of four-inch pipe is necessary for every
three and a half square feet of glass surface, when the
temperature is at ten degrees below zero, to keep a tem-
perature of 50 degrees in the greenhouse. - We now place
all our pipes under the side benches, as that enables us to
use the space under the middle bench for safely stowing
away many plants, which otherwise could not be done if
the pipes were there. ‘There are scores of kinds of hot
water boilers in use, and our opinion is repeatedly asked
as to the relative merits of many of them. This can only
be determined by a comparative test, which we have
never had time or inclination to try. We have used the
boilers made by Hitchings & Co. for the past twenty
years with the most satisfactory results. ‘There may be
better, but we do not know them, and do not care to take
the risk of experimenting.
CH AP TE Rx &.
HEATING BY STEAM.
Two years ago, to satisfy myself of the relative merits
of hot water and steam heating for greenhouse purposes,
I erected a Rose house twenty feet wide by 350 feet in
length. This I heated by steam alongside of another
Rose house of exactly the same dimensions, heated by hot
water. These have given me an opportunity for a com-
parative test and we find the result in favor of steam ;
102 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
first, that if saves twenty-five per cent. in fuel ; second,
that our firemen say that the steam boilers require less
labor, and, third, that the steam pipes by the use of valves
are easier controlled than the hot water pipes. But,
above all, is the certainty that, on a large scale at least,
heating by steam must be cheaper than by hot water.
Leaving out the question of the cost of boilers, which ought
to be relatively the same for the amount of work to be
done, we find that aone and one-quarter inch pipe, when
heated by steam, does almost exactly the same amount of
work as a four-inch hot water pipe ; at present prices the
one and one-quarter inch steam pipe costs six cents per
foot, while the four-inch hot water pipe costs twenty
cents. Thus, the piping costs three times more for hot
water than for steam, but so far there has been compara-
tively little difference in estimates between the two, owing
probably to the steam heating of greenhouses being yet
in but few hands. From our experience with steam, I
believe that whenever greenhouses are erected to the
extent of 5,000 square feet of glass surface, steam should
be used in preference to hot water ; if for smaller areas, it
may be that hot water would be best. As far as the |
health of plants is concerned, there is nothing to choose;
for although a steam pipe at low pressure radiates at from_
212 and over, and a hot water pipe at about an average of
170 degrees, yet at six inches from either pipe the tem-
perature is almost identical, radiation is so rapid. Any
one doubting this can easily test it by the thermometer.
BASE-BURNING WATER-HEATER. 103
Cee the, XT.
BASE-BURNING WATER-HIEATER.
For many years a great want has been felt for a better
means of heating greenhouses, or rather conservatories,
attached to dwellings. ‘The space to be heated is usually
fa = ——S!|
Fig. 26.—BASH-BURNER. Fig. 27.—sEcTION.
so small that the ordinary hot water boilers in use for
large greenhouses have been found by amateurs too compli-
cated, and to require too much attention. Then, when
the common smoke-flue was tried, corresponding difficul-
t.2s arose, it requiring nearly the same attention as the
104 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
more expensive boiler. Occasionally these conservatories
are heated by registers from the furnace heater, just as
are the ordinary rooms of the dwelling ; but I have rarely
seen any so heated wherein the plants looked well, it being
difficult to get the registers so placed as to diffuse the heat
evenly. A new base-burning water-heater has been in-
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Fig. 28. SECTICN OF HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.
vented by Hitchings & Co., the well known greenhouse-
heating firm. ‘There is nothing new in the principle—
nothing to patent, I believe. It is simply making the
ordinary base-burning stove to so heat water that it will
circulate in iron pipes and warm a small greenhouse or
conservatory attached to a dwelling or otherwise, exactly
BASE-BURNING WATER-HEATERS. 105
as do our large boilers, which are not usually made on
the base-burning principle. ‘The patterns they have thus
far made (shown in figure 26 and in section in figure 27)
are forty-two inches high and twenty-one inches at base,
and are powerful enough to heat a greenhouse ten feet
wide by twenty-five feet long, or about 500 square feet of
glass surface, taking into account the front and ends.
The complete cost of heating, including boiler, pipes and
fitting up, will range from $150 to $200. The care nec-
essary in the management of this base-burning water-
heater is exactly the same as that required for an ordi-
nary base-burning stove; andit may be safely left for
twelve hours without attention, and will keep up a tem-
perature in the house of from fifty to sixty degrees at
night, which is about what is required for a general col-
lection of plants. Figure 28 shows the boiler placed
alongside the kitchen range, being in a basement and one
story lower than the conservatory. It can either be used
in this way, or placed in the conservatory itself if s¢
desired. It must be borne in mind, though, in construct
ing a conservatory, that it must be placed where connec:
tion can be made with a chimney, as of course an outlet
must be had for smoke exactly as in any ordinary room
where astove of any kind is used. When dwelling-houses
are heated by steam it is an easy matter to heat a green-
house that is attached to a dwelling, as, of course, steam
pipes can be run at any level above the boiler. Green-
houses, if need be, can be heated from the steam boiler
in the dwelling, even if hundreds of feet distant, always
keeping in view the point that, if extra work is to be done
by the boiler, it must have sufficient power.
106 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
CHAPTER 2X1
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY SEEDS.
The most natural way of increasing plants is by seeds,
and, whenever practicable, it is preferable to all others.
In our own practice we rarely increase a plant in any
other way, if we can procure the seed, unless, of course,
with particular varieties that we know will not reproduce
themselves from seed, and perpetuate the desired color,
form, or markings. It is believed that no plant ever
produces identically the same individual from seed. The
resemblance may be so close that, to casual observation,
it may seem identical ; but reasoning from analogy, it is
fair to presume that no generated organisms of animal or
vegetable life, whether from the lowest molecule to the
highest type of existence, are ever identical. No two
human beings are ever identical in face or form; and
even acquired habits, such as handwriting, are never the
same.
Some species of animal and vegetable life, when under
domestication, become what is technically called ‘‘bro-
ken.” Thus we find the pigeon, when domesticated, run-
ning into a great variety of plumage, while its proto-
types of the woeds seem to be all alike ; but it is fair to
presume they each possess a distinct individuality, though
less apparent than the others. So it is in plant life.
When we sow 1,000 seeds of Verbena or Coleus, to
the experienced eye no two of the seedlings are ever
exactly the same, though the original types from which
they sprung will seem to produce varieties identical ;
but in this case also it is reasonable to presume that
a distinct individuality is present, though the distinction
is so slight that ordinary observation fails to mark it.
The eye requires to be educated to nice distinctions of
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY SEEDS. 107
individuality. Shepherds in charge of five hundred sheep
can often individualize every member of the flock, which
to the inexperienced observer seem all alike. The reader
will excuse this digression ; but there is a great deal of
' misconception on this interesting subject.
In all cases where seed tuken from a variety or species
will reproduce itself nearly the same, as in special colors
of Hollyhocks, or, in cases where a general variety is
wanted, as in Verbenas, Petunias or Geraniums, the pro-
pagation by seed is largely practised.
Experience only can give the necessary knowledge for
the full understanding of the proper temperature and
humidity essential for the successful germination of the
seeds of different plants. It may be laid down as a safe
rule, however, that for the hardier varieties, a low or
medium temperature is required, say from forty-five to
sixty degrees, and for the tender species, a temperature
from seventy-five to ninety degrees.
If Pansy seed is sown in July or August, where the
temperature in the shade averages eighty degrees, no
matter how moist the soil is kept, if germination takes
place at all it will be of so feeble a kind that the seed-
lings will not continue a healthy existence ; but if the
Same seed were sown in September or October, with an
average temperature of, say sixty degrees in the shade, a
quick and healthy germination would be the result. The
same rule applies to Cinerarias, Calceolarias, Auriculas,
Primulas, and all other plants of this half-hardy nature.
English, Scotch, and Irish gardeners, before they have
had time for experience in this country, are apt to fall
into the common error of sowing all these seeds too soon.
Though it is proper to sow these seeds in July and
August in England, with us, in this section, it must be
delayed until September or October, and in warm lati-
tudes still later, or failure is almost certain to follow. In
our own practice we prefer to sow all such seeds in March,
108 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
April or May, and by cramping the plants in shallow
boxes and rather poor soil, we can hold them so that they
are none too large for winter work. On the other hand,
if we attempt to germinate Portulacas, Balsams, Ama-
ranths, Zinnias, or other plants of tropical origin, in the
medium temperature of fifty degrees, they will either re-
maim dormant until a higher temperature occurs, or
perish. Ignorance of, or inattention to, these conditions
is far oftener the cause of failure than want of vitality
in seeds.
Whether seeds are sown in the open border, in the
window garden of the parlor, in the hot-bed, or green-
hou'se, the same conditions should be observed, so far as
practicable. In the open border there is not always a
choice of soil, but if soil is to be prepared, let it be of a
light nature; leaf-mould from the woods, and well-
pulverized muck from the swamps, or, better than either
of these, the dust of cocoanut fibre, or of decayed, refuse
hops, are excellent to sift on as a covering for seeds. We
have employed these latter materials exclusively, as a
covering for seeds of all kinds, for many years, with re-
sults which have been vastly superior to those we had
when we did not use them.
It must be borne in mind that seeds do not so much
need a fertile soil at first, as they do one having the neces-
sary mechanical condition ; this is found exactly in the
light, moisture-retaining nature of hop-mould or cocoa-
nut dust. Wecan give no better rule than the old one
of covering seeds to about their own depth with mould,
although something depends on the weight of the mate-
rial with which they are covered. One-fourth of an inch
in depth of hop-mould, or leaf-mould, would be no more
than equivalent to half that depth of ordinary loam ;
hence the advantage in using it, as it gives the seed a
moist, springy covering, through which the tiny germ
can freely push.
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY SEEDS. 109
We know it is a practice, very common with amateurs
and many gardeners, when starting seeds in a hot-bed or
greenhouse, to use flower-pots in this operation ; they are
generally two-thirds filled with potsherds, overlaying
which is an inch or two of soil, and on this the seed is
sown. Any continuation of dry weather necessitates
almost daily watering of the flower-pots ; this bakes or
hardens the surface, while a day’s inattention to them
dries the soil while it is in this condition, so as to injure
the vitality of the seeds; hence very unsatisfactory re-
sults too often follow this practice.
For many years we have entirely discarded the use of
earthen flower-pots or pans for the purpose of sowing
seeds, and use shallow boxes instead. These we prepare
by cutting the common-sized soap-box into three pieces,
each one of a depth of about two inches. ‘These boxes
are filled with the prepared soil to the depth of one inch
and one-half, which is gently and evenly pressed, so as
to give an entirely level surface ; the seeds are then sown,
and a light covering, from one-sixteenth to one-fourth
of an inch thick, according to the size or strength of
seed, is sifted over them, through a sieve having a mesh
only one-tenth of an inch. The covering is gently
pressed to prevent the air penetrating the loose soil and
drying up the seeds ; watering, which it is well to avoid
as much as possible, is thus rendered less necessary. Be
careful, however, not to let them suffer for moisture, as
in the weak condition of seedlings, most plants are quickly
injured by neglect of this kind, and, even with all pos-
sible care, we experience serious losses. Many varieties
will ‘‘damp off,” as we term it, just as the first rough
leaves are being formed ; this, however, is not the result
of excessive moisture, as it occurs just as quickly in a
dry temperature as in a moist one. It isevidently caused
by the same insidious spiderweb-like substance that is
known among gardeners as the ‘‘fungus of the cutting
110 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
bench,” and is probably one of the minute fungi of which
we have so many representatives. ‘The best preventive
of this disease, as it is sometimes called, is, just as soon
as the seedling plants can be handled, to take them from
the seed-boxes, and prick them out in boxes of simi-
lar mould, from one-half to two inches apart, accord-
ing to the variety. This is a much better method than
that of potting them off in flower-pots, as it not only
saves time and room, but they always do better. In the
flower-pots they are liable to be dried up, and the tender
roots of the seedling plant quickly destroyed.
We use these shallow boxes largely for pricking off cut-
tings from our propagating benches, instead of potting
them off, particularly such plants as are wanted for stock
to be planted out in the open ground, as, after being
rooted in the cutting bench and planted out in these
shallow boxes, they can there remain, occupying less
space, and in every respect growing as well as if in pots.
Carnations and Roses we work largely in this way.
CHAP TEE Xie
PROPAGATION BY SEEDS.—WHAT VARIETIES COME
TRUE FROM SEEDS?
An intelligent correspondent asks the question given
above. He queries still farther and says: ‘‘ An Apple
seed produces an Apple tree, but a Baldwin Apple seed
will not produce a Baldwin Apple tree. Wheat of any
variety produces the same; seed of a scarlet variety of
Verbena will not always produce its like. Why this
anomaly ?” ‘The ‘‘ why” of the matter cannot be told,
but a few general rules may be useful. Seeds of plants
WHAT VARIETIES COME TRUE FROM SEEDS? 111
in the wild state, in their native habitats, almost invaria-
bly produce a progeny nearly identical with the parent ;
and many species, even after they have been subjected to
long years of cultivation, seemingly never appear to
change in the slightest degree. Other species under cul-
tivation, quickly develop varieties greatly different from
the original, and become what is technically termed
“broken.” Thus the original species of our well-known
Verbena is indigenous to South America, having a com-
paratively small scarlet flower. From this, and probably
some other species hybridized with it, we bave the gor-
geous and varied coloring of the Verbenas of to-day. But it
took many years to produce these, for we can well remem-
ber that in our early gardening days there was no white,
and the furor that took place in the floricultural world
when Verbena teucrioides, the first white, appeared. It was
far from being an attractive plant, but the color was novel,
and single plants were sold by the florists of that time at
a price that would now buy a hundred. The Verbena,
then, is one genus of which the species have given us in-
numerable yarieties. The Chrysanthemum, Dahlia,
Fuchsia, Geranium, Tulip, Hyacinth, Gladiolus, Pansy,
Petunia, the Rose, and many others, are also familiar
examples where the original species has ‘‘ broken” from
what may be termed its primary condition into everchang-
ing variety. Thus changed, it is probable that their seeds
will never produce two individual plants exactly alike.
It is probable that all species of animals and veg-
etables, under long years of domestication and culti-
vation, would ultimately ‘*‘ break” from the original
type, though we know that in some species this tendency
is sooner developed than in others. It isnot to be wondered
at that amateur horticulturists, like my inquiring friend,
are puzzled at what looks like inconsistency in nature—
why she refuses to produce always again his Baldwin
Apple, or his Rareripe Peach, his Striped Petunia, or his
112 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE,
Double Carnation, yet gives him back, seemingiy identical
with the parent, his Corn or his Wheat, his Tomato or his
Cabbage, or in flowers his Mignonette or Alyssum. I say
‘seemingly,’ for it may be doubted if they are identical.
only the variation is so slightly marked that it escapes
notice. Many, whose experience in such matters should
have taught them better, are always confounding plants
raised from cuttings or slips with those raised from seeds,
and cannot see why the plant raised from the slip or root
of a White Dahlia, or the tree raised from the graft of a
Baldwin Apple, should be always identical with the plant
or tree from which they are taken, while the seeds taken
from either would not produce the same. Any cutting
from a root ora branch, whether rooted itself or engrafted
on another stock (except in rare cases of sports), will be
identical with that of the original form from which it is
taken ; in fact, it is only a separated part of the same
plant, while the plant raised from seed is a distinct indi-
vidual.
Very few not engaged in the cultivation of flowers as a
business, know that many of the most beautiful ones
used for decorating flower beds in summer, and hot-houses
in winter, can be raised from seed. The price of seeds,
as compared with plants, is very low ; a package of seeds
costing twenty-five cents will usually raise as many plants
as could be bought from the florists for $25. It is true
that care and labor are necessary in starting them, but
the pleasure derived from the operation alone well repays
that, independently of economic considerations. April
is the best month for sowing most of the seeds of tropi-
cal plants, and it is best done where there is the conven-
ience of a hot-bed or warm greenhouse. The hot-bed is
made in the usual manner (See chapter on Hot-beds).
The soil should be, if possible, of a light, sandy nature,
mixed with at least one-third of leaf-mould from the woods;
if the leaf mould is not procurable, pulverized muck, or
WHAT VARIETIES COME TRUE FROM SEEDS? 113
stuble manure rotted to the condition of mould, will do
nearly as well. This is spread over the manure to the
depth of about six inches. ‘The sashes of the hot-bed
should fit close, and there should be some material ready
for covering the sash at night—either straw mats or shut-
ters. We ourselves use shutters made out of one-half-
inch stuff, and exactly the size of the sash. All these prep-
arations being made, insert a thermometer into the soil
covering the hot-bed, and when it indicates a declining
temperature of seventy-five degrees the seeds: may be
sown. Most of the flower seeds may be sown in a hot-
bed just as we sow Egg-plants or Tomatoes, which is best
done for private use by sowing in rows from a quarter of
an inch to an inch in depth, according to the size of the
seed, the distance between the rows being two or three
inches. Let me here repeat a caution that I have often
given in connection with seed sowing: Be sure that the
soil used for covering the seed is light (See Chapter
XXII on Propagation by Seed for full details). One-
half of the loss in seeds is in consequence of their being
covered with a heavy, clayey soil. The power of different
plants to penetrate through the soil varies greatly. Thus,
while the seeds of the Tomato germinate in almost any soil,
the Egg-plant—a vegetable of the same family—requires
the utmost care. Assoon as the seedling plants have grown
so as to attain the first true leaves—that is, the first leaves
that show after the seed-leaves—they must be replanted
carefully in soft, light soil, at from one to three inches
apart, according to the kind. This will not only prevent
them from damping off, as many of them are very apt to
do, but they will be much stronger and suffer less when
re-planted in the open ground. We prefer to re-plant
the seedlings in the shallow boxes already described.
They are more portable thus than if planted again in the
soil of the hot-bed, though, of course, after planting in
the boxes, these are put again into the hot-bed. After the
114 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
seedlings have been planted in these boxes, lightly water
them and shade for two or three days. As the season ad-
vances attend to ventilation, watering and covering up
at night.
Those who have not the convenience of a hot-bed may
sow the flower seeds in the shallow boxes above men-
tioned, and place them in the window of a south or east
room, where the thermometer does not average less than
seventy degrees. Success would be more complete, how-
ever, if panes of glass were placed over the seeds, resting
on the edges of the box an inch or so above the soil. This
would prevent evaporation and render watering, which
has the effect of caking the surface of the soil and pre-
venting germination, less necessary. The protecting cloth,
already described, may be used for any purpose for which
glass can be used in covering seeds after May 1.
We name in the following list, the varieties of flowers
most suitable to grow from seeds :
Canna Indica, or Indian Shot, grown mainly for the
beauty of its foliage. Sown in hot-bed in April, and
planted out in the open ground in June, will by August
attain a height of six or eight feet. In addition to the
rich, tropical-looking foliage, the flowers of some sorts
are handsome; colors: yellow, scarlet, orange, etc. A
new dwarf variety has just been introduced, growing only
a foot and a half in height, with flowers nearly as fine as
those of the Gladiolus, and in far greater variety than
the taller sorts.
Antirrhinum, or Snap-Dragon.—A beautiful summer
flowering plant, presenting a great diversity of coloring,
is easily raised from seed in the hot-bed. The Antir-
rhinums may be planted out in this latitude in May, and
flower from middle of June throughout the summer.
Cobza scandens,—A climbing plant, which will attain,
from seed, a growth of twenty or thirty feet in one season.
WHAT VARIETIES COME TRUE FROM SEEDS? 115
Ti:e flowers are bell-shaped; purple; three inches in
length by one inch and one-half in breadth. The seeds
are thin and flat, and should be placed on edge when
sown.
Coleus.—This famous ornamental-leaved plant is easily
raised from seed, and breaks into endless varieties. It
is exceedingly tender, however, and had better not be
sown before May, nor planted out before June.
Zonal Geraniums are, perhaps, the most valuable of
all plants for summer blooming in our climate. They are
easily raised from seed, and will well reward the labor
by the endless variety produced. A few years ago the
only colors of these were scarlet and pink. Now we have
them in every shade, from white to crimson, with endless
tints of scarlet and rose, double and single. The Zonal
Geraniums may be lifted and potted in the fall, and if
well pruned in when lifted, will bloom finely in winter.
Lantana is another plant easily raised from seed; the
flower resembles the Verbena somewhat, but has, besides
many of the colors found in the Verbena, orange and
yellow, which are not found in that flower.
Lobelias.—Dwarf plants, well suited for hanging bas-
kets, or for ribbon lining. The flowers range from white
to blue. The blue of the Lobelia is often of the richest
azure, unsurpassed by that of any other plant.
Pansy.—Of all plants raised from seed by the florist,
none is of greater importance than the Pansy; it has now
sucha diversity of color, and coming at a season in spring
when flowers are yet scarce ; it is an ever welcome favorite.
The usual plan is to sow the seeds in August or Septem-
ber, so as to get plants large enough to keep over in cold
frames through the winter, to bloom in March, April or
May ; but many now sow part of their crop in January or
February in the greenhouse or hot-bed, and though they
come in flower later in spring, yet the younger plants are
116 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
much better adapted for blooming through the entire
summer months than those sown in autumn. When
sown in August or September, we find it a good plan to
shade the seed-bed by shutters made of laths or protect-
ing cloth, or some such partial shading, for four or five
hours during the day, while the sun is hot, but they
should never be sown in, or kept in, exclusive shade.
This is true of nearly all kinds of seeds.
Petunias, being of rapid growth, will flower the first
season, even if sown in the open ground, but usually not
before July or August. If sown in the hot-bed or green-
house in January, February or March, they will bloom
in April, May or June, and make larger and finer plants.
If wanted for summer blooming, and not to sell when in
flower, the seed should not be sown before the middle of
April.
Dianthus.—The Pinks are numerous and varied, many
of them having a rich, clove-like fragrance. They present
an endless variety in color and style of flower.
Salvia splendens, or Scarlet Sage.—Seeds of this sown
in April will flower by July or August, and continue
throughout the season. This, perhaps, is the most gor-
geous plant of our gardens; single plants often attain a
height of six feet, and nearly as much in diameter, hay-
ing a hundred scarlet, plume-like, flower-spikes. The
color is so intense when seen against a green background,
that it is often visible at a distance of half a mile.
Verbena.—This is yet one of the most popular plants
of thé day; it is easily raised from seed, and no other
plant that we know of will so well reward the trouble. ‘The
number of varieties now attained is something wonderful,
even to us in the trade. Every year develops some new
strain. Every color seemingly is obtained but yellow or
orange ; these we never expect to have, as there seems to be
a natural law of the floral kingdom that blue, yellow and
WHAT VARIETIES COME TRUE FROM SEEDS? 11%
scarlet are never found in varieties of the same species.
Thus we have in Dahlias and Roses, yellow and scarlet
colors, but no blue ; just as we have in Verbenas blue and
searlet, but no yellow. My readers will do well to remem-
ber this, and be saved from investing in ‘‘ blue” Roses or
Dablias and ‘‘ yellow” Verbenas, which are occasionally
offered, knowing that the seller must either be ignorant
of his trade or dishonest.
Delphinium hybridum (Larkspur).—Hardy perennial
herbaceous plants of the most dazzling shades of blue,
from lightest azure to the deepest mazarine blue. Seeds
sown in January or February, in heat, will flower the
same season, but the best plan is to sow in September, and
winter over in cold frames. ‘They grow from four to ten
feet in height. Blue is the rarest color among flowers,
and therein Delphiniums are most useful, being hardy and
perennial, and once established in the garden they grow
without further trouble for years.
Centaureas, Cinerarias and Golden Pyrethrum.—
These plants, with foliage which is used for white or
yellow lines in ribbon planting, or in massing, are all
better if raised from seeds than from cuttings.
Asters are now raised in immense numbers for market.
To get the best plants, they should not be sown sooner
than the middle of March ; with careful handling at this
time they will give fine blooming plants by the middle of
June for later flowering. Sow for succession at inter-
vals of twenty to thirty days. They can thus be had
through the entire season from June to October. When
grown in pots, we find pots of five-inch to be the most
convenient size.
Ampelopsis, particularly the species introduced as A.
Vewtchit, but properly A. tricuspidata, is best raised from
sced; seeds sown in December or January, potted off
into two-inch pots and planted out into the open ground
118 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
in May, if trained to strings or stakes, will attain a height
of six to nine feet before October. There is now an im-
mense demand for this grand climber, and so far the
supply has been entirely inadequate.
Balsams should not be sown sooner than May Ist.
Sown at that time, they will make fine plants by the
middle of June if to be sold in pots; if wanted for cut
flowers, they should be sown in the open ground about
June Ist.
Carnation.—The monthly kinds of Carnation should
be sown in winter or early spring, and if grown either
in pots or planted in the open ground, will flower the
first season by September or October. But the hardy
garden Carnations, so much grown for cut flowers in
summer, should not be sown before the middle of May,
in the open ground, and should be planted in July, eight
or ten inches apart, when they will cover the ground by
fall, and will stand the winter in almost any section of
the country where the thermometer does not fall below
zero ; or in sections such as Canada, where the ground is
covered by snow, they will stand a much lower tempera-
ture.
Cineraria, Calceolaria and Primula seeds, in our
opinion, are best sown in March, April, or May ; we have
practised sowing at this time for the past fifteen years,
with great success. - In England, the practice is to sow in
July and August, and it is all right in their cooler cli-
mate, but it is a very difficult matter to get seeds of any
of these to vegetate freely in hot weather, and we prefer
to start the seeds earlier and keep the plants through the
summer, pricksd off in shallow boxes. The seeds will
vegetate freely in September and October, but it is then
rather too late to get plants large enough.
Besides the plants thus described in detail, as being
suitable to raise from seeds in greenhouse or hot-bed, the
WHAT VARIETIES COME TRUE FROM SEEDS. 119
following list (descriptions of which can be found in the
Seed Catalogues), can all be raised from seeds, and make
fine plants for sale by the selling season in May and June,
or to produce earlier cut flowers than when sown in the
open ground:
Abutilon, Dianthus, Maurandia,
Ageratum, Erythrina, Mignonette,
Alonsoa, Euphorbia, Mimosa,
Alyssum, Everlasting Flowers, Mimulus,
Amarant is, Ferns, Musk,
Anagallis, Feverfew, Myosotis,
Antirrhinum, Forget-Me-Not, Myrsiphyllum,
Aquilegia, Fuchsia, Petunia,
Ardisia, Gladiolus, Phlox, perennial,
Aristolochia, Globe Amaranth, Phlox Drummondii,
Aster, Gloxinia, Poppy,
Auricula, Gnaphalium, Portulaca,
Begonia, Heliotrope, Primula,
Bellis, Helianthus, Pyrethrum,
Browallia, Helichrysum, Rhodanthe,
Calceolaria, Hollyhock, Ricinus,
Campanula, Humea, Senecio speciosus,
Canary Bird Flower, Ice Plant, Sensitive Plant,
Canna, Impatiens Sultana, Smilax,
Castor Oil Bean, Indian Shot, Solanum,
Celosia, Ipomeea, Stocks,
Chrysanthemum, Lantana, Thunbergia,
Clematis, Larkspur, Torenia,
Cockscomb, Lathyrus, Tritoma,
Coleus, Lavandula, Tropzolum,
Cowslip, Limnanthes, Veronica,
Cuphea, Linum, Vinea,
Cyclamen, Lobelia, Viola,
Dahlia, Lophospermum, Wallflower,
Datura, Lychnis, Wigandia,
Delphinium, Marigold, Zinnia.
120 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
CHAP TR xX kX PVE
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS.
Of all the operations of the florist, the one above all
others in importance is the propagation of plants by cut-
tings. It is the fount from which the supply must come,
and becomes inexhaustible in the hands of a careful
operator. I say a careful operator, rather than a skilful
one, for, in my estimation, a great amount of knowledge
is not so necessary to success, as that a never-flagging,
careful application of that knowledge should be made.
