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PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE;

A GUIDE TO THE SUCCESSFUL CULTIVATION OP

FLORISTS' PLANTS,

FOR THE

AMATEUR AND PROFESSIONAL FLORIST.

BY

PETER

AUTHOR OP " GARDENING FOB PROFIT," " GARDENING FOR PLEASURE," " HANI>
BOOK OF PLANTS," " GARDEN AND FARM TOPICS." " HOW THE FARM PATS," ETC,

NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION.

ILLUSTRATED.

NEW YORK:

ORANGE JTJDD COMPANY,
1892.

Sntcred, according to Act of Congress, In the year 1887, by the

O. JUDD CO.,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington,

CONTENTS.

CHAPIER I.
How to Become a Florist 9

CHAPTER II.
Tbe Prices of Nursery and Greenhouse Products Abroad and at

Home-.. - 15

CHAPTER III.
The Profits of Floriculture 19

CHAPTER IV.
Aspect and Soil 22

CHAPTER V.
The Preparation for New, and the Renovation of Old, Lawns 24

CHAPTER VI.
Laying out the Flower Garden 36

CHAPTER VII.
Designs for Ornamental Grounds and Flower Gardens 31

CHAPTER VIII.
Planting of Flower Beds 46

CHAPTER IX.
Soils for Potting 54

CHAPTER X.
Temperature and Moisture 57

CHAPTER XI.
The Potting of Plants 63

CHAPTER XII.
Drainage in Pots 68

CHAPTER XIII.
Expert Garden Workmen..- __.. 69

(3)

4 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTER XIV.
Cold Frames— Winter Protection 71

CHAPTER XV.
The Construction of Hot-Beds... 74

CHAPTER XVI.
Greenhouse Structures 76

CHAPTER XVII.
Wide Greenhouses for Bedding Plants and Rose Growing 93

CHAPTER XVIII.
Glass, Glaring and Shading 98

CHAPTER XIX.
Modes of Heating 100

CHAPTER XX.
Heating by Steam 101

CHAPTER XXI.
Base-Burning Water-Heater 103

CHAPTER XXII.
Propagation of Plants by Seeds 106

CHAPTER XXIII.

Propagation by Seeds— What Varieties Come True from Seeds ? 110

CHAPTER XXIV.
Propagation of Plants by Cuttings 120

CHAPTER XXV.
"Saucer System" of Propagation 129

CHAPTER XXVI.
Propagating Soft-Wooded Plants in Summer. 131

CHAPTER XXVII.
Propagation of Roses by Cuttings 135

CHAPTER XXVIII.
Propagating Roses by Grafting and Budding 141

CHAPTER XXIX.
Greenhouse Plants Most in Demand in Market in Spring 143

CONTENTS. 5

CHAPTER XXX.
The Cultivation of the Verbena 148

CHAPTER XXXI.
Col J-Frame Plants Most Sold in Market in Spring 151

CHAPTER XXXII.
Plants Most in Demand for Window Decoration in Winter 153

CHAPTER XXXIII.
Culture of Winter-Flowering Plants for Cut Flowers 154

CHAPTER XXXIV.
Rose-Growing in Winter 155

CHAPTER XXXV.
Bulbs for Winter Flowers 175

CHAPTER XXXVI.
Violets, Chrysanthemums, Carnations, and Mignonette 189

CHAPTER XXXVII.
Bouvardias, Stevias, Eupatoriums, Heliotropes, Poinsettia, and

other Winter-Flowering Plants.. 195

CHAPTER XXXVHI.
Orchids 204

CHAPTER XXXIX.
Chinese Primrose, Geranium, Camellia and Eucharis 208

CHAPTER XL.
Plants Used for Foliage— Smilax, Asparagus, Ferns, etc 211

CHAPTER XLI.
Plants Used for Decoration of Rooms 213

CHAPTER XLII.
General Collection of Plants Grown Under Glass 215

CHAPTER XLIII.
Construction of Bouquets, Baskets, etc 217

CHAPTER XLIV.
Hanging Baskets 230

CHAPTER XLV.
Parlor or Window Gardening 242

6 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTER XLVI.
Formation of Rock- Work, and Plants for Rocks 250

CHAPTER XLVII.
Are Plants Injurious to Health ?. 252

CHAPTER XLVIII.
The Injury to Plants by Forcing 254

CHAPTER XLIX.
Nature's Law of Colors 256

CHAPTER L.
What Flowers will Grow in the Shade ? 259

CHAPTER LI.
Succession Crops in the Greenhouse 261

CHAPTER IH.
Packing Plants 263

CHAPTER LUI.
Plants by Mail 265

CHAPTER LIV.
Insects and Diseases affecting Plants 267

CHAPTER LV.
Mildew 280

CHAPTER LVI.
Diary of Operations for the Tear 282

CHAPTER LVII.
The Culture of Grape Vines under Glass ... 313

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 green-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. J

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTER I.
HOW TO BECOME A FLORIST.

I 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 have
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 hud
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. 11

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 small towns to undertake the
cultivation of small fruits, flowers, and vegetables com-
bined. In a 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 af a quality that has borne good crops of Hay,
Corn, Potatoes, or other farm produce. Do not 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 flue, about $9 per running foot ; if by hot- water, $J5
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
c f 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 or.iinary 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
tiiose 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 in importance in sma!l
fruits come Raspberries, Blackberries, Grapes and Cur-
rantf-, 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
"bow to do it;" for tbese reference may be made to my
work "Gardening for Profit," new edition published in
1887. I merely wisb to sbow tbat in small towns the
combined culture of fruits, flowers and vegetables can
be more profitably carried on than tbe 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 each
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 Avhile 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 I 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

PKICES 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.

CHAPTEE 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 Ellwanger & Barry, of Rochester,
1ST. 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 general 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
per 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 oi 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 Is. (about $6) the plant ; here, the first
sales of the same plant are at from $2 to $3 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 invariably
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 simplifying 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 XURSERY PRODUCTS. 17

as do a hundred when made by machinery. When it
o'jaies to the manual operations, necessary in the propa-
gating and growing of greenhouse plants, the same waste
of labor is apparent. Onr 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
it' 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
undarstood 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 is a 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 rats. 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 as in 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, Eibston 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 PBOriTS Of FLORICULTURE;. 19

CHAPTER III.
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 as in 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 ICSP, and the
business is pleasanter and less exhaustive to folio -A*. 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. A frugal man, with a
knowledge of the business and $1,000 capital, may safely
start in this vicinity, or in any vicinity where there is a
town of 10,000 inhabitants of average intelligense and
culture. But the difficult question with all at starting
is, how best to make that $1,000 available. Of course ex-

20 PRACTICAL FLOKICULTURE.

pensive buildings, such as we describe in some of the
chapters on greenhouse structures, are beyond his means,
and something cheaper must be adopted. (See chapter
on Cheap Greenhouses). The general principle on which
these greenhouses are formed is in all respects the same,
and the beginner with limited means, instead of erecting
three houses, need erect only one, which should not be
more than fifty feet long and of a width of eleven feet in
the clear. The proportions of height, etc., will be found
in the drawing on page 77. The sides may be formed of
cedar or chestnut posts planked up to the required height,
having a lining of tarred papor between the boards. In
this way, at present prices, a structure of this kind, with
flue, benches and all complete, need not cost more than six
or eight dollars per running foot, or $300 or $400 for a
house of ifty feet. But something else will be needed
besides the house, and sunken pits or cold frames should
be erected parallel with the east side of the greenhouse
and connected with it. A portion, say half, of these
should be excavated to the depth of two feet, and used
as a sunken pit for Eoses, etc.; the cold frame portion,
which is not sunken but made level with the soil, can be
used to grow the hardier sorts of flowers, as Pansies,
Daisies, Pinks, etc. I here again repeat that the Eose,
unless grown to force for winter flowers, is easily injured
by fire heat, which it must necessarily receive if placed in
the greenhouse, in which are grown a variety of plants
that require fire heat.

These pits and cold frames should be covered up care-
fully, either with shutters or mats, during severe weather
in winter, and care taken that all water is thoroughly
drained off from them. The sunken pits and cold frames
of twenty-five feet each will cost, say, $100, which, to-
gether with the purchase of stock and coal to last through
the winter, would make the expenditure from June to
November, $000 or $700, leaving $300 or $400 for ex-

THE PROFITS OF FLORICULTURE. 21

penses in winter, or until sales open in spring. If the
plants have been handled with even average skill, the
sales should by June give a profit of at least fifty per cent,
on the capital invested, supposing the plants to be sold
at the average retail rates.

I am not prepared to say what the profits on the capi-
tal invested are when business is done on a large scale,
the articles grown, the manner of selling, the economy
of management, being so varied that in this, as in all
other occupations in life, we have all degrees of success.
But the broad fact is beyond question, that the profits of
the business will compare favorably with the general run
of business in which the same capital is invested.

One fact, very flattering to our florists in this country
is, that although our plants on an average are sold lower
than they are in England, and our new plants at less than
one-fourth of the prices obtained there, the business is
more profitable here than there. "Why is this ? the
reader may doubtingly ask. Simply that our necessities
with regard to labor compel us to apply our common
sense to the work, and we cut loose from many of the
established rules with which many of the English florists
are yet stupidly trammeled.

In two of the London establishments in 1872, having
each about 100,000 feet of glass, the average number of
hands employed during the year was fifty. The same quan-
tity of glass would be worked here in a style quite equal
to theirs, as far as the quality of the plants goes, with less
than one- third of that number. I am informed by a
gentleman who was for many years connected with one
of these English establishments, that the profits did not
exceed ten per cent, of the sales. I am afraid that the
smallest operator of us all here, would soon quit the work
if it gave no better results.

For the past fifteen years, cut flower growing, partic-
ularly the growing of Kose-buds in winter, has been more

22 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

profitable than the growing of plants, and is so even at
the date of writing. While plant growing for market has
probably averaged a profit of thirty per cent, on the invest-
ment, Rose growing may have averaged forty or fifty per
cent., and, in consequence, the structures for Eose grow-
ing and other cut flowers for winter are increasing much
more rapidly than those for plant growing. This will lead
to the natural result, an over-production, and my advice
to beginners in all small cities and towns is, to begin a
general florist's business, adding cut flowers to it if need
be, but do not risk all your capital on any one specialty —
at least, not until you have proved beyond question that
you can make such specialty profitable.

What is' true of the florist's business I believe to be
equally true of the nursery trade, and it is much to be
doubted if that business anywhere in all Europe is so sim-
ply, yet profitably, carried on as it is in the great nurseries
of Rochester and Geneva.

CHAPTER IV.
ASPECT AND SOIL.

The aspect of the flower garden, when choice can be
made, should be towards the south, or southeast, and if
sheltered by hills, or belts of timber, from the northwest,
many plants and trees can be safely grown that could
not otherwise succeed without that shelter. Such a sit-
uation also permits operations to be begun earlier in
spring, and continued later in the fall, in some locations
making the season from two to three weeks longer than
if the aspect had been to the north or northwest.

The" soil in flower gardening, as in all horticulturaj
operations, is the basis of success, and is of even more im-

ASPECT AND SOIL. 23

portance than aspect or location ; and whether it is the
man of wealth, looking for a site upon which to build,
and surround his home with a flowery landscape, or the
working gardener about to become florist, and venturing
his hard earnings in a first essay in business, let him first
bo certain that old " Mother Earth," in the spot about to
be chosen, is in such condition as will reward his labors
with success. Soils are so varied that it is difficult indeed
to convey to the inexperienced by description what the
proper character should be. To say to the uninitiated,
that the best soil for all garden purposes is a sandy loam,
not less than ten inches deep, conveys very little infor-
mation, unless he is first made to understand what a
sandy loam is. The subsoil, or stratum of earth imme-
diately underlying the top soil, or loam, usually deter-
mines the quality of the soil. If it be gravelly, or sandy,
then the top soil will almost invariably be a sandy loam ;
but if the subsoil is of putty-like clay, then the top soil
will usually be of the same nature, and be what is known
as clayey loam. One great advantage usually in soils
having a gravelly or sandy subsoil is, that the water passes
off freely, rendering the -expensive operation of draining
unnecessary, while in all soils with clayey subsoil, drain-
ing must be done, and thoroughly, or failure will cer-
tainly be the result. Those most to be avoided are what
are known as "thin soils ;" these may be either of sand,
gravel, or clay, being in many places little more than
" subsoil," without its stratum of loam. No process of
manuring or cultivation can ever bring such, soils into a
condition to compete with those naturally good ; for be
it remembered that manures answer only a temporary
purpose, and exert no permanent change in soil. Our
richest market gardens, when left untilled, relapse into
their normal state in three years. Thus it is in many
parts of the Southern States, that plantations are said to
bo "worn out" in a few years, while in fact it is simply the

24 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

supply of food to the plants that has been exhausted, <;he
organic matter formed by decaying leaves or sods having
been expended by the crops.

Supply this want by fertilizers, and you again have the
land in its primitive fertile condition ; but this must be
continued, or the crops will again show indications of the
soil being " worn out," but quicker, of course, on a thin
soil than on a deep one. Hence the importance of select-
ing, when a choice can be had, a deep soil, with a subsuil
of sand or gravel.

CHAPTER V.

THE PREPARATION FOR NEW AND THE RENOVATION
OF OLD LAWNS.

It may be questioned whether or not the subjects of
Lawns or Landscape Gardening, come under the province
of the florist; it may not in his own business directly, but
hundreds of florists are appealed to every season by their
patrons for information on this matter, so that even the
brief directions lam able to give, I know will be welcomed
by many.

The preparation for the lawn is usually preliminary to
the laying out of the flower-beds in grounds having pre-
tentions to the modern style of gardening. It is the
foundation of all subsequent operations, and if imperfectly
done, it can hardly ever be remedied afterwards.

We not unfrequently see, after a dwelling costing, 5,
10, 20, or 30,000 dollars is erected, that the grounds sur-
rounding it are left to the tender mercy of some ignorant
pretender to grade and put in shape. The educated, in-
telligent architect's duties, in many cases end with the
completion of the building, and the ''garden architect"
— likely some pretentious laborer — is installed to grade for
the lawn, and a common consequence is, that the beauty

NEW AND OLD LAWNS. 25

of the place may be forever marred— for tin's matter
really often requires as much intelligence and good judg-
ment, as the construction of the dwelling itself. One of
the first conditions of a perfect lawn is, that the land be
drained properly either naturally or artificially ; if the
subsoil is sand or gravel, so that water can quickly pass
through it, then there will be no need for artificial drains,
but if there is a stratum of adhesive clay for a subsoil,
then drains at every fifteen or twenty feet are indispensa-
ble. As the formation of the lawn is the foundation of all
subsequent operations, it is imperative that it be carefully
done ; for if badly done at first, it cannot be changed or
altered, unless to the great detriment of trees or shrubs
that have been planted, or flower beds or walks that have
been laid out.

The first thing to be done is, to get the ground shaped
to the desired grade, taking care in grading that when
hills and rocks are removed, sufficient subsoil is also re-
moved to be replaced with top soil, so that at least five
inches of good soil will overlay the whole in all places,
and where trees are to be planted, there should be twice
that depth of good soil. When the grading is finished,
if the nature of the ground requires it, drains should be
laid wherever necessary ; then the whole should be thor-
oughly plowed, a subsoil plow following in the wake of a
common plow, until it is completely pulverized. A heavy
harrow should then be applied until the surface is thor-
oughly fined down ; all stones, roots, etc., should be re-
moved so that a smooth surface may be obtained. "We
have used, with great effect and saving of labor, a com-
paratively new implement known as the " Disc Smooth-
ing Harrow," which fines and levels the land equal to a
steel rake ; and whenever large areas are in preparation
for lawns, or in fact for any field culture, requiring a fine,
smooth surface, this implement will be found to be of
great value.

26 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

When the seed is sown, a light harrow, such as
the "Disc Smoothing Harrow," should be again ap-
plied, so as to sink the seed two inches or so in the
soil, and after that a thorough rolling given, so that the
surf ace is made as smooth and firm as possible. In the
latitude of New York, the seed may be sown any time
during the months of April and May, and will form a
good lawn by July or August if the preparation has been
good, or in about one hundred days from the time of sow-
ing. If sown in the hot months of June or July, a
sprinkling of oats should be sown at the same time, so
that the shade given by the oats will protect the youn^
grass from the sun. Lawns are very often sown during
the early fall months (September being the best) with ex-
cellent results. For small plots, of course, digging, trench-
ing and raking must be done instead of plowing, subsoil-
ing and harrowing, and the surface after sowing should be
patted down with the back of a spade or rolled down with
a roller. On sloping banks, it is often necessary to use
sod, as the rains wash the soil off before the grass seed
has time to germinate. It is sometimes even necessary,
in sodding very steep banks, to use wooden pins, eight or
ten inches in length, to pin the sods in place, to prevent
them from being washed down by excessive rains before
the grass roots have had time to fasten in the roil. 1 1
small yards, sodding is often done so as to get immediate
results ; but in all such cases great care should be taken
to see that the sods used are of the proper quality, other-
wise it is much better to wait a few months for the lawn
seed to produce the lawn.

TO GET A LAWN ON A SLOPING BANK.

TTnlers under very favorable circumstances, it is ex-
ceedingly difficult to get a growth of grass from the seed
on a bank sloping at an angle of even fifteen degrees, be-

NEW AXD OLD LAWNS. 27

cause a heavy shower of rain on the sloping bank would
run off the fresh soil before the young grass had formed
enough roots to mat it sufficiently to hold it in place.
To remedy this, the following plan will be found to be
most effective: To an area of twenty by fifteen feet —
300 square feet — or in that proportion, be the area large
or small, take two quarts of lawn grass seed and mix it
with four bushels of rather stiff soil, to which add two
bushels of cow-manure. Mix the whole with water to
tha consistency of thin mortar. This mixture is to be
spread on the sloping bank, first having scratched the
surface of the bank with a rake. It should be applied as
thinly as will make a smooth and even surface — in short,
just as plaster is spread on a wall. The grass seed will
rapidly start and quickly make a sod of the richest green,
its smooth, hard surface preventing its being furrowed
out by the rains. It will be necessary, until the grass
has fully covered the surface, to keep the plastered bank
covered with hay or straw to prevent the plaster from
drying or cracking. If the weather is dry a watering will
hasten its growth ; if sown at a season when the temper-
ature will average seventy degrees, a green sward will be
obtained in fifteen days. By this method, using orchard
or other strong growing grasses, no cheaper plan could be
adopted to keep up railroad or other embankments.

As ,i guide for the proper quantity of seed required to
form a perfect lawn (sown in the usual way, after the
ground has been properly prepared, as already described),
we may state that one quart of lawn grass seed is suf-
ficient to sow an area of tAventy feet by fifteen feet — 300
square feet — or to cover an acre, four bushels will be re-
quired. It should be borne in mind that, in order to pro-
duce the best results, grass seed for lawns should be sown
twice as thickly as if sown for hay. In fact, if very rapid
results are wanted, a lawn will be much quicker obtained
by using three times more seed per acre. In a lawn of about

23 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

an acre in extent, which we made lately, six bushels o~
lawn grass seed was sown on the 25th of April, harrowed
well in with the ordinary farm harrow, then rolled firmly
with a heavy farm roller. The result was that by July
1st, or about sixty days from the date of sowing, a per-
fect lawn was obtained, having had to be twice mowed
over by machine previous to that date.

The question of fertilizers for the lawn is an important
one. If the soil is naturally a deep, rich loam it is not
necessary that any manure at all be used the first season
of sowing, although in every case it would be an advan-
tage, and is really essential if the soil is poor or light.
Perhaps the best way to apply well-rotted stable manure
is to spread it thick enough to cover the ground after
plowing or digging, and then harrow or rake it in, but
when cost is of no special object, the best plan to insure
permanency for the lawn is to use, as above, from 2,500
to 3,000 pounds of coarse, ground bone per acre, or in that
proportion over lesser areas, as the bone decomposes
slowly. This quantity, harrowed or raked in deeply,
would insure a "velvet lawn," under ordinary circum-
stances, for six or eight years without further application
of manures.