A careful man, who has had the run of a propagating
establishment for one year, and who has kept lis eyes
and ears open, will have acquired a theoretical and prac-
tical knowledge of the business, sufficient to enable him
to operate with success, provided he is of fair intelligence
and studious habits. On the other hand, we find hun-
dreds, who have spent the best part of their lives in the
trade, whose careless character renders useless the knowl-
edge possessed, when this branch of horticulture is placed
in their charge,
I have long held the opinion that the necessary knowl-
edge to successfully propagate plants oy cuttings is very
simple, and may be easily imparted by writing, even to
one having no acquaintance whatever with the operation.
Propagating by cuttings is the way in which the larg-
est number of plants are multiplied. As now under-
stood, this is a simple matter. Formerly no operation in
horticulture was more befogged by ignorant pretenders,
who, in writing on, or speaking of the subject, so warped
the operation with troublesome conditions as to discour-
age, not only amateurs in horticulture, but inexperienced
professional gardeners as well.
One of the first conditions necessary in the propaga-
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. 121
tion of plants by cuttings is, that the plant from which
the cutting or slip is taleen must be in vigorous health.
If weak or tainted by insects or disease, failure is almost
certain to be the result. If, for example, we wish to root
cuttings of greenhouse or bedding plants, such as Bou-
‘yardias, Chrysanthemums, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Helio-
tropes, Salvias, Verbenas, etc., one of the best guides to
the proper condition is, when the cutting breaks or snaps
Fig. 22.—PROPER AND IMPROPER CONDITIONS OF CUTTING.
clean off instead of bending or ‘ kneeing.” If it snaps off
so as to break, then it is in condition to root freely; if it
bends, it is too old, and though it will root, it will root
much slower, and make a weaker plant than the slip that
snaps off on being bent. With very few exceptions, and
122 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
those of but little importance, cuttings of all kinds root
freely from slips taken from the ‘young wood, that is, the
young growth, before it gets hardened, and when in the
condition indicated by the ‘‘ snapping test,” as it is called.
I believe I was the first to call attention to this valuable
test of the condition of the cutting (snapping), in ‘‘Prac-
tical Floriculture,” first published in 1868. A very gen-
eral idea is current that cuttings must be cut at or below
an eye or joint. The practice of this method is not only
rarely necessary, but it leads undoubtedly to many cases
of failure; not that the cutting at or below a joint either
hinders or assists the
formation of roots,
but from the fact
that, when a slip is
cut at a joint, the
shoot often has _be-
come too hard at that
point, while at half
an inch higher up, or
above the joint, the
proper condition will
be found. I know
that it will root, even
when in the too hard
condition, but the
roots emitted will be
hard ~ and - slender,
and, as a conse-
quence, will not be
likely to make a plant
of the same vigor as one made from the cutting in the
proper state; besides, as the hard cutting takes a longer
time to root, its chances of failing from unfavorable at-
mospheric conditions are thus increased.
Although we have said that cuttings can be as easily
Fig. 30.—DAHLIA CUTTING.
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. 123
rooted without being cut at a joint as otherwise, yet there
are, in some plants, other considerations that necessitate
that they should never be cut except at a joint; for ex-
ample, a Dahlia cutting will root quite as freely, make as
fine a flowering plant in fall, and the tuberous roots in-
crease to the full size; but it will not be able to start
again in spring, because the Dahlia pushes only from the
crown of the root, andif the crown has not been formed
from a cutting made close
below a joint, as in figure
30, it is worthless, as the
tubers and crown formed
without an eye possess no
latent or dormant buds;
hence the importance of
always making Dahlia or
Clematis cuttings by cut-
ting immediately below an
eye, if the roots are wanted
for future use. Plants,
such as some species of
Bouvardias, Helianthus,
Euphorbias, Gypsophila
and Anemone, are best
increased by cuttings of
the roots, which are cut
in pieces of an inch or so
in length, placed flat to-
gether on the propagating
bench, pressed down and covered slightly with sand or
light soil. Figure 31 shows a root cutting of Anemone
Japonica.
With these instructions for the proper state of the cut-
ting, I now proceed to describe the medium wherein it is to
be placed,and the conditions of temperature,moisture, ete.
If these are strictly followed, failure is an impossibility ;
Fig. 31.—roor curtina.
124 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
for the laws governing the rooting of a slip are as certain
as those governing the germination of a seed. In our
own practice, when these conditions are strictly followed,
failure is unknown, when the cutting or slip is in the
proper condition of health.
The best degree of temperature to root cuttings of the
great majority of greenhouse and bedding plants is sixty-
five degrces of bottom heat, indicated by a thermometer
plunged in the sand of the bench, and an atmospheric
temperature of fifteen degrees less. A range of ten
degrees may be allowed, that is, five degrees lower or five
degrees higher; but the nearer the heat of the sard can be
kept to sixty-five degrees, and that of the rest of the
house to fifty degrees, the more perfect the success will
be. Ifa much higher temperature be maintained, it will
be at the expense of the ultimate health of the plants.
These temperatures refer to propagation under glass from
November to April. Of course, when the outside tem-
perature is higher these temperatures cannot be main-
tained.
Sand is the best medium in which to place cuttings ;
color or texture is of no special importance. What we
use is the ordinary sand used by builders; this is laid on
the hot-bed or bench of the greenhouse, to the depth of
about three inches and firmly packed down. When
<‘bottom heat” is wanted, the flue or pipes under the
bench of the greenhouse are boarded in, so that the heat
strikes the bottom of the bench, thus raising the temper-
ature of the sand. We prefer the bottom of the bench to
be of slate, as it is a better conductor than boards; but
in the absence of slate, boards will answer.
From the time the cuttings are inserted in the sand
until they are rooted, they should never be allowed to get
dry; in fact, our practice is, to keep the sand soaked with
water until the cutting is just on the point of emitting
roots, the cutting bench being watered copiously every
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. 125
morning, and often, when the atmosphere is dry, again
in the evening, (when the greenhouse is artificially
heated). Kept thus saturated, there is less chance of the
cutting getting wilted, either by heat from the sun or
from fire heat; for if a cutting once gets wilted, its juices
are expended, and it becomes in the condition of a hard
cutting, the condition in which, when bent, it will not snap
nor break, which has already been described. ‘To avoid
this wilting or flagging of the cutting, every means that
will suggest itself to the propagator is to be used. Our
practice is to shade and ventilate in the propagating
house or hot-bed just as soon in the forenoon as the action
of the sun’s rays on the glass raises the temperature of
the house to sixty-five or seventy degrees. Of course,
in hot weather the temperature cannot be thus lowered,
and for this reason the propagation of plants is a difficult
matter during the months of June, July and August,
exvept with such plants as Coleus and others of tropical
origin. In addition to the shading and watering, we
always use in the late spring or summer months, a layer
of paper over the cuttings (kept sprinkled four or five
times a day), until within a few days of their rooting;
this paper is used only on bright days, from ten to four
o’clock. The same plan is followed after the cuttings
are potted off, for four or five days, or until they begin to
strike root into the soil.
This practice of ventilating the propagating house or
hot-bed is, Iam aware, not in very common use, many
contending that the place where the propagating is done
should at all times be kept close. I have tried both
methods long enough, and extensively enough, to satisfy
myself beyond all question, that ventilating and propa-
gating at a low temperature, are capable of producing a
larger number of plants during the season than a high
temperature and a close atmosphere. ‘There need be no
failures; and it has the imporant advantage of produc-
126 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
ing a healthy stock,which the close or high temperature
system would fail todo in the case of many plants. Ihave
often heard propagators boasting of rooting cuttings in
fivedays. Iam well aware that this may be done, but lam
also aware that it is often done in damp and cloudy
weather at the risk of the whole crop, and it must be done
at a high temperature, which at all times causes the
plants to draw up slender, and thus impairs their vitality.
FUNGUS OF THE CUTTING BENCH.
Permitting a moderate circulation of air in the propa-
gating house, tends to prevent the germination of that
spider-web-like substance, which, for want of a better
term, is known among gardeners as the ‘‘ fungus of the
cutting bench.” HKvery one who has had any experience
in propagating knows the baneful effects of this ; how
that, in one night, it will often sweep off thousands of
cuttings that a few hours before were in heathful vigor.
But this dangerous enemy of the propagator requires,
like vegetation of higher grades, conditions suitable to its
development, which are a calm atmosphere, and a tem-
perature above sixty degrees at night, or seventy degrees
in day-time. Hence, to avoid this pest, we make every
effort, by shading, airing and regulation of fire heat, to
keep the atmosphere of the house so that it shall not ex-
ceed fifty-five degrees at night, with ten degrees higher in
day-time. This, of course, is not practicable when the
outside temperature in the shade is above sixty degrees,
but the temperature can be reduced considerably by dash-
ing water on the pathways and other parts of the house.
It is rarely, however, that the outside temperature ever
exceeds sixty degrees at night for any length of time in
the vicinity of New York before the middle of May, and
all propagating had better be finished previous to that
time, unless of tropical plants. In the fall months, about
the middle of September, operations in propagating may
PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS. 127
again begin. As an additional preventive against the
ravages of the ‘‘ fungus of the cutting bench,” we take
the precaution to scrape off an inch of the sand, after
taking out each batch of cuttings, and replace it with
fresh sand, and, at least twice each season, we remove the
sand that has been in use, wash the benches with hot
lime wash and replace with fresh sand, thus, as far as
possible, destroying the spores or germs of the fungus.
The temperature is prevented from rising in the house
in various ways, some using canvas, or bast matting, or
syringing the glass with a mixture of naphtha and white
lead, made about the color and consistency of thin skim
milk. We find, however, the best and most convenient
shading to be that formed by flexible screens made of
common lath, planed and attached together like Vene-
tian blinds, the laths being an inch or so apart. These
can be quickly rolled or unrolled, and give an ever vary-
ing modified shade, sufficiently cooling to the house, yet
not darkening the cutting enough to impair its vigor.
These are not unrolled in the morning until the temper-
ature inside indicates it to be necessary (usually about
nine o’clock), and are rolled up in the afternoon as soon
as the sun ceases to shine on the glass, for it is of the
utmost importance that the cutt.ngs receive as much
light as they will bear without becoming wilted. An ob-
jection to these screens, however, is their expense, as they
cost about ten cents per square foot.
The time required by cuttings to root varies from eight
to twenty days, according to the variety, condition of the
cutting and the temperature. Verbenas, Fuchsias or
Heliotropes, when in proper condition, and kept without
ever being allowed to wilt, will root, in an average bottom
heat of sixty-five degrees, in eight days, while Roses,
Pelargoniums or Petunias will take at least double that
time under the same conditions.
It is best to pot off the cuttings, when rooted, at once,
128 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
no matter how small the roots may be; half an inch is
a much better length for them to be when potted than
two inches, and the operation is much quicker performed
when the roots are short, than when long. But the main
evils of delaying the potting off of cuttings are, that when
left too long, the cuttings grow up weak and spindling,
the roots become hard, and do not take as quickly
to the pot. Nearly the same care is required in shading
and watering the cuttings after potting, as when they are
in the cutting bench ; for no matter how carefully taken
up, in the operation of potting, the delicate roots get
more or less injured, and until the cuttings begin to emit
new roots, they are nearly as lable to wilt as the unrooted
cuttings.
Cuttings should always be placed in small pots, the best
size being from two to two and a half inches wide and
deep ; if placed in larger pots, the soil dries out too slowly
and the tender root, imbedded too long in a mass of wet
soil, rots, and the plant dies. Though we generally pre-
fer soil to be unsifted in potting large plants, yet for
newly-potted cuttings it is better to be sifted fine, not
only because it is more congenial thus to the young roots,
but also that the operation of potting is quicker done with
finely-sifted than with coarse soil.
After potting, the cuttings are placed on benches coy-
ered with an inch or so of sand, watered freely with a
fine rose watering pot, and shaded for four or five days ;
by that time they will have begun to root, when no fur-
ther shading is necessary.
*©SAUCER SYSTEM” OF PROPAGATION. 129
CoE aes aii OVP
“SAUCER SYSTEM” OF PROPAGATION.
The above methods of propagating by cuttings are such
as are now practised by commercial florists who have all
the needed appliances, but for florists beginning in a
small way, or gardeners who have charge of private green-
houses, there is usually no necessity for a propagating
house, unless the requirements for plants are unusually
large, as the ‘* Saucer System ” of propagation will answer
every purpose, and it is the safest of all methods in inex-
perienced hands. I was, I believe, the first to introduce
this system some twenty years ago, and here repeat the
directions first given in one of the horticultural journals
at that time: Common saucers or plates are used to
hold the sand in which the cuttings are placed. The
sand is put in to the depth of an inch or so, and the cut-
tings inserted in it close enough to touch each other.
The sand is then watered until it becomes of the condition
of mud, and placed on the shelf of the greenhouse, or on
the window-sill of the sitting-room or parlor, fully ex-
posed to the sun, and never shaded. But one condition is
essential to success : until the cuttings become rooted the
sand must be continually saturated, and kept in the
condition of mud; if once allowed to dry up, exposed to
the sun as they are, the cuttings will quickly wilt, and
the whole operation will be defeated.
The rules previously laid down for the proper condition
of the cuttings are the same in this case, and those for
the temperature nearly so ; although, by the saucer sys-
tem, a high temperature can be maintained without in-
jury, as the cuttings are in reality placed in water, and
will not droop at the same temperature as if the sand
were kept in the regular condition of moisture maintained
130 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
in the propagating bench. Still, the detached slip, until
rooted, wil] not endure a continuation of excessive heat,
so that we advise, as we do in the regular method of
propagating, that the attempt should not be made to root
cuttings in this way, in this latitude, in the months of
June, July and August, unless with plants of a tropical
nature. When the cuttings are rooted, they should be
potted in small pots, and treated carefully by shading
and watering for a few days, as previously directed. All
kinds of plants may be rooted by this method when the
young green wood is used, whether of soft wooded plants,
such as Fuchsias, Carnations, Geraniums, Heliotropes,
ete., or of hard-wooded plants, such as Roses or Azaleas,
provided that the same condition of cutting is adhered to
as advised for the other methods.
In many of the operations in floriculture, as in vegeta-
ble gardening, success or failure depends upon their
being done at the proper time, and though it may seem
like a needless repetition, I cannot too strongly enforce
upon the novice the importance of observing the dates
that the experience of our best cultivators has shown to
be best under our peculiar climate. Whoever in this
matter follows the directions of an English work upon
horticulture, will be sure to fail into difficulties, although
its teachings may be exactly suited to the English climate.
I would here refer to the evils arising from the too com-
mon practice of many of our agricultural and horticul-
tural journals, of selecting from English papers articles
that often seriously mislead. For example, a Boston
magazine a year or two ago copied a long article from the
English “Journal of Horticulture,” telling us in a very
patronizing way how to propagate the Golden ‘T'ricolor-
leaved Geraniums. The writer laid great stress on having
a sharp knife and cutting the slip in a particular manner,
then to insert it in silver sand, and a lot of other nonsense
that any boy of six months’ practice here would have
PROPAGATING SOFI-WOODED PLANTS, 131
known was absurd ; but, above all, the operation was to
be performed in July! He might have got the sharpest
knife that was ever made, and the purest silver sand that
ever lay on the seashore, but he would have most likely
failed in our climate, if he attempted the work in July.
This is only one of scores of such absurd selections as we
see yearly in some of our horticultural journals. IEf the
conductors of such have not original matter to fill up with,
better far that they leave their pages blank than to show
their utter ignorance of what is suitable to our climate.
C HEA Pol EB Bo XV 1.
PROPAGATING SOFT-WOODED PLANTS IN SUMMER.
Every one who has attempted the propagation of plants
by cuttings during the high temperature we have in the
months of July and August, is aware of the great diffi-
culty experienced in doing so, no matter what system or
process is resorted to. In those months, plants of a suc-
culent nature, such as Carnations, Geraniums, Petunias,
etc., ete., grow rapidly, and the shoots formed are in
consequence watery and soft, so that, when detached from
the plant and used for propagation at that hot season of
the year, when the thermometer will average seventy-five
or eighty degrees in the shade, the chances are that few
will root, but will, as gardeners term it, ‘damp off” in
a few days after being put in as cuttings. In ordinary
cases, with those having the means of propagating plants,
this difficulty of rooting cuttings during the summer
months is not of much importance, as florists usually re-
serve stock enough to enable them to produce all the cut-
tings they require at the proper season for propagating,
132 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
namely : September, October and November. But with
amateurs, who have but a plant or two of some favorite
variety, and who wish to safely increase it, or to the flor-
ist wishing to make the most of some valuable importa-
tion, this practice, as yet little used, is likely to prove of
some benefit, particularly with such plants as the Varie-
gated-leaved Geraniums, like ‘‘ Mrs. Pollock,” “ Happy
Thought,” ‘* Mountain of Snow,” etc. Layering in the
usual way, by bending them down to the ground, is, of
course, in plants of that habit of growth, all but imprac-
ticable. ‘To take off cuttings would not only enfeeble the
plants, but the prospect of rooting these cuttings in hot
weather would be nearly hopeless; so a compromise is
made by a method which, for want of a better term, we
call ‘‘ layering in the air.” The shoot is ‘‘tongued” in the
manner of an ordinary layer. ‘This has the effect to arrest
the upward flow of the sap at the incision, which, of
course, acting to some extent as if the shoot had been
taken off, induces a branching out below the ‘‘ layer,”
providing shoots for further operations. But the effect
on the vigor of the plant is much better than if the layer
or shoot had been detached ; for, by the time it takes to
become hard and form a callus, the shoots branching out
below the cut are fit to supply the loss of foliage sustained
when the layer or cutting is detached. The cutting or
‘“layer” is in condition to be cut off in five or six days
from the time it has been tongued, and will be found to
be not only healed up, or callused, and in such a condi-
tion that it will quickly emit roots, buf the whole cutting
presents a well-ripened, firm condition, not easily de-
scribed, but readily detected by the practical propagator.
When detached, these should be treated in all respects as
ordinary cuttings, duly watered and shaded for a few
days until they strike out roots, when they are potted off
in small pots in the usual manner. In wet summers we
find that many of the plants of the Variegated Zonal Gera-
PROPAGATING SOFT-WOODED PLANTS. 133
niums and Variegated Rose Geraniums, operated on in this
manner, produce roots half an inch in length as they hang
in the air ; but this is of no special advantage, as we find
that those layers that merely heal up and callus make
just as fine plants as those that have formed roots before
being cut off.
Plants thus formed, make much finer plants than reg-
Fig. 32.—curTinas PARTLY SEVERED.
ular layers, as they are to allintents and purpose cuttings,
and consequently, unlike layers, are not long dependent
on the parent plant for support, being indebted little or
nothing to the old plant during their development. By
this system of propagation, we have often had the satis-
faction of doubling our stock of many rare and valuable
134 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
plants, which it would have been perfectly impracticable
to do in the usual manner during the hot months.
Another method of propagating plants in the hot
months, which in principle is somewhat similar to that
of the plan of ‘‘ layering in the air,” is as follows:
Instead of tonguing the shoot to be used for a cutting,
as before, it was merely snapped short off, at a point
where the condition of the shoot or slip would make it
hang on to the plant by the merest shred of bark, as
shown in figure 52. Shght as this strip of bark appears
to be, it is sufficient to sustain the cutting, without any
material injury from wilting, until it forms the ‘ callus,”
or granulated condition, which usually preceeds the for-
mation of roots. The cutting or slip may be detached
in from eight to twelve days, after it has been broken in
the manner described ; and then potted in two or three
inch pots. If watered and shaded rather less than re-
quired by ordinary cuttings, it will form roots in eight or
twelve days more, and not one in a hundred will fail,
even of plants of the Tricolor Geraniums, which we all
know are difficult to root under the ordinary modes of
propagation, particularly in hot weather. We recently
propagated in this way nearly 10,000 plants of the Tri-
color class, with a loss of but one per cent.; had we
adopted the ordinary method, even with the plants in
good condition, our experience has shown that a loss of
at least ninety per cent. might have been expected.
This plan is applicable to many other plants besides
Geraniums. The following may be propagated with great
certainty by this method, using the young unripened
shoots: Abutilons, Begonias, Carnations, Heliotropes,
Crotons, Cactus of all kinds, Lantanas, Oleanders, Petu-
nias (double), Pelargoniums, or Geraniums of all sorts,
Poinsettias, together with nearly all kinds of plants of a
woody or succuient character. Besides the absolute cer-
tainty of haying the cuttings root by this method, it has
PROPAGATION OF ROSES BY CUTTINGS. 135
another most important advantage: All propagators
know that many kinds of plants when cut back for cut-
tings, become weakened so much that, if not carefully
handled, they may die ; also if two or three crops of cut-
tings are taken off as they grow, the cuttings are weakened
and the ‘‘ stock plant” becomes permanently injured.
By this method of breaking the slip, so that it hangs by
'a shred to the parent plant, the roots have to use their
functions for its support nearly the same as if it remained
entirely attached to the plant. This results, exactly as
we Wish, in causing the parent plant to strike out shoots
below the broken slip, and these again, in their turn, can
be so treated. I may say that, in certain conditions of
the shoot, instead of snapping, it will ‘‘ knee” or bend
only ; in such eases, it will be necessary to slip it two-
thirds through with a knife, but in most instances it will
snap and hang by the shred of bark, which is the best
condition.
CHA Pha, xX XV iT.
PROPAGATION OF ROSES BY CUTTINGS.
As the propagation of Roses by cuttings is a matter of
very wide-spread interest, I will give a special description
of our method. The rule that applies to the proper con-
dition of soft-wooded plants, such as Fuchsias, Helio-
tropes or Verbenas (that is, that the young shoot should
be in a state to snap or break off instead of bending), does
not apply to the proper condition of Rose cuttings. The
young shoot of the Rose is also what is to be used, but it
must be hard and woody. For example, when a Rosebud
is developed enough to be cut, the shoot on which it grows
_is in about the right condition for cuttings, each leaf of
the shoot, with its bud at the axil, and two or three
136 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
inches of stem, making a cutting ; that is what is called
a single eye cutting. They are simply made by mak-
ing one rather slanting cut between the joints, or about
half an inch above the eye. About one-third of the leaf
is cut off, mainly for the purpose of allowing more cut-
tings to be put in the cutting bench. If by any acci-
dent the leaf is taken off, the Rose cutting in this condi-
tion will never root to make a good plant ; or if, from any
cause, the leaves drop off while the cuttings are in pro-
cess of rooting, not cne in ten will ever make a satisfac-
tory plant. Besides the method of using cuttings made
from one eye or bud, the ‘‘ blind wood,” so called (that
is, the shoots that do not produce flower buds), is also
used, and generally makes the safest and best kind of cut-
tings, as these blind shoots are hard and slender, and
root rather quicker than cuttings made from single eyes.
These shoots are usually too short-jointed to be made into
single eve cuttings, and have often two or more eyes to
the cutting ; but the feliage should be shortened off about
one-third, as in the single eye cuttings. A good length
for a Rose cutting is three inches, though in some short-
jointed kinds no more than one inch in length of cutting
can be obtained.
There is no difficulty in propagating Roses from cut-
tings of young wood, if it is grown under glass, any time
from September to May (provided the plants are entirely
vigorous and healthy; if affected with red spider, mildew
or other disease, failure to root cuttings satisfactorily will
be certain); during the months of June, July and August,
it is a process requiring great care and attention. We,
howeyer, grow hundreds of thousands in this way by the
following method: About the middle of May we plant
out our ‘‘stock plants,” so called, though they are young
plants from three-inch pots (that have been rooted in the
January previous) on the greenhouse benches, in three
or four inches of rather poor soil, contaiming not a par-
PROPAGATION OF ROSES BY CUTTINGS. 137
ticle of manure, the object being to produce a hard and:
slender woody growth of cuttings, instead of a soft and
pithy one. Obtaining cuttings of this kind, there is no
difficulty in rooting them, if the proper attention to shad-
ing and watering, already described, has been given. I
will state, however, that after they are potted off, carefully
shading from the hot sun is necessary until the root strikes
through to the side of the pot. I have found it to be a
great help in propagating in summer, to sift a thin layer
of fine moss, sawdust, or cocoanut fibre, over the Rose cut-
tings after potting. This keeps them moist, acting as a
mulch, and also, after they have rooted, it keeps them
cool in hot weather, both materials being excellent non-
conductors.
It is a curious fact that, no matter how healthy Rose
cuttings may be when growing in the open ground, they
can rarely be got in condition, during the summer
months, to root. I have tried them at all seasons and in
all conditions, but do not think I ever made a success
during the months of June, July, or August. They in-
variably drop their leaves, and this means failure every
time. Why they should do so more than those grown
inside, I have never yet been able to discover, but that
such are the facts, any one trying it will very quickly find
out. My experience in this matter has been confined to
the latitude of New York. I believe that in some sec-
tions of the country, when the shoots become better
ripened, they may be successfully propagated from out-
door wood in the summer.
Hybrid Perpetual, and even Monthly Roses, however,
can be propagated from cuttings of well-ripened hard wood
‘grown in the open ground, put in in October or Novem-
ber in any place (a cold greenhouse or a cold frame), where
they can be kept just above the freezing point at night—
say from thirty-two to forty degrees, with ten to fifteen
degrees more during the day. They must not get much
138 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
frost, though a few degrees would do no harm, except to
retard them; but artificial heat above forty degrees for
any length of time to hard-wood cuttings is almost cer-
tain to destroy them. I remember, some years ago, my
foreman insisted that we should put ina lot of prunings
of several new Hybrid Perpetual Roses that we had re-
ceived in December from Europe, in our regular propa-
gating house. I told him it was useless, but he insisted
on being allowed to try. I gave him the privilege, pro-
vided he did the work in his own time at night. He worked ¢
most diligently, and got three or four of the hands to help
him for a week at nights. He had some 20,000 cuttings
in the propagating bench, where the temperature of the
sand marked sixty-five degrees. The cuttings threw out
shoots an inch in length, callused beautifully, and up to
that point, any one who had not gone through the thing
before, would have said that the operation was a success.
One morning, about ten days after putting them in, he
called me to witness his victory ; but I astounded him by
saying, that for every plant he made from the 20,000 cut-
tings I would give him twenty-five cents. He watched
and redoubled his care; but it was no use. In less than
a month every cutting had blackened and rotted.
Had the temperature of the sand never exceeded forty
degrees, a large proportion would have rooted ; but it
would have taken three or four months to do so; and then
the results are never so satisfactory as when cuttings are
made from the green wood, taken from plants growing
under glass. When, however, there is no greenhouse at
hand, but only cold frames, such as are used for Cabbage,
Lettuce, Pansy, or Daisy plants, the hard-wood cuttings
of Roses placed in such in October, if not too much
frozen, will be rooted by April. One of our market gar-
deners here has followed the plan for twenty years. His
cold frames, where he keeps his Cabbage plants, are well
sheltered, and he roots thousands of Hybrid Perpetual
PROPAGATION OF ROSES BY CUTTINGS. 139
Rose cuttings by simply sticking them between the rows
of Cabbage plants. He thus gets four or five hundred in
a three by six sash without serious detriment to the Cab-
bage plants, as the cuttings are leafless, and look like
dried sticks until the Cabbage plants are taken out in
spring. The cuttings then begin to leaf out, and are
rooted sufficiently to pot by the 1st of May.
PROPAGATING ROSES IN THE SOUTHERN STATES.
The method of propagating Roses at the South is very
simple, particularly in the vicinity of Charleston, 8. C.,
Savanna, Ga.; or in almost any part of Florida. There,
the long, heated summers raise the temperature of the
sandy soil as high as that of the atmosphere at night in
the winter months, if not higher, forming, in fact, a sort
of natural hot-bed. All that is necessary to do in such a
case 18 to make cuttings of Roses, either Monthly or Hy-
brid Perpetual, in lengths of five or six inches, and make
a trench deep enough to plant them, leaving only one or
two eyes or buds above ground. Care must be taken to
firm the cuttings well in with the foot, so as to exclude
the air. The cuttings may be set in the trenches four to
six inches apart, and two or three feet between the lines.
Cuttings of Roses planted in this way, in these or similar
localities, im November and December, will form roots by
February or March ; and if left to grow where they were
placed, without beimg disturbed, will have made growths
of from one to five feet by the following September, ac-
cording to the variety or class. The cuttings of Roses
grown South are best got from the North.
‘PROPAGATION BY LAYERING.
Propagation by layering in the usual way, in the soil,
is but little practised now-a-days, since the ways of root-
ing plants by cuttings have been so greatly simplified ;
but occasionally some one may want a few plants of a
140 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Rose or other shrub growing in the open ground who
has not other ways of propagation at command, when
this method may be safely adopted.
Although layering may be done with the ripened wood
of vines or shrubs of the growth of the previous season,
yet it is preferable to use the shoot of the present year
in its half-green state; for example, a Rose or flowering
shrub is pruned in the usual way in spring; by June or
July it will have made strong shoots, one, two or three
feet in length from or near the base of the plant. Take
the shoot then in the left hand (after having stripped it
of its leaves for a few inches on each side of where it is
to be cut), keep the fingers under the shoot, and make a
clean cut on the upper part, an inch or so in length, and
to about half the thickness of the shoot, then slightly
twist the ‘‘ tongue” or cut part to one side. Having
opened a shallow trench, fasten the branch down with a
hooked peg, and cover with earth. It isa good plan to
place a flat stone over the buried part of the layer, to pre-
vent the soil from drying out.
This plan of cutting the shoot on the upper side, I have
never seen in illustrations showing the manner of layer-
ing, it being usually made either on the side or below ; but
I have found in practice, that it is much the safest plan,
as the ‘‘ tongue,” when cut on the top part of the shoot,
has far less chance of being broken off.
PROPAGATION BY LAYERING IN POTS.
This 1s the process of layering shoots or runners of
plants in pots, so that, when the root forms in the pot,
the plant can be detached without injury to it, as the
roots are confined exclusively to the soil in the pot. Lay-
ering plants in pots can be done with Roses, vines or
shrubs of any kind, with always more certainty of mak-
mg a plant quicker than by the ordinary way of layering
the shoot in the soil, because when lifted there is no dis-
PROPAGATING ROSES. 141
turbance of the roots. ‘This method of propagating
Strawberries has been largely practised during the past
ten years in the United States,and is now a favorite
method.
C H.A.P Tee x XS VALE.
PROPAGATING ROSES BY GRAFTING AND BUDDING.
This is the system almost entirely used in Europe,
and although it has the disadvantage of necessitating
watchfulness in removing the suckers that come from the
stock, it is no doubt the quickest way that new varieties
can be increased ; besides, in many weak-growing kinds,
it imparts greater vigor to the plant. We have found it to
be the only method of renewing the weakened vitality of
kinds that have been injured by over propagation from cut-
tings, or by continuous forcing for winter flowers, which
is well known has so weakened many of the kinds used
for that purpose, that failures the past few years have in-
creased largely. ‘The main reason why the grafted plant
imparts greater vigor is, that the operation, as. usually
performed, compels the stock to be rested for several
months; it is well known that, in the way Roses are
usually propagated from cuttings, they are taken from
plants that have had no rest. If we would attain the
greatest vigor in a Rose plant, a proper amount of rest is
imperatively demanded. The ‘‘ Manetti” is the stock
most generatly preferred for grafting or budding roses.
They are usually imported from England, costing $6
to $7 per 1,000. When received in November, they
are potted in three inch pots, kept free from fire heat,
in cold houses or frames, or covered by leaves in the
open ground, until January, February, or March. The
operation of grafting is very simple, and is done by the
142 _ PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
method shown in the engravings, figure 33; it is the sim-
ple ‘‘ splice graft,” or *‘ whip graft.” In our opinion, it
makes no difference what form is used, provided that care
is taken that a complete junction is made on at least one
side; if on both sides, all the better. After the graft
has been placed on the stock, it is carefully tied up with
Raffia, so as to exclude the air and keep the graft in
place. Some prefer to cover the tie with grafting-wax,
but that is not indispensable.
The temperature of the greenhouse or frame, in which
the operation of grafting Roses is done, may run from
4
Fig. 33.—GRAFTING THE ROSE.
sixty to seventy degrees at night, with ten degrees higher
during the day, but it is absolutely indispensable to suc-
cess that the pots should be so plunged that a bottom
heat of at least five degrees higher’than the air of the
house can be given. This must be done, or there will
not be complete success. This bottom heat can be se-
cured either by the hot water pipes, or by the ordinary
hot-bed, or by using a foot or so of hot manure. placed on
the benches in the greenhouse ; we ourselves use the latter
plan, enclosing the manure by sashes, so as to exclude the
air until the grafts have ‘‘taken.” That plants can be
PLANTS MOST IN DEMAND IN SPRING. 143
quicker made by grafting than by cuttings, there is no
question. When the American Beauty Rose was first
sent out in 1885, our propagations from cuttings made
in August of that year, grown with all possible care, did
not attain half the size or vigor at a year old that grafts
put on Manetti stocks in March, 1886, made in five
months. In other words, the cutting plants required
only an eight-inch pot in August, while the grafted plants
required a ten-inch pot, being nearly twice the height and
twice the breadth.
Budding Roses is usually performed on stocks planted
cut in the open ground in July and August, or as late as
the buds will take ; the bud is usually placed low enough
on the stock, so that it can be earthed up to protect it in
winter. Generally only the hardy or Hybrid Perpetual
Roses are thus budded. It is practised to only a slight
exlent by some of our florists and nurserymen in the
United States, as our climate is not so suitable for the
work as that of England or France; besides, the low rates
at which Roses are now sold in Europe, make the opera-
tion of budding Roses in the open ground no longer
profitable here, on account of our higher rates of labor.
CH AP LER > X XCrxk.
PLANTS MOST IN DEMAND IN MARKET IN SPRING.
GROWN IN GREENHOUSES.
These plants are grown in pots in greenhouses, and I
will arrange them, as nearly as possible, in the order of
their importance in the New York markets, which is
perhaps, .as good a criterion as can be fixed upon for the
whole country.
Roses.—These, comprising both Monthly and Hybrid
Perpetual sorts, are usually sold in four, five or six inch
144 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.,
pots, and when sold in open market must be in bud or
bloom, as few market buyers know anything of Roses by
name, hence the color must be shown. ‘There are two
methods of growing Roses for market purposes ; that yet
most used by florists is, to plant the young Roses that
have been propsgated in spring, in the open ground in
May, liftmg when they have attained their growth in
October or November, and placed in four, five or six
inch pots, according to the size of the plants. The plants
are then placed in cold pits, or cold greenhouses, where
the temperature at night runs from thirty-five to forty-
five degrees, with ten degrees higher in day-time, as for
the best development of strong root-growth the temper-
ature must be kept low. After the pots are filled with
healthy white roots, which will be about the end of Feb-
ruary or March, they may be given a temperature of ten
degrees higher, but great care must be taken to avoid too
high a temperature until they have formed roots, or the
chances are if they do not die outright they will be so en-
feebled us to be worthless. The Tea or Monthly Roses
require a higher temperature than the Hybrid Perpetuals.
The best monthly kinds for market are: Hermosa,
Agrippina, Perle des Jardins, Sunset, Bennett, American
Beauty, ‘The Bride, Chas. Rivoli, Duchess de Brabant,
Marie Guilott, Souvenir d’un Ami, and La Pheenix.
These comprise all shades of color, are all free blooming,
of easy growth. For full descriptions, see florists’ cata-
logues.
Of the hardy Hybrid Perpetual class, the following are
found to be the freest blooming, and having the greatest
variety of color that can be hadi in a dozen sorts. Baroness
Rothschild, Merveille de Lyon, Anna de Diesbach, Magna
Charta, Ball of Snow, Jacqueminot, Paul Neron, Auguste
Mie, Marie Bauman, Madam Gabriel Luizet, Louis Van
Houtte and Peonia. For descriptions, see catalogues.
Of Climbing Roses there are only some few desirable
PLANTS MOST IN DEMAND IN SPRING. 145
ones chat are hardy in this latitude, among which are the
Blush and Crimson Boursalt, Russell’s Cottage, Prairie
Queen and Baltimore Belle.
Of the monthly varieties of Climbing Roses there is a
greater varicty of color, but none of these are sufficiently
hardy to stand our winters north of Richmond, Va.
Among the best of the Climbing Monthly Roses are :
The New Waltham, Gloire de Dijon, James Sprunt,
Mareschal Niel, Setina, Lamarque, Madam Berrard and
Cloth of Gold; these represent all colors. Descriptions
will be found in the catalogues. Nextin importance as a
market plant, is the
Zonal Geranium (Pelargonium zonale).—Properly
called, if we followed strict botanical correctness, ‘* Pe-
largonium.” The true genus Geranium, being herba-
ceous perennial plants, natives of nearly all parts of
this country ; but common usage has dubbed the Zonale
Pelargonium ‘‘ Geranium,” both here and in England,
and it would only lead to confusion to use the true botan-
ical name now. Of this, the grandest of all our summer
flowering plants, or, for that matter, of winter flowering,
there are now hundreds of varieties under name, both
double, semi-double and single, running through all
shades from pure white to pink, to scarlet, to crimson,
in every gradation of shade. It is uscless here to name
varieties ; the catalogues teem with new and improved
kinds each year, and we again refer the reader to these.
In our own business, we find the sale for Geraniums in-
creasing more rapidly than that of any other plant we
grow, particularly for the semi-double kinds, which
flower, many of them, quite as freely as the single kinds,
and have the merit of not dropping their petals when
cut or when dashed with rain. From the cuttings made
during winter, we repot and harden off our ‘‘ stock” plants
in cold frames, so that we can with safety plant them
146 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
out in the open ground here the first week in May; this
can be done in this latitude with perfect safety, provided
the plants have been well hardened, as when thus hard-
ened, even if the thermometer falls to the freezing point,
which it sometimes does with us in the first week in
May, they will not be injured. We generally plant them
in beds, eighteen inches apart each way, so that they can
be easily worked by the wheel hoe, and also to give them
room enough to develop the shoots from which the cut-
tings are to be taken in the fall. I find it best to take off
the cuttings at different times, two or three weeks apart,
to guard against accident. While the Geranium roots
freely at certain seasons, when the conditions are all
right, yet I have seen a batch of 10,000 cuttings nearly
all fail. They were put in in September, when the
plants were growing vigcrously, and the shoots full of
sap. The time to put in the cuttings should be chosen
after a spell of dry weather, such as would harden
and to some extent ripen the growth. Cuttings in this
condition, put in in the usual way the first week in Octo-
ber, will root freely in ten or twelve days, although cut-
tings taken from the plant the first week in November
will be still safer. There is an advantage in having
them early, however, as each plant can be doubled or
quadrupled by taking the tops from the plants as they
grow. Geraniums are sold usually in four and five inch
pots; it is a great saving in weight to use as small a pot
as it is possible in which to flower the plants, but
such plants as Geraniums must have plenty of food, else
they will not develop flowers freely. A good plan, when
the pot is full of roots, and it is wished to dispense with
a further shift into a larger pot, is to ‘‘top dress” the
pot with a compost. of six parts soil, six parts rotted
manure and one part bone; ‘‘ top dressing” is the re-
moval of an inch or so of the exhausted soil from the top
of the pot and replacing with this mixture. We use this
PLANTS MOST IN DEMAND IN SPRING. 147
plan with Roses and many other plants with excellent
results.
The Fancy Pelargoniums (Pelargonium grandiflorum),
or ‘‘ Lady Washington Geraniums,” as they are called in
most of the Eastern States, require in all respects nearly
the same culture as the Zonal, except that they are best
kept in pots during summer when wanted for stock.
Fuchsias, Heliotropes, Lantanas and Petunias require
alittle higher temperature than Geraniums, but their
general culture is very similar when grown during the
winter for market ; but Astilbe (incorrectly Spirea),
Carnations, Dicentra, Feverfew, Hollyhocks, Pinks, and
all other half-hardy plants, should be treated like Roses—
that is, kept in a low temperature, thirty-five or forty-five
degrees at night in winter, until they have formed new
roots. The use of Hollyhocks as market plants may be
known to few of our readers, but the new Dwarf Holly-
hock, ‘‘Crimson Pyramid,” has proved excellent for that
purpose in the New York markets, and if, as is likely to
be the case, it comes to ‘‘ break” into all the colors of the
Hollyhock, we will here have a grand and showy feature
in our market flowers. ‘The seed of the Hollyhock,
** Crimson Pyramid,” if sown in August, will give plants
strong enough to be suitable for five or six inch pots
by November, when they should be kept in a cool green-
house or frame until March, when, if started in heat of
sixty degrees at night, they will flower abundantly by the
middle or end of May. ‘This Hollyhock grows to a
height of twelve to fifteen inches, forming a well-defined
pyramid, clothed from base to summit with rich, crim-
son semi-double flowers. Although it can be propagated
from cuttings, it is best grown from seeds, which it
produces freely in July and August,
148 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
CAP TL DR eee
THE CULTIVATION OF THE VERBENA.
This would seem to require a special chapter. Compar-
atively few florists have success in growing it, and as I
have grown it successfully for upwards of thirty years, I
have confidence, if the instructions here given are strictly
followed, that it can be successfully grown anywhere and
by any one. The principal trouble in growing the Ver-
bena is, to prevent it from being attacked by the insect
which produces the black rust, or Verbena disease, as it
is sometimes called. I will make the starting point the
first of April. At that date take cuttings from healthy
plants ; see that they are taken in the condition described
in the chapter on Propagation—that is, that they are in
such a state that they will break on being bent. They will
root fit to be potted off in eight or ten days, and will be
fine, healthy plants to putin the open ground in thirty
days after. Verbenas are not at all particular about soil,
provided it is not water-soaked ; we have planted them
on soils varying from almost pure sand to heavy clay,
and, provided it was enriched by manure, there was but
little difference in the growth or bloom. Planted out in
May, by August they will have spread to an extent of
three feet, the plants profusely covered with flowers and
seed-pods. Now at this time, say the middle of August,
this profuse flowering and seeding of course lessens the
vitality of the plant and puts it in the condition to invite
the attack of the insect which causes the rust. To sus-
tain the vitality of the plant and recuperate its exhausted
forces, we cut back the extremities of the shoots some six
inches, in all plants from which we design to propagate,
free the plants of decayed leaves, and thin out where too
thick at the center. Then we fork up the soil around each
THE CULTIVATION OF THE VERBENA. 149
plant, adding a compost of equal parts of fresh soil and
rotted manure to the depth of two or three inches.
Young shoots, as they develop, root into this with avid-
ity, producing a soft and healthy growth, which, by the
first or middle of October, gives us just the style of cut-
ting we require. Now the process of propagation begins,
which may be carried on either in the propagating house
in the usual way, or by the saucer system, as before de-
scribed ; but by whichever method the propagation is ef-
fected, let me again mention the importance of taking
the cutting in that succulent condition in which it will
snap on being bent.
Do not attempt to pot the old plant, or the layers of
the Verbena, or even to take a shoot for a cutting which
has formed a root in the ground ; for in most cases the
roots so formed are so low down that the shoot is hard
and woody at that point, and will not be likely to pro-
duce such roots as will give a healchy growth. It is by
starting wrong in the fall, and impairing the vitality of
the plant and placing it in an enfeebled state, that disease
is invited.
In the directions given in the chapter on Propazation
great importance is attached to the necessity of potting
off cuttings immediately after being rooted. If this is
necessary with any plant, it is especially so with the Ver-
bena, as no plant is more susceptible of injury from allow-
ing the roots to become elongated and hardened in the
cutting bench. Cuttings thus neglected make hard, slim
plants, which, even if they do escape the insect pest, are
not likely to make thrifty plants. On potting the cut-
tings, they are placed in a greenhouse or frame, and shaded
in the usual way for two or three days, or as long as the
condition of the weather may require. As soon as they
have struck root in the soil of the pots, they should be kept
cool, and abundantly supplied with air.
Fire heat need only be given suflicient to keep them
150 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
above forty-five degrees, and if a temperature can be sus-
tained throughout the entire winter months averaging
fifty degrees, at night, and not to exceed fifteen degrees
higher during the day until the middle of March, there is
no doubt whatever of having a healthy ard vigorous stock,
providing proper attention has been given to watering
and to fumigation by tobacco.
Continued fumigation is of the utmost importance in
the culture of all plants under glass, but it is perfectly
indispensable to the welfare of the Verbena. In all our
Verbena houses we fumigate, on an average, two or three
times each week ; we do not wait to see the aphis or Green-
fly, but apply the antidote solely as a preventive. No
omission is so inexcusable as that of permitting plants to
be injured by this insect.
Although I have elsewhere stated (see chapter on In-
sects) that the very minute one which produces the
troublesome ‘‘ black rust” on the Verbena seems inyul-
nerable to the fumes of tobacco smoke, yet I have a belief
that our unremitting practice of fumigating may be,
after all, the true reason of our comparative exemption
from its attack; for although this insect may have the
faculty of imbedding itself in the leaf on the approach of
danger, its eggs, being stationary and exposed,: may be
destroyed by the action of the smoke; at all events, we
have repeatedly brought varieties of Verbena severcly
affected by the rust into our collection, which in a few
weeks appeared entirely free from the disease, showing
that our treatment, in some way or other, destroyed
the enemy.
There is no question that this insect, so fatal to the
health of the Verbena, is most active and destructive in
a high temperature ; hence we find that whenever Ver-
benas are kept in a mixed greenhouse collection, where
Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, Heliotrope, etc., are grown (us-
ually in night temperature of fifty-five or sixty degrees),
PLANTS MOST SOLD IN MARKET IN SPRING. 151
the Verbena becomes affected by black rust, showing that
its minute enemy is at work sapping its life current.
Verbenas, whether grown for sale or for private use, if
we would have plants in fine health and vigor in May,
should not be propagated sooner than January. ‘To be
sure, the ‘‘ stock ” plants, to produce the cuttings, must
be raised previous, in October or November, but such
plants become exhausted by spring and are inferior to
later propagations. The ‘‘stock” plants, from which we
propagate, are usually thrown away by March Ist.
In our own practice the necessities of our business re-
quire us to put in an almost uniform number of cuttings
every two weeks from November to April ; the last lot,
which we pot off at the end of April, usually making the
finest plants. For the raising of Verbenas from seed, see
chapter on Propagation by Seeds.
CUB CAs Pa Wiohierae coe by,
THE PLANTS MOST SOLD IN MARKET IN SPRING.
GROWN IN COLD FRAMES.
Pansies are the most important of the millions of
plants raised in cold frames now sold each spring. For
our manner of raising, see ‘‘ Pansies ” in chapter entitled
“Propagation by Seeds.” Also, for manner of con-
structing ‘‘ cold frames,” see chapter under that head.
Daisies are usually raised by setting out the stock
plants in spring in some cool and partially shaded place,
If they grow freely, each single plant set out in spring
will divide to a dozen or more, ready to be set out in the
cold frames in September or October. Very good varie-
ties can also be raised from seed, particularly the double
152 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
white, by sowing seed in August and transplanting to
cold frames in October. We ourselves raise teus of thou-
sands in this way, as we have not suitable soil to keep the
established kinds, that are propagated by division, alive
through the hot summer. ;
Cowslips, Primroses and Auriculas are beautiful spring
plants, when kept over as are Pansies in cold frames.
‘They are also increased by division, like the Daisy, but
the process is slow and they are often, like the Daisy,
difficult to keep through our hot and dry summers, but
they can all be easily raised from seed, which should be
sown about the same time in spring as we sow the Chin-
ese Primula. See Chapter 22 on Propagation by Seeds.
Myosotis (Forget-Me-Nots),—When wintered over in
cold frames, the Forget-me-nots bloom freely in early
spring. They can easily be kept over the summer by
planting in some cool, partially shaded place, and in-
creased by dividing in fall, or they may be grown from
seed, exactly as recommended for Cowslip or Primrose.
Tn addition to the plants just named as being grown in
cold frames, to bloom in early spring, the following half
hardy plants that bloom later in the season can all best
be raised from seed and grown in cold frames during
winter: Aquilegia, Delphinium, Digitalis and Holly-
hocks. Although these are all hardy in this latitude, we
find that better plants can be had the first season from
seed by protecting them in cold frames. The distance
apart at which plants are set in cold frames must be gov-
erned by the size and kinds; we ourselves plant from 100
to 200 in a three by six foot sash.
PLANTS FOR WINDOW DECORATION. 155
© HeAgPe ben A xX XxX TE.
PLANTS MOST IN DEMAND FOR WINDOW DECORATION
IN WINTER.
For this purpose most kinds of plants should be grown
in pots during the summer; it is more troublesome to
obtain good results by lifting plants in the fall that have
been planted in the open ground, although such plants as
Bouvardias, Carnations and Chrysanthemums, if lifted
carefully and placed in pots in September or October, and
shaded until they have taken root, will do quite as well
as if they had been grown in pots during the summer,
but Abutilons, Azaleas, Begonias, Cinerarias, Calceo-
larias, Chinese Primulas, Callas, Crotons, Camellias,
Daphnes, Dracenas, Fuchsias, Ferns, Geraniums, Genis-
tas, Heliotropes, Impatiens, Jessamines, Libonias, Palms,
Salvias, Solanums, Tropxolums, and Roses, all of which
are suitable as decorative plants for greenhouse, parlor,
or sitting-room, in winter, had all better be grown in
pots during the summer, shifted, of course, as their
necessities require, into larger pots. On an average, six-
inch pots would be sufficiently large to flower them in
during winter, though strong growing species may be
grown to a size requiring eight or nine inch pots. All
the plants named above, with the exception of Bouyar-
dias, Begonias, Crotons, Dracenas, Ferns, Palms and
Salvias, will do well in a temperature of fifty degrees at
night, with ten to fifteen degrees higher in the day-time;
these last named will require about ten degrees higher.
Nearly all plants grown inside in winter, require great
care in watering. Very little injury can be done to
plants by being freely watered when growing vigorously
in bright weather from May to October, but in the dull,
dark days from November to March, it is better to adopt
the safe old rule never to water a plant unless the surface
ity! PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
of the soil of the pot or bench indicates that it is dry by
becoming lighter in color; then water may be given
freely, provided that there is sufficient drainage to allow
it to pass off readily. Avoid manure water and all stimu-
lants to plants in winter, until the days begin to lengthen
and the sun gets to be brighter in February.
The insects that attack plants used for winter dec-
oration are, principally, the aphis, or Green-fly, the
Red-spider, and the Mealy-bug. The first is easily
killed or warded off by the use of tobacco, either as
smoke, dust, or steeped so as to form a liquid of the
color of strong tea. The Red-spider is not so easily dis-
lodged, and can only be kept under by continued spong-
ing of the leaves, mainly on the under side, or by heavy
syringing. ‘The Mealy-bug is the most difficult of all
insects to get rid of, but the use of Fir tree oil, diluted
in the proportion of one pint of the oil to five gallons of
water, if syriged on the plants once a week, will entirely
suppress the Mealy-bug ; for small lots, dipping the plants
into the mixture is the best way. We have found the
use of Fir tree oil, diluted as above, an excellent means
of keeping down the ravages of all insect life by steadily
syringirg with it at least once each week. For further
instructions, see chapter on Insects.
CUA PTE RY XX xia.
CULTURE OF WINTER FLOWERING PLANTS FOR CUT
FLOWERS.
Since the first edition of ‘‘ Practica] Floriculture” was
written, in 1868, the varieties of plants used for cut
flowers in winter, as well as the methods of culture, have
so changed that the instructions then given would be of
but little use now. Camellia flowers that were then the
most valued, are now almost entirely discarded. Tube-
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 155
roses that averaged $8 per 100 from November to June,
are now hardly salable at any price in the vicinity of New
York, Boston or Philadelphia. Rose buds have for the
past ten years nearly supplanted all else in the way
of cut flowers, and still continue to do so, many hun-
dreds of acres of greenhouses now being used for their
culture. As Roses, then, are the most important of all
flowers for this purpose, I will begin with their culture,
following with the other plants used for cut flowers in
winter, in the order of their present importance.
CHAP TER XX XIV:
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER.
To propagate the plants to produce Roses in winter,
strong, healthy cuttings are put in to root at any time
from September to February. We keep the sand in our
cutting benches about sixty-five or seventy degrees Fahr.,
with the temperature of the house ten degrees less. Rose
cuttings, under these conditions (if the cuttings have
been taken from plants in vigorous growth, and are free
from mildew and insects), will root in from twenty to
twenty-five days, and are then petted in any good soil,
in two and a half inch pots, and placed in a greenhouse
having a night temperature of about fifty-five degrees,
with ten to fifteen degrees more in the day-time. (See
chapter on Propagation of Plants. )
The young Roses are regularly shifted into larger pots
as soon as the ‘‘ball” gets filled with roots, great care
being taken that the plants at no time get pot-bound.
Syringing is done once a day to keep down red spider,
and fumigating by burning tobacco stems to kill the aphis
or Green-fly must be done twice a week. With such
156 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
attention, plants which were put in as cuttings at the
seasons named above, by the middle of June will be from
one to one foot and a half in height, with roots enough
to fill a six-inch pot. I may state that when shifted from
a four-inch to a six-inch pot, two inches of drainage is
used, so that when the roses are planted in the shallow
benches, the ‘‘ ball” of roots taken from the six-inch pot
will be but four inches deep, or about the depth of the
soil of the bench. ‘They should at this date, or before,
be placed out-of-doors, and stood on rough gravel or cin-
ders, so as to make certain of free drainage. It is not
the universal practice to put Roses ont in the open air ;
in some sections, particularly in the vicinity of salt water,
it is almost impossible to keep them clear of mildew when
placed out of doors in summer, so that now some of our
largest and most successful growers keep them all the
time under glass, giving as much ventilation as possible.
If intended to be grown in pots, the shifting into
larger pots should be repeated whenever the ball gets
filled with roots (which is usually in about four or five
weeks after every shift), until the Ist of October, when
they will have reached a size requiring a pot of eight or
nine inches in diameter. ‘These pots should be amply
drained with broken pots or charcoal, using soil com-
posed of three parts decomposed sod from a good loamy
soil to one of well-rotted cow manure, or the soil here-
after advised for benches will do equally well. ‘They are
then in condition for winter forcing, no further shifting
being required. But if they are to be planted out on
benches, or in solid beds of soil, the planting should be
made from the pots from the 1st of June to the 15th of
August, but the sooner the better.
SOLID BEDS AND RAISED BENCHES.
There is quite a difference of opinion as to whether
Roses can be best grown in solid beds or on raised
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. tay
benches. We believe that it really makes but little
difference, as we find them grown with nearly equal suc-
cess by both methods where drainage is perfect, although
the method mainly in use in the vicinity of New York
(where Roses are at present better grown than in any
other section of the country), is the raised bench system.
There is no doubt, however, that the raised bench plan
is much more expensive, as it is found (to have the best
results), that the plants must be renewed each year ; that
is, that the young plants that have been propagated in
January and grown on in pots and planted out in June or
July, to produce flowers during the fall, winter, and spring
months, must be thrown away in May or June and new
beds formed with fresh soil, replanted again as before with
young plants, and sooneach season ; occasionally crops are
carried over for two or three years on the raised benches,
but rarely with as good results. The small quantity of soil
gets exhausted, and, besides, there is a greater chance for
injury from the rose bug the second season on raised
benches, which, however, is not so much the case when
planted in solid benches, as in that case the roots get
stronger and deeper. It is my impression that even Tea
Roses will yet be mainly grown in solid benches. There
are many instances of marked success by this plan. One
of my near neighbors has had a fixed roof greenhouse
eighteen by seventy feet, heated by a flue, planted over
twenty years ago with Tea Roses, that is yet in the high-
est condition of health and vigor, giving abundance of
grand buds throughout the entire season. They were
planted originally one foot apart, but have been cut out
so that they stand three feet apart and are now bushes
six feet high. No pruning is done except to shorten the
shoots when they get against the glass, and to thin out
the weak shoots. ‘The most approved greenhouses used
for Rose growing in winter are about twenty feet wide,
and are what is known as three-quarter span (sce
PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
158
‘IGIM LOGd 0% AX YNOT Lada Cce
GSOOH ASOW AO MHAIA FAILOGTASNaTd—"
FE ‘SLT
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 159
Greenhouse Structures); that is, three-quarters of the
glass roof slopes to the south at an angle of about thirty
degrees, while the other quarter slopes north at an
angle of twenty degrees, giving a base space for the
benches on which the Roses are to be planted (taking out
the walks), of about fifteen feet. The benches may be
either a level platform, or divided into four or five plat-
forms about three feet wide, or so as to be at about equal
distances from the glass (see end section, Greenhouse
Structures); the bottom of the benches may be from three,
four, or five to six feet from the glass, as desired.