When the land has not been fertilized before sowing,
it is necessay to use some top dressing of manure each
season to keep up the fertility of the lawn, and nothing
is better for this purpose than to spread over it late in the
fall (November or December), short stable manure,
enough to partially cover the surface. This should be
allowed to remain on until such time as the grass shows
signs of starting in the spring, when the rough portion
of the manure should be raked off and a heavy roller
applied, so that the surface of the lawn be rendered
smooth and firm for the mower. If the top dressing of
stable manure has been omitted in the fall, fine bone dust
and nitrate of soda in equal parts, or any good brand of

NEW AND OLD LAWNS. 29

"lawn enricher," mixed with finely sifted coal or wood
ashes, in equal parts, may be sowed on the lawn, about
as thick as sand is usually strewn on the floor, and rolled
down, or where the soil is light or sandy, clay or marl,
broken fine and sown on while dry, will be found excel-
lent to encourage the growth of grass.

Mowing should be begun in spring as soon as the grass
is two or three inches high, and continued every seven
or eight days until the cessation of growth in fall. If the
lawn is gone over with a mower once a week, the clip-
pings are best left on, as the sun quickly shrivels them
up so that they never appear unsightly ; but if mowing
is delayed two or three weeks, then the grass must be
raked off, which should always be done with the regular
lawn rake, as the ordinary toothed rake injures the grass.

It sometimes happens that the soil contains seeds of
perennial plants, such as Dandelion, Dock or Thistles,
which seriously interfere with the beauty of the lawn.
When such occur, there is no other remedy than the slow
process of cutting them out with a knife ; it is not neces-
sary to take them out by the root. If the " crowns" of
these perennial weeds are cut just below the surface, they
will not grow again. It is a comir.on belief that the seeds
of these weeds are in the grass seed. This is rarely the
case ; they are generally wafted from adjoining lands and
will often lie dormant, if buried deeply in the soil, for
years, until the preparation of the soil for the lawn brings
them near the surface.

To Renovate Lawns. — Lawns that have become worn
out by neglect or other causes, and where it is not con-
venient or desirable to renew them by plowing up, may
be greatly benefited by running a light harrow over, if
the surface is large, or by a sharp, steel rake for smaller
areas, after stirring the surface by such means judiciously,
so as not to too severely hurt the roots. Lawn grass
should be sown over the surface after harrowing or raking

30 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

in about half the quantity advised for new lawns. After
sowing, the surface should be harrowed or raked over,
and firmly rolled or beaten down ; but if spurious grass
or other weeds have got possession of the lawn, then this
way of renovation would not be satisfactory, and it had
better be plowed under and sown afresh, in the manner
already given for the formation of the lawn.

CHAPTEE VI.
LAYING OUT THE FLOWER GARDEN.

In the vicinity of New York, the taste displayed in
this matter is certainly not very flattering to us ; com-
pared with that shown in the suburbs of London or Paris,
we are wofully behind. Our city merchants annually
build hundreds of houses, the cost of many of which
range from $10,000 to $50,000 each, but the flower
garden surrounding the house is in nineteen cases out of
twenty left to the tender mercies of some ignoramus who
styles himself a " Landscaper," and who generally man-
ages before he is through to make the proprietor appear
to be utterly devoid of taste, if not utterly ridiculous.
A worthy of this stamp held kingly sway as a " Land-
scaper" in the vicinity of New York a few years ago,
and has left behind him some wonderful specimens of
his art ; he was great on " Sarpentine " walks, as he
called them, and had a true artist's horror of straight
lines. It would have been useless for Euclid to have at-
tempted to demonstrate that the nearest distance between
two points was a straight line. Terry knew better than
that, and curved accordingly. One of the most marked
of his efforts was made in behalf of a "shoddy" king,
who had built a splendid mansion in about the middle of

LAYING OUT THE FLOWER GARDEN. 31

a four-acre lot. The carriage drive, entering at each side
of the plot, was made in his best " Sarpentine " style,
but the centre approach, a six-foot walk for pedestrians,
started at a point in the centre of the block, and was
twisted like a corkscrew until it reached the hall door.
The portly owner submitted like a martyr for awhile, but
eventually snubbed Terry's science, obliterated the walk,
and got a more expeditious, if less artistic method of get-
ting to his home ; his dogs and children, having less rever-
ence for Terry's art, had long before taken the initiative.
But this is only telling what not to do, which perhaps is
as necessary as to tell what to do in the brief space that
this subject can be treated of in this work. The follow-
ing remarks and drawings are by the late Eugene A. Bau-
mann, Esq., of Rah way, N. J., whose ability as a practical
landscape gardener was perhaps second to none in this
country, as the thousands of acres of tasteful grounds
laid out by him in this and adjacent States, during the
past twenty years, will attest.

CHAPTER VII.
DESIGNS FOR ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS AND FLOWER

GARDENS.
DESIGN FOR A CITY OR VILLAGE LOT.

Figure 1 gives a plan for a city or village lot of 100x200
feet, fronting south, but without stable or carriage-house.

The dwelling at 1 is supposed to be without area, or
entrance to the basement and cellars from outside, but
with the water- table, or first floor, raised above the
ground some fire feet, and the earth from the foundations
and cellars employed for a terrace, rising about two and
a half feet above the ordinary level, which is understood
to be some two feet above that of the public road.

32 PKACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

This plan is entirely in the geometric style, or with
straight walks exclusively, as we think that, considering
everything, this arrangement is the most suitable for
small lots.

What, indeed, is the best use to which to put so little
room ? Fruit trees, vegetables, and large pieces of lav;n
are not what are here required ; fruit and vegetables the
proprietor may procure at the market cheaper than he
co n Id raise them ; lawns, or grass plots, would not be^ac-
cessible for any amusement or exercise in damp or rainy
weather. Therefore I consider well-made walks, that may
be dry in the afternoon of a rainy day, much more needed
for the promenade of persons, who, having been busy all
day, require some exercise and fresh air in the evening.
Fine shrubbery, flower-beds, and shade are also required.

In a planting of the right sort, it requires not much
depth to form good belts to protect the place against the
cold winds, or sometimes against cool neighbors.

A large display of flowers does not require a very large
space of ground, and if plenty of flowers should be
wanted, as is generally the case, their quantity may be in-
creased by a judicious selection of flowering shrubbery.

For a more sheltered, shady walk, I should, in such a
place, suggest a well-built arbor, covered on the top with
out-door grape-vines, and on the side towards the house
with fine flowering climbers, or those that have good and
durable foliage, such as Climbing Roses and Honeysuckles,
the Clematis, Akebia, Viginia Creeper, Bittersweet (or
Celastrus scandens}, Chinese Wistaria, etc., as perma-
nent plants, which may be trained so as to cover the
whole front ; and then, for variety, of a dwarf er habit and
covering the lower parts, the Madeira Vine, Canary-bird
Plant, and Adlumia, or Allegheny Vine. Some of the
new CucurlitacecR, the broad-leaved Periwinkle, Ivies,
and a number of other sorts may be recommended.
I intend, in progressing with the explanation of the

DESIGNS JFOE ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS.

33

e T R E E T.
Fig. L— DESIGN FOE A VILLAGE LOT.

34 PEACTICAL FLOBICrjjLTURE.

numbered objects of this plan, to give a list of such trees
and shrubs as are required on a small place. It is a
point which ought always to be considered, that trees and
shrubs fib for a large place are not exactly suited to a
small one, whatever may be their appearance or effect in
the first four or five years ; the mistakes are only seen in
after years. Fortunately for the generality of the "land-
scapers," before the effect of their work is shown, the
owner has removed to a bigger house, or the planting has
been neglected, and the trees have died, or the " land-
scaper" has fcund employment far away out West, caring
very little how his chefs d'ceuvre in the East may look.

At 2 is the terrace, with the embankment. Small em-
bankments ought to be of the most simple shape ; any
fancy outlines in the slope, on a small scale, will only be
seen when the grass is freshly cut short, and they are
therefore of no use. 3 is the main approach to the dwell-
ing. (See scale for width.) At 20, in a small circle, it is
intended to employ a fine bush of Pyrus Japonica, to
interrupt the view from the street. 4 is a smaller walk
intended for the use of the family, but forming with the
walk 3 a continuous circuit around the place. 5 is in-
tended for a small yard in the rear of the house, with the
well at 13. 6, a six-foot walk, passing underneath the
nrbor ; a shady place in summer. 7, the arbor, with only
spare room enough left in its rear for attending to the
climbers and grape-vines planted against it. 8, intended
to be a shed for wood and other articles, besides a hen-
house, with hen-yard, at 10. 9, an office. 11, a bench,
or resting place. 12, benches, or even stone seats, in
recesses. 14, a grass plot, to be used for a drying-
ground, and also as a play-ground for children, sur-
rounded by seven deciduous shade trees, which might be,
in preference, the Silver-leaved Maple (Acer dasy-
carpum), a healthy, strong-growing, and clean tree. At
15, for variety of foliage, a Weeping Willow. 16, a

DESIGNS FOR ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS. 35

hedge-row of Siberian Arbor-vitse. 17 is a flower bed,
with an outside border made of the small-leaved, trailing
Juniper, or Juniperus procumbens. This magnificent
plant, Avhich, in small beds, forms the densest glaucous-
green carpet, may be easily trained for a border by plant-
ing small young plants at eight and ten inches apart, and
then guiding the main leader with small wooden pins in
the direction of the border. It offers something en-
tirely new in color and shape, and it is to be regretted
that it is so little in use.

A second border, immediately around the flower-bed,
affording a greater contrast in color, would be the small
Tom Thumb Arbor- vitas — a very precious novelty, too,
on account of its very dark foliage.

At 18, on the northwest side of the house, there would
be a very favorable location for a group of Rhododendrons
and other so-called North American evergreen shrubs.

At 19 may be placed two single bushes of Calycanthus
floridus, or Sweet-scented Shrub, or, still better, two
large vases or pieces of statuary.

At 21, a circle, to be decorated with a Purple Beech, or
a good specimen of the Kilmarnock Willow.

At 22, all along the eastern boundary, a row of Norway
Spruces, Balsam Firs, and American Arbor- vitae, in the
rear, planted at sufficient distance from each other to
permit a second row in front of them (alternating), about
four or five feet from the side of the walk.

In this front line ought to be employed Siberian Arbor-
vitae, Irish and Swedish Junipers, Golden Arbor- vitae,
Upright Yews, Retinispora ericoides and Podocarpus.

At 22 a, in the rear of the play-ground, there ought to
be the following shrubs, in three rows : for instance, in
the rear, the Venetian Sumac, Cercis Siliquastrum, and
Cercis Canadensis, Double White and Eed Flowering
Thorns, American Mountain Ash, etc., etc., but no larger

36 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

In the second row there might be planted (alternately)
the Purple Hazel (or Filbert), the Silver-Bell (Halesia
tetraptera), some Philadelphia, Euonymus, and Rose of
Sharon.

In the third row, still smaller sorts, closing down to the
edging, such as the Purple Barberry, Hypericum Kalmia-
num, Daphne Mezereum, Cotoneasters, Primus Sinensis,
mid Primus triloba. Herbaceous plants, like Peonies, Iris,
Phloxes, etc., etc., maybe added, too, to great advantage.

At 23, the group near the front fence must be stocked
with such shrubs as will prevent outsiders from disturbing
ihe privacy of the place, but low enough to allow the
inmates to see the street from the piazza, or first floor.

The following plants may best answer, viz. : Spiraea
Reevesii fl. pleno, Spircea prunifolia, and Spircea callosa,
Deutziacrenatafl. pleno, Cratcegus Pyracantha (near each
gate), and in front of these, towards the house, Hyperi-
cum Kalmianum, Deutzia gracilis, Spircea Fortunii,
and some herbaceous plants. 24, a corner gioup, ought
to be filled in the rear with one or two Cladrastis tinctoria,
better known in nurseries as Virgilia lutea, and in front
of these there should be some five or six ^sculus macro-
stachya, a shrub of a remarkably fine effect.

At 25 and 26, the two small groups could be employed
for Hydrangeas. 27 and 28 require, to hide the hen-
yard, some taller shrubs of the following sort : the Cali-
fornian Privet, some Lilacs, and the Golden Elder (Sam-
bucus nigra aurea. )

The small border, 29, may be employed for some
espaliers of Pears, Apricots, or Medlars.

30 is intended for flower beds, arranged in the most
simple way, and which ought to be filled in the fall with
Dutch bulbs for the spring season, and in summer with
fine selected bedding plants, of very distinct colors, but
each separate color in one strip ; or with annuals, like
Portulaca, Phlox Drummondii, Nemophilas, etc., etc.

DESIGNS FOE ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS. 37

At a, in Div. 30, there may be some Magnolias, a
Cercis Japonica, and one Berberis macropliylla or
Japonica.

By mentioning exactly all the sorts of trees and shrubs
that I might employ, I do not intend to say that the lay-
ing out may be a failure by employing other sorts, as cor-
responding varieties in size and foliage will answer just
as well, but it will be noticed that I have mentioned no
trees of large size, except along the eastern boundary
and the play-ground. Indeed, of what use would it be
to employ Sugar Maples, Elms, Norway Maples, and
Sycamores, which, after a few years, would cover up half
the width of the place, and leave no room for good shrub-
bery and flowers ; allow no sun in the place, and even

Fig. 2.— SECTION OF KOAD WITH SINGLE DRAIN.

prevent the turf from growing under their shade ? It
would be as sensible as to place in a small drawing-room
a table, of which the four corners would touch the four
walls.

In the selection of the right kind of plants is the whole
secret of the art.

The walks in such a regular garden must be as well
graded as possible, and on. the same level as the turf,
which ought not to overreach them more than one inch
or one inch and one-half. Very narrow walks, unless the
grass is frequently clipped, often look like ditches.

To establish such walks, if there is any drainage re-
quired, the digging out of the soil before stoning ought
to bs as clearly defined and done as well as the dressing
of the top.

The best way to dig them out is, in general, for single
drains, according to the diagram, figure 2, and where

33 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

double drains are required, I generally recommend the
following system, shown in figure 3.

It Avill be seen by the first, diagram that the bottom of
the ditch represented in the cut is an inclined plane, run-
ning downwards from one side of the walk toward the
opposite side of the drain, which I figure here simply as a
stone drain. The stoning is to be laid upright, and
never flat, on the hardened bottom of the ditch or dug-
out trench ; if laid flat, the stones will never bind to-
gether, but if upright, they will soon become tight by the
intrusion of the gravel that has to be put on top of them.

The depth of the trench depends very much on the
quality of the subsoil, and has to be regulated by it, and
so with the ditch for the drains.

Such walks also depend very much on the quality of

Fig. 3.— SECTION OF ROAD WITH DOUBLE DRAINS.

the soil, and very often, indeed generally, on the facility
of procuring the materials.

In some places I have seen walks and roads made by
simply scratching off three or four inches of light top soil,
beneath which was gravel several feet deep. Such a road
may be dry, but is very noisy, tiresome, and movable.

In other instances I have seen walks made by opening
ditches over four feet deep, only for the sake of burying
rocks and saving the soil found in digging ; these form
very fine drains, and help to clear the land of boulders
and rocks, as is the case on top of Orange Mountain, N. J.

The second diagram (figure 3) shows the section of a
walk or drive requiring more drainage. The bottom,
between the two drain ditches, forms a curving line, on
which, if well placed, the stones will soon form an arch,
and give the road all the qualities required.

DESIGNS FOR ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS. 39

The depth here is not as much regulated by the quality
of the soil as by the width of the drive or roads. The
more convexity given the bottom, the better for the ab-
sorption of the water by the drain, which ought to be at
least twelve inches deeper than the extremity of the curve,
whilst the top of the curve must remain at least six inches
below the top of the road or drive.

Frequent raking, to remove the larger gravel or pebbles,
and more frequent rolling during damp weather, are
necessary for new walks.

If good clay is at hand, a thin coat of it may be put
between the coarse and the fine gravel on top.

Gutters made of flagstone, or simply paved, will b*
needed only where there is a great descent and a large
accumulation of water above, or sometimes even where
the ground is very light and sandy, although the surface
may slope but very little.

In uneven grounds, drives and walks are to be made in
the same manner, but their finish and beauty will never
depend upon themselves, nor upon the way in which they
are laid down. An additional, correct grading of the
grounds, right and left, so as to bring the sod everywhere
at equal height over the gravel, and then a careful grad-
ing of the grounds three, four to six feet off the margin,
where the soil rises or falls, is indispensable in such cases
to make a finished drive.

The staking out of such uneven walks, and the regu-
lar distribution of the grading, to avoid unsightly ups
and downs, is a matter of taste and practice, ruled by the
shape of the land and the direction of the walks.

DESIGN FOR A FLOWER GARDEN".

We give in figure 4 a design for a regular flower
garden, intended for the ornamenting of the foot of a
terrace, built in front of a large villa.

4U

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

The terrace is intended to be of a heavy stone work,
about three feet above the ground, with a projection in

Fig. 4.— DESIGN FOR A FLOWER GARDEN.

the middle and two steps on each side, leading to the
main walks of the flower garden.

Such an arrangement, often seen in English villas, or
in English designs, belongs only to large pleasure grounds,
and may be considered as the real "dress ground."

DESIGNS FOR ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS. 41

This design has been expressly made with the view of
keeping in order cheaply.

The lawn, or what is to be kept in sod, is as much as
possible in regular straight lines, easily mowed with some
of the patent lawn mowers.

The walks are wide, as, starting from the bottom of the
terrace, they will be overlooked the whole length from the
top, and would appear scanty if not of liberal dimensions.

The place is intended to be kept as private as possible —
a sort of open-air saloon — by a belt of selected shrubbery,
and shade trees in its rear.

At 1, there are seats indicated in several recesses cut
into the shrubs, the seats to be of heavy timber, as stone
would be rather too cool, and iron or rustic work not
looking architectural enough.

At 2, there are pedestals for pieces of statuary, or vases
or large specimen plants in painted boxes.

At 3, 4 and 6, groups of Roses, bedding-out plants of
broad, showy foliage, or flowering shrubs, such as Hydran-
geas, which continue long in bloom.

At 5, the center piece, there is a large flower bed for
Scarlet Geraniums, Feverfew, etc., surrounded by a bor-
der of Irish Ivy, kept in line, so as not to exceed twelve
to eighteen inches in width.

Such borders of Ivy, if employed in the right place, and
well kept in order, are a magnificent ornament to a gar-
den, and, according to their location, may be kept three
and four feet wide. A very little covering in winter will
keep the foliage, of the right sort, in very good order.

In the large squares, plainly sodded, that are in the gar-
dens of the Louvre and the Tuileries, at Paris, there is
no other ornament but such borders of broad-leaved Ivy,
established at three to four feet from the walks, and left
running about two to three feet wide ; and they make,
with the dark green against the lighter turf, a most
agreeable contrast.

PKACTICAL FLOKICULTUItE.

DESIGNS FOE ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS. 43

At 7, on the floor of the terrace, and protected by the

Fig. 6. — DESIGN FOR A FLOWER BED IN A "WALK. — (Seepage 45.)

shade of the balustrade, there will be a. very good location
for hardy Ehododendrons, and similar shrubs.

DESIGN FOR A PARTERRE.

The design (figure 5) represents a parterre to be

Fig. 7.— DESIGN FOB A FLOWER BED IN A WALK.— (See page 46. )

established in front of a large greenhouse, or conservatory,

44

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

and bringing together, in one single spot, all the flowei
beds generally scattered over the lawn, on a large place.
For privacy, it is surrounded by a belt of flowering shrubs,
Two principal flower beds, at 1 and 2, are intended to
be surrounded by a small evergreen border, kept for itself,

Fig. 8.— FLOWER BEDS iT THK JUNCTION OP WALKS.— (JIX page 46. )

and not to be considered as an edging ; small edging-box
might answer best.

At 3, there are recesses for statuary, behind which the
foliage ought to be of the darkest kind, to contrast with
the white statuary, and make that conspicuous.

At 4, similar recesses for seats of heavy timber.

DESIGXS FOR ORNAMENTAL GROUNDS.

45

At 5, in front of the greenhouse, alternating with the
flower beds, are simple, upright growing evergreens, sym-
metrically planted, such as Irish and Swedish Junipers,
Taxus erepta, Podocarpus Japonica, Retinispora, etc.

At 6, single specimens of shrubs of medium size;

Fig. 9. — FLOWER BEDS AT THE TERMINUS OF A WALK.

remarkable for their flowers, fragrance, or fine foliage 5
for example, Deutzia crenataflore pleno, Pyrus Japonica,
Cratcegus Pyracantha, or the Prunus triloba.

FLOWER BEDS IN WALKS, OR AT JUNCTONS OF WALKS.

Figure 6 (p. 43), and the three following illustrations,
are designs for introducing ornamental planting where

46 PRACTICAL FLOUICULTUKE.

opportunity offers along the course of a walk. In fig-
ure 6, the walk divides and passes each side of a bed of
choice shrubbery, while the opposite sides of the walk are
planted with some of the select shrubs already named, or
others. By the judicious use of flowering shrubs, and
the low-growing evergreens, very fine effects may be pro-
duced. In figure 7, is a similar but more elaborate plan,
which allows of the introduction of flowers in masses ;
such an arrangement would be very appropriate for a
Kose garden. In figure 8, we have a design for ornament-
ing the point at which two walks unite at right angles.
The planting may be of Ivy, Trailing Juniper, and other
low-growing evergreens, upon a ground-work of well-
kept grass, or flowers may be introduced. In figure 9,
we have a bit of ornamental flower garden at the terminus
of a walk. What has been said of the selection of shrubs,
etc., in describing the larger designs, will be a sufficient
guide in carrying out these smaller plans.

CHAPTEE VIII.
PLANTING OF FLOWER BEDS.

Much difference prevails in the modes of planting
flower-beds, some holding to the promiscuous intersper-
sion of the different plants, others to the ribbon or carpet
style of planting, now so general in Europe. If the pro-
miscuous system is adopted, care should be taken to dispose
the plants in the beds so that the tallest plants will be at
the back of the bed, if the border is against a wall or
background of shrubbery, the others gradating to the
front, according to height. In open beds, on the lawn,
the tallest should be at the centre, the others grading

PLANTING OF FLOWER BEDS. 47

down to the front, on all sides, interspersing the colors
so as to form the most agreeable contrast in shades. But,
for grand effect, nothing, in our estimation, can ever bo
produced in promiscuous planting to equal that obtained
by planting in masses or in ribbon lines. In the grounds
of the Crystal Palace, near London, and at the Jardin
des Plantes, in Pans, wonderful specimens of this mode
of planting are to be seen. The lawns are cut so as to
resemble rich green velvet ; on these the flower beds are
laid out in every style that art can conceive ; some are
planted in masses of blue, scarlet, yellow, crimson, white,
etc., separate beds of each, harmoniously blended on the
carpeting of green. Then, again, the ribbon style is
used in the large beds, in forms so various that allusion
can here be made to only a few of the most conspicuous.
In a circular bed, say of twenty feet in diameter, the first
line towards the grass is blue Lobelia, attaining a height
of six inches ; next comes the famous Mrs. Pollock Ger-
anium, occupying a space one foot and one-half wide and
nine inches high, with its gorgeous leaves and flowers;
then, against that, is a line of Mountain of Snow Gera-
nium, with its silvery white foliage and scarlet flowers,
backed by the maroon-colored Goleus Verschaffeltii : the
center being a mound of scarlet Salvia. Another style is a
fringe for the front, of the fern-like, white-leaved Centau-
rea gymnocarpa ; back of that is the Crystal Palace Scar-
let Geranium ; then Phalaris arundinacea picta, a recent
style of Eibbon Grass ; next, Coleus Verschaffeltii, and, in
the center, a clump of Cannas, or Pampas Grass.

During a visit to Europe in 1872, I went to the cele-
brated Battersea Park, the most interesting, in a horti-
cultural view, of the many parks in the neighborhood of
London. A feature peculiar to Battersea Park is the
subtropical and alpine planting, both of which, as here
done, were to us a novel feature in landscape gardening.
It was interesting to see how common and rough looking

48 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

plants were made to produce such wonderful effects when
grouped and contrasted in the subtropical arrangement.
The plants were mainly Cannas, Japanese Maize (striped),
Wigandias, Bocconias, Solanuins and many of the tall-
growing sorts of Amaranths. These were grouped on
beds of every conceivable form, some clearly denned in

/ x *

'. ; ; i *--„„..-••
! ' --- ^

/ •

3

•

*
\

Fig. 10.— A CARPET BED.

1. Echeverla Secunda. 4. Echeveria Extensa.

2. Sempei-vivum Califoraicum. 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.
. + m"*^

t

., i / r

V"'

Fig. 11. — DESIGN FOB BET).

1. Scarlet Salvia, 2. Colcus Verschaffeltii.

All lines in the figure to be edged with Yellow Coleus, or reversed

if so desired.

t^L-C--~-~-"--~ -'-'-.

! V^iX *>""f^,

Fig. 12. — DESIGN FOB BED.

1. Alternanthera, Crimson. 8. Lobelia, Blue.

8. Alternanthera, Yellow. 4. Coleus, Golden.

5. Achyrarithes, Crimson.
The Coleus and Achyranthes to be pinched low.

50

PltACTICAL FLOKICULTUBE.

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,
"/here were planted immense plants of tree ferns, the

> -;/ i, • j

//•' C- „ * \ / a

:^ * (•••* X-vX,--'"

« X*

?''

u

z /
\x ^y /

:"-v^

' / -- --

/

Fig. 13. — DESIGN FOB 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

* \ V s /

-•*» \ I " ./

; ; j i 5

.

*

Fig. 14.— DESIGN FOB BED.

1. Gravel Walk. 6. Double Alyssum Tom Ttmml,

2. Grass. 7. Geranium, "Silver Leaf.

3. 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 dioica, one of the Ever-
lastings, having white foliage, and this plant easily con-
veyed the impression of sno\v 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 it is done here) called the "carpet style,"'
for it often resembles just such patterns as would make a
beautiful carpet. This style is meeting now with much
opposition from Mr. Kobinsou, 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. 53

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

Fig. 15.— DESIGN FOB 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, 111.; 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 recommended 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.

CHAPTER 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. 55

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 failures thereby. 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 have, 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 — \ve
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, Lan tanas, Petunias,
Pansies, Roses, Tuberoses, Violets, Verbenas, etc., etc.
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. 5?

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.

CHAPTER X.
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 of tener 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 lie 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 FLOIJICULTUEE.

in greenhouse or frame during the cool 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 climato
of England. It has been our own practice for years to
sow in these months ; but if 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 gra^n-
house containing Camellias, Azaleas, Pelargoniums, Oar-
nations, etc., etc., 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 main tain 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 ton 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,
Koses. 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 tha " 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

GO 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 Koses, 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 the 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 MOISTUKE. 61

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 it 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 nonce.

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. No plant can be kept healthy in such a place,
unless with at least double the labor of watering neces-
sary with those standing on sand. 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 Eoses 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.

CHAPTER XI.
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 soil in 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. The 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 is done. 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
Boses, 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 yeafr, 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,
a few 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 is no question that, in the hands of a
careful and experienced man, it can be done, but it
must necessitate much closer watching in watering, in-
volving 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 to a larger pot- would soon suggest itself to the
operator, even though he had never seen it done ; but it
is a 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.
I have known many of our lady amateurs to practice
these methods, who, no doubt, know well how to turn a
pudding or a jelly 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 of the 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 the^n, 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
later 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.

CHAPTER XII.
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 jumped 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 roots 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 FLOWER 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.

CHAPTER XIII.
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 life. 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 moves more 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 in a day. 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 FKAMES.— WINTER PROTECTION. 71

CHAPTER XIV.
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, and if 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 Eoses 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, Koses 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. 73

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. Eemember 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, Eoses, 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 June as a glass sash would be, costing
ten times as much. We have also found this covering of

74 PRACTICAL FLOEICULTUEE.

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.

CHAPTER XV.
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. 75

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 Avhatever 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 higli
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 clanger 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 of! altogether to admit the light to che plants, but
protecting cloth should not be used on the hot-beds
sooner than the middle of March.

76 PEACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTER XVI.

GREENHOUSE STRUCTURES.

I have a peculiar pleasure in beginning to describe our
present modes of constructing greenhouses, well knowicg
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 feet) is done by one of Hitch-

GREENHOUSE STRUCTUKES.

77

Fig. 16. — GREENHOUSE HEATED BY HOT WATER PIPES.

78 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

ing's Combination Boilers (0), heating about 1,200 feet
of four-inch pipe (D). The glass roof (E ) is formed of
portable sashes, each six feet by three feet ; each alter-
nat3 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 (K)
are two feet wide, which leaves four feet and one-half on
each side for bench room. Thcss 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 it 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 (F), 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 the 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 feet 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

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

p

I I;

RUJI §€_S

Fig. 17,— PLi-N OP HOUSE HEATBI> BT BOTH FLUB 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, F\ the other by the
pipes, P. The boiler, b, 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 $3,000. In erecting all houses on the ridge
and furrow plan, the site should, whenever practicably
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

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

I I

J. 19.— GBBENHOUSE HEATED BY FLUES.

GREENHOUSE STRUCT URES. 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. Al-
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 I showed only its application to that particular

84

PRACTICAL FLOKICULTURE.

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.

F.R.

Fig. 20.— PLAN OF THBEE HOUSES COMBINED.— Len£jth,60 ft.; Width,33ft.

F, R, Furnace Boom, 12x33 ft.; B, B, Benches, 4i/£. wide; W, W, Walks,

2ft. wide; S, S, Smoke-flue for footing; 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 onlv 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 gen-
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 maybe 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 feat. 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,

H

w *

FR

B *

pi

Fig. 21.— PLAN OF A. SINGLE HOUSE. -60x20 ft.

F, B, Furnace Room, 12x30/1.; B, B, Side Benches, 4 ft. wide; C, C, Cen-
ter Bench, 8ft. wide; W, W, Walks, 2ft. wide; S, S, Smoke-
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 to it. Its peculiarity consists
in running the flue, in each case, back to the furnace
from which it starts and into the chimney, whici' i

86 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

on the fop 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 u hen 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

GEEENHOUSE STKUCTURES. 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 ccvered 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 tak^n
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 feet 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 sho\v 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 wheiv the heating is done by

88 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

hot 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 :
" Hotr can I attach agreen-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
nsarly all kinds of bedding plants.

In the diagram of an end section of a simple house,
figure 22, the sashes (B and 0} are three feet wide by six
long ; the top one is so placed that it can be let down over

.— 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 $1QO 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 enough, could

CQ 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
hava 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
;reenhouse, 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
yie 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 STEUCTURES. 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, E 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 l)e 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 wei- £sed in winter, as it would not sustain a weight
of snow, but 'lr, 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 KOSE 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. The 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.

CHAPTER XVII.

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 have it in use. One

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

r

section shows a bench in the
middle, the other either a
solid bed of soil or a raised
bench, as desired. The scale
(one-eighth of an inch to
the foot) will give the height
of the walls, benches, etc.

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 plantt
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 light
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 spacr of
fifteen or sixteen feet be-
tween the houses, and be
of the style known as the

WIDE GREENHOUSE AND HOSE HOUbE.

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 oa 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 Ve 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 FLOEICDLTUEE.

WIDE GREENHOUSE AND ROSE HOUSE. 97

seen in figure 25 (one-eight 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 wannest, 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 PEACTICAL FLOKICULTURE.

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 Avails 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
Eose House, as shown in figure 24, is about $15 per run-
ning foot, heated by hot water or steam, complete, or
$1,500.

CH APTEE XVIII.
GLASS, GLAZING AND SHADING.

If 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. Tin?
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). If
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 thin1 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.

100 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTER XIX.
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 of 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 of 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.

CHAPTER XX.
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 PKACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

first, that it saves twenty-fivo 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 a one 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 steim 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

CHAPTER XXI.
BASE-BURNING WATER-HEATER.

For many years a great want has been felt for a better
means of h'eating greenhouses, or rather conservatories,
attached to dwellings. The space to be heated is usually

Fig. 26.— BASE-BtTKNEB. 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-
ties 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-

Fig. 28.— SECTION OF HOUSE AND CONSERVATORY.

vented by Hitchings & Co., the well known greenhouse-
heating firm. There is nothing new in the principle — .
nothing to patent, 1 believe. It is simply making th&
ordinary base-burning stove to so heat water that ft <vill
circulate in iron pipes and warm a small greenhouse ot
conservatory attached to a dwelling or otherwise,

BASE-BURNING \YATKit-HEATER3. 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 ; and it 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 a stove of any kind is used. When dwelling-houass
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 PKACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTEE XXII.
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, Avhether 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 woods 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 taken 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 FLOEICULTUEE.

April or May, and by cramping the plants in shallow
boxes and rather poor soil, we can hold them so taat 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-
main 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-
house, 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. We can 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 ifc, 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 is evidently 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.

CHAPTER XXIII.

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 ?" rl he " why " of the matter cannot be told,
but a few general rules may be useful. Seeds of plants

WHAT VARIETIES COME TRUE FROM SEEDS ? Ill

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 have the gor-
geous and varied coloring of the Verbenas of to-day. But it
took many years to produce these, forwe 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 varieties. 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 cultiv
vation, would ultimately "break" from the ori»ina\
type, though we know that in some species this tendenc)
is sooner developed than in others. It is not to be wondered
at that amateur horticulturists, like my inquiring friend,
are puzzled at what looks like inconsistency in nature-
why she refuses to produco always again his Bald\vm
Apple, or his Rareripe Peach, his Striped Petunia, cr his

112 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

Double Carnation, yet gives him back, seemingly 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 or a 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 weir 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

stable 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. As soon 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 PKACTICAL FLOBICULTUEE.

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 :

(anna 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.

Cobaea scaildens, — A climbing plant, Avhich will attain,
from seod, a growth of twenty or thirty foot in one season.

WHAT VARIETIES COME TRUE FROM SEEDS? 115

The 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.

roleus. — 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
such a 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, hav-
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 the 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 FEOM SEEDS? 117

scarlet are never found in varieties of the same species.
Thus we have in Dahlias and Eoses, yellow and scarlet
colors, but no blue ; just as we have in Verbenas blue and
scarlet, but no yellow. My readers will do well to remem-
ber this, and be saved from inve'sting in "blue" Eoses or
Dahlias and " yellow " Verbenas, which are occasionally
offered, knowing that the seller must either be ignorant
of his trade or dishonest.

Delphinium bybriduin (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.

Centanreas, (Cinerarias and Golden Pyrcthnim,—
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.
Veitcliii, but properly A. tricuspidata, is best raised from
seed; seeds sown in December or January, potted off
into two-inch pots and planted out into the open ground

118 PRACTICAL FLOKICULTUKE.

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 1st.
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 1st.

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,
tvith 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 Ave prefer
to start the seeds earlier and keep the plants through the
summer, pricked 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
tine plants for sale by the selling season in May and June,
or to produce earlier cut flowers than when sown in the
open ground:

Dianthus,

Erythrina,

Euphorbia,

Everlasting Flowers,

Ferns,

Feverfew,

Forget-Me-Not,

Fuchsia,

Gladiolus,

Globe Amaranth,

Gloxinia,

Gnaphalium,

Heliotrope,

Helianthus,

Helichrysum,

Hollyhock,

Humea,

Ice Plant,

Impatiens Sultana,

Indian Shot,

Ipomaea,

Lantana,

Larkspur,

Lathyrus,

Lavandula,

Limnanthes,

Linum,

Lobelia,

Lophospermum,

Lychnis,

Marigold,

Abutilon,
- Ageratum,

Alonsoa,
^Alyssum,

Ainarantas,

Anagallis,

Antirrhinum,

Aquilegia,

Ardisia,

Aristolochia,

Aster,

Auricula,

Begonia,

Bellis,

Browallia,

Calceolaria,

Campanula,

Canary Bird Flower,

Canna,

Castor Oil Bean,

Celosia,

Chrysanthemum,

Clematis,

Cockscomb,

Coleus,

Cowslip,

Cuphea,

Cyclamen,

Dahlia,

Datura,

Delphinium,

Maurandia,
-Mignonette,
Mimosa,
Mimulus,
Musk,
Myosotis,
Myrsiphyllum,
Petunia,

Phlox, perennial,
Phlox Drummondii,
Poppy,
Portulaca,
Primula,
Pyrethrum,
Rhodanthe,
Ricinus,

Senecio speciosus,
Sensitive Plant,
Smilax,
Solanum,
Stocks,
Thunbergia,
Torenia,
Tritoma,
Tropseolum,
Veronica,
Vinca,
Viola,
Wallflower,
Wigandia,
Zinnia,

120 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTEK XXIV.
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 his 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 by 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 taken 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-
vardias, 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. 29.— PROPER AND IMPROPEK 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, bat the
roots emitted will be
hard and slender,
and, as a conse-
quence, will not be

Fig. 30.— DAHLIA CUTTING. -1-1 i , i i

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

PROPAGATION OF PLANTS BY CUTTINGS.

123

rooted without being cut at a joint as otherwise, yet there
a.re, in somo 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, and if 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 rootsx 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, etc.
If these are strictly followed, failure is an impossibility ;

Fig. 31.— ROOT CUTTING.

124 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

for the laws governing the rooting of a slip are as dertain
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 hest degree of temperature to root cuttings of the
great majority of greenhouse and bedding plants is sixty-
five degrees 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 sand 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. If a 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. W"e 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. T.o 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,
except with such plants as Coleus and others of tropical
origin. In addition to the shading and watering, Ave
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, I am 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 to do in the case of many plants. I have
often heard propagators boasting of rooting cuttings in
five days. I am well aware that this may be done, but I am
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." Every 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.
Tt 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 cuttmgs 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 liable 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 cov-
ered witli 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

CHAPTER XXV.
"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-
houscSj 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 go, 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
vail 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, will 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,
etc., 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 bast 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 fall 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 Tricolor-
letived 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 SOFT-WOODED PLANTS. 131

known was absurd ; but, above all, the operation was to
be performed in July ! He migbt 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. If 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.

CH APTEK XXVI.
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., etc., 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
soma 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, AVO
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, but the whole cutting
presents a well-ripened t 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

mums 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-

•. 31— ctmTNGS PAKTLT SEVERED.

ular layers, as they are to all intents 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 tongning 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 32. Slight 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 proceeds 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 uuvipened
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 succulent character. Besides the absolute cer-
tainty ef having 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 di3 ; 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 cases, 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.

CHAPTER XXVII.
PROPAGATION OF ROSES BY CUTTINGS.

As the propagation of Eoses 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 Eose cuttings. The
young shoot of the Eose is also what is to be used, but it
must be hard and woody. For example, when a Eosebud
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 one in ten will ever make a satisfac-
tory plant. Besides the method of using cuttings made
from one eye or bud, the "blind wood,'5 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 si ogle eyes.
These shoots are usually too short-jointed to be made into
single eye cuttings, and have often two or more eyes to
the cutting ; but the foliage 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,
however, 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, containing not a par-

PROPAGATION OF KOSES 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 Eose
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 in a lot of primings
of several new Hybrid Perpetual Eoses 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, S. C.,
Savanna, Ga., or in almost any part of Florida. There,
the long, boated 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 is 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, in November and December, will form roots by
February or March ; and if left to grow where they were
placed, without being 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 so:ii3 ono may want a few plants of a

140 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

Eose or other shrub growing in tho 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 is a 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 is 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-
ing a plant quicker than by the ordinary way of layering
the shoot in the soil, because when lifted there is no dis-

PROPAGATING EOSE3. 141

fcurbance 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.