Fig. 34 shows a perspective view of a Rose house put
up for us on Jersey City Heights, N.J., in 1884, by
Fig. 35.—CROSsS-SECTION OF ROSE HOUSE.
Lord & Burnham. ‘The length is 350 feet by 20 feet
in width. It is believed to be as near what the best
model of a Rose house should be as has been con-
structed. The frame is of iron throughout; the glass
used is double-thick, second quality French, size twenty
by twelve, put in the twelve way. The heating is done
by steam, the eleven dots indicating the number of one
and a quarter inch steam pipes (see cross-section figure
35). Although eleyen pipes are put in, not more than
eight or nine of these are used, unless in extraordinarily
severe weather, the others being shut off by valves. The
160 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
two boilers used are Lord & Burnham’s No. 5. The cost
of a Rose house of this style, complete in everything, at
present prices, is about twenty dollars per running foot,
or $7,000 for the 350 feet ; if the frame had been con-
structed of wood it would cost ten to fifteen per cent. less.
There is no necessity for bottom heat for Roses, so
that it is best to have the pipes for heating run under
the front and back benches of the rose house, with none
under the middle benches, as in this way the space under
the middle benches may be utilized for other purposes.
VENTILATION
is an important matter. In a rose house twenty: feet
wide, sufficient ventilation will be obtained by having
lifting sashes, to the width of thirty inches, placed along
the whole of the roof on the south side, hinging them so
that they will open at the ridge pole. For this purpose
the patent ventilating apparatus should be used, which
costs from fifty to sixty cents per running foot.
SOIL AND BENCHES.
The soil in which the Roses are to be grown should not
exceed five inches in depth, the boards being so arranged
as to allow free drainage for the water. Perhaps the best
way to make the bottom of the bench is to use wall strips
or other boards, not to exceed four inches wide, leaving a
space of at least half an inch between the boards or strips,
so as to make certain of perfect drainage. The bottom
is first covered with thin sods, grass side down, or what
in our opinion is better, the new packing material called
«¢ Excelsior,” and then the soil is placed on to the depth of
four inches. This soil is made from sods cut three or four
inches thick from any good, loamy pasture land, well
chopped up, and mixed with one-fourth of well-rotted
cow dung to three-fourths of sods. In our own practice
we use, in addition to the cow manure, one-thirtieth part
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 161
of pure bone dust. It is perhaps best to let the sod be
well rotted before it is used, although, if this be not con-
venient, it will do fresh, if well chopped up. Of late
years we haye used the Acme harrow to break and mix
up with the manure all soil used for Roses, at a saving of
three-fourths of the labor.
DISTANCE TO PLANT.
The distance for Roses such as I describe (those that
have been grown in six-inch pots, and averaging one foot
high), should be one foot each way, so as to get the full
benefit of a crop by January. It is true that, if planted
twice that distance, they would be thick enough before
spring; but they will not fill up sufficiently until the
middle of January, if planted much wider than one foot,
and it is always before that date that Roses are highest in
price. ‘The temperature at which Roses are grown in.
winter is an average of fifty-five degrees at night, with
ten to fifteen degrees higher during the day. Conse-
quently, if heated by hot water, in this latitude, a house
twenty feet wide will require eight runs of four-inch pipe
to maintain that heat; if sixteen feet wide, about six
runs ; and if twelve feet wide, about fourruns. If heated
by steam, a one-and-a-half-inch pipe will be about equal
to a four-inch hot-water pipe.
WATERING AND MULCHING.
Watering is a matter of the first importance, and re-
quires some experience to know what is the proper con-
dition. It is not often that Roses require to be watered.
The heavy syringing necessary each forenoon in clear
weather to keep down Red-spider is generally sufficient to
keep them in the proper condition of moisture; of course,
good judgment must be used to syringe heavier in warm,
bright weather, when the plants are in vigorous growth,
than in dull weather, or when the plants are not so vigor-
162 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
ous. Better to err on the side of dryness, particularly
from October tec March. Whenever there are indications
of the soil being too wet, stop syringing, but keep the
air of the house moist by watering the paths. The best
growers now use very little mulching until the days begin
to lengthen in February or March, the ‘‘ food” given
being usually a top dressing every three or four weeks,
from October to February, of half an inch of compost,
consisting of two parts of well-rooted cow dung, to one
part fresh soil, to which is added about one-tenth part of
pure bone dust. Frequent light stirring of the soil is of
advantage to admit air to the roots and assist the evapor-
ation of moisture from the soil.
There is some difference of opinion as to the value of
liquid manure in Rose forcing in winter. In our expe-
rience, we have found that it had better not be used on
Roses growing on the benches until about February 1st,
when the days begin to lengthen and the sun becomes
brighter. In the case of Hybrid Perpetual Roses grow-
ing in pots, that have been started from dried off or rested
plants about October 1st, which should come into bloom
during December and January, it is well to water such
plants once a week with liquid manure, so as to get the
best development in color and size of buds. We prefer
liquid manure from cow dung to all else. It is perfectly
safe, no matter how strong it is made, and we think it is
more lasting in its effects than liquid made from guano
or similar fertilizers. Fumigating with tobacco smoke
for the suppression of the aphis (Green-fly), should be
done twice a week ; or, what will answer equally well, a
mulch of two or three inches of tobacco stems spread on
the walks or under the benches, will keep off the green
fly by renewing it every five or six weeks. Rose growers
practice this method now almost entirely, as it is quite as
effective and safer than fumigating, as that less or more
discolors the buds.
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 163
PRUNING
But little pruning is done to Tea Roses until they
begin to get too thick, towards spring ; the ‘‘ blind
wood ” should then be gradually and judiciously thinned
out, care being taken not to cut too much off at ouce, as
that would be certain to less or more check the vitality
of the plants by gorging the rootlets with water, if too
many shoots had been taken ; hence, after pruning, for
afew days water sparingly.
VARIETIES TO FORCE,
The varieties grown are changing every season, and no
list we can give to-day is likely to remain as the best, ten
years hence. The favorite Tea Roses now grown for
winter are Perle des Jardins (yellow), Sunset (orange),
Papa Gontier (carmine), Niphetos (white), Catherine
Mermet (rosy pink), Souvenir d’un Ami (delicate peach
color), Cornelia Cook (white), Marshal Robert (pale yel-
low), Madame Cusin (pink), Bon Silene (carmine),
Bride (white), William Francis Bennett (crimson), and
American Beauty (light crimson), The Puritan (white)—
these three last named are ‘‘ Hybrid” Teas, but they are
usually grown as Teas.
Of climbing Roses, which are grown on the rafters of
the greenhouse, Mareschal Niel (yellow), Lamarque
(white), Gloire de Dijon (salmon rose), Red Gloire de
Dijon (carmine), and the new Waltham Climber (deep
crimson), are the best. This last has not yet been largely
tested, but in all probability it will supply a want long
felt. It is a double Rose of fine form and of exquisite
crimson color, equal in nearly all respects to our finest
Hybrid Perpetuals—all dark Roses that we have hitherto
had in climbers being shy bloomers with inferior flowers.
PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
36.—GREENHOUSE OF HYBRID ROSES IN BLOOM.
ig.
¥F
AU fe
=
Taken from a photograph of a Rose House of Wm. H. De Forrest, Summit, N
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 165
HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES.
To get the Hybrid Perpetual class early (say during
December and January), requires special skill and
care, but it well repays the trouble, as this class of
Roses now bring an average of $50 per hundred buds
at wholesale from the 15th of December to January
15th. ‘The method found to be necessary is, to grow
these Roses in pots, exactly as is recommended for
the evergreen or Tea Roses, except that, as they have a
tendency to grow tall, the center should be pinched
out of the leading shoots before they get a foot high,
so that from five to six shoots run up, and thus not
only make the plant bushy, but, what is of more import-
ance, these slimmer shoots are less pithy and ripen off
harder, thus insuring with more certainty a greater
production of buds. The varieties of Hybrid Perpetuals
best adapted for early forcing are: Anna de Diesbach
(rich pink), Countess of Oxford (very large, soft, rosy
carmine), Magna Charta (splendid bright pink), La
France (rich peach color), Mad. Gabriel Luizet (light
pink, splendid), Paul Neron (immense size, dark pink),
Baroness Rothschild (rich shade of rose), Rosy Morn
(cherry rose, large and full), Merveille de Lyon (pure
white, other characteristics same as Barones: Rothschild),
Anna Alexis (dark pink), General Jacqueminot (crim-
son), Princess C. de Rohan (crimson, almost black),
Dinsmore (crimson, scarlet), Marquis de Castellaine
(brilliant, pinkish carmine), Pride of Waltham (peach
color).
The plants, if started from cuttings any time from
September to January, the season in which we prefer
to root them, will, if properly grown, by August 1st (or
at less than one year old), have filled a seven or eight-
inch pot with roots. Now is the critical point. The
plants must be ripened off and rested, if a crop of buds
166 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
is wanted by December, January or February ; so, to do
this, at a season as early as the 1st of August, the plants
must be gradually dried off sufficiently to make them drop
their leaves, though not to wilt them so violently as to
shrivel the shoots. A rest of two months is necessary, so
that the plants, which we commenced to dry off by the 1st
of August, may be started slowly by the 1st of October,and
those begun to be dried off by the ist of September may
be started, also at as low a temperature as possible, by the
Ist of November. On first starting, give the dry balls a
thorough soaking of water. If placed in sunken pits or
greenhouses, where there is no fire heat, the one good
watering will usually be enough until the buds swell,
though the wood should be kept moist by syringing twice
or thrice each day. These, like the Monthly Roses, are
best ripened off by placing them in the open air; though,
if continued wet weather occur when they are thus
placed to dry and ripen their wood, the pots must be
placed on their sides, or some arrangement contrived to
keep them from getting wet, otherwise the rest absolutely
necessary for early forcing cannot be obtained. In our
own practice we cover up the Roses every night while
drying them off, either with sashes or sheeting, as one
drenching rain during the period of drying off would
defeat the whole work. The best kindsfor early work are :
Magna Charta, Anna de Diesbach, and Gen. Jacqueminot.
_ When the forcing of Hybrid Perpetual Roses is success-
ful, it isvery profitable. And it is profitable because of the
unusual care and skill that are required to have the plants
in the proper condition. We may here state, that many
failures have resulted from the attempt to grow the Hybrid
Tea Roses without resting, notably the Duchess of Edin-
burgh, which was sent out from England some five or six
years ago as a ‘‘ Crimson Tea.” The misleading name of
<¢ Tea,” induced hundreds of florists to attempt its growth
under the same conditions as the Perle des Jardins or Bon
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 167
Silene class, and the consequence was in every case, almost
complete failure. This type evidently partakes more of
the Hybrid Perpetual than of the Tea class, and as they
are hardy and deciduous, refuse to blossom in midwinter,
unless given the rest that their nature demands. So far,
however, the new Roses, William Francis Bennett and
American Beauty, seem to prove an exception to this
rule, as they do well under the same treatment as the old
Teas. The past season we have found American Beauty
to do excellently well, if dried off like the regular Hybrid,
showing it todo well under both conditions.
HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES IN SOLID BEDS.
Immense quantities of Roses of this class are now
grown in solid beds. ‘I'hese beds require no special prep-
aration where the soil is naturally good, and the natural
drainage perfect, but where this is not the case, the same
compost recommended for Tea Roses will answer, only
using a greater depth, from nine to twelve inches, over a
well-drained bottom. Hybrid Perpetual Roses, planted
out in solid beds, cannot be had so early as when grown
in pots, as, when thus grown, they cannot well be given
the rest necessary for early forcing; as a rule, in this
district, they are rarely in market before February, and
from then they are brought in, in succession crops, until
the Roses from out doors in June come in. The distance
at which they are planted is usually from fifteen to
eighteen inches each way.
MILDEW.
Roses, when grown under glass, with proper attention
to temperature and moisture, are not usually attacked by
Mildew ; but as a preventive it is well to paint the hot-
water pipes once every two or three weeks with a mixture
of sulphur and lime or sulphur and guano, made of the
consistency of whitewash (the guano or lime is merely to
168 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE. —
make the sulphur stick better to the pipes). We also
use this mixture of sulphur on our steam pipes, but only
on about one-sixth of the diameter ; if the whole pipe
was covered as in the hot water pipe, the fumes would
hurt the plants. ‘he fumes of sulphur, as diffused by
the heated pipes, is a never-failing means of destroying
the germs of Mildew or any other fungoid growth, and
also holds in check, to some extent, the Red-spider, an
insect often so troublesome to the Rose. In the summer,
or at such seasons of the year when no fire is used, it is
well to dust the foliage lightly with sulphur once a week
as a preventive of Mildew.
THE ROSE-BUG OF THE GREENHOUSE.
For the Rose-bug (Aramigus Fullerit), so detrimental to
success in Rose growing under glass, there seems no sure
remedy except the slow one of catching and killing the
insect as soon as it is seen on the leaves. It is not easily
observed, as it gets under the leaves and close to the
shoots of the plants. Its presence is known by the bitten
leaves showing where it is feeding. It will be understood
that it is not the Rose-bug in its perfect state that does the
injury. The bug deposits its eggs close to the root of the
plant ; these quickly hatch into larve or maggots, which
at once begin to feed on the roots of the Rose, destroying
it completely. Many years ago we adopted the plan of
paying our boys one cent apiece for the bugs which they
caught at their dinner-hour, and by this method have
completely kept them under, so that to see one now is a
rarity.
The only safety, when the Rose-bug is known to be
present in sufficient numbers to injure, is to throw out
the plants and start with young ones. I know, of course,
that there are many rose houses that are even nine to
ten years old, that never fail to produce abundant crops,
particularly such as Mareschal Niel and other climbers ;
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 169
but in such cases it seems to be that the Roses planted
either had escaped the visitation of the Rose-bug alto-
gether, or had got so deeply and strongly rooted before
being attacked, that the grub could not injure the plants.
Professor C. V. Riley, the Government Hntomologist,
who has given the habits of this insect careful study,
says: “This habit of simulating death upon disturbance
is common to many insects of this family. They feed
Fig. 37.—ARAMIGUS FULLERI.
a, larve ; b, pupa; ¢, beetle, side view ; d, same, dorsal view, the out-
‘line between showing natural size ; e, eggs, enlarged and natural size ;
J, left maxilla of larva, with palpus ; g, under side of head; h, upper
side of same, enlarged (after Riley).
upon the leaves, but do more injury by severing them
than by the amount of foliage consumed. The eggs are
laid in flattened batches, consisting of several contiguous
rows, and each batch containing from ten to sixty. The
individual egg is smooth, yellow, ovoid, and about one mm.
inlength. The female shows a confirmed habit of secret-
ing her eggs, which are thrust between the loose bark and
the stem, especially at the base just above the ground.” *
* This is a different insect from the Rose-bug, so destructive to Roses
and other plants in the open grounds, which is Macrodactylus subspinosus,
170 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
The larva of the May beetle, a large white grub, with
a dark-brown head, must not be confounded with the
larva of the Rose-bug. This, too, is often destructive to
Roses, but usually only on newly-planted beds. It acts
by cutting the roots clean off, killing the plant outright.
However, it is rarely so destructive as the Rose-bug, and
not so much to be feared, as it is not propagated inside
the house, the grubs being simply carried in with the soil.
Care should therefore be taken to avoid all soil in which
these large grubs are seen.
SHADING THE HOUSE.
There is some difference of opinion as to the propriety
of shading rose houses during the hot summer months.
I believe that a slight shading is beneficial from May
to September, and for that purpose use naphtha, mixed
with a little white lead, just enough to give it the appear-
ance of thin milk. This is thrown on the outside of the
glass with a syringe. It costs only about twenty-five
cents for every thousand square feet. This shading is
the best I have ever used. It is just enough to take the
glare of the sunlight off, without much lessening the
light ; and though it will hold on tenaciously during the
summer, it is easily rubbed off in the fall after the first
frost, when it has been lightly put on, but if thickly put
on it is quite troublesome to get off. Another method
is, to use common whitening mixed with water, put on
with a brush on the glass inside the house. This plan
has the advantage of the shading being much easier
washed off than the other, although it is a little slower
to put on. Of course it could be syringed on quickly,
which would, however, spatter the foliage, making it
look unsightly for a few days, but doing no injury.
GARDEN CULTURE OF THE ROSE.
But little need be said on this branch of the subject,
all that is wanted being a deep, rich soil, enriched with
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 171
cow manure or bone dust, in an unshaded position. For
the dry climate of the United States, a class of Roses
should be grown very different from those grown in Eng-
land. There the ‘‘Remontants,” or ‘‘ Hybrid Perpet-
uals,” in the humid atmosphere that prevails, with few
exceptions, flower nearly as freely as the ‘‘ Monthly ”
Roses do here ; but with us, experience has shown that,
after the first bloom in June, no full crop of flowers is
again obtained, unless with the comparatively new class
known as the Hybrid Teas, of which La France (rose
color), Duchess of Edinburgh (crimson), The Puritan
(white), American Beauty (carmine), and the new variety
introduced in 1887 known as Dinsmore (scarlet crimson),
are types ; so that, when a continued bloom of Roses of
all colors is desired during the entire summer and fall
months, the class known as monthly (embracing Tea,
Bourbon, Bengal, Noisette, and Hybrid Tea), are the
best. ‘True, these varieties, except the Hybrid Teas,
are not usually hardy, unless in that portion of the
country where the thermometer never gets twenty degrees
below the freezing point ; but they can be saved through
the winter in almost any section, if pegged down and
covered up with five or six inches of leaves or rough
litter. This covering, however, should not be done until
quite hard frost comes; in the locality of New York,
about the first week in December. If done sooner, there
is danger, if the season is mild (as it usually is here until
December Ist), that the shoots may be smothered and
rotted by a too early covering. This same rule we adopt
in covering Grape-vines, Clematis, Raspberries, Straw-
berries, or, in fact, any other plant or shrub that is
believed to be benefited by winter protection, as I have
never yet seen injury done to half-hardy plants by frost
previous to that date. In this matter of covering, the
inexperienced in gardening often errs; first, from his
anxiety to protect his plants before there is danger in
172 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
the fall ; and next, in his enthusiasm in the spring, he
is deceived by some warm day in March to uncover plants
which cannot be safely exposed until April.
ROSEBUDS IN SUMMER.
A good plan to obtain Rosebuds during the summer
months is as follows: In August strong plants are set
out in cold frames (such as are used for keeping Cabbages,
Pansies, or other half-hardy plants), at a distance of one
foot each way. On the approach of cold weather in
November they are mulched with two or three inches of
dry leaves, and by the time the thermometer begins to
fall to ten or fifteen degrees below the freezing point, the
sashes are put on, care being taken to give ventilation, so
as to keep them cool. ‘They thus become hardened
enough to go safely through the winter, when covered
with straw mats, so that they will be protecte1 from
severe freezing. In sections of the country where the
thermometer does not fall lower than ten above zero,
there would be no need of the straw mats. By the
middle of April, the sashes may be left entirely off, pro-
vided care has been taken to keep them cool throughout
the winter. Roses being thus ‘‘ rested” (which is the
great necessity for the best results in Rose culture), an
abundant crop of buds may be expected from June to
October, provided that proper attention has been given
to watering and mulching with well-rotted stable manure,
or moss and bone dust, in summer. This muiching
should take the place of the dry leaves (which were
placed on in the fall), about the latter end of May or first
of June. |
The Roses to be used for summer buds must be all full,
double flowers, else they will quickly fall to pieces in hot
weather. Such kinds as Safrano, Bon Silene, Bennett,
and Douglas, are of no use for this purpose. ‘The kinds
best. suited are as follows: Perle des Jardins (yellow),
ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. Rta
Cornelia Cook (white), La France (light rose), Coquette
des Alpes (pure white), Madame Welch (blush), Duchess
of Edinburgh (crimson), Malmaison (deep blush), Cath-
erine Mermet (rosy pink), Letty Coles (carmine and
blush), Devoniensis (deep blush), Sunset (the new orange
saffron variety), Dinsmore (scarlet crimson), The Puritan
(white), American Beauty (deep crimson), and Bride
(pure white), all of which, under proper conditions, will
give perfect flowers in the hottest weather.
THE DISEASES AND INSECT PESTS AFFECTING ROSES
Have been in part referred to in the Cultural Direc-
tions. Mildew, the most common, quickly suecumbs to
sulphur, if applied as directed in chapter on Insects and
Diseases Affecting Plants. The aphis, or Green-fly,
should never appear, if preventive measures have been
taken with tobacco, as directed in the same Chapter.
But there are other pests encountered in Rose growing
not so easily got rid of. The Red-spider, the insect so
small as hardly to be seen by the naked eye, that works
on the under side of the leaves, giving them a dry and
reddish appearance, luxuriates in a dry, hot atmosphere,
but persistent forcible syringing in the forenoon, when
the sun is shining, will generally keep it down; care
should be taken, however, to thin out all weak, useless
wood, so that the syringing can take effect on the leaves
affected by the spider.
For the remedy for the Rose-bug, see Chapter on
Insects, ete.
The Black Spot, so called for want of a better name,
is a disease most injurious in its effects on roses, particu-
larly the Hybrid Perpetual and Hybrid Tea classes.
There is quite a difference of opinion about this disease
of the Rose, some contending that it is altogether atmos-
pheric, others that it is solely caused by the destruction of
the working roots. Certain it is, that it is first caused
174 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
by a sudden lowering of temperature, accompanied by a
damp atmosphere, so that the injury to roots and leaves
may be simultaneous in this case. But we also know that
it occurs in hot and dry weather, where there has been no
sudden change of temperature, which would indicate, in
this case, that it was caused solely by the injury to the
tender roots by long continued drouth. Im any case,
whatever be the cause, it is the only safe plan to avoid, as
far as possible, extremes of temperature and moisture.
In the summer of 1886 we had about a thousand very
fine plants of American Beauty Rose (one of the most
liable to be attacked with Black Spot), growing in the
open air in eight-inch pots—splendid plants, without
speck or blemish. About the middle of July, half of
the plants were taken into the rose house, where they
kept in splendid condition all fall and winter, while the
other half was left outside ; both lots looked equally
well until near the end of August, when the lot left out-
side began to show indications of the Black Spot, and
although they were removed under cover of the green-
house at once, they never recovered, and were almost a
total loss. A lot of the Bennett Roses left out at the
same time were also so affected by the Spot as to destroy
them. The conclusion arrived at was that the lot left
out in the open air had undergone some quick lowering
of temperature sufficient to chill the leaves and roots of
the plants. The remedy, then, is to get them under
cover, where they can be controlled, in time to prevent
such contingencies.
There is still another disease, which, however, is less
common than the Black Spot or Mildew, that affects Roses
when grown under glass ; it is called Club Root, Knot
Root, or Wart Root. The indications that this trouble is
at the roots are given by the young shoots of the Roses
getting light in color, and occasionally, if the roots are
badly affected, the leaves assume an appearance of being
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERS. 175
burned or rusted, together with an unusnal tendency in
the plant to drop its leaves. ‘There is, I think, no
remedy for this root trouble. It is, I think, a conse-
quence rather than a cause of disease—a consequence of
lessened vitality in the plant, brought about by over
propagation, or other debilitating causes.
CoH -ALPYT EVR X XOX +
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERS.
Next in importance to Roses, come the various kinds
of bulbs that are now forced during the winter and spring
months for early flowers. Immense quantities are im-
ported annually for this purpose, quite a number of florists
about New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, use upwards
of a hundred thousand bulbs annually, two or three in
New York growing now upwards of half a million each
year. With few exceptions, all these bulbs are imported ;
they are of little use after being forced, and we find by
experience, that (with the exception of Lilies), it is more
profitable to import each year than to attempt to grow
bulbs, that have been used for forcing, into good con-
dition again.
The bulbs used for forcing are: Roman Hyacinths,
Paper White Narcissus, Early Roman Narcissus, Single
Tulips, Lily of the Valley, Lilies and Daffodils, Freesia
(Freesia refracta alba), Tuberoses and Callas. A few
illustrations are given of the flowers of the different bulbs,
to give our readers who are not familiar with them,
some idea what they are.
Roman Hyacinths, Narcissus, Daffodils and Tulips,
are usually received by the middle or end of August, and
they should at once be placed in the pots or boxes in which
176 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
they are to be grown; if to be grown in pots, six
inches is a convenient size, in which place four to five,
according to the size of the bulb. If to be grown in
boxes, use such as are about three inches deep, the
ordinary soap box is a convenient size. Use any good
rich soil, such as is used for general potting, press down
Fig. 38.—NARCISSUS, TRUMPET MAJOR.
the bulbs (two or three inches apart) into the soil, so as
to leave about one-fourth of their depth uncovered, or
deep enough to steady them nicely in the soil, as of
course the roots are only emitted from the bottom of the
bulb. Now prepare a nice level spot in the open ground,
taking care that you choose it where the water will pass
freely from, then place the potted or boxed bulbs on this
close together in beds four or five feet wide (for conven-
lence), then cover them up at once with four or five inches
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERS. 177
of rough manure, spent hops, well rotted leaves, or any-
thing that will act best as a non-conductor, the object
being to prevent them from drying up by the sun, and
at the same time as cool as possible. As the season
advances, this covering will not be enough to keep out the
frost, so cover up further with manure or leaves, so as to
Fig. 39.—POLYANTHUS NARCISSUS—PAPER WHITE.
prevent them from freezing hard. On first placing the
boxes or pots containing the bulbs give them a good water-
ing, which will beall they will require, as the covering will
keep them sufficiently moist afterwards. The bulbs put
in by September Ist will, most of them, be well rooted
by October 15th, at which time, some of the earliest,
such as Paper White and Harly Roman Narcissus, may
178 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
be placed in the forcing house, but they must be for-
warded slowly; the temperature at night should not
exceed sixty degrees; this will bring in the crop of
Narcissus early in December.
Roman Hyacinths had better not be started until a
month later, as it is found, if we attempt to flower
them too early, the crop is always inferior. In most
places the demand for cut flowers continues through the
Fig. 40.—DOUBLE NARCISSUS INCOMPARABLE, ~
winter and into spring, hence the bulbs are brought in
from out-doors and forced as wanted. 'The temperature
at night should range from sixty to sixty-five.
It is imperative for the success of either Hyacinths,
Tulips, or Narcissus, that they be well rooted in the
boxes or pots before being brought into heat, if they are
insufficiently rooted, failure will result ; to be in proper
condition to force, the pots or boxes should be matted
around with the roots,
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERING. 179
The best single varieties of Narcissus for forcing are :
Paper White, Trumpet Major, Minor and N. poeticus.
Of double : Incomparable, Roman, Von Sion (all yel-
low). Of double whites, Alba Plena Odorata is the best.
The single kinds of Tulips, mos‘ly, are used for forcing.