CHAPTER XXVIII.
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 in j ured 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 generally 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
Uaffia, 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 lioses is done, may run from

Fig. 33.— GKAFTING 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 Eose was first
sent out in 1885, our propagations from cuttings made
m 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 Eoses is usually performed on stocks planted
out 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
Eoses are thus budded. It is practised to only a slight
extent 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.

CHAPTER XXIX.

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, arc 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 Eoses 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 propagated in spring, in the open ground in
May, lifting when they have attained their growth in
October or November, and placed in four, five or six
inch pots, according to the size of tbe 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 tilled 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 as to be worthless. The Tea or Monthly Roses
require a higher temperature than the Hybrid Pcrpetuals.

The best monthly kinds for market are : Hermosa,
Agrippina, Perle des Jardins, Sunset, Bennett, American
Beauty, The Bride, Chas. Rivoli, Duchess de Brabant,
Marie G-uilott, Souvenir d'un Ami, and La Phosnix.
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 arc
found to be the freest blooming, and having the greatest
variety of color that can be had 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 Pasonia. For descriptions, see catalogues.

Of Climbing Roses there are only some few desirable

PLANTS MOST I^N DEMAND IN SPRING. 145

ones oliat are hardy in this latitude, among which are the
Blush aud Crimson Boursalt, BusselPs Cottage, Prairie
Queen and Baltimore Belle.

Of the monthly varieties of Climbing Eoses there is a
greater variety 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 Kiel, Setina, Lamarque, Madam Berrard and
Cloth of Gold; these represent all colors. Descriptions
will be found in the catalogues. Next in importance as a
market plant, is the

Zonal Geranium (Pelargonium zonale). — Properly
culled,' 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 useless 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 fulls to the freezing point,
which it sometimes does with us in the first week ia
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 vigorously, 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 SEEING. 147

plan with Roses and many other plants with excellent-
res a Its.

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
a little higher temperature than Geraniums, but their
general culture is very similar when grown during the
winter for market ; but Astilbe (incorrectly SpircBa),
Carnations, Dicentra, Feverfew, Hollyhocks, Pinks, and
all other half-hardy plants, should be treated like Roses —
that is, kept in alow 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 FLORICUL1UKE.

CHAPTEK XXX.
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 put in 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
soed-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 healthy 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 Propagation
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 sufficient 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 invul-
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 severely
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, sbowing that
its minute enemy is at work sapping its life current.

Verbenas, whether grown for sale or for private use, if
fre 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 1st.

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.

CHAPTER XXXI.

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 FLOHICULTURE.

white, by sowing seed in August and transplanting to
cold frames in October. We ourselves raise tens 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.

In 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. 153

CHAPTER XXXII.

PLANTS MOST IN DEMAND FOR WINDOW DECORATION
IN WINTER.

For this purpose most kinds of plants should be grown
in pots daring 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, Tropseolums, and Roses, all of which
are suitable as decorative plants for greenhouse, parlor,
or sitting-room, m 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 Bouvar-
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 wateied 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

154 PRACTICAL FLOIUCULTURE.

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 Eed-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 syringed 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, dilated as above, an excellent means
of keeping down the ravages of all insect life by steadily
syringing with it at least once each week. For further
instructions, see chapter on Insects.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

CULTURE OF WINTER FLOWERING PLANTS FOR GUI
FLOWERS.

Since the first edition of "Practical 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 GRO'.VIXG 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. Kose 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 Eoses, 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.

CHAPTER XXXIV.
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 potted 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 tho
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 out 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 1st 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
Eoses can be best grown in solid beds or on raised

ROSE GROWING IN WINTER. 157

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 Eoses 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 plau
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 so on each 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 sscond 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 (see

158

PRACTICAL FLORICULTUKE.

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 Eose house put
up for us on Jersey City Heights, N.J., in 1884, by

. 35.— CROSS-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 Eose 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 eleven 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 Kose 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
spase of at least half tin 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-fourtii 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 have used the Acme harrow to break and mix
up with the manure all soil used for Roses, at a saving ot
three-fourths of the labor.

DISTANCE TO PLANT.

The distance for Eoses 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 four runs. 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.

ons. Better to err on the side of dryness, particularly
from October to 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 Eose forcing in winter. In our expe-
rience, we have found that it had better not be used on
Koses 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 bave 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. Eose 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 once, 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
a few 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 Grontier (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.

164

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

KOSE GROWING IN WINTER. 165

HYBKID 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
Koses 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 Eoses, 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 fr /ring 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 Baroness 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

ICG 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
Miose begun to be dried off by the 1st of September may
be started, also at as low a temperature as possible, by the
1st 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 Hoses, 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 thenvoff, either with sashes or sheeting, as one
drenching rain during the period of drying off would
defeat the whole work. The best kinds for early work arc :
Magna Charta, Anna de Diesback, and Gen. Jacqueminot.
When the forcing of Hybrid Perpetual Roses is success-
ful, it is very 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. 1G7

Silene class, and the consequence was in every case, almost
complete failure. This type evidently partakes more of
the Hybrid Perpetual than of tna 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 Eoses, 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 to do well under both conditions.

HYBRID PERPETUAL ROSES IN SOLID BEDS.

Immense quantities of Roses of this class are now
grown in solid beds. These 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 pi'eventive it is welt 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

1C8 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. The 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 Eed-spider, an
insect often so troublesome to the Eose. 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 Fuller ii), 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 larvae 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 knoAv, 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

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 Entomologist,
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.— ABAMIQUS FULLEBI.

a, larvae ; &, pupa ; c. beetle, side view ; d, same, dorsal view, the out-
line between showing natural size ; e, eggs, enlarged and natural size ;
ft left maxilla of larva, with palpus ; ff, under side of head ; h, upper
side of same, enlarged (after lliley).

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.
in length. 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." *

=* Tliis is a different insect from the Ro?e-buir, so destructive to Roses
and other plants in the open grounds, which is Macrodaf'.ylwsub!>pino»its,

170 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

The larva of the May beetle, a large white grab, 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 ou 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 innide
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 "Rernontants," 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 full
mouths, 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 1st), 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
balieved to be benefited by winter protection, as I have
never yet seen injury done to half-hardy plants by froct
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 Eosebuds 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 protectel 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 stra*r 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. Eoses being thus " rested " (which is the
great necessity for the best results in Eose 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 mulching
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 Eoses 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. 173

Cornelia Cook (white), La France (light rose), Coquette
des Alpes (pure white), Madame Welch (blush), Duchess
of Edinburgh (crimson), Malmaison (deep blush), Cath-
erine Merrnet (rosy pink), Letty Coles (carmine and
olush), 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 succumbs 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 Eed-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, etc.

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. In 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 1880 we had about a thousand very
fine plants of American Beauty Hose (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 Eoses
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 WIXTER FLOWERS. 175

burned or rusted, together with an unusual 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.

CHAPTER XXXV.
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
profi table 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,
P;ipor 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
th\\y 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-
ience), 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 cohering will not be enough to keep out tho
frost, so cover up further with manure or leaves, so as to

— POLYANTHUS NARCISSUS— PAPER WHITE.

prevent them from freezing hard. On first placing tho
boxes or pots containing the bulbs give them a good water-
ing, which will be all they will require, as the covering will
keep them sufficiently moist afterwards. The bulbs put
in by September 1st will, most of them, be well rooted
by October 15th, at which time, some of the earliest,
guch as Paper White and Early 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 flovrer
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 Nai-cissus, 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, Eoman, Von Sion (all yel-
low). Of double whites, Alba Plena Odorata is the best.

The single kinds of Tulips, mostly, are used for forcing.
The following varieties may be recommended : Due Van
Thol (red and yellow, scarlet, white, yellow, rose, pur-
ple, and crimson), which are about all the colors 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 : Kembranclt, Artus, Vermillion Bril-
liant, Eoi Oramoise, 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, Eosamundi, 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 Phoenix (white and orange), Silver Phoenix
(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 Eoman Hyacinths there are four kinds : — The
Early White is that in general use, and the best. Next
the Eose, or Eed-skinned ; the color is a rich blush,
and is now getting popular among florists. The Blue
Eoman is not desirable, unless as a variety ; and tho

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 received 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-V alley 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 1st, 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 placel
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.

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. 43.— LILT 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 about 1878 ; there is some
question whether it is a "sport" from the old Lilium
lonyiflorum 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 L. 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 Easter Lily are almost iden-

BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERING. 183

Fig. 43.— BERMUDA EASTER LILT.

184 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

tical with those in use for Koman 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 1st 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. 185

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 (RicJiardia 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. These 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
insure 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, ard June, and again,
by retarding the bulbs, during November and December.

186 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

By the first method, the bulbs are, about the 1st 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 in the spring
crop, namely, an average of seventy-five degrees. The
variety best for forcing is the Pearl, which grows only

BULBS FOR WINTER FLOWERTXG. 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 Oe-
lober. 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 1806,
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

. 46.— SOUND BULB. Fig. 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

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.

CHAPTEE XXXVI.

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 Kose, 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 FLORICCLTUKE.

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 Noveirber. 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-house twenty feet wide, six runs will be ample
for such plants as Violets, Carnations, Primulas, Stevias,
Azaleas, Camellias, or Mignonette ; when a ten or eleven-
foot greenhouse is used, three runs of pipes will usually
bo found sufficient in the latitude of New York, to give

VIOLETS, CHRYSANTHEMUMS, ETC. 191

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 Schon-
brunn is the best. A new Double Eed or Carmine-colored
Violet has been introduced this season (1887), known as
Madam Millet. It will no doubt be greatly prized,
as it is an entirely new and unexpected color. It has all
the characteristics of the Maria Louise variety, in fra-
grance, 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. NOAV, by using the late
flowering kinds, and pinching them back as late as it is
safe to do so, say September 1st, there is co difficulty in
having them in bloom until the 1st 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 inch 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.

1st of August, though the late kinds may be pinched back
a month 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 seen 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 ; Early 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. S.
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 ;
Ja«. 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. 0. H. Wheeler, vermillion and old gold ;
Maid of Athens, very large, pure snosv 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, kesp 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 out 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 se^jon,
until about the 1st 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 thev 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, Eoses, and other plants grown for winter
flowers, there is but little doubt that the continued forc-
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 case 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), Koyal Purple (crimson), and
Crimson King (crimson), Quaker City (white) very late,
La Purite (carmine).

The flowers of La Purite and other colored sorts sell
in New York at $2 per hundred, the whites usually at $3

BOUVABDIAS. J 95

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.

CHAPTER XXXVII.

BOUVARDIAS, STEVIAS, EUPATORIUMS, HELIO-
TROPES, POINSETTIA, AND OTHER WINTER-
FLOWERING PLANTS.

BOUVARDIAS

Are propagated by pieces of the roots, in April, or by
c.ittings, 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 taken 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 in a cold frame, after being potted, rather
than put in a greenhouse, as it is very necessary that they
be fully exposed to light 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 \Yhite ; 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 f>2 per hundred trusses.

STEVIAS AND EUPATORIUMS.

Stevias and Eupatorinms are yet much used for winter ;
they are white-flowering plants, of no particular beauty

STEVIAS AXD EUPATORIUMS — HELIOTROPES. 197

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
iii 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 prova valuable for white ribbon-line
planting.

Eupatorium arbor eum flowers from November to Jan-
uary, by retarding portions in cold frames ; Eupatorium
salicifolium flowers throughout January ; Eupatorium
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 Eu-
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.

POINSETTTA PULCHERRIMA.

The Poinseltia pulclierrima 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 p:)ts
in beds in the open ground. In my own practice, I find
that boxes eighteen by thirty inches and six inches deep,
ure more convenient than growing them in pot3. 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 1st, 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.

Euphorbia jacquiniflora and K 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 — JASM1XUM — DOUBLE BALSAMS. 199

nea, a rich pink, and marmorata, a flesh-colored sort, are
also desirable. B. 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 F. speciosa, F. aurora,
Earl of Beaconsfield, Beacon, Mrs. Geo. Bundle, Beauty
of Swanley, all of which have long drooping flowers of
light colors ; few of the dark kinds flo'.ver 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 aud 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 ALTSSUM.

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 :

" I 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

MIGXONETTE. 201

up the sides with one course of brick laid flatwise,
giving them a slight 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 Qnce 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 yon 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
hotter, than it' 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.

"I 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— AZALBA8. 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-
tilizad 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 PEACTICAL 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), E. persoluta (deep rose),
E. persoluta alba, E. vernalis and E. 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 XXXVIII.

ORCHIDS.
ORCHIDS MOST SUITABLE FOR FLORISTS' WORK.

Having no experience in Orchid culture, I addressed the
following queries to Mr. William Gray, of Albany, N. Y.,
whose knowledge of Orchid culture is second to none in
this country and probably not to any in Europe. The
replies to the questions are in every instance 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 Cattlei/a triamnce, Dendrobium nobile,

ORCHIDS. 205

DendroUum Wardianum, Lcelia anceps, Ccdogym cris-
tata, Ly caste Slcinnerii, Odontoglossum Alexandra,
Odontoglossum Pescatorei, Cypripedium insigne, Phajus
Wallichii, Calanthe Veitchii, Calanthe vestita. The next
twelve are Cattlcya MOSSICB, Coelogyne ocellata, Cypripe-
dium Spicerianum, Cypripedium villosum, Dendrobium
crassinode, Phajus grandifolius, Phalcenopsis amabilit,
Phalcenopsis Schilleriana, Phalcenopsis Stuartiana,
Vanda ccerulca, Vanda Sanderiana, Zygopetalum
Mackayi.

2d — What kinds of these are best suited for growing in
pots, and what is the soil used ? Cattleyas, Dendrobiums
and Odontoglosxums do well in coarse chopped peat, pots
nearly filled with crocks ; Coelogyne and Lycaste, coarse,
sandy peat, with chopped, half decayed leaves ; Cypripe-
diums, Phajus and Zygopetalums in peat and loam, and a
little rotten .manure ; Phalcenopsis, 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
is used ? Cattleyas, Lael/ias, Phalcenopsis, Vandas and
Dendrobiums do well on blocks of cork, rafts, cylinders,
etc., with sphagnum or other moss; but take more care, as
they dry so quickly. A plant on a block will take water
tAvice a day, the same in a basket only once in two
days ; blocks can be hung overhead, but the expense of
dipping the blocks twice a day in water would, for a
florist, not be remunerative.

4th — At about what night and day temperature should
such varieties as you have named be grown ? Phalce-
nopsis, Vandas, Dendrobiums and Cypripediums in win-
ter—thermometer, sixty to sixty-five degrees at night, to

206 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

seventy-five degrees by day, with air ; in summer, seventy
degrees night, ninety or more degrees by day, with plenty
of air and ventilation at night. Cattleya, Lcelia, P/iajus,
Calanthe, Cwlogyne and Zygopetalum — in winter, fifty-
live or sixty degrees at night, seventy degrees with sun
by day ; in summer, sixty-five degrees at night, eighty-five
degrees by day, with plenty of air. Odontoglossums — in
winter, fifty-five degrees at night, sixty-five degrees by
day ; in summer, as cool as they can be kept. All want
abundance of atmospheric moisture night and day.

5th — What period of the year is the growing season ?
Phalcenopsis and Vandas grow at all seasons ; Cypripc-
diums, Cattleyas and Lcelias in spring ; Calanthe, Cce-
logyne, Phajus and Zygopetalums in summer ; when any
plant grows in winter (except Odontoglossums} it should
be placed in a warm house ; Odontoglossums do best at a
temperature of fifty-five to seventy degrees, never hotter,
if possible.

6th — What period of the year is the resting season ?
Orchids are at rest when the growth is mature. Cattleya
triancB, Lcelia anceps and Cypripedium insigne bloom
during the resting period, which is from December to
January. Phalcenopsis and Vandas grow all the year;
during the short dark days of fall and winter less food is
given by withholding water. Calanthe, Ccelogyne and
Phajus bloom with the maturity of the growth, then
lay dormant until spring.

7th — What is the best shading for an Orchid house
•w hen ground glass is not used ? The Phalcenopsis and
Od'mtoglossums I shade with canvas raised eighteen
inches above the roof ; all other houses I shade with thin
paint, made of turpentine and whiting or white lead ;
lay it on the middle of March and brush it off the middle of
October ; the plants do well. Ground glass is too dark
from October to March for plants ; nothing does well with

ORCHIDS. 207

me under it. I use first quality glass. The glass is
shaded with canvas from March to October, from nine
o'clock in the morning to four o'clock in the afternoon,
except on cloudy days.

8th — Any further information that you think would
be useful, please add.

Orchids grown to pay a florist would have to be grown
in quantity, each species with a house to itself. The most
of the twenty-four species named could be had in flower
from November to April in a house 150 by 20 feet ;
all plants with a tendency to early maturity should be
placed at the warm end of the house, or in the fall parti-
tion off fifty feet at the warmer end for the most forward.
The plants would have to be imported from the woods at
first cost (established plants at present prices would be
too expensive), and the flowers sold cheap to become
popular. Orchid growing to-day is where Kose growing
was thirty-five years ago. To sum up : In the culti-
vation of Orchids all plants when newly potted should
be made firm, otherwise if the plants move by spring-
ing, or other cause, the rootlets will be destroyed. The
atmosphere of an orchid house should always bs moist,
winter and summer, in winter allowing the pottery
material to become more dry. Light and air are essen-
tial to vigorous growth, deluging with water when in act-
ive growth, but never closing top ventilation ; never hav-
ing a stagnant atmosphere, gradually withholding water
as the growth approaches maturity, and then only enough
to keep from shriveling. As to time for re-potting the
cultivator is guided by the commencement of growth ;
plants should always be under-potted as long as the
pla:it is not top-heavy, such as Gattleyas, Lcelias, Den-
drobiums, etc.; a top dressing is all that is needful.
CalantJie, Phajus, etc., are re-potted annually.

Insects, such as thrips and aphis, are kept under by
filling the evaporating pans, or other vessels, with

208 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

chopped tobacco stems covered with water. Slugs are
kept down by placing lettuce leaves, sliced potatoes or
carrots on pots, which examine daily and destroy ;
roaches and water bugs, by mixing roach poison and
molasses, placed on oyster shells at convenient points
in the greenhouse. These same remedies will be found
effective against insects attacking any kind of green-
house plant.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

CHINESE PRIMROSE, GERANIUM, CAMELLIA AND
EUCHARIS.

CHINESE PRIMROSE.

Chinese Primroses, particularly the double white, were
eighteen years ago, when I first wrote " Practical Flori-
culture," among the most valued of winter flowers ;
but since then the fashion of using flowers mainly with
long stems, such as Roses, Carnations and similar
flowers, has thrown the modest Primrose nearly out
of cultivation for the purpose of cut flowers. The
Chinese Primrose should be grown in rather a low
temperature, say not more than fifty degrees at night.
The double varieties are propagated by divisions or
cuttings in March or April, and require a shaded,
cool house for summer growth. Single Primroses, of
which there are now some very grand varieties, both
in size of flower and truss, and in brilliancy of colors
range from richest crimson, through all intervening
shades, to purest white. These are all raised from
seed ; we have found the best time to sow is in February,
in shallow boxes (see Propagation of Plants from Seed),
picking out into similar boxes as soon as the seedlings

GERANIUM — CAMELLIAS. 209

are strong enough, at an inch or so apart ; they can
remain in these boxes until May, when they should be
potted into thumb pots and kept outside, covered by
lathed shutters, which give them the necessary shade, at
the same time allowing an abundance of air. In case of
long continued rain storms, they must be covered with
sashes, but not otherwise, until they are taken into the
greenhouse in October. If wanted of a large siza for
winter-no \vering, those plants of which the seeds were
sown in February will be big enough to be put in seven or
eight-inch pots by November, they will be at least one foot
in diameter, and produce abundance of flowers during the
entire winter. No plant is so satisfactory as a decorative
plant as the single Chinese Primrose for winter, and
large numbers are now grown by florists to sell in fall
and winter.

GERANIUM.

The semi-double varieties of the Geranium make a
most brilliant addition to our winter flowering plants.
They are of all shades of scarlet, crimson, carmine and
violet, together with the purest white ; the flowers can
either be used singly or in full trusses. To get the
most abundant crop of winter flowers from the Geranium,
the stock should be started from young plants in
spring, and shifted on in summer, until large enough to
fill a seven or eight-inch pot with roots, when it should
not be further shifted, as too much pot room induces too
great a growth of leaves ; the flowers should be rubbed
off of the plants during the summer. Plants thus treated
will give abundance of flowers from November to May.

CAMELLIAS.

Twenty years ago Camellias were the most important
flowers used in the construction of flower work ; now
dame Fashion has put her veto on the Camellia, and the

210 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

price in twenty years has gone from fifty dollars per
hundred to five dollars per hundred flowers, with little
demand even at that low price ; still, it seems a capricious
and invidious " boycott " against this grand flower, and
the day may yet come when it will be appreciated as
it deserves. The Camellia requires winter treatment and
temperature similar to the Azalea — cool, partial shade
and low temperature for the best results. To such as
desire full particulars of propagation and general manage-
ment of the Camellia I would refer them to the excellent
work on the " Culture of the Camellia and Azalea," by
Robert J. Halliday, Baltimore, Md.

EUCHAEIS.

When the Eucharis, or Lily of the Amazon, is grown
successfully, it is greatly valued, being much used in
the best funeral work. The point is to get clean, healthy
plants, free from mealy bug (which is a great pest to
this plant). Keep potting it on as required until Octo-
ber. When the ball is well matted with white roots it
may be grown in a partially shaded greenhouse, both
during summer and winter, with a night temperature in
winter of sixty or sixty-five degrees. Water should be
sparingly given after the pots have become filled with
roots, only enough to keep the plants from wilting, from
September to October, until the plant begins to throw up
flower shoots in November, when it may be watered
freely. There are several species now, but the best for
winter appear to be E, cctndidus and E. grandiflorus.

TROPJEOLUMS.

The single and double scarlet Tropaeolums, when
trained on rafters, which can be often done without
much interfering with the growth of other plants in the
greenhouse, are very useful, particularly for country
florists having a local demand for cut flowers, as few

PLANTS USED FOR FOLIAGE. 211

things flower so freely, and the scarlet coloring is unex-
celled in brilliancy by anything else grown in winter for
cut flowers.

CHAPTER XL.

PLANTS USED FOR FOLIAGE— SMILAX, ASPARAGUS,
FERNS, ETC.

In the formation of cut flowers into bouquets, etc., the
leaves form an indispensable part. In trimming the
edges of baskets, Camellia leaves are yet much used,
also Cissus discolor, a climbing hot-house plant, with
brownish-crimson leaves splashed with white ; it requires
a temperature of at least sixty degrees in winter, and
never develops its rich coloring unless at a high temper-
ature. ' MyrsipJiyllum asparagoides (Smilax) is yet un-
surpassed for all kinds of floral decorations, whether for
the person, or in adding grace to floral ornaments for the
table or room. Its leaves, or what passes for leaves, are
small and glossy, are attached to very delicate wavy
stems, and have the quality of retaining their firmness
for a long time without wilting. The plant is raised from
the seed, or the roots may be purchased from dealers.
The root consists of a cluster of fleshy tubers that throw
out several slender stems, which, if furnished with sup-
ports, will climb to the height of twenty feet. In the
vicinity of all our large cities greenhouses are devoted ex-
clusively to the cultivation of Smilax — the roots being
planted in boxes, or in beds upon the ground, and the
stems trained by strings up to the rafters. The plants
are usually set at four inches apart each way, and the
stem quickly attaches itself to the strings, which should
be at least eight or ten feet long. The best plants of

212 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

Smilax to plant are such as have been grown the year pre-
vious from seed ; these, if set out in August, will give a
full crop by November. The stems being cut the roots
will produce another crop by March, and yet another by
May, if well handled ; the night temperature, after No-
vember, should be from fifty-five to sixty. As Smilax
does not require a specially light house) if such a house
is used for it in the summer months it had better be
shaded. Any good rich, loamy soil will grow Smilax.

Since Smilax was introduced we have had two rivals
useful for festooning purposes — namely, the Climbing
Fern (Lygodium scandens) and Climbing Asparagus
(Asparagus tenuissimus}, but neither have taken well,
and I believe that a few years longer will put them out
of cultivation for the purposes for which Smilax is used.
The cultivation of these is almost identical with that
of Srnilax, except that the Asparagus does not seed and is
raised from cuttings.

ROSE, LEMON AND APPLE-SCENTED GERANIUMS.

The leaves of various scented geraniums are also used
for mixing with flowers. When used in the summer
months the plants are usually planted out, but when re-
quired for winter the treatment should be the same as
for winter-flowering geraniums.

FERNS.

Ferns are much used for winter decoration, both as
plants and to mix with cut-flower work. The species
used are comparatively few and are mainly the Adian-
tums, or Maiden Hair Ferns. Small plants of Adiantnm
are now used to mix in with baskets of cut flowers,
instead of using the cut fronds. Among the best are :
Adiantum cuneatum, A. amdbilis, A. Roen~beckii,
A. Williamsii, A. decorum, and A. Farleyense. Of
other genera are : Davallia Mooriana, Pteris tremula,

PLANTS USED FOR DECORATION OF ROOMS. 213

Pteris cretica alba lineata, NepTirolepsis exaltata and
Onychium Japonicum. As the culture of Ferns is a,
special part of floriculture, requiring conditions of struc>
ture not usually found in ordinary florists establish-
ment, I advise the purchase of plants from those who
make a special business of growing ferns, of which there
are now some in the vicinity of all large cities.

CHAPTER XL I.
PLANTS USED FOR DECORATION OF ROOMS.

In many cities of Europe, but particularly in London,
an immense business is done in loaning plants for the
decoration of public halls, churches and private dwell-
ings. For the past dozen years a good deal has been
done in it in our own large cities ; but our climate in
winter is often such that it is a very hazardous matter to
transport tropical plants, even for a short distance, when
the thermometer stands at zero, with a high wind,
unless tight covered wagons are used, with some means
of heating them inside ; even a distance of a half a mile
may be fatal to the plants. Such risks taken into con-
sideration, together with the injury often done to plants
by gas, getting dry, or other accidents, at least twenty-
five per cent, of the value of the plant should be received
per night for the loan ; that is, for each plant the selling
value of which is $10 the nightly rent should be
$2.50 if for one night only; of course, if for a longer
time the price might be reduced accordingly. Again,
the distance and the time of the year should enter into
the question ; if the distance is great and the weather
severe, the risk to the owner of the plants is increased,
and he should charge accordingly.

The kinds of plants used are comparatively few, and
are such as are valued for grace of form and foliage more

214 PKACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

than for flower. The place where the plants are to be
used must determine their size and their kind ; if for very
large halls, then large palms, often six feet in height
and diameter are used ; but if for church decoration, to
be simply used on the platform, plants from one to three
feet are best ; and here, flowering plants, particularly at
Easter, are used in preference. Among the palms best
suited for decoration are : Latania Borbonica, Seaforthia
elegans, Kentia australis, K. Belmoriana, K. Fotter-
iana, K. Wendlandi, Areca lutescens, A. Bauerii, A.
Verschaffeltii, Raphis flabelliformis, Phoenix rupicola,
P. redinata, P. tennis, Coryplia australis, Cham'Brops
excelsa and Cocos Wedleyana. Of Dracenas : D. termin-
alis, D. indivisia, D. Cooperii, D. fragrans, D. draco,
and D. australis. The "rubber plant," Ficus elistica,
Pandanus utilis, P. VeitcUi, are all much used. Plants
usei in fruit, such as: Solatium Hendersonii, Ardisia
crenulata ; for flower, Chinese Primroses, Deutzias, Be-
gonias, Cinerarias, Azaleas, Geraniums, Hyacinths and
Tulips, Mignonette, Madam Plantier, or other white
Koses, are all used for decoration at Easter, and other
occasions for church work. For decoration at any date
previous to January nothing is equal to well-grown
plant? of Chrysanthemums, which are now largely used
for such purposes.

For the verandas of summer hotels, or those places
where plants are used for decoration during the summer
or early fall months, thefancy-leavedCfo/a^'wws, of which
there is now a most extensive variety, truly wonderful
in their leaf markings, a description of which it is use-
less to attempt, are finely adapted, as they are of the
easiest growth during the hot months ; plants from
three inch pots in May can be grown to a width of one
and a half to two feet by September. The fancy kinds of
Caladiums, though most of them are useless for planting
in the open ground, are easily grown under glass or on

PLANTS UNDER GLAS,-,. 215

verandas, and make grand plants for summer or fall dec-
oration, as their beautiful markings become fully devel-
oped as the season advances. Begonia rex is also well
adapted for verandas.

CHAPTER XLII.

GENERAL COLLECTION OF PLANTS GROWN UNDER
GLASS.

The tender plants, grown under glass, in our climate
are divided into two classes— those styled " greenhouse
plants," which may be grown in a night temperature of
from forty to fifty degrees ; and those known as "hot-
house" or "stove plants," requiring a night temperature
from sixty to seventy degrees, with a day temperature, in
both cases, from ten to fifteen degrees higher. But the
line of temperature between greenhouse and hot-house
plants cannot be closely drawn ; still, it will help begin-
ners to give a short list of each, until experience enables
them to make nicer distinctions. For a more extended
list, sea special greenhouse catalogues.

GREENHOUSE PLANTS— NIGHT TEMPERATURE FROM FORTY
TO FIFTY DEGREES :

Abelia.

Bignonia.

Correa.

Abutilon.

Bonapartea.

Crowea.

Acacia.

Burchellia.

Cuphea.

Achyranthes.

Calceolaria.

Cyclamen.

Agapanthus.

Calla.

Cyperus.

Agave.

Camellia.

Daphne.

Ageratum.

Campsidium.

Dianthus.

Antirrhinum.

Centaurea.

Diosma.

Alonsoa.

Cereus.

Diplacus.

Aloysia.

Cestrum.

Epacris.

Ardisia.

Chorozema.

Echeyerias.

Artemisia.

Cineraria.

Epiphyllum.

Asclopias.

Clethra.

Erica.

Azalea.

Clivia.

Erythrina.

Babiana.

Convolvulus.

Eugenia.

Beanfortia.

Coronilla.

Eupatoriuin.

216 '

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

Fabiana.

Fen-aria.

Fuschias.

Gardenia.

Gazania.

Geranium.

Hydrangea.

Indigofera.

Inga.

Jasminum.

Kennedya.

Lacheiialia.

Leehenaulia.

Libonia.

Lobelia.

Linum.

Mahemia.

Manettia.

Manderilla.

Maui-andia.

Metrosideros.

Mimulus.

Meserabryanthemum.

Myrsiphyllum.

Miraulus. '

Myrtus.

Nerium.

Passiflora.

Pelargonium.

Pentstemon.

Petunia.

Pilea.

Pyrethrum.

Primula.

Pilogene.

Khj-nchospermum.

Ruellia.

Scutellaria.

Sedum.

Senecio.

Solandra.

Solanurn.

Sollya.

Sparmannia.

Stcvia.

Streptosolen.

Tradcscanlia.

Tremandra.

Verbena.

Veronica.

STOVE, OR HOT-HOUSE PLANTS,

Comprising such plants as should be kept at a night
temperature ranging from sixty to seventy degrees :

,/Echmea.

^Eschynanthus.

Allamanda.

Alocasia.

Alternanthera.

Anthurium.

Aphelandra.

Aralia.

Ardisia.

Begonia.

Bertolonia.

Billbergia.

Bonapartea.

Bouganvillea.

Brexia.

Caladium.

Centradenia.

Cissus.

Clerodendron.

Coleus.

Croton.

Dichorisandra.

Dieffenbachia.

Dipladenia.

Dracaena.

Ecbites.

Eucharis.

Erantbemum.

Euphorbia.

Gesneria.

Gloriosa.

Gloxinia.

Goldfussia.

Goodyera.

Heliotrope.

Hoya.

Imantophyllum.

Ipomoea.

Justicia.

Lapageria,

Lasiandra.

Maranta.

Medinilla.

Monochastum.

Nepenthes.

Philodendron.

Poinsettia.

Pothos.

Rogicra.

Rondeletia.

Ruellia.

Russelia.

Sanche~ia.

Sonerilla.

Stephanotig.

Tacsonia.

Tapina.

Tielanthera.

Tillandsia.

Torenia.

Tropaeolum.

Tydsea.

Urceolina.

For lists of hardy and tender annuals, see the seed catalogues.
For lists of hardy shrubs, see nurserymen's catalogues.
Forliste of climbing plants, see nurserymen's catalogues.
For lists of hardy herbaceous plants, see lists of such as make a spe-
cial business of growing them.

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 217

CHAPTER XLIII.
CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, BASKETS, ETC.

The greater part of the following chapter on making
up flowers into bouquets, etc., descriptive of the va-
rious styles then in use in New York and vicinity, was
written by James H. Park, of Brooklyn, L.I., in 1868.
Since then there have been innovations made that render
some of Mr. Park's instructions then given of little use.
These portions I have stricken out, adding, to the best of
my information, the flowers now most in use, with the pres-
ent modes of construction. Mr. Park's taste and judg-
ment in this bnsm333 gave him an enviable reputation, and
had the natural conss juence of bringing to him the bejt
customers of New York and Brooklyn, so that at the age
of forty-five he was enabled to retire on a fortune of
upwards of $100,000, made entirely from the profits of
his business, begun on a capital of $3,000 fifteen years
before, a better showing than any one within my know-
ledge has ever made under similar circumstances.

With the earliest civilization of our race, flowers
began to be cherished and employed for decorative pur-
poses ; nor is their arrangement in bouquets a modern art,
although its practice is of comparatively recent and mar-
vellous growth among us.

Many people decry the artificial arrangement of
flowers ; but how shall we otherwise use them to advan-
tage ? The moment we begin to tie them together we
leave nature, and ought to do so only to study art. In
their simplest arrangement, form and color must b3
studied to produce the best effect, and whoever best
accomplishes this will surely succeed in displaying his
flowers to the best advantage.

Bouquet making is (01 at least ought to be) the art of

218 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

arranging flowers. Who has not seen bunches of beauti-
fnl flowers cut from the garden and tied up in the least
artistic fashion with the most stupid result ? And who
that has attended fashionable weddings or parties has
not occasionally seen a large bouquet or basket in which
the quantity of good flowers was its only merit — where a
mass of flowers was muddled together in a most incon-
gruous fashion, equally removed from both nature and
art ? Nor is this fault that of the tyro in bouquet making
only ; many wlio practice it as an occupation have not
learned the first principles of tasteful arrangement. Yet
great allowance m-iy bo made for the bouquet makers,
when we consider how much like labor their work
becomes. No one, trying always to execute this work
with taste, would ever accomplish the amount of
work required of him in any thriving establishment, a,
great part of it being of necessity done hurriedly ; and as
the variety of flowers is so great and constantly changing
with the seasons, and their colors so varied, it is only by
trying them in various combinations that the best results
can be obtained.

Probably the simplest, the easiest, and commonly the
most desirable, method of using cut flowers is arranging
them in vases. The more loosely and unconfused, the
better. Crowding is particularly to be avoided, and to
accomplish this readily a good base of greens is required,
to keep the flowers apart. This filling up is a very
important part in all bouquet making, and the neglect of
it is the greatest stumbling-block of the uninitiated.
Spiked and dropping flowers, Avith branches and sprays
of delicate green, are indispensable to the grace and
beauty of a vase bouquet. To preserve the individuality
of flowers, which is of the greatest importance, the
placing of those of similar size and form together ought to
be avoided. Thus Heliotrope, Stevia, Eupatorium, or
Alyssum, when combined lose their distinctive beauty ;

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 219

but, if placed in juxtaposition with larger flowers and
those of other forms, their beauty is heightened by con-
trast. It may be stated as a rule, that small flowers should
never be massed together. Large flowers with green
leaves or branches may be used to advantage alone, but a
ju licious contrast of forms is most effective.

Nothing is so strikingly beautiful on a refreshment
table as a handsome centre-piece of flowers. All the airy
castles of the confectioner are passed over by the eye,
which is at once arrested and refreshed by the brilliant
beauty of the products of the garden or conservatory;
and we wonder how any person of taste, who possesses the
means, should ever fail to have flowers on the table when
entertaining friends. Considering the effect, flowers on the
table, like plants in the garden, are certainly the cheapest
of ornaments. There are those who would have nothing
upon their table but what they can eat or drink — like
a gentleman who once employed the writer of this to
lay out a new garden, and objected to having roses
planted by the fences, saying very earnestly : " Ah, yes !
I suppose they are very pretty ; but then, you see, we
couldn't get anything to eat from them. Guess we
won't have any of them things." Luckily for the well-
being of poor humanity such desperately practical men
are not very numerous. An epergne filled with flowers
forms the most effective of table bouquets. For a large
dinner table this bouquet holder ought to be from two to
three feet in height, with three, four, or five branches ;
and, if the table is very large, a small epergne at each
end will add to the effect. For a less pretentious table
an epergne twelve to eighteen inches in height may be
used to equal advantage. The superiority of an cpergno
consists in its raising the flowers to a height sufficient to
gain their full effect, whereas forms of flowers built from
a lower vase lose much by the interference of surround-
ing dishes. With a handsome epergne and the flowers

220 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

arranged in nearly semi-circular outline, pointed with
two or more handsome flower-spikes, diversified with
here and there a fine fern leaf and other sprays of lively
gresn, with a few fine rose buds and spikelets of heath,
acacia, or similarly formed flowers, projecting from the
main body to give ease and grace, and with a profusion of
bright green or variegated foliage and flowers in droop-
ing sprays around, the best results may be attained. For

Fig. 48.— BASKET OF FLOWERS (IN FASHION 1867).

such a bouquet a fair proportion of large flowers is indis-
pensable, and an excess of projecting points is to be
avoided as confusing. Table bouquets made in the
fashion of the confectioner's stiff pyramids of macaroons
are wretched decorations, and very discreditable to all
connected with them. Better, a thousand times, to have
half the quantity of flowers decently arranged.

Baskets of iiowers for decorating parlor tables, mantels,
etc., ought to be somewhat in keeping with their sur-
roundings ; a rough bouquet, adapted to grace a rustic
table at a picnic, would not be in as good taste here as

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC.