The following varieties may be recommended : Duc Van
Thol (red and yellow, scarlet, white, yellow, rose, pur-
ple, and crimson), which are about all the colours needed
for the earliest forcing—that is in December. Below is
a good selection for January forcing, after which time
nearly all Holland Tulips may be forced with success :—
For scarlet or red: Rembrandt, Artus, Vermillion Bril-
liant, Roi Cramoise, and Fire-flame. For white : Potte-
bakker, Princess Mary Ann, Queen Victoria, Snow-
ball, White Swan, and Grand-master of Malta. For
yellow: Canary-bird, Yellow Prince, Duke of Orange,
Duchess of Austria and Lucretia. For rose or pink:
Cottage Maid, Rosamundi, Rose Adeline, Proserpine,
Bride of Haarlem and Everwyn. For red and yellow
striped : Duchess de Parma, Kaiserkroon, Queen Emma,
Samson, Ma plus Aimable.
Daffodils require the same treatment as the above
named Tulips, and should not be put in to force before
the middle of January. Those kinds named below are
the best :—Double : Incomparabilis (yellow and orange),
Orange Phonix (white and orange), Silver Phoonix
(white, very double), Von Sion (yellow). Single:
Trumpet Major (fine yellow), Trumpet Minor (yellow
trumpet and white perianth), Princeps (creamy yellow,
and large trumpet), Bulbocodium (yellow), Bulbocodium
(white), Single Incomparable (yellow and white).
Of Roman Hyacinths there are four kinds :—The
Early White is that in general use, and the best. Next
the Rose, or Red-skinned ; the color is a rich blush,
and is now getting popular among florists. The Blue
Roman is not desirable, unless as a variety ; and the
180 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Nantes White Spring Hyacinth, classed as a Roman,
and used for late work, completes the list of varieties.
Lily-of-the-Valley roots are not received until much later
than the Holland bulbs, usually about the middle of Octo-
ber. They are generally imported in separate pips, in
bunches of twenty-five or fifty, When receivea the bunches
should be placed close together in boxes, with a little fine
soil sifted over them, placed like
the bulbs, in the open air, and
covered up in the same manner.
Unlike Hyacinths, or Tulips, Lily-
of-the-Valley will make no roots
outside. The. object of placing
them outside, is to rest them before
forcing into flower, and the longer
this rest, and the nearer it comes
to its natural time of flowering, the
better is the crop. It is found that
if attempted to be had as early as
Christmas the results are often
hardly half a crop. If wanted for
Christmas, they should be placed
in heat about December Ist, as it
takes, on an average, at that sea-
son, about three weeks to get
them into flower. In placing the Lily-of-the-Valley to
force, the best place is a greenhouse facing north ; or if
that is not at hand, the ordinary greenhouse must be
shaded in the part they are placed. They should be
planted in benches or boxes of sand, deep enough to let the
pips be one inch or so above the sand ; these are placed
almost touching. Planting is best done by cutting trenches
in the sand, deep enough to receive the roots, making the
lines only an inch or so apart. Water the sand freely
twice a day with tepid water, and keep the temperature
of the sand at not less than ninety degrees at night.
Fig. 41.—HYACINTH
WHITE ROMAN.
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERING, 181
To get this high ‘* bottom heat” in the sand of the
bench, it will require, if heated by hot water, three
four-inch pipes under a bench three or four feet wide,
“boxed in” so as to confine the heat; if by steam, an
Fig. 42.—LILY OF THE VALLEY.
equivalent of steam pipes—say, three one and a half:
inch pipes.
When the flowers begin to develop, withhold water.
overhead, as otherwise it will injure the flowers. Like
all other plants used for winter forcing, Lily-of-the-
Valley should be brought into the house in lots for succes-
sion. It requires, when taken from the open ground to
the forcing house from two to three weeks for a full
182 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
development of the flowers, but by first bringing them
into a cool shed or cellar, and sprinkling them enough
to keep them moist, and keeping in this position for a
week, then placing them in heat, a saving of nearly half
the time in bringing them into bloom will be made.
This plan is but little known; one of our best growers
having found it out by accident a few years ago. He
now practices it entirely, with the best results—saving
five or six days in time in getting forward each batch.
Lily-of-the-Valley flowers are now obtained every month
in the year, by placing the roots, when they arrive, in
**cold-storage”’ warehouses. Where the temperature is
being kept just above the freezing point, the roots can be
kept dormant for twelve months, if desired. In this dor-
mant condition they are taken out of the cold storage,
placed in the necessary heat, and forced into flower at
pleasure. Many other kinds of Bulbs could be retarded
in this way, only that in all other cases except the Lily- -
of-the-Valley, Bulbs so retarded would require to be
placed outside to form young roots, in the manner
already described, before they could be forced into flower,
but in the case of the Lily-of-the-Valley roots, this is not
necessary.
Lilium Harrisi, or Bermuda Easter Lily, was intro-
duced into general cultivation avout 1878 ; there is some
question whether it is a ‘‘sport” from the old Lilium
longiflorum or Trumpet Lily, or whether long years of
cultivation in the congenial climate of Bermuda has so
changed the nature of the plant as to give it the wonder-.
ful free flowering properties it possesses. I am inclined
to think the variety is distinct from ZL. longiflorum, for
it is not only much more prolific in flowering, but the
flowers are wider and the whole plant more robust, a re-
sult not to be expected from any temporary cultivation in
a climate, no matter how congenial. The rules for the
cultivation of the Bermuda Kaster Lily are almost iden-
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERING. 183
Fig. 43.—BERMUDA EASTER LILY,
184 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
tical with those in use for Roman Hyacinths and Tulips
already described, except that, after the boxes or pots are
filled with roots, the time for the development of the
flower is longer. The dry bulbs, however, usually can be
procured as early as first week in August, and if potted
or boxed up at that time and placed outside, will form
roots, sufficient to allow them to be brought into the
Fig. 44.—FREESIA REFRACTA ALBA.
greenhouse by the Ist of October, and if kept in a tem-
perature of sixty degrees at night, with ten or fifteen
degrees higher during the daytime, will give a crop of
flowers by Christmas; like all other bulbs, succession
crops should be brought in to force. The Bermuda Easter
Lily is largely used for decoration at Easter, and for that
season, beginning to force in January will be soon enough.
Lilium longiflorum and Lilium candidum require ex-
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERING. 18é
actly the same treatment, except that neither of these
can be made to flower so early as the Bermuda Lily.
Freesia refracta alba is a more tender bulb and cannot
be submitted to the open air treatment to form roots like
the hardier bulbs. As the bulbs are small, they can be
placed in shallow boxes (three inches deep), two or three
inches apart, or in pots, using any good mellow soil.
Place them in a cool greenhouse ; under the benches will
do until they start to grow ; then place them in the light
and treat exactly as advised for Hyacinths, etc. The
flowers are pure white, and produced in great abundance.
Calla (Richardia Ethiopica), or Lily of the Nile, is
not usually grown or classed as a winter flowering bulb,
but we have found that by using the dry, well-ripened
roots, as grown in California, it is one of the most profit-
able plants to force. ‘hese dry, well-ripened bulbs pro-
duce an abundance of fine flowers and make but very few
leaves, consequently by using such bulbs a great many
more flowers can be had on the same space than when the
foliage is kept on the plants as is usually done.
TUBEROSES,
Forcing the Tuberose, so as to have the flowers from
January to March, is an exceedingly difficult operation,
and is now but little attempted here, as present prices
will not justify it. The plant being of tropical origin,
to have it at all times in a growing state requires a high
temperature—not less than an average of eighty degrees ;
consequently, few ordinarily-heated greenhouses or pri-
vate sitting-rooms are at a temperature high enough to
isure the continued and uninterrupted growth necessary
to the production of flowers in the dark winter months.
It is, however, comparatively easy to force so as to pro-
duce flowers during April, May, and June, and again,
by retarding the bulbs, during November and December.
186 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
By the first method, the bulbs are, about the Ist of Jan-
uary, placed closely together in boxes three inches deep,
having two inches or so of damp moss in the bottom.
These boxes are placed in some warm spot, where the
temperature will average seventy-five degrees. If for
greenhouse culture, the best place is under the benches
on the hot-water pipes. In about four or five weeks the
Tuberoses will have rooted all through the moss, and
they should then be potted in four or five-inch pots, or
planted in a bench of soil four or five inches deep, and
kept in a temperature at no time less than seventy-five
degrees, and flowers will be had in abundance in April.
For succession crops, place the dry bulbs in moss, at
intervals of three or four weeks. The last crops will
usually be the best, as by May and June the natural tem-
perature will have increased, and less artificial heat will
be required.
If flowers are wanted during November and December,
the retarding process alluded to is resorted to. This is
done by selecting such bulbs as are wanted (care being
taken to use only such as are sound and firm), and plac-
ing them in some cool, dry place until the middle of
August, when the first crop may be planted, either in
pots or in a bench of the greenhouse, as described above
for the spring crop. This planting will produce a crop
by November. For the succession crop of December,
planting must be delayed until the middle of September,
this being as late as the bulbs can be kept sound in the
usual way ; but they may be retarded in refrigerators or
in the cities in cold-storage vaults, as is done with
Lily of the Valley, and in that way may be had all
through the winter months, provided a high enough
temperature, with plenty of light, can be given. The
same high temperature is indispensable-as im the spring
crop, namely, an average of seventy-five degrees. The
variety best for forcing 1s the Pearl, which grows only
eee Eee eel ee eee
BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERING. 187
about half the height, and has flowers nearly twice
the diameter of the old sort; but for planting in the
open ground in the ordinary way, when the flowers are
only wanted for fall, the common double variety is the
best ; as, being less double, the flowers open better under
the often unfavorably dry atmosphere that we have in Oc-
tober. The Pearl 'Tuberose originated in this country in
Fig. 45.—TUBEKOSE BULB WITH SETS.
1865, in the grounds of John Henderson, Flushing, L. I.
I purchased the entire stock of Mr. Henderson in 1866,
paying him $500 for a barrel of the roots. I sold it for
the first time in 1867. It is now the favorite variety for
forcing, both in this country and in Europe.
188 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Tuberoses are often forwarded, so as to be had in
flower in the earlier fall months, in sections of the coun-
try where the season is too short. This is done exactly
in the way recommended for the spring forcing, by start-
ing the bulbs in damp moss; but for this purpose the
Ny)
mM
\\)
=F ry e/ [= =
Fig. 46.—SOUND BULB. ¥ig. 47.—BULB DECAYED AT CENTER.
dry bulbs should not be placed in the moss until the
middle of May. By the middle of June, when the weather
has become warm, and they are set out, they will start to
grow at once, and will in this way flower from three to
four weeks earlier than if the dry bulb had been put in
the open ground, cold as it is in the most of the Northern
= wo
VIOLETS, CHRYSANTHEMUMS, ETC, 189
States in May. Of course, it will be understood, that
when the dry bulbs are placed in the moss to start, it
must be in a greenhouse or in some place where the
thermometer will average seventy-five or eighty degrees,
or they will not start at all, or, at least, very feebly. It
will thus be seen, from the foregoing remarks, that it
will be utterly useless to attempt to grow Tuberoses at
all seasons, unless in a tropical temperature, which at
no time should be less than seventy-five degrees, and if
it averages eighty degrees, all the better.
One of the most important points in Tuberose culture
is to have sound bulbs of sufficient size. Figure 45
shows what size a good sound 'Tuberose should be. Figure
46 shows how it should be when cut through. Figure 47
shows the heart or center rotted, in which condition it is
worthless to flower.
Oss bag Sold Nag Oh en. Ga, Sp Ea a
VIOLETS, CHRYSANTHEMUMS, CARNATIONS AND
; MIGNONETTE.
Violets are yet, and are likely to continue to be, one of
the important winter flowers. The price for the past two
years averaged higher than it has done in twenty years
previous, owing to the fact that in nearly all sections of
the country the Violet has been subject to a disease, a
spotting and yellowing of the leaves, which has been
completely destructive in a great majority of cases. The
cause of this disease I believe to be from the same source
as that affecting the Rose, Carnation, and many other
kinds of plants used for forcing in winter, namely, that
the continued high temperature necessary to produce
flowers is contrary to what the nature of these plants
190 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
demands, a season of rest in winter; this being in part
denied them, the plants are weakened in vitality and
consequently become more or less a prey to disease. To
avert that as much as possible, cuttings should be taken
from the runners of the Violets in October, rooted and
kept in cold frames over winter, which gives them the
necessary season of rest, and planted out at one foot apart
each way as soon as the ground is dry enough to work
in spring, by midsummer they will have started to grow
freely ; from that time until the middle of September be
careful that all runners are pinched off, so that the whole
force of the root can be used to form the crowns for
flowering, exactly as Strawberry runners are pinched off
to produce fruit. The plants thus prepared for flowering
about the end of September are dug up with balls and
potted in seven or eight-inch pots, or planted in five or
six inches of soil in the benches of the greenhouse at. a
foot apart. Shade and water for a few days until they
have made young roots, after which give all the ventila-
tion possible until November. By this time fire heat may
be required, but be careful never to let the temperature
get over fifty degrees at night. As the plants start to
grow, all yellow leaves and weeds should’ be removed.
The greenhouses used for forcing Violets have usually
been the narrow eleven foot houses, but I am convinced
that the rose house structure (page 158) would answer
better, as the greatest amount of light in winter is indis-
pensable for all flowering plants. Care, however, must
be taken that the heating apparatus is so arranged as to
secure the necessary low night temperature. Thus, when
eight runs of four-inch hot-water pipes are necessary for
the rose-honse twenty feet wide, six runs will be ample
for such plants as Violets, Carnations, Primulas, Stevias,
Azaleas, Camellias, or Mignonette ; when a ten or eleyen-
foot greenhouse is used, three runs of pipes will usually
be found sufficient in the latitude of New York, to give
ee wie) Medien | a eee te
VIOLETS, CHRYSANTHEMUMS, ETC. 19%
a night temperature of forty-five or fifty degrees in cold
weather. ‘The varieties used of the double kinds of Violets
are: Neapolitan (light blue), Maria Louise (dark blue),
and Swanley White (white); of the single blues the Schin-
brunn is the best. A new Double Red or Carmine-colored
Violet has been introduced this season (1887), known as
Madam Millet. It will no doubt be greatly prized,
as it isan entirely new and unexpected color. It has all
the characteristics of the Maria Louise variety, in fra-
erance, vigor of growth, and profusion of flowering.
CHRYSANTHEMUMS.
Chrysanthemums until recently were not regarded as
winter flowering plants, they being only used to fill in
the months of October and November, a season at which
flowers are usually scarce. Now, by using the late
flowering kinds, and pinching them back as late as it is
safe to do so, say September Ist, there is no difficulty in
having them in bloom until the lst of January, though
they hardly can be had much later. Another value of
chrysanthemums, not generally known, is that the flowers
can be kept in water in a cool place for three weeks after
being cut, which is longer by one-half than they will
keep on the growing plants after they are fully developed.
Two methods are used to grow chrysanthemums for
flowers ; one is by growing them on during the summer,
beginning to shift from small pots in May or June, until
seven or eight mch pots become necessary by October.
The other is to plant young plants in June at twelve or
fifteen inches apart, each way, inside a greenhouse, or
somewhere where they can be covered with glass by
middle of October ; in both cases the plants must be
grown without check, being watered freely, and supplied
with liquid manure if the soil is not rich enough, and
regularly ‘‘ topped,” so as to make them bushy, the
early kinds, however, must not be ‘‘ topped ” later than
192 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Ist of August, though the late kinds may be pinched back
amonth latter. When extra large flowers are desired,
all buds, but one, as soon as they can be seen, should be
removed from each shoot, this will produce flowers such
as are seeu at Exhibitions, the large kinds often measur-
ing six, seven and eight inches in diameter. There has been
quite a run on these large flowers in New York lately,
single flowers of Mrs. Wheeler, Count of Germany, and
Cullingfordi, selling for fifty cents each ; ordinary flowers
average, perhaps, $2 per hundred.
As it is of the utmost importance in growing chrys-
anthemums to be used as cut flowers, to choose the
earliest and the latest kinds, I append a list of each
class, which has been most carefully chosen, and is the
very best that can be selected at this date.
EARLY FLOWERING CHRYSANTHEMUMS: Bouquet Na-
tionale, fine large double flowers, pure white, with
lemon centre ; Bouquet Fait, delicate rosy lilac, shaded
silvery white; Elaine, beautiful waxy white, perfect
form, extra fine; Karly Red Dragon, dark yellow,
streaked bronze and crimson ; Gloriosum, bright sulphur
yellow, very free flowering ; Geo. Glenny, a fine old
early yellow, incurved ; J. Collins, salmon maroon,
shaded bronze ; Mrs. Brett, round, sulphur yellow ; M.
Lemoine, dark yellow, streaked bronze and crimson ;
Md. Grame, pure white, fine incurved flower; Mrs. 8.
Lyon, large single white, golden centre; Sonce d’Or,
intense yellow, shaded ‘‘old gold.”
LATE CHRYSANTHEMUMS, ‘‘ CHRISTMAS” COLLECTION.
—Comprising such kinds as perfect their flowers in the
house about the holiday season : Bend d’Or, pure golden
yellow, as the flowers mature, the petals lap over, forming
ribbon-like belts; Cullingfordi, scarlet and crimson; Count
of Germany, vermillion and gold ; Christmas Eve, pure
white ; Fantasie, pink, shading to white; Fair Maid of
Guernsey, clear dazzling white, immense ball-like flowers ;
VIOLETS, CHRYSANTHEMUMS, ETC. 193
Golden Dragon, very large, color dark golden yellow,
broad heavy petals ; Jupiter, brilliant reddish crimson ;
Jas. Salter, clear light yellow, beautifully incurved, as
the flower opens; Lord Byron, dark rich crimson,
shaded old gold; Lady Slade, delicate purple pink,
beautifully incurved ; Mrs. C. L. Allen, carmine, yellow
centre ; Moonlight, immense size, beautiful lemon
white; Mrs. C. H. Wheeler, vermillion and old gold;
Maid of Athens, very large, pure snow white ; Talford
Salter, dwarf compact grower, color rich crimson,
streaked golden bronze; Yellow Eagle, very large, dark
golden yellow, ribbon-like petals; Thorpe Jr., rich yel-
low, Anemone-formed center; one of the best.
CARNATIONS,
The cultivation of the Carnation is very simple. It is
rooted from cuttings at any time from October to April,
and as the plant is almost hardy, it may be planted out
with safety in the open ground in early spring, as soon as
cabbage, lettuce, or any other plant of that nature.
Many, for want of this knowledge, ke2p Carnations, in
the greenhouse or pits until the time for setting out
tender plants in May, thereby not only having the use-
less trouble of taking care of them, but depriving them
of six weeks of a season well adapted to their growth.
They are best planted ont in beds of six rows, nine
inches apart, and the same distance between the plants,
with eighteen inch alleys between the beds. The Carna-
tion is very impatient of a wet soil, and care should be
taken that the land be dry naturally, or it must be
drained. As the Carnations grow they throw up flower
shoots, which must be cut off all through the season,
until about the Ist of September. If the plants are
wanted for winter flowering, this pinching back of the
flower shoots induces a dwarf and stocky growth, which
is very desirable in the Carnation. If they are grown in
194 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
large quantities for winter flowering, by far the best
way is to plant them on the benches of the greenhouse,
at about the same distance as they were growing outside,
any time in October; but if only a few are required, to
mix in with a general collection of plants, it is more
convenient to grow them in pots, so that they may be
moved about as may be necessary.
In nearly every section of the country for the past ten
years, there has been great loss, from an insidious disease
attacking Carnations, causing them to die off rapidly,
both in the field and in the green-house. There is appar-
ently no remedy for this, but prevention. As in the case
of Violets, Roses, and other plants grown for winter
flowers, there is but little doubt that the continued fore-
ing, without rest, debilitates the plants to such a degree
as to invite the attack of fungi and other parasites. The
remedy then is to rest the plants, bringing them as
nearly as possible to their natural condition. ‘To attain
this in my own practice, we have for many years rooted the
cuttings of Carnations, Violets, and all such nearly hardy
plants, before January, planting the rooted cuttings into
boxes, or potting them in small pots, and when sufficiently
rooted in the boxes or pots, stowing them away in cold
greenhouses, or cold pits, until the time of planting out
in spring. By this method it is rare that we have any
symptom of disease.
Although we have some hundreds of varieties, as in
the vase of Roses, we have only a few suited for winter
flowering. The best of which are: Hintzs (white),
Sunrise (orange yellow), Century (deep carmine), Gar-
field (scarlet), Grace Wilder (light rose), Pride of Pen-
hurst (clear yellow), Royal Purple (crimson), and
Crimson King (crimson), Quaker City (white) very late,
La Purité (carmine).
~ The flowers of La Purité and other colored sorts sell
in New York at $2 per hundred, the whites usually at $3
BOUVARDIAS. 195
per hundred, when cut with long stems ; for short stems,
about half the price. Even at these low prices they are a
fairly profitable crop, as the bulk of the flowers is given
previous to the middle of February, when the forced
plants, being of but little use, are usually thrown out to
make room for other plants. Although the Carnation
is nearly a hardy plant and may be kept anywhere in
winter in a cold greenhouse, or pit even if occasionally
slightly frozen, yet it is also susceptible of being forced
freely. We usually keep our houses, when we are forc-
ing for flowers, at from fifty to sixty degrees at night,
with ten degrees higher in day-time.
CUM APT HRs XX XV TE.
BOUVARDIAS, STEVIAS, EUPATORIUMS, HELIO-
TROPES, POINSETTIA, AND OTHER WINTER-
FLOWERING PLANTS.
BOUVARDIAS
Are propagated by pieces of the roots, in April, or by
cuttings, during the summer months (see Propagation),
and when these, from the root cuttings, have thrown up
a growth of two or three inches they are potted in two-
inch pots and planted out in the open ground at a dis-
tance of nine or ten inches apart, in the latter part of May.
The plants that have been put out in the open ground
in May will have grown to a fine, bushy form by Septem-
ber 1st, if due attention has been given to nipping off the
tops every two weeks during summer. By this date they
should be teken up and potted, not later, as the
Bouvardia requires warm weather to form roots; if
possible, they should be lifted with balls of earth adher-
196 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
ing to the roots, as they wilt very easily, and the plants
require great care in lifting. In any case, it is necessary
to shade and freely water for six or seven days before
exposing them to full sun. They had better be stood in the
open ground or ina cold frame, after being potted, rather
than put in a greenhouse, as it is very necessary that they
be fully exposed to ight and air for as long a time as pos-
sible, before placing them in their winter quarters in the
greenhouse; but this outside. exposure must not be
risked too late, not later than October 1st, in this lati-
tude, unless they can be covered up before there is danger
to be apprehended from frost, as the Bouvardia is a very
tender plant, and will be injured by a very slight degree
of frost. They may either be grown in pots, or planted
out from the pots to the benches, as we do with Carna-
tions and many other things. Our own practice, as we
have before said, is to set all such plants out in the
benches, as the flowers produced are much finer, owing to
their having a more regular condition of moisture at the
roots ; besides, this gives a greater area for the roots to
run in. We have said the Bouvardia is a hot-house
plant ; therefore if flowers are wanted in the early part
of winter, the temperature at night should range from
fifty-five to sixty-five degrees. The leading varieties of
Bouvardia are: Double Pink ; Double White ; Elegans,
single, bright carmine ; Vulcan, single, scarlet ; Priory
Beauty, single, rose color ; Dazzler, single, deep scarlet ;
Vreelandi, single, white; Humboldti is a beautiful, Jessa-
mine-scented variety, with large, waxy-white flowers, but
it is only useful in early fall and in spring, as it will not
flower freely in midwinter. Bouvardia flowers sell at
about $2 per hundred trusses.
STEVIAS AND EUPATORIUMS.
Stevias and Eupatoriums are yet much used for winter ;
they are white-flowering plants, of no particular beauty
STEVIAS AND EUPATORIUMS—HELIOTROPES. 157
in themselves, but admirably adapted from their feathery-
like sprays, for mixing in with bright-colored flowers.
They are of easy propagation, and being of rampant
growth, had better always be grown in pots throughout
the summer—plunging the pots to the rim in the usual
way, to save watering. They can all be grown to flower
in a low greenhouse temperature, and as many of them
bloom rather early in the winter, every expedient is used
to keep them as cold as possible, without freezing.
Stevia compacta and Stevia compacta nana, very
dwarf, flower during November; Stevia serrata and
Stevia serrata folia variegata flowers rather denser than
the green-leaved variety and beautiful when grown as a
specimen greenhouse plant; both flower in December.
We have just obtained a dwarf kind of this variegated
variety, which will prove valuable for white ribbon-line
planting.
Hupatorium arboreum flowers from November to Jan-
uary, by retarding portions in cold frames ; Hupatorium
salicifolium flowers throughout January ; Hupatoriwm
elegans from February to March. ‘The flowers rate at
about the same price as Bouvardias.
HELIOTROPES.
The manner of growing the Heliotrope for winter
flowers is nearly identical with that for the Stevia or Ku-
patorium, during the summer months; only, like the
Bouvardia, it requires heat to bring the flowers out in
profusion in winter. ‘The varieties best adapted for forc-
ing are: White Lady, nearly white; The Queen, violet
white eye; Negro, blackish purple; Birnie, lavender,
richly fragrant.
The Heliotrope flowers without intermission during
the entire season, if kept growing. Flowers average
about $1 per hundred.
198 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
POINSETTIA PULCHERRIMA.
The Poinsettia pulcherrima is grown from cuttings of
the green, or of the ripened wood in April or May, and
shifted as required during the summer, plunging the pots
in beds in the open ground. In my own practice, I find
that boxes eighteen by thirty inches and six inches deep,
are more convenient than growing them in pots. Six
plants are set out in each box, and when placed on the
benches where they are to flower, the sides are knocked
from the boxes, and the space between the squares of earth
filled in with rich compost. Place it in winter quarters
before the weather has become cold enough to chill it,
not later than October Ist, as it is a tender tropical plant,
and requires a hot-house temperature of not less than
sixty-five degrees at night for its full development.
Grown in this heat, it is a plant of the most gorgeous
beauty, the bracts or leaves surrounding the flower-clus-
ters averaging, on well-grown plants, one foot in diam-
eter; grown as a hot-house plant, it is in full perfection
at the holidays, and is now largely used for decoration.
Many thousand heads are sold in New York annually, at
an average of $25 per 100.
Huphorbia jacquiniflora and H. splendens are plants
of the same family as Poinsettia, and require similar
treatment in all respects. ‘The former, from its style of
growth, is much used for wreathing, but neither of them
are as yet extensively grown.
BEGONIAS—OF SORTS.
The Begonias cultivated for winter blooming have
drooping Fuchsia-like flowers of different shades from
white to scarlet, and are used to a considerable extent as
a ‘‘ fringe flower” for sides of baskets and vases. San-
dersonii, metallica and fuchsioides are fine, having
bright scarlet flowers produced in great abundance; car-
FUCHSIAS—JASMINUM—DOUBLE BALSAMS. 199
nea, a rich pink, and marmorata, a flesh-colored sort, are
also desirable. 2B. rubra, a most gorgeous carmine scar-
let, has panicles one foot in length on well grown plants.
The price for the same size is about the same as for
Bouvardias.
FUCHSIAS.
There are but few kinds of Fuchsias adapted for con-
tinuous blooming in winter, but these are very desirable,
ard whether grown as ornamental specimens for the
conservatory or for cutting for flowers, they are much
valued.
The best in our experience are #. speciosa, F. aurora,
Karl of Beaconsfield, Beacon, Mrs. Geo. Rundle, Beauty
of Swanley, all of which have long drooping flowers of
light colors; few of the dark kinds flower in winter.
Two-year-old plants bloom in the greatest profusion,
plants one foot in diameter giving upwards of 100 flow-
ers, which are much esteemed for their rare color and
graceful drooping habit.
JASMINUM GRANDIFLORUM.
This is grown to the best advantage by permanent
planting out in the greenhouse, and training to a rafter
or trellis. Its pure white flowers and delicious fragrance
make it much prized at all seasons. The flowers do not
carry well, as they drop off easily, but it is valuable for
home use.