221

something finer and more neatly put together. Oval
and round are the only permissible forms for flower
baskets ; the flowers ought also to be rounding in form,
yet not too much so. We give an illustration (fig. 4b)
as the easiest method of conveying our idea of the best
outline. The basket shown here is also one of the best,

Fig. 49. — BASKET OF FLOWERS (IN FASHION 1887).

but whether high or low, the open round or oval basket
is very effective. [I may here state that this formal
method of filling flower baskets is, at this date of writing,
completely ignored ; but it is well yet to let it be shown
here, for who can tell what may be the next fashionable
freak. This formal method of construction followed the
negliye style now in use, which was that of forty
years ago for what few bouquets or baskets were then

222 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

constructed.— P. H.] The flowers used in the basket of
flowers shown at figure 48 are : For the center, scarlet
and white Fuchsias ; the next white line, Tuberoses ; the
next dark line, blue Violets ; the next line, white Cam-
ellias, the outer line surrounding these being Bouvardia
elegans (carmine), while the edging is Camellia leaves
over-laid by sprays of fern. Handled baskets we deem
out of place for parlor ornaments, having doubtless
been originally designed to carry ; the handle invariably

Fig 50.— HAND-BOUQUET (IS FASHION 1S67).

interferes with the general effect, and can only be
tolerated when beautifully trimmed with flowers and fine
greens. For parlor decorations, high stands, with or
without branches, small, pendant baskets, or hanging
baskets of flowers, or of plants with rich flower sprays
hung around them, are frequently used to advantage.
Balls of flowers, like hanging baskets, are best displayed
from the centre of an arch or folding doors, and with
festoons of flowers looped from centre to sides the effect
is greatly heightened. Festoons of Smilax or other greens,
suspended chain-like from the top of a plain chandelier

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 223

to each light, with festoons of flowers from the center
underneath to the same points, make one of the gayest of
floral decorations. Wreaths of flowers or of bright green
leaves, or of both, around circular or oval framed pic-
tures, may be used on especial occasions to advantage.
A ball, or hanging bouquet, loosely arranged, suspended
clear, in front of a high mirror and with rich festoons
of flowers from the same point, looped to each side,
makes a splendid display.

The circle must be t:iken ai the line of beauty in all
bouquet making, apart from those loosely arranged.

Fig. 51.— HAKD-BOCQXTET (TX FASHION 1887).

Whether it is a table or hand bouquet, or basket, there
must be a certain rounding of outlines in the segment of a
circle. Hand bouquets admit of the most formal arrange-
ment of flowers, and the tendency of all cultivated tastes
in this direction must be admitted as proof that for this
purpose something more than a mere bunch of flowers is
required. The American, French, or English lady never
figures, even in a book of fashion, in evening dress, hold-
ing a bunch oi flowers, or any odd shaped bouquet.
Crude forms, pyramids, balls, etc., can never supersede
the slightly rounding bouquet (fig. 50), whicli is likely

224 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

to continue for all time the true form, like the parasol,
which might have been its prototype. [The bouquet
shown is constructed in the formal style, and with the
flowers then most prized ; its width is probably a foot of
rounded diameter; the ground work is a dozen white
Camellias, each surrounded by blue Violets, the further
filling being of Lily-of-the- Valley, and scarlet and white
Fuchsias. — P.H.] Ball bouquets would be handsome
enough but for the handles, which completely destroy
the line of beauty. As for those abortions of the same
form pointed with Eose-buds, they are only fitted to con-
vey to moderns an idea of the ancient weapon of war
that was swung by a chain or thong, and which Sir
Walter Scott describes the Baron of Smuilholrn as
carrying :

" At his saddle girth hung a good steel spertlie,
Full ten pounds weight and more."

After form, the most important point in bouquet
making is the arrangement of colors. The incongruous
mixing of these in a great measure destroys the effect of
the finest flowers, while the more delicately the coloring
is blended and the more strikingly contrasted, the more
perfect and pleasing is the result. Let any one who
doubts this compare a bouquet of the best flowers, in
which many colors are freely used, with one made of pink,
shading delicately from the centre to blush and white,
or vice versa, and with a few tiny points of bright scarlet
or violet tastefully set amidst the white.

The arrangement of colors in simple geometrical forms
is greatly preferable to a succession of distinct rings in a
bouquet. The ribbon pattern is very pretty in a flowei
bed, but in very questionable taste in bouquet making. [It
will be seen that Mr. Park's taste, in defiance of the
fashion then greatly prevalent, revolted against the
formal system now obsolete. — P. H.] A bordering of
white, blue, or pink, may be generally used with good

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC.

225

effect. Handsome leaves of the Geranium or Camellia
(the latter is preferable for its brightness and durability)
alternating with fine sprays of green, delicate flower
scapes, or spikelets of heaths, or Lily-of- the- Valley, form
a fitting edging for a hand bouquet. A fine hand bou-
quet may be made with smooth outline and relieved by
delicate points of green or fine leaves. In filling out a
hand bouquet, half-dried moss is preferable to bouquet

Fig. 52. — CORSAGE BOUQUET.

green, as it can be used more readily to keep the flowers
apart without so much increase of weight and stem ; a
light backing of green, concave underneath, finishes tho
bouquet. White lute-string ribbon, wound around the
handle and tied in a bow, is preferable to tinfoil.

Judging the merits of bouquets, etc., has always been
a very difficult point amongst gardeners and florists, nor
is this to be wondered at when exhibitors and judges
have each their own notions of excellence, various as the
men themselves. It is only by comparison that the

226 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

merits of any article can be well judged ; and the best
connoisseurs of arranged flowers are not to be found
amongst gardeners, who have few opportunities of com-
paring such things, but amongst the lovers of flowers,
the men and women of cultivated tastes who, having
leisure and means, find pleasure in studying their merits,
an:l thus set up for themselves a higher standard of
excellence. An unskilled person set to judge a collec-
tion of Pansy flowers would probably not arrive at the
same conclusions as one who judged the same flowers by
the standard rules, which hold the circle, the thick and
smooth petal, the sharply defined eye and the distinct divi-
sion of colors, as the only true marks of perfection. A
hand bouquet may have its colors inlaid like mosaic with
very good effect, and if the coloring be well toned and
contrasted, such a bouquet made with skill, like prize
Pansies, would compel any one who saw it to admire it,
although many would object to it as stiff and unnatural,
which it certainly is, but it is also a handsome bouquet
nevertheless.

There are some flowers the colors of which repel all
close communication with others ; such are the purple,
ruddy purple and most of the striped carnations, all
Eoses with even a tinge of purple (and this includes
most of the hardy Eoses, as well as others), in fact, there
is scarcely any shade of purple which can be used to
advantage in bouquet making. Excepting blue like that
of the Violet, there is scarcely any shade of blue, even,
which can be advantageously used m a closely-arranged
bouquet ; and the Violet, beautiful though it be, is a very
ineffective flower by gaslight. Still more so is the favorite
Heliotrope. Many shades of yellow are harsh, yet some
may be used with good effect in bouquets, particularly
when toned with blue. For example, the racemes of
Acacia pubescens, either in bud or blossom, as a border-
ing fringe are exceedingly beautiful and put to shame

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS. ETC. 227

that over-fastidious taste which rejects all yellow flowers.
[Fashion now gives preference to yellow flowers over all
other colors. — P.H.] Even established rules on colors
fail to guide us always in the arrangement of flowers.
Artists tell us that blue and green should never come to-
gether, yet the Violet can have no more beautiful setting
than its own green leaves, while dark blue flowers show
to equal advantage in their darker green foliage. In
Nature's own setting, all flowers are becoming ; it is only
by placing them at a disadvantage that they can ever
appear otherwise ; but so infinite are their shades and
forms that their perfect arrangement in bouquets must
ever bo a work of taste and skill. AVe would not assert
that bouquet makers, like poets, "are born, not made,"
yet we know that many in this, as in other callings,, are
and ever will be, utterly unfitted for the work they
undertake.

Funeral flowers are now a very important part of the
florist's trade. Ten years ago, ten dollars' worth of
flowers were more rare at a funeral in New York than
one hundred now, and sometimes one funeral demands a
thousand dollars' worth. The wreath and crescent-
wreath are undoubtedly the best forms for this purpose,
and the cross is a favorite and beautiful emblem. An
upright cross of flowers, solid on all sides, with a base of
the same, is a very striking object, but unless well and
richly made, were better left alone. Anchors, crowns,
baskets and bouquets are all used for the same purpose.
In any of these forms, the slightly rounding surface is
t!ie best ; that is to say, the flowers in the wreath, cross,
etc., must neither be flat nor to highly rounded. [Funeral
flowers are less used now than when this was written,
owing probably to the fact that some dozen years ago it
was carried to such an excess as to be a heavy tax on the
poorer friends of the family in affliction. But the turn-
ing point in the tide of fashion was when one of New

228

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

York's biggest millionaires v.Tas dying, lie requested that
no flowers should deck his bier. Then the toadies to
wealth — the flunkies of fashion — took the cue, and there

Fig. 53. — FCSEKAI, DESIGN OF 18S7.

was for \ears a standing protest against funeral flowers
from the fashionable world. But the fiat was not suffi-
cient to stop all use of flowers to deck the dead, for the
"common people" revolted. The hearts of sympathiz-

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 229

ing friends could find no better way to express their
feelings of veneration than by sending to those they have
loved and respected a few flowers as a last tribute of
remembrance. — P. H.]

It has ever boon a matter of wondar to the workers in
flowers how such a preponderance of white is require;!,
Most of them have not realized (although often practis-
ing it) that the in >st beautiful colored bouquets have
always a large propartion of white in their composi-
tion. When we consider that white flowers are used, in
quantity at least, equally with flowers of all colors collec-
tively, and add to this the large amount of white flowers
used alone for funerals, weddings, church offerings, etc.,
we may more readily conceive how important the raising of
white flowers is to all flower growers. We believe it is
safe to affirm that no one in the flower business fairly dis-
covered this necessity, until the vastly increasing demand
for flowers in late years forced it upon his attention,
and compelled him to the production of white flowers as
the most important part of his business. [White flowers
are no longer exclusively used in funeral pieces ; sub-
dued colored flowers, mixed with white, are now as often
used as those entirely white.— P. H.]

Bouquet making is no longer a paltry business ; the
trade in flowers, in New York at least, has fairly out-
grown that of flowering plants, and when so much of
this work is require:!, and when that which is well
done is so much more valuable, it becomes worthy of
more study arid attention.

Many people have little idea of the value set upon
flowers by soni3 of their fellow mort.ils. In New York,
during winter, twenty-five cents is a common price for a
handsome rose-bud [Many of the finest buds, such aa
American Beauty, Paul Neron, Magna Charta, and
Baroness Rothschild are retailed at one dollar each from
December 1st to February 1st ; only a few years ago they

230 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

sold for one-third more, but the greater quantity now
grown has lessened the price. — P. H.]_, the same per dozen
for Violets, while Camellias vary from one dollar each,
Avhen scarce, to twenty-five cents when plentiful. At
Christmas and New Year's, 1866, Camellia flowers wero
frequently sold for two to three dollars each. [Now Camel-
lias have no sale at all as individual flowers to be retailed,
and sell very slowly at from five to ten dollars per hundred,
to be used in mixing in large pieces. — P. H.] The price
of hand bouquets varies from fifty cents upwards. What
florists call good hand bouquets sell at about five dollars,
extra fine from five to ten ; occasionally they bring still
higher figures. This writer has sold not a few at fifteen,
and, on rare occasions, has received twenty dollars for a
hand bouquet ; and that from men who knew well the
usual prices of flowers. To give the uninitiated some
idea how these things are used, we may mention having
seen a belle at an evening party in New York, carrying a
bouquet m each hand, while three others were strung
from each arm as trophies of her prowess among the
simpler, if not the softer, sex. Of course this display
could not last long ; the very weight of her attractions
would speedily compel her to surrender, for, be it remem-
bered, those eight bouquets certainly contained about
sixty Camellias alone. We have known rich and fashion-
able belles even more favored than this, and have heard
of one having fifteen splendid hand bouquets sent for one
occasion. We have never, however, heard of another
showing such muscular prowess in their display. Baskets
of flowers commonly sell for five to twenty -five dollars,
stands from fifteen to fifty, extra large stands from fif.y
to a hundred. [Baskets of Orchid flowers are now
coming into use, and of course, from their rarity and
the expense necessary to produce them, the price can
only be within the means of the wealthy. It is safe to
say that a basket, costing ten dollars in Eoses or other

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 231

flowers, when filled with rarer Orchid flowers, to pay the
grower would need to sell for one hundred dollars. — P. H.]
Bouquets for refreshment and dinner tables range from five
to fifty dollars each ; we have ourselves made one at one
hundred. The prices of wreaths, crosses, etc., vary from
five to twenty or thirty dollars ; from five to fifteen is a
common range. On one occasion a New York florist is
said to have supplied three thousand dollars' worth of
flowers for a private entertainment, but two or three
hundred is more common, and esteemed a very good
order.

A business which in New York alone amounts to
hundreds of thousands of dollars annually [It now
reaches millions. — P. H.] will soon assert its own posi-
tion, and it is for those engaged in it to make or mar it,
as they conduct it more or, less respectably. As Ameri-
cans assuredly pay better prices for their bouquets than
any other people, let the florist see to it that they get the
.finest and best arranged flowers.

We must apologize to the general reader for the minute
description and the technical terms used in detailing the
modus operandi of construction, but it is necessary to
be thus particular to be properly understood by such as
are interested in the subject. So many flowers have
short or unmanageable stems, or grow so close to buds
which the grower cannot afford to cut, that artificial
stems must be largely used. Even where stems are
available, the bouquet maker, in all good work, prefers
having another added to hold the flower in position,
the strength of the stem being proportioned to the weight
of the flower it boars. Thick stems must be avoided,
else the bouquet handle becomes clumsy,— a very objec-
tionable feature, as amateurs speedily discover, particu-
larly when using flowers on their own stems. The stems
commonly used ara of broom-corn or straw matting, cut
in lengths as desired, from four to eight inches. With

232 PRACTICAL

this and hair wire cut to three inches, the " stemmer"
goes to work. By a rapid twist one end of the wire is
fastened on the straw, and the flower is attached by a
whirl of the stem between linger and thumb, as in
figure 54. Stemming is a large part
of the labor of bouquet making, and
rather distasteful to the amateur. One .
bouquet maker requires two stem- ^.
mers, and a very prosy business it
soon becomes to both, and vastly less
interesting than the growing of flowers.
Strong spool cotton or shoe thread is
used for tying up the flowers. Camellia
stems being entirely unavailable, a wire
the thickness of a pin is passed through
the calyx of the flower, the ends being
twisted together. It is then stemmed
on a light, dried willow (wooden tooth-
picks are also much used for stems),
which admits of bending to the required
position. Flowers thus stemmed have
sufficient moss wound under the flower to prevent its
outer petals being at all compressed, when set in the
boi:q-iet. Without some such provision it is impossible,
either to attain the rounding outline of the bouquet, or
to display the flowers in perfection.

With flowers prepared, let us take a Camellia [In the
method of construction to-day, for Camellias, large Rose-
buds are used. — P. H.] for the center of our bouquet, tie
it securely to the bouquet stem (a piece of kite stick or
stiff twig), and wind moss around it, as already described,
to keep the flower from outer pressure, the moss riuming
to a point about two inches below the flower. Six yellow
Tea Rose-buds are now set at regular intervals around and
on a line with the outer petals of the Camellia, and the
spaces between these each filled with a small piece of

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 233

white Eupatorium, a very small Geranium leaf or point
of delicate green being set by each bud. A little moss is
wound lightly, close under the flowers, to prevent crowd-
ing, a pink Carnation set behind each Rose-bud, with
Tuberoses between, a speck of Eupatorium being in-
serted under the edge of each Tuberose, to fill out. Six
white Camellias of equal size and form, stemmed as
described, are now set at regular intervals around, par-
ticular care being taken to form with the face of these
flowers the correct outline of the bouquet, and their

Fi<I. 55. — WIRING TH3 CAMELLIA.

stems tightly bound to prevent working out of place.
Between the Camellias on the inner side, another Tube-
rose is set, filled out with a speck of Stevia under each
side ; more moss is added, and a bright speck of crimso i
Bouvardia forms the sole dividing line between the
centers of the Camellias — which nearly touch each other.
A yellow Tea Rose-bud follows, with a Violet set in Sweet
Alyssum on one side and a small Geranium leaf in the same
on the other ; a white Carnation is set behind each bud,
with a speck of Bouvardia in Eupatorium on each side.
A light border of Stevia is now set around the whole,
and with Camellia leaves of equal form stemmed on
willows, and projectsd nearly half their length, the bou-

234 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

quet is finished. The handle is trimmed with bouquet
green, or fine leaves of any evergreen. The handle is cut
to about three inches, and being a hand bouquet, is
wrapped with tin-foil, wound over, and neatly tied above
with a bow of white taffeta ribbon.

The outline of the bouquet must be carefully kept as
the work proceeds, and sufficient moss from time to time
packed lightly in front and immediately under the
flowers. By this means the weight of the structure is
borne by the stems, the flowers being only allowed to
touch each other. Moss not only serves well to keep the
flowers apart, but acts as a sponge when the bouquet is
set in water, giving moisture to flowers with the shortest
stems ; and bouquets thus made are more durable than
the casual observer — who gazes regretfully on the be-
headed flowers — is apt to imagine. When, in addition to
the moss, a piece of wet cotton is stemmed to every
flower (as the writer has all good work done), the natural
stem is not unkindly superseded. The maker must work
with a tight thread, to prevent the flowers getting out
of place, and keep a clean surface on the handle. Another
method of bouquet making is to tie a ball of moss rather
loosely on the bouquet stick and insert the flowers (which
are stemmed to suit the work), drawing them down to
the desired position, and tying as the work proceeds.

Vase bouquets are made similarly, with more green
"backing" between and around the flowers, for loose
arrangement and to support the greater weight. Flower
baskets are lined with tinfoil, or, if not likely to show
after filling, any tough paper will serve the purpose;
they are then filled with sawdust, rounding above,
damped and covered with wet moss ; a border of arbor-
vitae, bouquet, or other greens, is set around to support
the over-hanging flowers. The flowers, stemmed on
twigs, are now inserted according to the taste of the
worker, with moss packed between them as the work

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 235

proceeds. Baskets thus filled and sprinkled with water
keep well, but the more common method is to insert
bouquet green (Lycopodium) over the whole surface, and
arr uigo the flowers therein without any moss packing.
Wreaths are commonly made on a stout wire, which has
straw matting wound upon it, to enable the thread to
hold ; a backing of green is laid for the flowers as the
work proceeds. Both green and flowers must be wound
on with points projecting to each side, the stems crossing
like the letter X. If laid straight along, the flowers are
huddled together, and the arrangement seems thick-
backed and clumsy. When the desired length is attained
the ends are firmly tied, and flowers and green together
ara pressed round on the wire, and by this means turned
to face as required ; a bow of white silk bonnet string
finishes the wreath. Crosses are made on two pieces of
thin wood ; the three upper points being made, the
cross-stick is then tacked and tied in its place, the center
filled, and so wound to the bottom. Like wreaths, these
may be finished with or without a bow of ribbon. Wire
frames have entirely superseded the old methods of wind-
ing flowers to sticks and wires. These are made from
half to three quarters of an inch in depth — that is with
raised edges — and painted groen, the breadth varying with
the circumference. The frame gives the florist at once
the desired form, and makes it easy for any person of
taste to arrange flowers in the shape of an anchor, star,
etc., etc. The frame is filled with damp moss, wound
slightly to keep it in place, and the flowers, stemmed on
short twigs, are inserted in the moss.

As has already been said, this chapter was written in
18G8, by Mr. Park, who had the rare combination of
being a clear and terse writer, as well as a practical
florist. But little can be added to the chapter, the
ground has been gone over so thoroughly, except to
show briefly the changes in style that have taken place.

236 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

Fig. 56.— DESIGNS rs STBAW AND WILLOW FOR FLORAL WORK.

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 337

The fashion in flowers and the mode of constructing
designs now varies considerably, and I will endeavor to
state wherein that difference now mainly exists. Since
the rage for Rocss began a dozen years ago, it is safe to
say that nine-tenths of the whole bulk of flowers used are
Roses. These are largely used in making up bouquets,
baskets, and all kinds of floral ornaments for the table,
and in a majority these are made exclusively of Roses ;
while corsage bouquets (little else is used in winter) often
contain as many as two dozen Roses of one color. At
present in the fall and early winter months the Chrys-
anthemums are perhaps used to a greater extent than
any other flower. In the months of November and
December nearly every other well dressed lady to be met
with on the fashionable streets of New York, is found
wearing a corsage bouquet of Chrysanthemums, and
from their great range of color, almost every shade of
dress can be matched except blue.