DOUBLE BALSAMS.
Beginners with limited means, when short of stock for
winter flowering, may very cheaply procure flowers of the
Double Balsams, particularly for the late fall months.
If sown in August and potted into six or seven-inch
pots, in light, warm hot-houses, they will flower until the
holidays.
200 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
BIGNONIA VENUSTA AND JASMINOIDES,
These are greenhouse climbers, which only do well as
permanent rafter plants, usually not flowering until they
are two or three years old; by that time, however, they
usually cover the rafters to a length of twenty or thirty
feet. B. venusta is bright orange; B. jasminoides is
purple and white. The flowers are formed in immense
clusters and are extensively used during winter. The
colors of both, although entirely different, are novel
additions to our usual colors of flowers.
SWEET ALYSSUM.
Sow in August in a cold frame, thin out so that the
plants will stand six or eight inches apart, and leave
without the covering of the sash until frost is expected in
September or October ; these plants will flower abundantly
until January, if covered up by sash and mats so as to
exclude the frost; or they may be sown in August or
September, and grown in pots and flowered in a cold
greenhouse during the winter months.
MIGNONETTE.
The following article on Mignonette is copied from the
‘‘American Florist ” of November, 1886, written by Mr.
Charles Bird, Arlington, N. J., who has for years been
one of the most successful growers of Mignonette in
winter for the New York market :
‘¢T will first describe what I consider the proper kind of
a house to grow this plant in; afterwards the treatment.
The house should be a low one, without benches, as
experience has demonstrated to me that sufficient soil
cannot be accommodated upon a bench to allow the roots
of this plant the freedom and depth necessary to properly
develop itself. I would prefer to have the house running
from north to south; that is, having one side facing
east, the other west, and of eleven feet in width. Dig
out a walk in the centre about eighteen inches deep, brick
MIGNONETTE. 201
up the sides with one course of brick laid flatwise,
giving them aslight coating of cement to strengthen them.
** Now we are ready to prepare our border, and this is
an operation in the cultivation of mignonette about
which a great deal might be said. I once read an article
written by a practical florist in a weekly paper about the
cultivation of flowers, in which he stated that ‘ most
flowers liked deep, rich soil; there were some, however,
that thrived equally well in any soil ;’ and mignonette
was one of the plants he enumerated as among the latter
class. I have seen mignonette grown, and offered for
sale, under the latter conditions, but it was a very differ-
ent article from that grown in a well-prepared border.
I have seen roots that extended down by actual measure-
ment seventeen inches, and have no doubt that under
very favorable conditions they would root much deeper.
My advice, therefore, to those who would have fine mig-
nonette is to spare no pains in the preparation of the
bed. Enrich it thoroughly with plenty of well-rotted cow
manure—one part in four is none too much—to a depth of
not less than eighteen inches ; mix thoroughly and pul-
verize well. Of course the bed must be drained artifi-
cially, if the subsoil is such that the water will not pass
through freely.
‘*Sow your seed directly in the bed, or put out your
plants from seed sown in pots, any time after August 15.
Be careful not to allow them to crowd each other too much.
I have at this writing, October 1, two houses, each one
hundred feet long and eleven feet wide, beds made
as before described, sown in mignonette, plants all thin-
ned out eight inches apart each way, and by mid-winter
very little of the soil in the border will be visible by reason
of the foliage of the plants. This distance, of course, only
applies to the large strong-growing varieties. The plants
of the common old variety might be left four by eight
inches, the latter being the distance between the rows.
202 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
The plants will thrive much better if the surface of the
soil is gone over frequently and kept loose, and great
care should be taken that no chickweed is left after the
plants have become too large to continue this operation,
as this pest luxuriates in the cool, rich border, and will
give you endless trouble later on, by making a complete
tangle of your bed. I find, in watering mignonette, that
if kept moderately moist it is tougher, and will keep
better, than if kept too wet. When planted out in a bed
like the one I have previously described, during the
winter months, one watering each month will be found
sufficient (if thoroughly watered), which is my plan
under all circumstances. A great many failures in the
cultivation of flowers and plants arise from the habit of
half watering. My plan is to soak thoroughly, and then
withhold water entirely until the appearance of the soil or
plant indicates need of more moisture.
‘*T have adopted a system of ‘brushing’—using branches
such as are used for supporting peas; only, of course,
of a size suitable to height of the mignonette—between
the rows to keep the plants perpendicular, for unless they
have some support they will fall in every direction, and
the result is crooked stems and altogether too many
shoots. By keeping the plants as near upright as
possible and breaking the shoots well back in picking,
the number of shoots needed can be calculated very
easily; and the last spikes gathered in June will be
nearly as fine as those picked in November and December,
for the roots are down feeding in the cool, rich soil at
the bottom of the border.
‘*The temperature must be low, about forty degrees at
night ; no matter if it touches freezing point ; give plenty
of air whenever the weather will permit. It will not
mature as fast as if kept warmer, but your spikes will be
all the finer, and you will find a steady demand and
ready sale. I don’t know any plant that ‘mixes’ as
MIGNONETTE—AZALBAS, 203
easily as this. The greatest care must be taken in
saving seed if you would preserve pure any particular
strain, and I find, instead of improving by mixing and
promiscuous gathering of seed, that the reverse is the
case. A neighbor of mine has a number of hives of bees,
and in the early spring the odor of my mignonette
attracts them, and they literally swarm among the
blooms ; of course if there are any plants of inferior
quality in the beds the other plants are thoroughly fer-
tilized from them by the bees, and my crop of seed is
badly mixed; hence the importance of weeding out any
plants of inferior quality before any blossoms have
developed from which you intend saving seed. A notion
prevails that home-grown seed is not as good as imported
seed. This is sheer nonsense; it may apply to some
varieties of plants, but certainly not to mignonette.
When home-grown seed has failed to give satisfaction
it is because of lack of pains in harvesting, or poor
cultivation.” This is true of nearly all seeds ; it is not
where it is grown, but what is grown, that determines its
value.
AZALEAS,
These are grown to a considerable extent as specimen
greenhouse plants ; propagated from the young wood in
March ; potted and planted out in the open ground in
May they make fine plants by fall, but most of the varie-
ties do not bloom freely until the second year; as they
can be grown cheaper in Europe, we of late years import
nearly all we sell. The Azalea is a plant having very
fine roots, and consequently requires a soil composed
largely of leaf mould or peat to grow to the best advan-
tage. There are now several hundred sorts, many of
them of great beauty. They are used to a considerable
extent in cut-flower pieces, particularly the white varie-
ties, double whites being preferred, as the flowers of
204 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
the double keep much longer than the single. The plants,
particularly the whites, are largely used for church dec-
oration. In growing the plants in winter the tempera-
ture should not exceed fifty degrees at night.
HEATHS.
Heaths are at present little grown here for winter flow-
ers, our hot summers making their culture troublesome,
except with a few of the freer growing sorts, such as
Erica gracilis (carmine), H. persoluta (deep rose),
E.. persoluta alba, H. vernalis and EH. Actea, all white.
They are best grown from cuttings of the young wood in
March, in soil similar to that used for Azaleas ; if planted
out in the open ground in May in light rich soil, they
will in one season make plants large enough to flower
the first season ; but, like Azaleas, they are cheaper to
import than to grow. Winter culture very similar to
Azaleas.
CHAPTER ARXYV TT
ORCHIDS.
ORCHIDS MOST SUITABLE FOR FLORISTS’ WORK.
Having no experience in Orchid culture, I addressed the
following queries to Mr. Wilham Gray, of Albany, N. Y.,
whose knowledge of Orchid culture is second to none in
this country and probably not to any in Hurope. The
replies to’ the questions are in every mstance from the
pen of Mr. Gray :
1st—What are the best twelve or twenty-four kinds of
Orchids most suitable for florists’ work ? The best twelve
for florists are Cattleya triamne, Dendrobium nobvle,
ORCHIDS. 205
Dendrobium Wardianum, Lelia anceps, Celogyne cris-
tata, Lycaste Skinnerii, Odontoglossum Alexandre,
Odontoglossum Pescatorei, Cypripedium insigne, Phajus
Wallichii, Calanthe Veitchii, Culanthe vestita. ‘The next
twelve are Cattleya Mossiw, Cwlogyne ocellata, Cypripe-
dium Spicerianum, Cypripedium villosum, Dendrobium
crassinode, Phajus grandifolius, Phalenopsis amabilis,
Phalenopsis Schilleriana, Phalenopsis Stuartiana,
Vanda cerulea, Vanda Sanderiana, Zygopetalum
Mackayt.
2d—What kinds of these are best suited for growing in
pots, and what is the soil used ? Cattleyas, Dendrobiums
and Odontoglossums do well in coarse chopped peat, pots
nearly filled with crocks; Celogyne and Lycaste, coarse,
sandy peat, with chopped, half decayed leaves ; Cypripe-
diwms, Phajus and Zygopetalums in peat and loam, and a
little rotten manure; Phalenopsis, Vandas and Laelias
do well in baskets, pots or small pans, in chopped sphag-
num; the drainage must be perfect. Calanthes, chopped
sods of sandy loam, with not over fine leaf mould ; the
plants must be made steady with stakes and copper wire.
3d—What kinds are suited to grow on bark or cork, or
other such material, and what compost or other substance
isused ? Cattleyas, Laelias, Phalenopsis, Vandas and
Dendrobiums do well on blocks of cork, rafts, cylinders,
ete., with sphagnum or other moss; but take more care, as
they dry so quickly.
A
Z
STD
x
Pillow with Crown. Standing Anchor
‘Fig. 57,—DESIGNS IN WILLOW AND WIRE FOR FLORAL WORK,
CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. Rod
able only when pressed and dried, it seems, if it is to
come into general use, the cheaper way would be to still
import the leaves in that state from Italy, where it is
hardy enough to stand in the open air. The leaves of
the Sago Palm, Cycas revoluta, are used largely for
funeral work in all large cities, when they can be obtained.
Designs of every imaginable description are now made
of flowers—shields, rainbows, canopies (under which the
marriage ceremony is performed), etc. Mr. Wm. C.
Wilson, the well known florist of New York, informed
me that he has received $600 for the floral canopy sup-
plied for the marriage of the daughter of one of New
York’s best known citizens, and the flowers used in the
decoration of rooms in all footed up $5,000. These are
rare occasions, however, though $500 and $1,000 are not
unusual. The flowers for the balls of the Americus Club
of New York in T'wecd’s palmy days often cost $6,000 for
a single night.
DESIGNS IN STRAW, WILLOW AND WIRE FOR FLORAL
WORK.
Most elaborate and beautiful designs for floral work
are offered in straw, willow, and wire. Figures 56 and
57 show a few of the designs at present most in use, but
new designs are being now offered each season, so that to
keep pace with everything brought out, reference must
be had to the catalogues of those making a business of
such work.
Directions have already been given how to fill the
wire designs in the preceding pages; the same will
apply, with slight modifications that will be suggested to
the operator while constructing, in the straw and willow
designs.
240 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE,
Cita PT HRs x eve
HANGING BASKETS,
It is only of late years that the taste for hanging
baskets has become so universal. The taste has extended
to every town and hamlet throughout the land. The
baskets are made either of wire-work, earthenware, or
of rough and gnarled roots or limbs, to form ‘‘ rustic”
work. ‘The wire and rustic baskets are the kinds in
most general use.
Only certain kinds of plants are suitable for hanging
baskets ; such as are of low compact growth to cover the
surface, and such as are of drooping or trailing habit, to
hang over the sides. For a basket of one foot in diameter
we name the following as suitable :
For center plants, either Dracena terminalis, D.
draco, D. indivisa or the ‘* Screw Pine” Pandanus
utilis.
Coleus Verschaffeltti, well-known bronze foliage plant.
Coleus Golden Gem, clear yellow foliage plant.
Coleus Firebrand.
Centaurea candida, a plant with white, downy leaves,
of compact growth.
Geranium, semi-double scarlet, or semi-double rose.
Sedum Sieboldii, « plant with light glaucous leaves
and graceful habit, which is not only desirable on
account of its foliage alone, but for its purplish rose
colored flowers.
These are suitable for the upper surface of the
basket. Those proper to plant near the edge of the
basket are:
Lobelia Erinus Paxtoni, blue, drooping eighteen
inches.
Tropeolum, Ball of Vire, dazzling scarlet, drooping
two feet.
HANGING BASKETS. 241
Lysimachia nummularia, bright yellow, drooping
two feet.
Linaria cymbalaria, small flowers, graceful foliage,
drooping three feet.
For a basket of two feet in diameter the below-named
make afine display. For the center plants the same as
for the smaller basket :
Geranium, Mrs. Pollock, foliage crimson, yellow and
green ; flowers, bright scarlet.
Alyssum dentatum variegatum, foliage, green and
white, with fragrant flowers of pure white.
Alternanthera paronychioides major, leaves of pink
and crimson.
Pyrethrum, Golden Feather, fern-like foliage, golden
yellow.
For the drooping plants the following, which fall from
two to three feet.
Maurandia Barclayzna, white or purple flowers.
Vinca elegantissima aurea, foliage deep green, netted
with golden yellow ; flowers deep blue.
Cerastium tomentosum, foliage downy white ; flowers
white.
Convolvulus Mauritanicus, flowers light blue, profuse.
Solanum jusminoides variegatum, foliage variegated ;
flowers white, with yellow anthers.
Geranium peltaium elegans, « variety of the Ivy-leaved,
with rich, glossy foliage, and beautiful mauve-colored
flowers.
Panicum variegatum, a procumbent grass from New
Caledonia, of graceful habit of growth, with beautiful
variegated foliage, striped white, carmine, and green.
One of the most valuable plants for baskets or vases.
Although a few plants have been named as being
suitable for hanging baskets, there is nothing arbitrary
about using particular kinds ; it is a matter of taste in a
great measure as to what kinds are used, though asa
242 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
rule, it is best to use some graceful plant for the center,
such as those already named.
In setting the plants in the hanging baskets, a layer
of moss at least one inch in depth should be spread over
the bottom and sides, so that the water may be held and
prevented from washing through.
A very good plan to water hanging baskets where
there are many of them, isto dip the whole basket in
water? .: itis thoroughly soaked ; thus drenched it will
stand quite as long as when watered in the usual way.
To have the plants bloom freely, they should be hung
where they will be exposed to the sun at least two or
three hours each day, and in dry weather copiously
watered daily. Ifthe surface of the basket between the
plants is covered with moss, it will prevent the earth from
drying out so soon, and will give a neater appearance to
the basket. The soil used to plant in may be that suit-
able for’ potting ordinary plants, as described under the
head of soils
CHAP Vea Bh Way:
PARLOR OR WINDOW GARDENING.
To be successful in growing plants in the window of
the parlor or sitting-room, it is of the first importance to
begin with plants that are in a healthy state.
Experienced florists, with all their appliances for suc-
cessful culture, often fail to bring health to a sickly
subject. How, then, can amateurs, without experience,
hope to recuperate the weakened energies of some petted
plant in the less congenial atmosphere of an ordinary
dwelling-house ? I well know the usual practice of our
lady frieuds in this matter, In purchasing their supply
PARLOR OR WINDOW GARDENING. 243
of bedding plants from the florist in May, all are taken
from the pots and planted in flower beds, to decorate the
borders for the summer months. By the first appear-
ance of frost in October, the plants of Bouvardias, Car-
nations, Fuchsias, Geraniums, Heliotropes, Roses, ete.,
etc., that were such tiny slips when planted out in May,
are now, many of them, large plants, and in all their
glory of bloom ; but Jack Frost shall not have them,
they must be saved. Pots are sent for, soil of the most
approved brand is procured from some florist high in the
art, the piants are lifted up with all care and placed in
the pots. Our amateur friend is in raptures ; as yet
they look just as green and flourishing as when growing
in the garden. But a day passes, and although they
have been shaded and watered with all care, the plants
somehow begin to show symptoms of collapse. The
Geranium leaves, that looked so green and well, are now
flabby. ‘The Rose-buds, that held up their heads with
such pride, now look abashed and hang down.
This state of affairs continues ; from the leaves being
simply wilted they begin to get yellow and shrivel up ;
by ten days many of the plants have died outright, and
the remainder are in a sad looking condition, that is dis-
heartening to the owner.
No other result than this will ever be obtained with
plants treated in this manner. When florists wish to lift
plants of this nature in fall, two-thirds of the shoots
are usually cut off, and the plants put through a course
of treatment to induce them to strike new roots, that is
hardly ever in the power of the amateur to apply ; but
even though we succeed in saving the plants, it is almost
always at the expense of the bloom, for few plants can
be lifted in bloom in October from the open ground, and
continue to blossom through the winter. Now, having
pointed out the errors, I will show the way to sucgeed in
obtaining healthy plants that will grow and bloom freely
244. PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
in winter, provided they are supplied with the necessary
moisture and heat. All plants that are intended for
house plants in winter, when set out in May, should be
first planted in pots six or seven inches in diameter.
These pots should be planted, or, as we term it,
“plunged ” to the rim, or level with the surface ; thus
they are almost in the same condition as if they had been
planted without the pot, only the roots are confined
inside of the pot, so that when the plant is lifted in fall
there is no mutilation of the roots, as must always be the
case when the plant is put in the open ground without
the pot, as then the roots ramify in all directions. One
caution, however, is necessary: the hole in the bottom
of the pot must be effectually stopped up so that the
roots cannot strike through, or the pot should be turned
two or three times during the summer, so as to break off
the roots as they strike through the bottom. If this is
not done, nearly the same difficulty will be experienced
as if they had not been put in the pots. But if proper
attention has been given to this, plants of every descrip-
tion that are suitable for winter will be in a fine state by
the time of taking up—in this district, the Ist of Octo-
ber, as by this time there is danger of frost.
The following list comprises those plants most suit-
able for window culture, and such as are most easily
managed and least expensive.
Abutilons,
Calla (Richardia), rs
Carnations—monthly sorts,
Cyclamens,
Chryanthemums,
Chinese Primroses,
Fuchsias,
Hyacinths and other Bulbs (See Bulb Culture),
Geraniums, Variegated, Zonale, Scented and Ivy-
leaved.
PARLOR OR WINDOW GARDENING. 245
Heliotropes,
Mahernias,
Pelargoniums,
Roses—Tea, Bourbon, and Bengal,
Solanums,
Stevias,
Camellias, Azaleas, etc., etc.
All of these will flower and grow freely in a green-
house temperature, or at an average of not more than
fifty degrees at night, with fifteen or twenty degrees
higher during the day.
We add another limited list of plants requiring a high-
er temperature, some of them being in other respects
more difficult of culture, besides being more expensive :
Allamandas, Begonias,
Bouvardias of all sorts, Euphorbias,
Coleus of all sorts, Poinsettias,
Stephanotis, Ruellia formosa,
Salvias, etc., etc.
All of the above will Iuxuriate best in a humid atmos-
phere, at an average of not less than sixty degrees at
night, with fifteen or twenty degrees higher during the
day. The best aspect for growing plants from October
to April is due south. For the intermediate season east
is preferable. Watering is a very important operation,
but a little experience with plants, and ordinary care in
observing will soon show when this is required. A good
deal depends upon the condition of the plant ; if in
vigorous growth there is but little danger of giving it too
much. On the other hand, if the plant has been cut
back or lost its leaves, water should be given sparingly.
For example, you may take a vigorous growing apple or
pear tree, and saw off its limbs to the trunk in inid-
summer ; if its roots are kept saturated with moisture it
will die, but if kept dry it will shortly again develop
branches and leaves. ‘This example teaches us a lesson
246 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
in more artificial culture, that in proportion to the vigor
of the subject should its food be supplied. The practice
of placing the pots in saucers filled with water is destruc-
tive to the health of most plants, as, of course, so long as
the water remains in the saucers, the soil is absorbing it
and the roots of the plant are saturated ; it is well
enough to use the saucers to prevent the soil from wash-
ing through, but the water should be applied at the sur-
face of the pot, and what little will pass through into
the saucer will do no harm. Another source of annoy-
ance to those growing plants in rooms is the various
insects that attack them. The most common and
injurious of these is the Aphis or Green-fly. In our green-
houses we keep this little pest in check by continued
fumigation with tobacco, but as this would not be prac-
ticable in rooms, recourse must be had to immersing the
plant in tobacco water, made of a strength having about
the color of strong tea. By dipping the plant in this
once in two weeks, or, when the plants are large, syring-
ing them with it, Aphides will never be seen. The Red
Spider and thrips are not so easily got rid of, but fortu-
nately they are not so common or injurious, unless in a
very high temperature and dry atmosphere. The only
way of arresting them is syringing or immersing as for
Green-fly. For more particulars see chapter on Insects.
There are no special soils necessary for the amateur to
trouble himself about in cultivating parlor flowers. For
our opinions on this head see chapter on soils. Neither
should he tamper with guano or other fertilizers ; equal-
ization of temperature and moisture will secure the end
desired.
WINDOW-GARDENING IN LONDON—COTTAGE GARDENS.
One of the most refreshing sights to an American
arriving in London during the summer months is the
wonderful diversity and beauty of the flowers cultivated
PARLOR AND WINDOW GARDENING. 247
in the windows and balconies of the houses. In some of
the best streets, hardly a house can be seen that is not so
adorned, and even the most squalid abodes of vice and
poverty are often relieved by a miniature flower-garden on
the window-sill. The most common style is the window-
box, made to fit the window, usually from four to five
feet long, and about six to eight inches wide and deep.
It is made of every conceivable pattern, of terra-cotta,
cork, and rustic design in endless variety. The plants
used are not very numerous in variety, being selectcd of
kinds suited to keep in bloom or to sustain their bright-
ness of foliage. Now and then the ribbon-line planting
is adopted on the balconies; a very handsome box in
this style had first a row of Moneywort (Lysimachia
nummularia), Which formed a drooping curtain of four
feet in length ; half-way down on it drooped blue Lo-
belia ; then upon the Lobelia fell a bright yellow Sedum
(Stone-crop), then against the Sedum, for the top-line or
background, a dwarf Zonale Geranium, a perfect blaze
of scarlet. Hardly two of these window decorations were
alike in the best streets, and varied from a simple box of
Mignonette or Sweet Alyssum to cases filled with the
rarest Ferns or Orchids. The effect as a whole is most
pleasing, and one that cannot fail to strike the most
indifferent observer as an agreeable change from the
seemingly never ending brick and stone of the city. The
window-gardening is not confined to private dwellings,
but all the leading hotels are so decorated. In the dining-
room of the Langham Hotel, a favorite resort of
Americans, some hundreds of well-grown specimens of
plants are placed in the windows, and kept in perfect
order during the entire summer. The selection of plants
is made regardless of expense, and in looking around the
dining-hall it is with some difficulty that you decide if
you are not dining in the midst of a vast conservatory,
so redolent is the air with the perfume of flowers. The
248 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
same taste for window-gardening is displayed, more or
less, in all the English towns and villages, and even the
humblest thatched cottage of the peasant by the wayside
is given alook of quiet happiness by the bower of flowers
in the window. How different the look of those humble
homes, where the occupant is receiving barely four dollars
per week, from the squalid shanties in the suburbs of our
great cities in America, where the ‘* naturalized ”
American citizen is often earning three times that
amount! Grand effects may be produced in our climate
by the use of climbing vines as window plants, which can
be trained outside in summer on wire or strings. Nota-
ble among these are: Cob@a scandens, Ipomea noctilu-
ca, or Moon-flower, Waurandias, purple and white, and
Lophospermums ; for inside, the Climbing Fern, Smilax,
or Climbing Asparagus.
Here let me deviate from my text, but to a kindred
subject, and tell how the English cottager works his
garden in some of the old towns, such as Colchester.
To each cottage, renting for about fifty dollars per year,
is attached a garden of something more than an eighth
part of an acre in extent. Jn this little spot the tenant
contrives to grow four to six kinds of vegetables, such as
potatoes, cabbages, peas, turnips, ete., and of fruits,
gooseberries, currants, raspberries, and strawberries.
Every foot is made to produce something, and rarely a
weed was seen in some scores that we saw ranged side by
side. The heavy work is done by the man of the house,
‘‘ before or after hours,” in his own time. In the weed-
ing and hoeing he is assisted by wife or children. There
is great rivalry among the dificrent owners of these
cottage gardens, and in many places liberal prizes are
given by the horticultural societies to those that are
best cultivated.
Prizes are also offered for the best window-grown
plants, and in Hull and some other towns, plants are
PARLOR AND WINDOW GARDENING. 249
distributed gratis and printed instructions given for cul-
ture, to encourage the taste.
There may be, however, a reason for the neglect of
their gardens by the mechanics and laboring classes here.
There is no question that at the time when the bulk of
the work should be done, in the hot summer weather,
the laborer has greater need of rest here after- his
day’s work is over than in the cooler climate of Eng-
land ; moreover, there is longer daylight in England in
summer, all of which, together with greater necessity for
thrift, may be the reasons why the English cottager’s
garden is so much superior to that of the same class
in the United States.
WARDIAN CASES, FERNERIES, ETC.
The Wardian Case is usually made with black walnut
base lined with zinc, in depth about six inches, and about
two feet square on the sides; but it is made of various
sizes. The covering is a glass case, made usually
eighteen inches high ; the top or lid, also of glass, is
mace movable, so that ventilation is provided, and
undue moisture allowed to escape. The plants grown in
Wardian cases are such as are selected for their beauty of
foliage rather than for their flowers, plants whose
natural habitat is shady woods ; such as Ferns, Lycopo-
diums, Dracenas, Caladiums, Marantas, ete., ete. ‘The
soil used in such a case may be light peat or leaf-mould ;
nothing of a stiff or heavy nature of soil should be
used. ‘The case may be kept in any ordinary sitting-
room, near the window, but not exposed to the direct
sunlight. There is no trouble whatever in management ;
one moderate watering when the case is filled will keep
it without further attention for six weeks, except an
occasional ventilation when moisture lies heavy on the
glass. In winter the temperature of the room may run
from fifty to sixty degrees at night. The culture of
200 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Ferns or Lycopods requires somewhat similar conditions
as are found in the Wardian case when not grown in it ;
they cannot be successfully grown unless in partial shade
in a close, moist atmosphere. Hence it is useless to
attempt the cultivation of such in the dry atmosphere
of an ordinary sitting-room, unless they are enclosed in
cases. The florist can easily adapt his greenhouse to the -
proper conditions when required, but the amateur must
secure these by means of a closed case of some kind.
For single specimens or a few ferns and the like, a glass
shade with a proper base of metal or earthenware is fre-
quently used, and is very ornamental. Ferneries of this
kind are sold at the principal horticultural and seed
stores.
CHAPTER. xXoL Vi
FORMATION OF ROCK-WORK, AND PLANTS FOR
ROCKS.
This feature of pleasure ground decoration is generally
necessitated by circumstances ; if the ground which has
to be chosen for that purpose is naturally stony, it often
becomes the cheapest way to get rid of the stones, group-
ing them so that they become ornamental. They may
often thus be used to advantage in forming breaks or
screens, to hide the flower garden from the vegetable or
fruit garden ; in this way they are laid up in rugged
walls, the interstices filled with soil and covered with
hardy perennial plants. Locations where rocks exist in
their natural condition can often be made highly
interesting and ornamental by setting out plants of a
climbing habit to run up them, or a drooping or trailing
habit to overhang them. Among those suitable for the
4
FORMATION OF ROCK-WORK. 251
purpose of climbing are the now popular species of Vir-
ginia creepers, Ampelopsis quinquefolia, A. Veitchit,
and A. foyalliv. ‘The latter two are particularly valu-
able for climbing on rocks, and are now becoming much
used by the principal railroad companies, not only to
ornament but to ‘*lace up ” shaley rocks through which
cuts are made. We sold a few years ago, to one of our
leading railroad companies in one season five thousand
plants of Ampelopsis Vettehii, which now in many
places have attained a height of thirty feet, giving
to slipping rocks not only great support, but covering
them with glittering green leaves in the summer and
tinting them in autumn with crimson and gold.
For drooping and the general covering of rocks the
following list will be found useful :
Achilleas, of creeping growth, Sempervivums, of all kinds,
Campanulas, of creeping growth, Linnza borealis,
Crucianella stylosa, Lyehnis grandiflora,
Cerastium tomentosum, Lysimachia nummularia,
Phloxes, of creeping growth, Orobus vernus,
Polemonium reptans, Soldanella alpina,
Saxifrazas, Vinca major variegata, :
Sedums, of all kinds, Thymus*vulgaris yariegata,
Violas of sorts.
All these are hardy.
Artificial rock-works are often formed thus : The shape
aud dimensions of the work being determined on, the
clinkers from furnaces are collected, and dipped in hot
lime wash, which gives a coloring of pure white to their
fantastic shapes. With these the ‘* rock-work ” mound
is formed of the height’ and shape desired, leaving at
suitable distances cavities of six or eight inches deep, to
be filled with soil in which to place the creeping plants.
For this kind of rock-work a different class of plants is
more appropriate,—such as are of bright colors and will
contrast with the ground work of white. Scarlet or
other high-colored Verbenas, Coleus, Gazanias, Scarlet
252 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Geraniums, Blue Lobelias, Lysimachia, or Golden Money-
wort, may be used with excellent effect. By the use of
hydraulic cement instead of lime, the rock-work can be
made of a pleasing drab color. A rockery so formed and
planted, without having any pretensions to being “ nat-
ural,” is always an interesting and attractive object on a
well-kept lawn.
OTA Poh BR xy ie
ARE PLANTS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH?
Even yet, with all the light of experience on the sub-
ject, if physicians are asked if plants kept in rooms are in-
jurious to health, three out of six will reply that they are.
‘Lhey will generally follow up the reply by a learned
disquisition on horticultural chemistry ; will tell you that
at night plants give out carbonic acid, which is poisonous
to animal life, and consequently if we sleep in a room
where plants are kept, we of necessity inhale this gas,
and sickness will follow. ‘These worthies generally suc-
ceed in their specious reasoning, and the poor plants,
that have bloomed gaily all summer, are often consigned
to the coal cellar for their winter’s quarters, if given
quarters at all. No theory can be more destitute of
truth ; that plants give out carbonic acid may be, but
that it is given out in quantities sufficient to affect our
health in the shghtest degree is utter nonsense.
No healthier class of men can be found than green-
house operators, which makes me sometimes think that
plants have a health-giving effect rather than otherwise.
But doctors may tell us that our workmen are only at
ARE PLANTS INJURIOUS TO HEALTH ? 253
work inthe day-time, and that it is at night that the
carbonic acid is emitted. Here we meet them by the
information that in most cases the gardener in charge of
greenhouses often has to be up the greater part of the
night in winter, and the greenhouse from its warmth,
is universally taken as his sitting-room, and sometimes
as his bed-room ; such was my own experience for three
winters. I had charge of a large amount of glass,
situated nearly a mile from my boarding-house, too far
to go and come at midnight, with the thermometer
below zero. Our means of heating were entirely inade-
quate, so that the fires had to be looked to every three
ov four hours. Disregarding all my kind-hearted em-
ployer’s admonitions, I nightly slept on the floor of the
hot-house, which was rank with tropical growth. The
floor was just the place to inhale the gas, if there had
been much to inhale. It did not hurt me, however, and
has not yet, and that is now nearly forty years ago.
That plants are injurious to health in sleeping rooms is
one of the bugbear assertions that is willingly swallowed
by the gullible portion of the community, always ready to
assign effects to some tangible cause, and this, as the asser-
tion evinces some chemical lore, is very prevalent among
those disciples of Esculapius who are always willing to be
thought learned in the science so intimately connected
with their profession.
2504 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
CBr AP LER. Kil voit
THE INJURY TO PLANTS BY FORCING.
Under the head of Carnations I referred to a disease
which was very destructive among many of the older
varieties of monthly Carnations, or Pinks, which we
have been forcing for the last twenty years. I assumed
that the trouble was in consequence of this excessive
forcing, which had so lessened the vitality of the plants,
that disease followed whenever tue conditions were
shghtly unfavorable, such as too wet or too dry a soil.
Since then, our observations have shown that nearly all
the varieties of Koses in use for forcing for winter flowers
are similarly affected. About the first of May one
season I planted out in the open ground young plants,
that had been propagated in January, of Safrano,
Bon Silene, Douglas, Maréchal Niel, and four other
varieties, which had been used for forcing during
the winter. At the same time we planted out young
plants mide from cuttings of over thirty varieties
of other Tea Roses, that had been grown during winter
in a cold house, without being forced. The plants of
both lots were all seemingly in a fine healthy condition;
but about July 1st, we found that the forced varieties
had not only made a much weaker growth than the
others, but probably twenty per cent. died outright. In
a conyersation on this subject with Mr. Miller, the well-
known florist and landscape gardener of Germantown,
Pa., he cited the case of a nurseryman in England, who
sent out the Dalilia, ‘‘ Beauty of Hastings”; the first year
it was exhibited from the seedling plant, it was found to
be so entirely double, as to have what is known as a
‘‘hard center.” It has been freely exhibited, and being
the finest of its class at that time, orders for hundreds
THE INJURY TO PLANTS BY FORCING. 205
of plants were consequently received for it. To obtain
the plants to fill the orders from the limited stock, it
was forced in a temperature unusually high; other cut-
tings were taken from the cuttings already struck, so
that a dozen roots were made to produce nearly 3,000
plants. When these plants came into flower, instead of
producing the fine form and double variety that had
been exhibited, nearly all produced semi-double flowers.
This brought a storm on the head of the unfortunate nur-
seryman, who was charged with sending out a spurious
variety, and he had not only to refund the money which
he had received for the plants, but was seriously injured
in his business standing. That semi-double flowers were
produced in consequence of lessened vitality, was shown
by the fact that these self-same roots produced in the
succeeding year and afterwards, double flowers like the
original, and for many years the ‘‘ Beauty of Hastings ”
was known as a standard sort. Again, we remember.
that in the day of the grape-vine fever, the ‘‘ Delaware,”
and some other varieties, by being propagated in a high
temperature and from the young shoots year after year,
became so weakened, as to hardly be recognized as the
original variety. Plants of Rhubarb, after they have
been forced, are usually thrown away as useless, and
Hyacinths, Tulips, Lily of the Valley, and nearly all
other roots and bulbs used in forcing take years to recu-
perate in the open ground after they have been once
made to bloom in the hot-house. This is so well known
among florists, that nearly all throw away the bulbs that
have been forced in winter. If we consider that this
treatment of the natives of temperate latitudes is in
direct violation of their natural condition, we will not
wonder that they rebel against the abuse. Carnations,
Roses, Grapes, and bulbs of nearly all kinds, are hardy,
or nearly so, in northern latitudes, and their nature
requires a rest of three or four months. Our forcing
256 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
system, now so universally adopted to produce the
flowers of the Carnation and Rose in winter, subject
them to a treatment similar to that proper for tropical
plants ; and this continued violation of their natural
requirements of culture, results in the evil alluded to. I
never like to refer to any disease or other trouble among
plants, without being able to suggest a remedy. In the
Carnation we would advise that, instead of propagat-
ing them as usual from cuttings made in spring, from
plants that have been forced all winter, that cuttings
be taken at the time plants are lifted in fall ; after they
are rooted, the young plants may be kept in a cold
ereen-house or frame during winter. ‘The same plan
might be adopted with the Roses forced in winter, if the
plants are wanted for summer flowering in the open
ground. I know it is not always convenient to do so,
-but when it is, I think it will be found a good method to
maintain the vitality of the stock. This is now our own
method and our stock both of Roses and Carnations have
been much benefited since we adopted it.
OH ALP Taian. Xs ee
NATURE’S LAW OF COLORS.
It has long been a belief among students in vegetable
physiology, that, in certain families of plants, particular
colors prevail, and that in no single instance can we ever
expect to see blue, yellow, and scarlet colors in varieties
of the same species ; yet, undeviating as this law seems
to be, it is astonishing to see the credulity that there is,
even among intelligent horticulturists, some of whom
believe that we will yet have exceptions to this law,
which, as far as all our experience has gone, seems as un-
NATURE’S LAW OF COLORS. 20%
alterable as the law of gravitation. If we reflect, we will
find there is nothing out of the usual order of nature in
this uniformity. The.coloring given to the plumage of
birds is as unalterable as that given to the petals of a
flower in particular families. The most enthusiastic
poultry fancier will look in vain for the scarlet plumage
of the Flamingo in his Dorkings or Brahmas, or the
color of the Baltimore Oriole in the occupants of his
pigeon-house. What more reason, then, has the florist
to expect that Nature should deviate from her fixed
course, and gladden his eye with a Rose or Dahlia of an
azure hue, or thata Verbena or a Petunia should be pro-
duced of a golden shade ?
A knowledge of this subject is much needed by our
amateur horticulturists, who are imposed upon year
after year by itinerant dealers, who with flaming colored
drawings of these impossibilities in floriculture extract
largely from the pockets of their victims, and in addition
expose them to the ridicule of their less credulous or
more cautious neighbors. The audacity of these scamps
is truly astonishing; not a season passes but some of
them have the impudence to plant themselves right in
the business centres of the city of New York, and
hundreds of our sharp business men have for the con-
sideration of four or five dollars, believed themselves in
the possession of veritable blue Roses. Need I say that
they were no less humbugged than the rustic who falls
into the hands of a mock auctioneer, and chuckles to
think that he has become the possessor of a gold watch
for a similar price ?
In Rand’s ‘* Flowers for the Parlor and Garden,” page
101, in remarking on the colors of the Verbena, he says
a good yellow Verbena has not yet been produced, but
goes on to say that he, ‘‘ by a curious process of watering
and fertilization with a white Verbena, obtained a seed-
ling which proved on blooming to be of a light straw color;
258 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
but the plant was weakly and sickly, and died before
cuttings could be taken.” This ‘‘ weakly ” and ‘sickly ”
condition -was exactly why Mr. Rand obtained his straw
color; had the plant been in health it, no doubt, would
have been only an impure white.
There are few florists of any experience who have not
raised hundreds of just such ‘‘ straw colors” in Verbenas
from white, that have been weak and sickly, for we all
know that the want of vitality in the plant imparts a
jaundiced hue to white flowers.
It is hardly fair in Mr. Rand to withhold from us what
that ‘‘ curious process of watering and fertilization ” was,
by which he succeeded in bringing into existence what
De Candolle, Lindley, and Loudon, have said can never
be. When a man writes a book for the information of
the public, nothing should be held in reserve; his readers
have a right to every ‘‘secret”’ he may possess connected
with the subject, and this reservation of Mr. Rand in so
very interesting a matter is tantalizing in the extreme.
Who knows but if he had given us the modus operandi
of his “‘ curious process of watering and fertilization ”
our Verbena beds would have long since had a golden
yellow flaunting side by side with scarlet and blue, or
that the same ‘‘ cwrtows process of watering and fertiliza-
tion” applied to the Rose, would have produced a color
rivalling a blue-bird in April ?
It is much to be regretted that Mr. Rand’s yellow Ver-
bena was lost, but we trust that the ‘‘ curious process ”
by which it was produced is not among the lost arts.
If an application of it can be made to produce a positively
yellow Verbena, the gentleman will receive the honors of
the whole horticultural world, and, if he chooses, can
pocket sonie thousands of dollars.
Not only are dlwe, yellow and scarlet colors never found
in varielics of the same species, but so far even pure
yellow or pure scarlet is never found, nor ever likely to be
WHAT FLOWERS WILL GROW IN THE SHADE? 259
found in certain families of plants. For exampl.,
although we have grand crimson shades in the Rose,
there is yet no approach to scarlet as seen in Salvia
splendens (Scarlet Sage), nor any yellow in the Geranium
at all approaching to the yellow of the yellow Calceolaria.
But there are yet some of our best florists, who watch,
year after year, the seedlings they raise; with the hope—
vain I much doubt—that their eyes will be regaled with
the vision of a scarlet Rose or a yellow Geranium. The
alchemists of old, in their endeavors to turn the baser
metals into gold, by their experiments greatly benefited
the science of chemistry. So do these sanguine florists
benefit horticulture by producing improved varieties,
though they are likely never to attain the object of their
solicitude.
CO A. PT ER i.
WHAT FLOWERS WILL GROW IN THE SHADE?
The question ‘‘ What flowers will grow in the shade ?”
is put to me every spring by scores of city people, whose
little patch which they wish to devote to flowers is so
walled up by neighboring houses, that the direct rays
of the sun never touch it. But few plants will develop
their flowers there, and none will do it so well as if it were
lighted up by sunshine a part of the day. Fuchsias,
Pansies, Forget-me-nots, Violets, Lobelias, Lily-of-the-
Valley, Hollyhocks, Phloxes, and other herbaceous plants
whose native habitat is a shady wood, will do best, but
even these languish if denied all direct sunlight. . The
best effect in such situations is produced by ornamental-
leaved plants, the beauty of which is not dependent
260 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
upon their flowers. Among these may be ranked the
Gold and Silver Variegated-leaved Geraniums, Achyran-
thes, Alternantheras, Begonias, Caladiums, Centaureas,
Coleuses, etc., which, if planted so as to bring the
vurious shades in contrast, produce a pleasing effect,
which continues during the entire summer months, and
is not surpassed by any display of flowers.
The cultivators of flowers in rooms should understand
the necessity of sunlight to plants that are to flower, and
endeavor to get these as close as possible to a window
having an eastern or southern aspect. The higher the
temperature the more plants suffer from want of light.
Many plants might remain semi-dormant, in a temper-
ature of forty degrees, in a cellar for example, away
from direct light, for months, without material injury,
while if the cellar contained a furnace keeping a temper-
ature of seventy degrees, they would all die ; such would
particularly be the case with plants of a half-hardy
nature, such as monthly Roses, Carnations, Fuchsias,
Geraniums, ete.
In our greenhouse culture of flowers, direct sunlight
is an all-important consideration ; and a spell of sunless
weather in midwinter is often a loss to us of hundreds of
dollars by preventing the development of flowers. Hence,
we use every means at command to dispose the plants to
secure the greatest amount of light.
The debilitating effects of want of direct light on
plants are well illustrated by taking a vigorous plant in
full foliage and flower, that has been growing in the
direct light of our greenhouse benches, and placing it
under the bench. If the temperature is high, say seventy
degrees, in forty-eight hours, the sickly signs, showing
want of light, will be apparent to an experienced eye ; in
a week its condition would be such as to indicate sick-
ness to the most common observer, and in a month it
would most likely be dead.
WHAT FLOWERS WILL GROW IN THE SHADE? 261
In this respect there is some analogy between plant
and animal life, and it teaches us the importance of light
for our own healthy development. Certain it is that our
greenhouse and garden operatives will compare favor-
ably with any other class of workmen, so far as health is
concerned. In the past thirty years I have had an aver-
age of fifty workmen daily. During that time but three
have died, and six only have been seriously sick, and
some three or four veterans who are growing grey in the
service, have never lost an hour by sickness. I doubt if
it would be easy to find the same number of workmen
employed owt of the sunlight, who could show such
health as these sun-browned boys of ours,
CHA CP en OR oie B
SUCCESSION CROPS IN THE GREENHOUSE,
Whether the Florist’s business is carried on in a small
way or on the most extensive scale, to make it profitable
it is essential to have the green-house benches filled as
often as practicable with succession crops; simply taking
one crop off the benches will result at the present rate of
prices in very meagre profits indeed. In my own prac-
tice, we have for many years taken never less than two
crops off of every foot of bench space, and in many of
our houses three, and in some particular families of plants
such as Coleus, Verbenas and Heliotropes, as many as
six crops are taken off of every foot of space.
To get more than ¢wo crops one must have an order
business, which runs over five or six months of the sea-
son, but even a florist who has only a local retail plant
trade or the open market to sell in should always be able
to use every foot of his green-house space twice. In
most towns the sales of plants whether in market or
262 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
locally, begin in April and extend to June, a period of
eight or ten weeks. As soon as the greenhouse space
gets emptied towards the end of April or first weeks
in May, succession crops from seedlings or cuttings
should be on hand to be potted and shifted on so that
the green-house benches may be as full by the middle or
end of May, as they were in the middle of April, so that
the season may be lengthened with salable stock to the
middle of June. Of course to do this extra labor must
be had at the proper time. ‘This is not always to be ob-
tained at the time needed, but it is always profitable to
pay employees for over time at that busy season of the
year. Hyery season from April to June, we have from
fifteen to twenty of our best men working by lamp-light
until ten or eleven o’clock, which is equal to adding seven
or eight effective hands to our force, which could not be
procured at the busy season of the year. Our men al-
ways go at such work willingly, asevery hour they work
after six o’clock is paid for as over time, which any firm
well established in business on a paying basis can well af-
ford and should do, but beginners with only two or three
men,—struggling to make ends meet—may reasonably ex-
pect to have their hands help them in emergency without
extra pay for over time, particularly if they are men who
are kept throughout the entire year. Where the florist be-
ginning has only his own hands to rely on, if he wants to
make the business a success, he had better make up his
mind to “burn the midnight oil” for at least three or
four months in the spring. For the first fifteen years I
was in business, I think it safe to say that either in the
office, green-house or grounds, 1 averaged sixteen hours
per day throughout the entire year. Such work will
never hurt a healthy man, because it is certain to bring
success if judiciously employed, and success, other things
being equal, we all know conduces to happiness and health
in a far greater degree than its opposite.
PACKING PLANTS. 263
CHAPTER LII.
PACKING PLANTS.
As commercial floriculture is now becoming a matter of
importance, it will be interesting for many to know the
modes of packing for shipment. During February, March,
April, and May last (1887), it is estimated that twenty
tons each day were received at the different express offices
in New York, of the products of the greenhouse only.
These were to be distributed throughout the length and
breadth of the land, shipments being now successfully
made in all weather to the most extreme points in every
direction. ‘The system of packing adopted for even the
most distant orders is of the simplest kind, differing en-
tirely from that of the English or French, and is a result,
like many other of our operations, of the necessities forced
upon us by the higher price of labor. By the system of
packing in our own establishment, we ship plants every
day from January 15th to June 15th, throughout the cold-
est weather in winter, and the sultry days of summer, with
hardly a case of injury, either from freezing or by heat.
For the cold season we use close boxes, lining top, bottom
and sides with thick paper, against that, as the best non-
conductor we can find, we put two inches of sawdust
on top, bottom, and sides of the box. Whenever the
ball of roots is sufficiently firm, the plant is taken from
the pot, and each plant wrapped in paper, or rather the
ball or root of the plant is wrapped, leaving most of the
top uncovered. ‘This wrapping in paper not only serves
to keep the ball from breaking, but it also, to some ex-
tent, prevents the pressure of the plants upon each
other. In packing the plants in a box, they are placed
compactly in layers, alternated with an inch or two of
soft hay, or the new packing material ‘‘Excelsior,” until
the box is full. The utmost care is necessary to pack the
264 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
box entirely full, so that no movement can take place in
the plants should the boxes be roughly handled. The
soil should be always rather dry than otherwise, as
packed in this close manner the plants will not suffer for
want of moisture. Boxes of medium size are best; we
never like to use a box of greater capacity than the or-
dinary flour barrel, usually preferring such as are one-
third smaller than that. If the box is too large, the
plants may be injured by mutual pressure.
This is our method of packing as long as there is dan-
ger of frost, or until the middle of March. From the
middle of March to the middle of April, we use a box of
a different character, open on all sides to admit air, for
now the danger to be avoided is from heat and not from
cold. ‘The manner of packing is in all other respects the
same, except that no more hay or ‘‘Excelsior,” is used
around the inside of the box than necessary to make a
soft bed for the plants. If the closely packed plants
have any tendency to generate heat, it will be counter-
acted by the admission of air through the openings in the
box. Again, we gradually make a change in our style of
packing to suit the advancing season. For small orders, a
light kind of chip basket is used, in which the plants are
packed in the manner above described, and strapped over
the top with hay or ‘‘ Excelsior.” We find a basket a most
convenient and satisfactory article to pack in, as its open-
work sides freely admit the air. In baskets weighing
less than two pounds, we pack from 100 to 150 plants.
Being annoyed at having frequently to pay for clumsy,
heavy packages, in which our new importations were re-
ceived from England, I took occasion to send over to a
London nurseryman some fifty plants packed in one of
these baskets, the whole basket and contents weighing
about 15 lbs., and with two exceptions every plant was
received alive. I implored the gentleman to pack the
plants he was to send me in return in similar light bas-
PLANTS BY MAIL. 205
kets, as it would not only save freight but, what was far
more important, save me the plants alive. He sent
them in baskets, sure enough, each one weighing of itself
40 lbs.,—a shapeless, ponderous affair, that with its con-
tents required two men to lift it into a wagon. This
was not the worst of it ; three-fourths of the plants were
dead—our usual experience in shipments of plants from
Kurope. This loss is, without doubt, in most cases oc-
casioned by the cumbrous manner of packing.
When the weather becomes settled, so that all danger
of plants being chilled is over, we change our mode of
packing the plants, from laying them down, to standing
them upright in the baskets or boxes, beginning with the
heaviest plants at the bottom of the box or basket, and
placing each succeeding layer, to the depth of three or
four, one ball of roots on the top of the other. After
packing, the box or basket is watered freely, each plant,
or at least a portion of it, is exposed to the light, and
thus packed they will remain ten or twelve days without
injury.
Gob Age TE Re sdb Fs
PLANTS BY MAIL,
Our postal laws permit plants, seeds, and bulbs, to be
sent at a cost of 16 cents per pound, provided the pack-
age does not exceed four pounds in weight. This ar-
rangement has been the means of sending seeds and
plants into regions where they would not for many years
have been procurable with other means of conveyance,
and the projector of the idea deserves the gratitude of
the nation for it. A number of different contrivances
have been invented for packing plants to go by mail, in-
cluding boxes of various styles and dimensions; the
main difficulty with all that we have seen is the weight.
266 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Plants may be packed without using boxes at all by adopt-
ing the following method. Having selected the plants,
choosing such as are small but well rooted, the soil is
washed or shaken from each plant, leaving the fibres of
the roots uninjured. 296 | Greenhouses, Attached to Dwell-
éf) \ianeh 252 = epee ee 298 inos 222... 2 88
CORY NG oy sil WR Bes See 300 Base-burning Water Heater 103
COD Wi ae te ta = 302 Cheap, How to Heat_-_--- 83
Ce IM Geese = eer 304 “Cloth” Instead of Glass
(eS Ul We ea eee 306 for. = 22225. Gee 90
ASS NUE ese S eS 308 Cost.0f2.22--23. 0 =e 88
«¢ September -------- 282-311 Construction of Walls----- 97
EON OGIODER o- - = 2 2==-=—= 286 Glass, Glazing and Shading 98
ce November. --- -se=—e—= 289 Heating by Flues.--------- 83
Ca Decemuer-ss4-55-——= 292 Heatins by Steam=2s-e==— 101
Diseases Affecting Plants------ 267 Modes of Heating --------- 100
Drainage in Pots-------------- 68 Of Three-quarter Span-... 94
Dryness, Degrees of----------- 69 Upon a: Slopes ==22-nee=== 95
Dw ellings, Greenhouses Attach- Honsing Baskets -22s=---e eee 240
Tea )oae es 88 | Heating with Return Flue----- 84
“ Excelsior ? Packing Material .263 Hotbeds, Construction of ------ 4
Expert Garcen Workmen ee 69 Insects Attacking Plantszesee= 267
(322)
INDEX. 323
Insects, DISEASES, ET¢------- Biraieelanisuby Malle anos oe ceen ses 265
AnmlesWOrms:—-...--.---- 279 Packing, of._---221522----2 263
IS. (ee 278 | Plants Sold in Spring---------- 151
Aphisvapnides!..-.-.----- 270 Pig OU ES) Se ee eee 152
biel es ee 27 Cowslips 43-2223 222.42 >-- 152
IVR 2 es 27 Warsiesste sae sae cess 151
(CVE 1b Sse 271 Forget-Me-Nots ----------- 152
Aramigus Fullerii.....----- 269 NEVCIS US ene eee 152
iplseckwAphise. 22. 2=- 4.05.5 272 IPAsiekes eee ee eee 151
Black Rust on Verbena. ---276 rmEMaOSese a eee oo 151
ime Apbip= = 2. 2bone 270 | Plants Injured by Forcing ----- 254
Carnation Twitter__._...-- 277 Rouiimeyoiee seek 63
European Sparrow-------- 268 To be Raised from Seeds---119
ive meen = Ese s) 28 271
Greeneblyec 22 oak se 971 | PLANTS :
Macrodactylis sha asic anes --269 Alyssum, Sweet ---..-.---- 200
Miewlysbup's 25 = 2 Seek 276 Ampelopsis tricuspidata--..117
Made wares etc aS eee 280 Veitchit -..--- 117
Mite, “Verbena. /= 2 => <2. 252 274 Anti himnne.- 22-2. == 114
Pyrethrum, for Insects----268 Asparagus, Climbing ------ 212
Red 1S] O10 FEY Oe eee Oe pene 272 Asparagus tenwissimus----- 212
apes tn re a 269 IASEOTE ES peas ease ae eee 117
Rose Bug of Greenhouse --_269 A7aleasits ee os See 203
Rare luc sess a2 B22 267 Balsamshe=s 2 Ss 2228 soe 118
Scale Insects, Brown and Doubley tis *252s es lek 197
\ A/T eee ee es 276 Begonias, sorts_-_---------- 193
Selandria rose_....-------- 267 Bermudalily, 322-6222 —--= 182
CUR id he ee ee eee 267 Bignonia jasnvinoides --- - - -- 200
pSlictr eee ast oe 278 MOURUL Sh e4 2h Sat eee ae 200
Ras eet ee ts oe Sat 278 Boavyacdias <5 = Sees 195
Soap, Whale-oil_---.------ 267 Galleeolamine- 2525200 eee 118
Nnider: JRed oss 22s Jeb ee 272 Calla, Malye. 22-2 eee 180
eee of Calcium for Mil- GCamellias=> 22532222 22 208
ery ae es Pte an 2 Canna Indica ...-..-------114
Thrip aid So Ee Be et ees 277 Carmmationwss222 »Ss-ea2-22 118
Tabuced for Usects: === = — - 271 Carnations for winter flow-
Verbena, Black Rust of----276 enna! 2 sor eee 193
NGG ee een 2 274 @entanreaes2-—-5- see ea 117
Whale-oil Soap ------------ 267 Chinese Primrose- --- ------ 208
White Hellebore for In- Chrysanthemums, early ----192
SOGISEE ee Soo Sk 268 For cut flowers----191, ee
Worms, Aneie:---_--.-212 279 Mates tae 2S. 22 522228
Lawn, Fertilizer for_..-._.---- 28 Gineraniae ===. 4252 able 13
On a Sloping Bank. ------- 26 Cobwa scandens..----------
EGE Rhese es aoc hoe 27 Colenseas os ee 115
Wiectsnners...u2-s5-+--/=~ 29 Wario dis. 35-2 oe eae 170
Lawns, Preparation for New--- 24 NED RNAUII 2 )- on ea e 117
Renovation of Old_-------- 29 abuse oes see ee 116
Layering in-the Air. --_--.---.-- 133 Raster balyt2.- 2 eeoseeace 182
London, Window Gardening in 246 Wil @dtipe see = ck ee ee 204
Mail, Sending Plants by__----- 265 neh arise «22> 22s =e aes 209
Moisture and Temperature ----- 57 Nupatorimms.2-= 2522-2" 196
Packing, Baskets for- ------- -- 264 Euphorbia jeepin ere
Tisha pe =F 29a e522 ee 264 BILENMONS = ono ae 193
Material, “‘ Excelsior ”’- ---- 263 ernis . S28ce 522k: eae 212
plantgersas sass es ato 263 @limbing 222222: -22-=- 212
Parlor Gardening. ------------- 242 Memeries}- 2222222 2225-2 249
Plants, Are They Tnjurious to Freesia refracta alba_------- 185
Health a. 2 Stoo see ce 25s gee MUGHSIaS se: Sosa soe aoe 199
324
PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.