All Roses now are used with long stems ; in fact since
the use of loose bunches of flowers has come in vogue,
replacing to a gi-eat extent the formal bouquets and
baskets, flowers of noarly all kinds that can be cut with
long stems are so gathered. One of the present fashions
of using flowers for decorating rooms is to select colors
of flowers to match the furniture ; thus if the furniture
is pink, the flowers used are as far as possible of that
color ; if of orange or yellow, flowers of yellowish tints are
used ; ii of crimson, the flowers as near to that color as
possibb aro employed, and so on.

A beautiful style of wreath for funeral work is formed
from the pressed leaves of the Imperial Silver-tree (Lcu-
codendron argenteum), which many of the enterprising
florists are now importing. The leaves when pressed and
dried glisten like silver, and form a most graceful circlet
or wreath. There have been some attempts made, I
believe, to grow the plant here, but as its leaves are valu-

238

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

. 57.— DESIGNS IN WILLOW AND M'IKE FOB FLOBAL WOBK.

CONSTRUCTION OF BOUQUETS, ETC. 239

able only when pressed and dried, it seems, if it is to
come into general use, the cheaper way would be to stil)
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 1500 and $1,000 are not
unusual. The flowers for the balls of the Americus Club
of New York in Tweed'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.

CHAPTER XLIV.
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 tenninalis, D.
draco, D. indlvisa or the " Screw Pine " Pandanus
utilis.

Coleus Verscliaffdlii, well-known bronze foliage plant.

Coleus Golden Gem, clear yellow foliage plant.

Coleus Firebrand.

Cenlaurea Candida, a plant with white, downy leaves,
of compact growth.

Geranium, semi-double scarlet, or semi-double rose.

Sedum Sieboldii, a 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.

TropcBolum, Ball of Fire, 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 a fine 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.

Atternanthera 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 Barclayana, white or purple flowers.

Vinca elcgantissimci 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 jasminoides variegatum, foliage variegated ;
flowers white, with yellow anthers.

Geranium peltatum elegans, a 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 as a

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, is to dip the whole basket in
water until it is 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. If the 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

CHAPTER XLV.
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, Avithout 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 friends 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, etc.,
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,
t.iey must be saved. Pots are sent for, soil of the most
approved brand is procured from some florist high in the
art, the plants 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 noAV
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 succeed 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 puc 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 1st 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),

Carnations — monthly sorts,

Cyclamens,

Chryanthemums,

Chinese Primroses,

Fuchsias,

Hyacinths and other Bulbs (See Bulb Culture),

Geraniums, Variegated, Zonale, Scented and Ivy-
leaved.

PARLOR OR WINPOW 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 luxuriate 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 mid-
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 ic 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 tliis
once in two weeks, or, when the plants are large, syring-
ing them with it, Aphides will never be seen. The Eed
Spider and thrips are not so easily got rid of, but fo'rtu-
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 en.l
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 AXD 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 eo
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-cctta,
cork, and rustic design in endless variety. The plants
used are not very numerous in variety, being selected of
kinds suited to keep in bloom or to sustain their bright-
ti3ss of foliage. Now and then the ribbon-line planting
is adopted on the balconie3 ; 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 o2
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 observej 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 a look 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 : Cobma scandens, Ipomcea noctilu-
ca, or Moon-flower, Maurandias, 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. In this little spot the tenant
contrives to grow four to six kinds of vegetables, such as
potatoes, cabbages, peas, turnips, etc., 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 different 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
ma^e 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, etc., etc. 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

250 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
®f 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 XLVI.

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 bo 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

FORMATION OF ROCK- WO UK. 251

purpose of climbing are the now popular species of Vir-
ginia creepers, Ampelopsis quinquefolia, A. Veitchii,
and A. Royallii. 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 Veitchii, 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 ami
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, Linnxa borealis,

Crucianella stylosa, Lychnis gramliflora,

Cerastium tomentosum, Lysimachia n immularia,

Phloxes, of creeping growth, Orobas veraus,

Polamonium reptans, Soldanclla alpina,

Saxifragas, Vinca major variegata,

Sedums, of all kinds, Thymus vulgaris variegata,
Violas of sorts.

All these are hardy.

Artificial rock-works are often formed thus : The shape
aad 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, Colons, 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 bo
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 lawii.

CHAPTER XLVII.
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.

They 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 slightest 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 in the 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
or 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.

254 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTER X L VIII.
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 vitalitv of the plants,
that disease followed whenever tlie conditions were
slightly unfavorable, such as too wet or too dry a soil.
Since then, our observations have shown that nearly all
the varieties of Roses in use for forcing for winter flowers
are similarly affected. About the first oi May one
season I planted out in the open ground yorn^ plants,
that had been propagated in January, of Safrano,
Bon Silene, Douglas, Marechal Niel, and foui other
varieties, which had been used for forcing during
the winter. At the same time we planted out young
plants made 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 conversation on this subject with Mr. Miller, the welJ-
kuown florist and landscape gardener of German town,
Pa., he cited the case of a nurseryman in England, who
sent out the Dahlia, " 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. 265

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 PEACTICAL FLORICULTUKE.

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
green-house or frame during winter. The same plan
might be adopted with the Eoses 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.

CHAPTER XLIX.
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 COLOKS. 257

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 that a 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 tnily 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 " curious 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 some thousands of dollars.

Not only are blue, yellow and. scarlet colors never found
in varieties of the same species, but so far even pure
yelloAV 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 example,
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.

CHAPTER L.
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 np 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, it' planted so as to bring the
various 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, etc.

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 IX THE SHADE ? 261

Iii 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
green Douse 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 out of the sunlight, who could show such
health as these sun-browned boys of ours.

CHAPTER LI.
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 two 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. Every 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, as every 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
tall 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 FKACTICAL FLOEICULTUIIE.

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 o tie-
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 a?id contents weighing
about 15 Ibs., 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. 2G5

kefcs, 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 Ibs., — 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
Europe. 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.

CHAPTER LIII.
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 PKACTICAL 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. A layer of moderately damp moss
half an inch thick is then spread on two or three thick-
nesses of thick brown paper ; the plants are then laid on
the moss, a similar layer of moss is laid over the roots,
and the paper, moss, and plants, are tightly rolled up.
The moss absorbs the water from the dripping roots, so
that thus tightly enclosed, sufficient moisture is envelop-
ed in the packages to keep the plants safe for a week,
provided that the package has been firmly wrapped up.
Another wrapping of oil silk paper follows — the final
wrapping being of stiff brown paper. This process is so
simple that any lady may transinit-to another some favor-
ite plant or cutting, a distance of 2,000 miles, if neces-
sary, at little cost. The florists who make a special busi-
ness of mailing plants now use a box specially made for
the purpose, alternating the filling of the box with thin
layers of moss — not too damp — with the layers of plants.
Where moss is not procurable, raw cotton will answer the
same purpose; the only danger to be avoided is in rolling
up the package too loosely, in which case the dry air will
penetrate and will be likely to shrivel up the plants.

Although it is a great convenience to be able to send
plants by mail to points where there is no express office,
yet we most emphatically protest against sending in this
Avay wherever they can be sent by express. Not only is
cendingby a mail a slow and expensive method of pack-
ing, but the necessity to lighten the package, compels
the soil to be taken from the roots and to compress the
plants in the package so that they are often crushed to
their injury. We, in our business, never send a plant
by mail where it can be sent by express, unless at distinct
request of the buyer.

UfSECTS AXD DISEASES ATFECTIXG PLANTS. 267

CHAPTER LIV.
INSECTS AND DISEASES AFFECTING PLANTS.

There is no subject referred to in this volume, that I
feel so incompetent to discuss as that of insects. Not
that our experience with the pests has not been ample
enough, but all the knowledge obtained from that expe-
rience leaves us at times utterly helpless to prevent their
ravages, particularly on plants grown out of doors. Un-
der glass, we may say that they are entirely under control,
and I have always considered that no better evidence of
the incompetency or negligence of the person in charge
of the greenhouse could be had, than to see the plants
covered with insects.

The most annoying of all insects of the flower garden,
is the

Rose Slug, Selandria roses, a light green, translucent
little fellow,- varying from one-sixteenth of an inch to
nearly an inch in length. There are evidently two species
or varieties, one of which confines its ravages to the lower
Bide of the leaf; the other eats it entire. The first is by
far the most destructive here. In a few days after the
plants are attacked they appear as if they had been
burned.

The best remedy we have found, is a preventive one,
which, in fact, ought to be used against all insect life.
Before the leaves of the roses appear, just as soon as the
buds begin to develop, apply Whale-oil Soap, in the pro-
portion of one pound to ten gallons of water; this,
steadily applied for ten days, with a syringe or garden
engine, has, in my experience, entirely prevented the at-
tacks of the insect. But once let it get a foothold and it
can hardly be driven off by this application, unless it be
made strong enough to injure the foliage, making the

268 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

remedy worse than the disease. A safe remedy when the
insect has made an attack on the leaves, is to dust pow-
dered White Hellebore or Pyrethrum over the leaves in the
morning, when the dew is on; or if no dew, first wet the
leaves by syringing, and then apply the powder. The
species of Kose Slug that eats the entire leaf seems to
confine its depredations more to young plants, and later
in the season. We have found it quite troublesome in
June and July among our young roses, which had been
planted out in May and June, and as these were young and
tender plants, the Whale-oil Soap remedy could not safely
be applied, and it would hardly be practicable to apply the
Pyrethrum or the Hellebore; so we have often had acres
of young roses covered by myriads of these slugs, before
they were observed, and nothing could be done except to
shake the plants, and kill the insects when they fell to the
ground. In the summer of 1S66, we had some nine or ten
boys shaking the plants and killing the slugs for upwards
of a week, and by this means saved our crop of roses.
In 1868 wo had a whole army of volunteer exterminators,
in the thousands of English Sparrows that had been
imported some years previous, and which we yet feed and
house with the greatest care during winter. We observed
immense flocks of them actively engaged for days in pick-
ing up something in our rose beds, and had imagined it
to be seeds obtained from the refuse hops, that we had
used as a mulching. At times we felt inclined to believe
that they would pick the tender leaves of the rose, to use
by way of a salad, having always believed them to be
strictly " vegetarians," or seed eaters. Finding, however,
that we were less troubled with the Eose Slug that season
than usual, it occurred to me that perhaps we were in-
debted to our noisy, feathered friends for the immunity.
To test the matter, a victim was necessary; accordingly
a plethoric looking fellow was shot, when, sure enough,
his well-stuffed crop revealed seeds, Eose Slugs, and

INSECTS AND DISEASES AFFECTING PLANTS. 269

Aphis, or Green Fly, in great abundance, demonstrating
beyond all question the great value of these birds as insect
destroyers.

The Hose Bug (Macrodactylis subspinosus), or Kose
Chafer, as it is sometimes called, is so named from its
attacking the buds or blossoms of the rose, in preference
to anything else, although it is destructive to many other
plants, particularly to the Dahlia, the flower of which it
devours rapidly. All the ordinary remedies seem to fall
harmlessly on the Eose Bug, and if not destroyed by
hand its ravages cannot be stopped, unless our feathered
friends come to the rescue; whether they will be equally
efficacious in destroying the Rose Bug, I am unable to
say, although I am inclined to think they will. We have
never yet been much troubled with them here, and so far
have not had the opportunity of knowing whether the
Sparrows feed on them or not.

The Rose Bug, (Aramigus Fulhrii,) the larva of which
is so destructive to the roots of roses grown under glass in
winter, has no resemblance whatever to either the Kose
Slug or the Rose Chafer, but i* vastly worse than either
of these in its ravages. The perfect insect (that is not
unlike the Curculio, which deposits its eggs in the fruit
of the Plum tree) does little injury to the Roses, merely
biting little circular pieces out of edges of the leaves, but
it is by this cutting of the leaves that their presence is
first known, as the insect, though larger than a common
house fly, is not easily seen from its habit of keeping
under the leaves or close to the stems of the plant. So
far all efforts to destroy this pest have proved futile, ex-
cept to pick off the fully developed bug from the plants,
and so prevent it depositing its eggs at the roots of the
Roses. These eggs quickly hatch into grubs, resembling
meat maggots, which at once begin to feed on the roots,
and thus quickly destroy the plants. Once a rose bed gets

270 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

badly infested, there is as yet no known remedy. Noth-
ing can be done but throw the plants out and the soil
also, if Roses are again to be planted in the same house.

The first time I saw this Rose Bug was in 1872. I no-
ticed that our Roses, though otherwise healthy, made nr
growth. A friend coming along one day, who had sad
experience with the insect, asked me to allow him to pull
a plant up. At its roots hung scores of the maggots — the
larvas of the Rose bug. I at once threw out the whole —
the plants, the soil, and even the bench itself, though the
space it covered was ten feet by three hundred, contain-
ing nearly three thousand Roses. Fortunately its ravages
were confined to that house, so I at once adopted the plan
of paying our boys a dollar a hundred for what bugs they
could find, working at their dinner hour. This soon sub-
dued them, so that for years we have been free from the
Rose bug, the greatest pest that the Rose grower has to
fight against, particularly if he grows his Roses on the
benches for two years.

The Aphis is one of the most common insects affecting
plants. There are quite a number of kinds, showing dif-
ferent colors, on different plants. Thus, when it attacks
the roots of plants, it is blue; on Roses and most other
plants it is green; on the chrysanthemum and a few other
plants it is black.

Hundreds of my amateur friends come to me year after
year, with sorrowful tales of their verbenas, asters, etc.,
which were pictures of health and beauty, but now are
one after another sickening and dying, apparently with-
out cause. But there was a cause, and in most cases one
cause only. The Blue Aphis is at the roots, and the only
chance to save them is an application of tobacco water,
about the color of strong tea, applied copiously and per-
sistently to the roots, for at least a week.

We have occasionally saved all our stock by this remedy,
when used at once, as soon a.3 they were seen to be affected.

INSECTS AND DISEASES AFFECTING PLANTS. 271

Many species of plants are attacked by this insect at the
root. Asters, particularly, are much injured by it. In
fact, when in excess, there is hardly a species of plant
exempt from its attacks. We have often seen this Aphis
clustering by thousands on the roots of melons, cucum-
bers, and of beets, to the very points of the roots, a foot
below the surface.

The Green Fly (or Green Aphis) is prevented, (for I
contend that it should never be seen, so that it need be
destroyed), by fumigating with tobacco smoke, not less
than twice each week. We do it in a manner much more
simple and agreeable to the operator than is often prac-
ticed. Two or three times each week during the entire
season at which our green-houses are filled with plants,
we use a small handful of shavings, on top of which we
place about half a pound of tobacco stems, previously
made damp. The shavings are lighted, and the fire be-
ing on the cement flooring, is left to take care of itself.
If the floor, however, is of wood, provision should be
made against danger from fire. We use this quantity of
tobacco to every five hundred square feet of glass; we
burn thus five or six tons of tobacco stems every season,
but we rarely see a green fly. We have occasionally seen
this insect increase to such an extent in its different con-
ditions, that fumigation was powerless to destroy it, or
rather it would have required it to be applied so strong,
to dislodge the vast number of the enemy, that the plants
would have been injured. The safer way to treat a des-
perate case of this kind is to brush the insect off by hand,
or with a soft brush; this is a slow process, but an effec-
tual one. This condition of the plants can only be the
result of utter neglect. The green fly sometimes injures
plants which stand too near together, so that the leaves
get matted so closely that the fumes of the tobacco can-
not penetrate. This is a condition, where recourse must
be had to brushing the insects from the leaves, and, if

272 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

possible, spreading the plants so that the air can pass
freely among them.

All Rose growers in winter now find that the best way
to prevent the green fly is to strew tobacco stems under
the benches or paths, two or three inches thick, renewing
them every three or four weeks. Although the odor is
hardly perceptible from the tobacco, yet it has the effect
of entirely suppressing the Aphis. Of course, this plan
would be equally effectual in destroying the insect on all
kinds of plants, but is somewhat more expensive than
smoking, and the reason of using it in the Rose houses is
that the smoks injures the buds.

Another method, equally effective in destroying the
Aphis, is to syringe the plants and then dust them over
with tobacco dust. Still another, is to steep the stems
until the water gets to be of the color of strong tea, and
syringe it on the plants. These last two remedies are
really the only ones that can be applied when the
Aphis attacks plants out of doors, either method is effec-
tive against the black Aphis, which attacks the chrysan-
themum as well as against the common green Aphis.

The Red Spider is rather a more insidious enemy than
the Green Fly, and far more tenacious of life, and often
does much mischief before its presence has become known.
The experienced gardener, of course, should not only be
able to detect its presence, but also to discover the at-
mosphere favorable to its production. A dry and hot
atmosphere, so dry that few plants can long continue in
health in it, is such as this pest delights to revel in. Such
an atmosphere in hothouse or greenhouse is thus doubly
hurtful to plant life, and therefore should never be al-
lowed. The remedies are simple; if there is not time for
syringing, let water be thrown copiously on the paths,
under and on the benches, place pans filled with water on
the flue or pipes, or use any other means that may sug-
gcet itself, to counteract the aridity of the air, due to

INSECTS AND DISEASES AFFECTING PLANTS. 273

heavy firing in winter, or hot, dry days in spring or sum-
mer. Therefore, as in the case of the Green Fly, if proper
preventives are used, the Bed Spider need never be seen
in the greer house.

The red spider is an exceedingly minute insect, s<r
small that it is a mere speck when seen by the naked eye,
but when closely examined, may be seen moving with
great rapidity. Though minute in themselves the pres-
ence of these insects rauy be quickly detected, by the
upper side of the leaves becoming browned, though the
ravages are confined to the under side of the leaf. Par-
lor plants are often subject to this insect, as it is not
convenient to give the necessary moisture, and the only
remedy in such cases, if the collection is not too numer-
ous, is sponging the leaves. Florists who have a suf-
ficient force of water, have but little trouble with the
Bed Spider, as forcibly applied daily it quickly destroys
them. In the absence of city water, the force pump or
hand syringe must be used.

We often have woeful complaints from inexperienced
cultivators, that their plants all get brown and look
sickly, and it requires but little thinking to divine what
enemy is making the attack.

The aphis, from its size, is quickly seen, and means
may be used at once to destroy it, but this minute red
pest may be sapping the life of a plant for weeks before
it is discovered. Amateur cultivators generally expect
to see something more tangible in a spider, if they have
heard of the red dragon at all, and are often hard to
convince, that this minute insect is the cause of so much
disaster.

J will relate a rather ludicrous incident, to show that
some even of larger experience may become possessed of
that notion.

Many years ago I had in my employment an active
young Irishman, who, by showing more than ordinary

274 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

energy, quickly passed through the different grades, un-
til he was duly installed as foreman ; at fl>at time we
had been firing a Camellia house, and by ntglect of keep-
ing a properly moist atmosphere, the red spider had made
sad inroads. John was duly instructed to syringe the
plants, night and morning, to destroy it, which he did ;
no doubt with a double object in view, as the sequel will
show. John was on all occasions rather demonstrative,
but one morning he came rushing towards me, his face
radiant with triumph, with his hat off, but clasped in
his hands, in a careful manner, evidently having some-
thing of no common value within it. Before I had time
to inquire what was the cause of his excitement, he
yelled out " I've got him! bedad! I've got him at last!"
*' What have you got, " I enquired, expecting to see
something in the way of a rat or mouse. " Arrah, the
big devil himself, the blaggard that has been doin' us all
the mischief, the Reed Sphider ! " and opening his hat, a
villainous Tarantula-looking fellow ran out, bigger than
a thousand red spiders, which was quickly despatched by
John's brogan. From that time John learned to know
what the red spider was, but was never anxious to allude
to it afterwards.