Plants : Profits of Floriculture --..-__-- 19
Geranium joe == 222252 2- = 208 | Pr opagalien, The Saucer, Sys-
Apple scented_-------- 212.) . _. -.tem- 34 129
Lemon scented -------- 222 Of Plania by Seeds: 22-222. 106
Rose scented. = 2222-5: 122 Soft-wooded Plants in Sum-
Aon al Ores te ese 115 er... -< 3... 131
Health, Are Plants Injuri- “Protecting Cloth” for Frames 73
Baton es. 2 geen 54 | Roads and Walks__--.-..--__ 37-38
Hears 2. eevee 204 | Rockwork-2=-)-22= ===) 250
iHeliotropese 22-2 224s === 197 | Rooms, Decoration of_---_.___- 213
Hot-house Plants---------- 216 Plants: for:..- 222-3202 214
indians Shope sss ease 114 | Root Cuttings.---.----------.- 123
JASMIN eee eee set ee 199 ; Rosebuds in Summer-_-_--____- 72
Wbantan sere. 22s 115 | Roses, Diseases and Insects Af-
TBE} dS Of | ee See era see 117 fecting__.. 5.2222
Titium SMarrisi.....------- 182 | Roses, Distance to Plant_--_--_- 161
ily berm assess ees 182 Orcing._. >. 157
asters seca cereal 182 Garden Culture of_.._.__-- 170
Of the Amazon-------- 209 Growing in Winter-_---__-- 155
Of the ‘Nile= 442322 =. = 185 Houses for-s->. 22-5 156
Of the Valley..--_----- 180 Hybrid Perpetuals----_.__- 165
Wyobe Was ys ee eee ae 115 Hybrid Fexpetnels in Solid
Lygodium scandens -------- 212 Beds: 5 eee 167
Misnonettel: s2— ease 200 Layeri ae in ‘Pots! 2322 140
Myrsyphylliun asparagoides-217 Mildew “Attacking thez=225 167
Narcissus, Incomparable, Propagation by Cuttings___135
Double se2-423 sae Sees Propagation _ by Grafting
Narcissus Trumpet Major-176
Nature’s Law of Colors--- eae
Orchids: 33 a ee ee 04.
Pan gy see ee eon ee 115
Petia ste 116
Roisettia eres hee oe oe 198
Polyanthus Nar cissus...-_- 176
Primrose, Chinese- -------- 208
Primilas » eee ee eee 118
Pyrethrum, Golden-------- 117
Mtichardia dthropica .------ 185
Roman Hyacinths, four
KkandS ree era ooo: Sew 180
Sapo. ascarletss 2 2s e222 ee- 116
Salvia splendens-_----------- 116
Scatletiseve.-o2-- 42 eee 116
Sinilsxere eee. Sons See 217
Spap-Drarons-= oo eee 114
WiGVInnecee oe =o as Saas 196
SLovemblantgen.o=2 2 sae 216
Sweet Alyssum. ------.---- 200
rope olin see ses -reo se 209
RmberOses se) wane ae ese se 185
Tuberose, ‘‘the Peari’’ - ---- 186
Pulips2seeee ses see - == 179
Wer erate eee ae ee 116
Violets as winter flowers- ere
Zonale Geraniums. -------- 115
Pots; Draimarevinssseessee see 63
Potting of Plantssaseeeee se eaee 63
Soils fOr sh eae ee es 54
Prices, Abroad and at Home--.- 15
and Budding----.-___-
Propagation by Layering_ “130
Propagation in the South-
ern States=2 2222s 189
Pruning: 22. -2-2 eee 163
Shading the House----___- 170
Soil and Benches.---_---_-_- 160
Solid Beds and Raised
Benches: 2-222. 5222 eeee 156
The Rose-bug of the Green-
hottie: -=4.2.454e eee 168
Varieties to. Korces2 = 163
Watering and Mulching---161
Saucer System with Cuttings --127
Seeds, over Best Grown as
Pee eee 1
What "Varislite Come True
Krom ?:;.. 2.23 110
Shade, What Flowers Grow in_259
Soils for. Potting 224. s==— aa 54
Spring, Plants Most in Demand,
et@:. =. bee
Fancy Pelargoniums--_--_- 147
Other: -Plants2s222ese==ee 147
ROS¢S -....:42.555 ee 144
Zonal Geraniums-.----.- --.- 145
Succession Crops in Green-
houses .c.-.25-54 eee
Summer, Propagating Soft-
Wooded Plants in--------. 131
Temperature and Moisture-.---- 57
INDEX. 325
Verandas, Plants for_-------..- 214 NC om a! The Second Sea-
Verbena, Culture of------.----- 1457’ eee SOne sob oe. ees 316
The oust) nese ee 150 The "Third Season. -__- 317
Winery, The! Border: 2-22: -22- 313 The Fourth Season--_-_-317
Horeimow) Vinleries= ss --2== 318 | Wardian Cases-----..-.------- 249
hocaton {255 = eee asase 312 | Wide Greenhouses for Bedding
AVGURINUINES aS Sees Se Soe 318 Plants and Rose Grow-
Mulching the Border------ 320 OE ee 93
Planting the Vines__-=--=- 314 | Window Decorations, Plants in
Protecting thesVine==2225 320 Demand torsos s22 5.2 —- 153
Rust on the Grape--------- 318 | Window Gardening~-----_-__- 242
Summer Pruning. .---=---- 319 Irie bondones=seeeme eee 176
RHINO! 2 2e 8 2 a es 319 | Winter Flowering Plants. _____154
Training the Vine- -------- 317 | Winter Protection, Cellar for__ 72
Varieties of Grapes -------- 321 Colds Hrames=aseasasseeee= Tal
Vines, The First Season---315
ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE
o—=s_.»—_ @ FH —_9
0. Judd Co., David W. Judd, Pres
Cus-S—. 6 PUBLISHERS AND IMPORTERS OF 5-2,
All Works pertaining to Rural Life.
7S1 Broadway, New Work.
FARM AND GARDEN.
Allen, R. L. and L. F. New American Farm Book........ wien 0
American Farmer’s Hand Book ..........- _ he diniceeioeeaED
Asparagus Culture. Flex. Cloth.) 2.0... odes ee
Bamford, C.E. Silk Culture. Paper................-. 0. esses ee ee -30
Barry, P. The Fruit Garden. New and Revised Edition........... 2.00
Bommer. Method of Making Manures........................2.20-. 25
Brackett. Farm Talk. Paper50c. Cloth........................ 4. 75
Brill. Farm-Gardening and Seed-Growing... .... 2.2.22. sss. .eee- - 1.00
Caultlowerss:cn.c cree weseemian oneness aielevaineys srais:s)ieiyie o/s s/otansTeietea 20
Broom-Corn and Brooms. Paper ...............eeee wee ee - 00
Curtis on Wheat Culture. Paper..................... eee Ae ri)
Emerson and Flint. Manual of Agriculture.... ............... 1.50
Farm Conveniences ......-..----2. cece cence cece cee teer eens eens 1.50
Farming for Boys....--.---.-------.- - PEO Te accccs : 1.25
Farming for Profit... .°-.... -...1-.. «ones. eee 3.75
Fitz. Sweet Potato Culture. New and Enlarged Edition. Cloth....... 60
Flax Cultures Papers... 2. ccc. eels eats om erent cloeials oleate 50
French. WarmDrainage.. 22s. ci. oo. cree eiinle se aleeiele 1.50
sso = Gardening for Protit. New aud Enlarged Edition. 2.00
———— CHUCEN ANG: Haury) Le OBICS. car mie merece stetavelojsjcicve tare 1.50
es Hana BOok OlsPIMNts) camer ceteris sett isista elas os 16% 8.00
—- Practical Floriculture, New and Enlarged Edition.... 1.50
Henderson & Crozier. How the Farm Pays,................... 2.50
Hop Culture. New and Revised Kdition, Paper.... ........ .... 30
Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening. ‘Vols. L, IT, and
nut, Dunas ec eeaaeeeronbeeesroco sesaican sa wsorofacores COnDBe Ode 5.00
Johnson, M. W. How to Plant. Paper...) 0. seek eee ee 50
Johnson, Prof. S. W. How Crops Feed. ds Fealcis eral nai tere\s Ve nec foe 2.00
SS FLOW CXOPSGVow!. <=. cijesiasecis ee istels1s/ esr « 2.00
Jones, B. W. The PesnntiPlante tb apelacarscs «s\cicecicesicmecwiak ene 50
Lawn Planting. Paper ..---. ce. eeeee cece eee cece eens eee eee 20
Leland. Farm Homes, In-Doors, etl Out-Doors. New Edition...... 1.50
Long, Elias A. Ornamental Gardening for Americans ............. 2.00
Morton. Farmer’s Calendar............... cece eee cee cette een eens 5.00
Nichois. Chemistry of Farmand Sea....... 0. ee cee cece ee ee eee 1.25
Norton. Elements of Scientific Agriculture....... 0... ....... see eee AG)
Oemler. Truck-Farming at the South....... ......ee sees eens eee eee 1.50
Onions. How to Raise them Profitably........-....66 ceeeee scenes 20
Our Farm of Four Acres. Paper ......0 se... eee cece eee ose 30
Pabor, Wm. E. Colorado as an Agricultural State. ........... ... 1.50
Parsons. On the Rose.... ......... 1... ee eee cece eee tener eee wees 1.50
Pedder. Land Measurer for Farmers. COM eerste se ctanclec canecis = 7250
Plant Life on the Raa Ree vs, = shdb Sal icloVe es MR Ele olaisnaie tie ale Sinsvernie eis 1.00
Quinn. Money in the Garden... scan nts afi chee Wee deivielne eauiaees 1.50
Riley. PPOtAEO NE CSESe ew cUp) Clie ior ielelaisie, clef =teloieie nica apie wivinle «lela! -1e cto itieieieie| ate 50
Robinson. Facts for Farmers..............00sseseeee cece cece serene 5.00
Roe. Play and Profit in my Garden ..........-.....ceeeee ceeee seen eee 1.50
iRoosevelt... Hive Acres Too Minch... -- 5 wala: sececc Sel ceocee ses one 1.50
Sheehan, Jas. Your Plants. BADE ai vacrstelsistoy bates ccfeere ceisist gr oleete es -40
Silos and Ensilage. New and Enlarged CTEHOME srerclele clainrsiigrsent l= 50
Starr. Farm Echoes...... . .......... rt n nett e sete eee e ener ee eee ees 1.00
Stewart. Irrigation for the Farm, Garden andvOrchardencis-seesices 1.50
Ten Acres Enough..... .-.--. +2. -:0. sees seen cece ette ee cece ee 1.00
Thane Soil of the Farm.:...-:-----:-..-2----+-- 2.62%. c-. ope ecees. 1.00
Thomas. Farm Implemenis and Machinery.........--.............. 1.50
Tim Bunker Papers; or, Yankee Farming........- .. 1.50
Tobacco Culture. Paper Bee Meera: Vom eat sriae aan/eieie = sidicec cine se
Treat. Injarious Insects of the Farm and Garden........ ...........- 2.00
Ville. School of Chemical Manures,. .....0...0...c0cce- sees ceeseeees 1.25
OE HW rr On wy UN OME MMEANIIILES cteietele oceia) = als/ais ole erels o\0)«iclaieieisiviste'e's 320
PAT ITI CTA LATININER yay cies cies a/< cinileis eleven c's a/elele! wie ec Seeateetes 10.00
Williams. Veterinary i (edhifeine’ Aas does eco. oat cooglodee once pseecnoue 5.00
——- Veterinary Surgery .... 2... eee cece ee cere ee ccc eee nce eees 7.50
Woodruff. The Trotting Horsein Amerien, 12ni0.. 5.... ....-. 2. 2-00
Woods, Rev. J. G. Horse and Man.......... 26. eee eee ence ee eee 2.50
Youatt & Skinner. The LEG) ok Ong ebe ApeecoaeS CuOnEIad Dpcoc 1.75
Youatt & Spooner. “ “ HAMG phe eer oss ates ess were 1.50
——_+ 2—_—
POULTRY AND BEES.
Cook, Prof. A. J. Bee-Keeper’s Guide or Manual of the Apiary.... 1.25
Cooper, Dr. J. W. Game Fowls........ 0... ees sere eee eee cee ees 5.00
Corbett. Poultry Yard and Market. Paper..........-. eee sen eeeeeee 50
Felch, I. K. Poultry OUT UR oe ce Sear oni CeO racset ase a o 1.50
Johnson, CG. M.S. Practical Poultry Keeper. Paper. .skesetror 50
King. Bee-Keeper’s Text [HOI eta, SapSben aelo seeosVeeonOne comodcs noo: 1.00
Langstroth. On the Honey and Hive Bee.........--..0.+eeers eee 2.00
Poultry. Breeding, Rearing, Feeding etc. TENN oS “opie ond eee 5!)
Profits in Poultry and their Profitable Manage-
ment. Most complete Work extant..... SR epedoe ae bac come 1.00
Quinby. Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained (Edited by L. C. Root). 1.50
Renwick. Thermostatic Incubator. Paper 36c. Clothiers sess 56
Root, A. 1. A,B, C, of Bee-Culture......6. cee eece cece sees cece eceeees 1.25
Standard Excellence in Poultry.-.----.----- saga settee 1.00
Stoddard. Au Egg-Farm. Revised and Enlarged.........-+.+2++e++- -50
Wright. Illustrated Book of Poultry.......--.-ee cee eeee eens cere csseee 5.00
= Practical Poultry-Keeper:.. ...0-3. esos: < see ecer sense ee 2.00
——— Practical Pigeon Keeper......--..e0seeee cee cece ecteessc esse 1.50
oe
O. JUDD CO.’8 ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE.
Our Sportsman's Books
ANGLING, FISHING, ETC.
Burgess, J. T. Practical Guide to Bottom Fishing, Trolling,
Spinning, Fly, and Sea Fishing. 8vo............ .... .. 50
Fish Hatching and Fish Catching. By Roosevelt and
Greens” T2MO se dscoiss ch wocc w - siete pms) mio oon sialon 1.50
Forester, F. Fish and Fishing. New Edition. 8vo................. 2,50
Fishing with Hook and Line. Paper.................. 25
Fysshe and Fysshynge, from the Boke of St. Albans.......... 1.00
Hamilton, M. D. Fly Fishing. 12mo............ ... 0 .......... TD
Harris. The Scientific Angler—Foster.... ... 2... .....-...22-0ee ceee 1.50
Henshall, J. A. A Book of the Black Bass. 8vo.................. 3.00
Keene, J.H. Fly-Fishing and Fly-Making. 12mo. Just Published.. 1.50
—_ Practical Hisherman, 12mo.... (.c2-ncetns-seeeeane 4.00
King, J. L. Trouting on the Brule River, 12mo..................6 1.50
Norris, ha —american Kish Calture.) 12mo0.) a. 75-scceemennceeneeee 1.75
American Angler’s Book. 8vo..... .... eee ns ie!)
Orvis, Charles F. Fishing with the Fly. Crown avo. ee 2.50
Pennell, H. C. Bottom; or, Float Fishing. Boards............... 50
—_— Fly-Fishing and Worm-Fishing. Boards.......... 50
Trolling for Pike, Salmon, and Trout. Boards.... .50
Prime: (Deo'a Wishing. ice. eicjee se <epaOn SUCK ODUCOONG 1.50
Archer, Modern. Paper..... ..--2::sereerrer recesses see cne tee Bile}
Bailey. Our Own Birds...........0-esseeee cree tee cee ct eeeee ner ees 1.50
Bird-Keeping. Fully Ilustrated..... ......eese-eeeee meee cos enece 1.50
Brown, Taxidermy ....... 66. cece ee cee ence nee cree cee e es tose eens 1.00
Canary Birds. New and Revised Edition. Paper, 50c. _Cloth....: tb
Coues. Key to North American BITGRetING WeilditiOMncsererststere ove cieiererarss 7.50
Cocker. Manual..... 2 20. cece cee cece reece eee oe Sa BO CREO G RD 1.50
Edwards. Rabbits .............0.ccceeee ce ceee ce cert e tenes tees 1.25
Goode and Atwater. Menhaden........--.... -eeseee eeeeeees . 2.00
Holden. ook of Birds .......2-.. secs cece eet ee eee e eee ce eee serene 25
Lawn Tennis Hand Book...... .--- -:-+-::25+ sere teeseeeee aD
Lucas. Pleasures of a Pigeon TORO Ghinseaceosc sedbodomporaoteuanc 1.50
Packard. Guide to Study of AVIS GES OyBacccoso HosbeUsagecoosrare Hu!
ELUENT LN SECU Se cree crersioteeiele lore ote sietniete siajele'siaivie’e)elnieisic)jstol= Bt)
—_— (Oba tmion IINeeeRanea cosnees ioneacocenuoduerD on oc urmMoOOuS 1.50
Practical Rabbit Keeper... ..... ---------:sereeereeepe ee 1.50
Swimming, Skating and Rinking....-..-----------+---- rs)
Yan Doren. Fishesof the East ATIAITICAW AST Maa iseeer eee ete 1.50
Warne. Angling. Boards............ ----- Ae re Re acces cite ttl)
Wilson. American Ornithology. 3 V1 SMI AOD cletapa tet atcrare’e aioierer ti Nexsterd 18.00
Wilson and Bonaparte. American Ornithology. 1lvol....... 7.00
—+~oe——_.
HUNTING, SHOOTING, FISHING, EWC.
Adirondacks Guide. Wallace............+20 cee seer seer eee es 2.00
Amateur Trapper. IOs Sansa peoboocoeD ho DURE oduE One sogb. OC an:
Batty, J. H. How to Hunt anil aki, LWiNingsedasencdoasabogounsoce 4.50
—- Practical Taxidermy. 12m0.............62..-eeeeee eens 1.50
Barber. Crack Shot—the Rifleman’s Guide. 12mo ....... ..-... ++. 125
Bogardus, Capt. Field, Cover, and Trap Shooting. 12mo....... 2.00
Bumstead. On the Wing........-.-++ eee eee teen eer eee e settee 1.50
Dead Shot. A Treatise on WNERENINe acne 45 Sec OEDoE oumODOOL aap. 1.25
Farrow. How to Becomea (Chard Silo, IP iess Saqe eacesoecse oea S00)
Forester, F. Life and Writings—D. W. Judd. 2volumes. 8vo.... 3.00
Field Sports. 2volumes. 8v0.......--- sn ats S200
— Complete Manual for Young Sportsmen, SVOnss. ese 2.00
—— American Game inits Season. 8v0....... ©... «-+--- 1.50
Giidersleeve, H. A. Rifles and Markmanship. 12mo... ... ..-. 1.50
Gloan. The Breech-loader..........+.-+++e eee ee eee eee eee eee toch. coer Ral
nr
Could, J. Mi, Ilow to Camp Out. 16m0........--.. 2-66 2 eee eee 15
0. JUDD CO.’S ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE.
Greener, W. W. Choke Bore Guns. 8vo...................2..000e 3.00
The Gun and its Development...........2.-...0+6 2.50
Gun, Rod, and Saddle. ‘“Ubique”.... .. eRe i
Hallock. Sportsman’s Gazeteer and General Grae a Trentise on all
Game and Fish of North America. Instruction in Shooting, Fishing,
Taxidermy, and Woodcraft, with Directory of Principal Game Re-
sorts and Maps. New and Revised Edition. 12mo........ ........ 3.00
Henderson, H. Practical Hints on Camping. 12mo...... ....... 1.25
Lewis, E. J. The American Sportsman. 8vo........... ........... 2.50
Murray. Adventures in the Wilderness. 12mo...............:...... 7) lb
Murphy, J. Ri. American Game Bird Shooting. 12mo.......... --- 2,00
Pistol, hne-—How toUse.. .J2mo:...> 2. ceeaeel ane eee eee -50
Prescott, C. E. Practical Hints on Rifle Practice with Military
AUDINS aca nace. tet tote safe etatefarafatere falaierads "sreve ters, ose CIR EIR tn and ne -50
Roosevelt, R. B. Florida, and the Game Water Birds of the Atlan-
tic Coast and Lakes of the United States. 12mo............. ...... 2.00
Samuels. Birds of New England and Adjacent States...... ........ 4.00
Shooting on the Wing. UOMO + wise eas ata eae cee eee eee Aris)
Smith, George Putnam. The Law of Field Sports.. .... 1.00
Stonehenge. Rural Sports—The Standard Encyclopedia of Field
Sports.- ¢MormMmeco: i8vO..2- 2... eces eee ace ase 0 2s ole eee ee eee 5.00
Thrasher, H. Hunter and "Trapper. po SR BOS AC BS sexe Bitsy
Wingate, G. W. Manual for Rifle Practices, 16mo..+ coset nena 1.50
Wooderaft, ‘“Nessmuck.”. 12m0...0000.. 55. cc idee cece ececccecs HlU0
ARCHITECTURE, Ere:
Allen, L. F. Rural Architecture... ....... 0. see e seen e eee cece eee eeeees 1.50
American Cottages. ....---....6. ce iccee cece ee ceee eee cee eens 5.00
Pies 2) AUDI C ES a iarar ec rorstotntg site etic ions ala erelots ote csleieletslal= Hopconotenoress. oe La!
Atwood. Country and Suburban Houses......... siv{otetelelalajotelstetetcie imate 150
Barn Plans and Out-Buildings........-.-............... 1.50
Bell. ‘Carpentry Made sag visitas. oc ores apsrclose)- w 0) in ciniaic's vi dole siol hein oie tee 5.00
Bicknell, Cottage and Villa Architectnre.................006 sees eee 400
—— Detail Cottage and Constructive Architecture.............. 6.00
— Modern Architectural Designs and Details..... ........... 10.00
— BnblicABaT dines ONG w.s cece cc. sree acis erpeicie ele iele eee ae oeaO
os Street, Store, and Bunk Fronts. New.... ........sseeee - 2.50
—— School-House and Ciurch Architecture........... 2... 2.50
———— Stables, Out-huildines; Mencessittcicy, 2. «sirens cle marsala 2.50
Brown. Building, ‘Table and Estimate Book............++. ce. eee ee eee 1.50
Burn. Drawing Books, Architectural, Illustrated and Ornamental.
Ca) Gl Of ee Menae ter SemriacanonosGues 6a. sh ob. 1.00
Cameron: Plisterer’s Manu... co. eos ea ocle oneereteeeerees ACS:
Camp. How, Cant earn Architecture.(.).2.:: sciev acc picl = cateeere neces 50
Copley. Plainjand Ornamental:Alphabets, <.,. 1... ciweiaselccee eaters netisetee 3 00
Cottages. Hints an Wecnomical Buildinss... 5s strc slctssieleletslstre aera 1.00
Cummings. ArenitecturaleDetailssoe.... ccc Ses eee eaer ei yahe scene 6.00
Elliott. Hand Book of Practica: Landscape Gardening........ .......- 1.50
Eveleth, Schlool-House Architecture........0.. ...cc.icceeseee coves 4.0)
0, JUDD CO.’S ALPHABETICAL CATALOGUE.
PAee Grae SLEStICHEOMES, .. ...0is = <0 assim sreieinie otersrevadrantiteneioles sh <5 ieee hian 4.50
Gilmore, Q. A. Roads and Street Pavements..................... 2.50
Gould. AMERICANS RUT=BuUil dens ‘Guide. stereos ewer elelciele ie seine else ere 2.50
— Carpenter’s and Builder’s Assistant...............0.00. ecec eee 2.50
Hodgson. Sete ORS Tt es ee SOSH ie heic csc ontiacds onooeeeras 1.00
Holly. Art of Saw Filing ....... i. distecialaie stm aie le sie otate teusteleinlere'e cua ors. tits wis ae wD
Harney. Barns, Out-Buildines; and Wences, .. 22s sc.secc cece) «cence 4.00
Hulme. Mathematical Drawing Instruments.......................-2. 1.50
Hussey. Home Buildings; ics..ccoc)eetenee teaece cameo eee onssice 2.50
National: Cottaze-Architectintersaseticcuii/lesrraie ae/oetecisieisiore > 4.00
Homes for Home Builders. Just Published. Fully Illustrated. 1.50
Interiors and Interior Details...................... ... eee eee 7.50
Lakey. Wallaceand Country HOnsekenasee armies nite var cence ee 5.00
Riodern House Painting PSs ibs tar tarot chile cles alas) stolavetniwuntenys ach cretsiese 5.00
Monckton. National Carpenter and Joiner.......................- 5.00
—— National Stamsbollgeriaaccss-kier se earnh cc eee cae sec 5.00
Painter, Gilder, and Varnisher’s Companion...... 1.50
Palliser... American Cottage: Homes. 22 2. on osc. tem mtnic sts ses ciceeleee 3.00
Mod elEVOmMeS ier. tae ctsiejaereqecie a train lege sled aielodeeecinia cieini esi cis ele 1.00
ma UBS Details yo, oisissajasscln aca ain sareisvatel oiere eters apes ae Slaw -s.sye,elesalane ee 2.00
Plummer. Carpenters’ and Builders’ Guide........... ..........005 15
Powell, Foundations and Foundation Walls... ....... 0.0.2... .... ee 2.00
BRE CoC Olt CH OUSEB error tetera olalolele biota tnje'~ cielo) ota seiciete «\6isiefe ar srelele’o) olisteysie/aln aiate 1.25
House Plans for Everybody. ......... -... rtareteitomietasswiaiem ytabed 1.50
mmm WCE ITSO! lace: cc1etn pe Spcleitisss inisioln.cversiesalets et wisi ejaloreleieratere siecs ejal'oteieislayereceure 3.06
Riddell. Carpenter and Tohes MOG eri Zed sete, stereos once etn cee 7.50
—— New Elements of Hand Railing........ 0.0... 0.0... cc cece cece ce 7.00
— Lessons on Hand Railing for Learners........ ..........-.06 5.00
Rural Church Architecture.............-..... .. - eee eee eee 4 00
Cyexoqas Leemintiuills to) ie oenepanonocodoucaseeusS soo dno Udanapadaednans 2.50
Tuthill!, Practical Lessons in Architectural Drawing....... .......... 3.00
Weidenmann. Beautifying Country Homes. A superb quarto Vol. 10.00
Woodward. Cottages and Farm Honses....................-+: Avo) J
—— CountryHomes pres censiarcrse dover pSeeista, bes) caioteco™, sialerale 1.00
—— National Architect. Volumes 1 and 2. Each.. er sore 7.50
ed Suburban and Country Houses.............c..-eeescee 1.00
MiSseGEEEANEOUS:
Collection of Ornaments..........-- -6 eee cece teens cee ces 2.00
Common Sea Weeds....- -- SauGite HOBO HOO a Cricmr oc ail)
Common Shells of the Seashore. PG MRT. Wanieties: aes 2 aaa eae oo uees esis, eit) lean eee 50)
TheMogandats VAvietiesy ice «cs. ce nica eves) slersisisietes aoe ieee -50
Flowers and Flower Garden. By ELIzABETH WATTS............. -50
Hardy Plants for Little Front Gardens..... .. . ........ceceess oe 50
Poultry—An Original and Practical Guide to their Management... .50
The Modern Fencer. By Capt. T. GRIFFITH..........-....2. 00 50
The Modern Gymnast. By CHARLES SPENCER... .........+-c00:- -50
Cattle and their Varieties and Management..................---- i
The Horse and its Varieties and Management..................-+- By (3
Sheep andits Varieties and Management..............-.eeeeeeeees 05
Send your address immediately on a postal card for
our 382mo. finely illustrated Catalogue of some 300 Rural
Books, and it will be sent you FREE, by the Publishers.
0. JUDD CO. DAVID W. JUDD, Pres’t.
751 BROADWAY NEW YORK.
jpn 9 1247 . fa
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