The Verbena Mite, the minute cause of the " black
rust" so disastrous in its ravages on the Verbena, Helio-
trope, Petunia, Pelargonium, and various other plants, is
so small that it cannot be seen by the naked eye ; but its
ravages under certain conditions are so disastrous as to
render the cultivation of the Verbena and some similar
plants next to impossible.

Viewed by a powerful microscope, this insect, magni-
fied 400 times, appears of the size given in Fig. 58 ; it
moves with great rapidity, and can only be examined as
it stops to feed. When this little pest has once got a
foothold, all direct remedies to dislodge him seem to be
powerless; the fumes of tobacco, so destructive to the

INSECTS AND DISEASES AFFECTING PLANTS. 275

aphis, or of sulphur, which is death to the spider, fall
harmlessly on this microscopic insect.
• There is hardly a doubt but that the fumes of sulphur
or tobacco would destroy it, if it had not the power of
imbedding itself in the leaf. This is evidently the case,
as on subjecting affected plants to a severe fumigation
with tobacco for thirty minutes no insects could be dis-
cerned on the leaves ; but after a short time they again
appeared on the field of the microscope, apparently un-
scathed. We also find that an excellent preventive
against this insect is to syringe the plants twice a week
with a weak solution of fir-tree oil ; one-half pint to
five gallons of water. This seems like tobacco smoke to
check it somewhat, yet it is not a com-
plete remedy and if plants are severely at-
tacked, there is nothing for it but to throw
those affected out — as there is but little
doubt that it quickly spreads. Now, al-
though we have no direct remedy against
this insect, which produces the black rust,
we have, I think, a preventive, by keeping
the plants in that healthy condition which seems to be
repellant to its attack. For the means used to get that
healthy condition, see chapter on the culture of the Ver-
bena, which is, with slight modifications, equally ap-
plicable to all other plants affected by this insect.

The microscope reveals that this particular species,
which is so destructive to our Verbena, Heliotrope, Petu.
nia, and scores of other plants cultivated in the green-
house or garden, is the same or one that closely resembles
that which gives the roughness to particular parts of the
cherry, plum, and peach trees, and no doubt is to
be found on thousands of other kinds of plants, when-
ever a lessened vitality takes place. Corroborative of
this view, I had a lot of about 500 plants of Heliotrope
growing in two-inch pots in one of our greenhouses one

276 PKACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

year, one-half of which were, in September, shifted into
three-inch pots, to be reserved for stock plants. They
were kept side by side and treated in all respects the
same. Those shifted, of course, with increased food,
grew vigorously and strong, while the unshifted remained
comparatively stunted, and on the following December
1st, the "black rust" showed itself on nearly every plant,
and the microscope revealed on every affected leaf hun-
dreds of these insects, feeding like sheep on a pasture
field, while on the shifted plants none whatever were
found. This is only one of hundreds of cases which
yearly come under our observation, to prove that, from
whatever cause the vital action of a plant is impaired,
it is placed in the condition which in a greater or less de-
gree invites the attack of parasitic fungi (mildew) or in-
sects.

Mealy Bug, as it is familiarly termed, is a white, mealy
or downy-looking insect, belonging to the same family,
from which the cochineal of commerce is obtained. It
is an insect of the tropics, and is troublesome only among
hot house plants, or such as are grown at a high temper-
ature. Fortunately we have now a complete antidote
against the ravages of the Mealy Bug by the use of fir-tree
oil, mixed at the rate of one pint to five gallons of water,
and syringed over the plants once a week. In fact the
use of fir-tree oil, mixed and applied as above, has kept
our greenhouses almost free from Mealy Bug and nearly
all other insects, since we began using it in 1884. The
great point, however, is its steady application, it being
applied weekly. The proportions above given we find
best for Dracenas, Crotons, etc., but for tender Roses,
Verbenas, etc., in delicate growth half a pint to five gal-
lons of water is as strong as it can be applied with
safety.

Brown and White Scale Insects, — These are less inju-
rious and less common to plants than any of the preced-

INSECTS AND DISEASES AFFECTING PLANTS. 277

ing, and are generally found in dark or ill-ventilated
greenhouses, adhering to the stems and under part of the
leaves of hard-wooded plants. The best remedy is fir-tree
oil, used as described for Mealy Bug.

Thrips is an active insect, varying in size from that
hardly perceptible by the naked eye, to the size of the
Green Fly, and varying in color from whitish-yellow to
dark brown; it is a jumping insect, very active in its
movements, and when it once gets a foothold is very de-
structive. It succumbs to tobacco smoke, but not so
quickly as does the Green Fly. It luxuriates in shaded
situations, and is generally found where plants are stand-
ing too thickly together, or where the ventilation or light
of the greenhouse has been deficient. I think it may be
safe to assert that in any well-regulated greenhouse or
hot-house no injury from insects will ever become serious,
if proper attention to syringing w& fumigating has been
given. Syringing, or other means of keeping a moist at-
mosphere, must never be 'neglected for a day, and fumi-
gating by tobacco smoke should be done, at the least,,
once each week. The application of fir-tree oil will also
quickly check Thrips or Aphis.

The " Carnation Twitter,"— This is an insect fortu-
nately but little known, and called in this district only
by its local name of " Carnation Twitter," given from its
rapid and nervous motion. As seen by the naked eye it
is about the twentieth part of an inch in length, and of a
thickness not more than that of a cambric needle. It is
of various shades of color, from green to black; it is never
very numerous on the plants, but most destructive and
evidently poisonous in its attacks on all varieties of the
Carnation and Pinks.

Its effects on the Carnation somewhat resemble those
of the Red Spider, except that when attacked by the
"Twitter," the leaves have a cankered and twisted ap-

378 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

pearance, easily distinguishable from the browning effects
of the Spider. When Carnations or Pinks get infested by
this insect, all remedies to dislodge it seem futile. AVe
have lost thousands of plants in a season by its attacks.
It seems, however, to infest light or sandy soil more than
heavy loam or clay, and seems, also, to be intermittent
in its attacks, often not being seen for three or four years
in succession, and again returning and destroying all in
its path. In our light sandy soil at lower Jersey City we
suffered from it, but for fifteen years, in our heavy, clayey
soil on Jersey City Heights, it has rarely been seen. It
generally attacks the plants in the open ground. We
have not had it since we began the use of the fir-tree oil,
and so have as yet had no opportunity to try it, but I am
inclined to think it might be equally useful here, as it
is against all other insects.

Slugs or Snails. — These are troublesome both in the
open ground and in the greenhouse. Salt is certain death
to them, even in smallest quantities, and when in the
open garden, a slight sprinkling of salt over the ground
is effectual; but the sprinkling, it must be remembered,
must be very slight, as salt, if put on (even as thick as
sand is usually strewn on a floor) will kill almost any kind
of vegetation. In our greenhouses the snails usually feed
at night, getting under the benches during the day. We
have found a most effectual remedy in strewing a thin
line of salt on edge of each bench; — this makes a complete
"dead line" for the Slugs or Snails, for they cannot
cross it and live. Another plan is to slice up potatoes,
carrots, cabbage, or lettuce leaves, to feed on, for which
they will leave all other plants. Examine these traps
daily, and destroy the captives.

Ants are the most troublesome of all insect pests on
lawns on sandy soils, and when these are on such large
areas, any remedy as yet known is almost futile to destroy

INSECTS AND DISEASES AFFECTING PLANTS. 279

them. When on small areas, outside or in the greenhouse,
we find about the best plans are to lay fresh bones, or pa-
per covered with molasses, around their haunts. These
they will come to in large numbers. They should be re-
moved daily, and burned or otherwise destroyed. Another
method that we have found more destructive to them
than any other, is to puff Pyrethrum or Persian Insect
Powder from a strong bellows among them. The small-
est particle of this powder at once chokes and kills them,
though it must strike them dry to be effective; for we
find that when the powder lies damp on the floor, they
will run over it, and even burrow in it with impunity.
Nothing I have ever tried will "poison" Ants. Either
their instinct causes them to avoid it, or else they are not
affected by it. ,

Angle Worms probably do no harm to plants ex-
cept to disturb and "glue up" the soil, but this is to
some extent hurtful to plants grown in pots or on
benches in greenhouses. A simple remedy is to slack
one pound of lime in fifteen or twenty gallons of water;
let the lime settle to the bottom, using only the clear
water, which will be sufficiently impregnated with lime
to destroy the worms. The same remedy can also be ap-
plied in the open ground; but Angle Worms do but little
harm in the garden. In placing plants in pots out-doors
or on an earth bench in the greenhouse, first sprinkle
over with lime, which will prevent the worms entering
the pots throngh the drainage holes.

280 PKACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTER LV.
MILDEW.

Opinions afe to the cause of mildew are varied and
somewhat contradictory. My view is, that mildew being
a fungus growth, its seeds or spores are ever present in
the atmosphere; and when a relaxed condition of the plant
ensues, the minute germs find a suitable place for their
development in the enfeebled leaf. Therefore I believe
that anything that impedes the flow of the sap, places
the plant in the condition fitted to develop mildew.
Thus we often see our Roses without a taint of mildew
during all the winter and early spring months, until the
hot, dry weather of the middle or end of May dries the
soil in the pots to such a degree that the plant wilts—
the sap is impeded, and mildew follows. Or a door may be
left open and the frosty air fastens on the stems and
leaves, congeals the sap, enfeebles the plant, and though
from an entirely opposite cause, the result is the same.

I once had a most marked example of this kind. Early
in April we had an old-fashioned lean-to green-house
filled with Roses in full leaf, in the very highest state of
vigor. The house was some sixty feet in length and was
ventilated by sliding down every alternate sash at the
top. In ventilating on one occasion, the sashes had been
neglected to be closed until so late in the evening that
the Roses exposed to the air had become chilled by frost
so that the young shoots hung down as if wilted; as the
greenhouse got heated up they recovered, and to all ap-
pearance next morning looked none the worse for being
frozen; but in a week after, mildew appeared in a clear-
ly defined square space of about 3x3 feet, following al-
most exactly in the line where the plants had been frost-
bitten. It would here seem that the leaves thus enfeebled

MILDEW. 281

by the frost, simply afforded a congenial " soil, " tor the
mildew germs, which probably are ever present in the
atmosphere.

Had the sap been arrested by the roots getting dry in
that condition of growth, no doubt the result would
nave been nearly the same.

Like most other diseases, mildew is best met by pre-
vention rather than cure, and for this reason, all care
should be taken to avoid the extremes referred to, as far
as possible, to avoid great variation of temperature.
Sulphur is applied in various ways to destroy mildew,
but will often fail if the disease has gained much head-
way. The best way is to use it mildly as a preventive.
This is done by boiling three pounds of sulphur and
three pounds of lime in six gallons of water until it is
reduced to two gallons; allow the liquid to settle until it
gets clear, then pour it off and keep it in a jar, or bottle
it for use. One gill of this is to be mixed in five gallons
of water and syringed over the Eoses in the evening.
Applied in this weak state it does not injure leaves, and
yet has the effect of preventing mildew, if perseveringly
attended to, as the spores of mildew seemingly cannot
vegetate in an atmosphere or in a soil impregnated with
sulphur. The above preparation is Sulphite of Calcium.

Another method is, to dust the leaves very lightly with
" Black, " or "Virgin Sulphur "—the only reason this
kind is used in preference to the ordinary yellow sulphur
is, that it is more volatile and can be used to give a lighter
covering to the foliage, answering equally well and being
less unsightly. We use one or the other of these methods
once a week during spring or summer on oar Roses, and
thus keep almost entirely clear of mildew on all Roses
grown under glass.

But the most common and most efficient application
of sulphur against mildew in the greenhouse, after firing
has begun, is to paint the upper half of the hot-water

282 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

pipes, with a mixture of sulphur and cow dung, sulphur
and guano, or sulphur and lime. Either of these in-
gredients will do to mix with the sulphur, the object be-
ing to merely give a body to the mixture. We also paint
our steam pipes with these mixtures, but care must be
taken not to have more than one-fourth of the steam
pipes painted, else the fumes of the sulphur might be
strong enough to injure the leaves. For Black Spot, or
Black Mildew, and Club Root or Wart Root, see chap-
ter on " Rose Growing in Winter, "

CHAPTER LVI.
DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR.

The following diary of operations and observations of
temperature was taken by my general foreman, at our
greenhouses at Jersey City, N. J., from September 9th,
1867, to September 9th, 1868. It is here given with
some additions from our operations taken from a diary
running through the same months in 1885 — 86. Al-
though it necessarily contains many repetitions and mat-
ters of minor interest, it will be found very valuable as a
guide to the beginner, as well as for convenient reference
to those of mature experience. We ourselves find such
a diary an excellent monitor, as the importance of dates
in all horticultural operations can not be over-estimated.
The record of the thermometer taken in 1867 — 68 is
placed at the end of the notes for each day, the first
figure giving the temperature in the shade at 6 A. M.,
and the second that at 6 P. M.

SEPTEMBER.

9th. — From this date, once a week or oftener accord-
ing to necessity, all plants grown under glass are syringed

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR. 283

with a solution of fir-tree oil, to keep down mealy bug,
scale, and other insects; it is also applied to Koses that
are planted on benches for winter flowering, which are
syringed every morning as soon as the sun strikes the
glass, to keep down red spider, thrip, etc. We never
syringe on dull days. Lifted and potted Bouvardias,
preparatory to planting them out again on the benches
for winter. It is of the utmost importance that Bou-
vardias should be potted early — not later than the mid-
dle of September, in this section. If left until cool
weather sets it, they will not root freely in the pots, be-
ing plants that luxuriate in a high temperature. The
plants are kept shaded and watered carefully, for a week
or so after being potted, and it is better to keep them
outside until they are placed permanently in the green-
house. Also, put in cuttings of Variegated Geraniums
of various kinds this day. Topped Carnations,f or the pur-
pose of producing suitable cuttings in October; it is now
too late to cut back those that are wanted for winter
flowers. Collected seeds of Salvia patens and 8. splen-
dens. Cleared off old plants of Pansies, to allow the
self-sown seedlings light and air. Beginning to dry off
Caladiums grown in six inch pots. 60° — 62°.

IQth. — Continued potting Bouvardias. Put in cut-
tings of Zonale Geraniums; also, a few cuttings of those
Verbenas of which our stock is short. 61° — 64°.

I2th. — Repotted Primulas, for winter flowering.
Sowed Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Lettuce seed in open
ground, to be planted out under cold frames in October.
59°_55°.

13£/4. — Repotted Fuchsias for stock. Layered Straw-
berries in two-inch pots, to make a plantation next
month, rather late, however. 54° — 60°.

\ttli. — Began propagating general collection of Verbe-
nas; cuttings in excellent order. Collected flower seeds
of all kinds. 58°— 59°.

284 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

16th. — Repotted Euphorbia, Poinsettia, and other
plants for winter flowering. Lifted and potted stock
Geraniums that we are short of to make cuttings during
winter. 55°— 59°.

17th. — Began propagating a general collection of bed-
ding plants, and as the weather is getting somewhat hot-
ter, precaution is taken to douse the walks, benches, and
all parts of the propagating houses with water, to reduce
the temperature. A little ventilation left on in all Eose
houses at night — the object being to prevent a too ten-
der growth, as colder weather must soon be expected.
65°— 75°.

18th. — Collected seeds of Campanulas, Lychnis, Del-
phiniums, and other hardy herbaceous plants, and sowed
at once; nearly all seeds of this character germinate bet-
ter if sown as soon as gathered. 69° — 74°.

IMli. — Overhauled boilers and examined valves, pre-
paratory for winter work, painted pipes with sulphur
mixture to ward off mildew. See "Mildew."

%Qth. — Potted off in two-inch pots the Verbena cut-
tings that were put in on the 10th and 12th inst. Result
excellent. No fire heat has as yet been used in propagat-
ing. 68°— 70°.

2%d. — Planted those Bouvardias that were potted on
the 9th instant, on the benches of the greenhouse; also
placed Poinsettias under glass. They are taken from the
pots and planted in six inches of soil, at a distance of
from eight to twelve inches apart, or near enough for the
plants to touch. The distance apart is regulated by the
size of the plants. Began to propagate second and larg-
est lot of Verbenas, Heliotropes, and general collection of
bedding plants, it being rather safer at this date than on
the previous ones of the 10th and 12th, on account of a
general lower temperature. Gathered Verbena, Salvia,
and other flower seeds, that are in better state now than
they were two weeks ago. 52° — :52°.

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR. 285

236?. — Removed the slight shading from the glass that
was put on in June.

24/7*. — Pat in main crop of Verbena cuttings from open
ground at this date. Fumigated greenhouses, in which
bedding plants are kept for the first time this season;
will continue to do so at least twice every week until the
greenhouses are again empty of plants, the order being
that Aphis or Green Fly must never be seevi; placed fresh
tobacco stems under the Eose benches. 43° — 55°.

25/7i. — Lifted Carnations with balls of earth from the
open ground, and planted them in fi?e or six inches of
soil on the benches of the greenhouses for winter flower-
ing. We are enabled to lift them in this way from the
peculiarity of our soil, which is stiff and clayey; on most
soils this method would not be practicable; if the soil
did not adhere to the rooto it would be necessary to be
more careful in shading. Put in cuttings of Variegated
and Zonale Geraniums for main crop. 58° — 60°.

%6tk. — Continued putting in Verbena and other cut-
tings. First fires started. It is all important to watch
for the first fall in temperature about this date. Many
houses of Eoses and other plants are ruined from the ne-
glect to start slight fires when the thermometer quickly
falls, as it often does at this date, fifteen degrees in twelve
hours. In 1881, before this was generally understood,
one-half of all the Eose houses in the vicinity of New
York had their contents destroyed during a cold rain
storm in September, where the thermometer fell twenty
degrees in twenty-four hours. 40° — 44°.

21th. — Planted out in the benches Eupatoriums, Stev-
ias, etc., that have been kept in pots all summer. 42° —
50°.

2£th. — Put in cuttings of Coleus, Salvias, etc., from
outside. 42°— 49°.

3Qlh. — Put all tender plants in the houses, as from
about this d'ate there is danger from frost. Lifted clumps

286 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

of double Neapolitan Violet, and planted them at dis-
tances of nine or ten inches apart, on the benches of cold
greenhouse, in the same way as the Carnations. The
same precautions necessary in shading and watering, if
the weather is dry and sunny. 4#° — 50°.

OCTOBER.

1st. — Lifted and potted Carnations and Pinks from the
open ground, that are wished for early flowering in spring.
42°— 53°.

2d. — Potted off Petunias, Zonale Geraniums, and other
bedding plants that were put in as cuttings on the 17th
ult. Planted out Stevia compacta and other varieties on
benches of greenhouse, for winter flowering, as th^y
are too tall, they are planted by laying them on their
side, which answers well. Lifted up and planted Straw-
berry runners closely together in cold frames, so that they
can be conveniently got at in spring for early orders.
Planted early, they make root sufficient to stand the win-
ter. 42°— 5V.

3d. — "Top dressed" Rose beds, one inch in depth,
with a compost of two parts soil and two parts rotted
cow dung, to which is added about one-twentieth in bulk
of pure bone dust.

&th. — Potted off Verbenas put in on the 22d ult. ; had
excellent success. 47° — 50°.

5th. — Lifted from ground stock plants of Variegated
and Zonale Geraniums, and potted them. 49° — 54°.

7th. — Operations same as Saturday. To-day shows the
first ice, and very tender plants outside are somewhat in-
jured. Dahlias uninjured. 33° — 48°.

8th. — Corrected and re-labeled Dahlias, in anticipation
of their soon being cut down by frost. Potted off Verbe-
nas, and put in cuttings of Verbenas, and Rose and Zonale
Geraniums. 34°— 46°.

Sth. — The advancing season warns us to house Lemon

DIARY OF OPEUATIONS FOll THE YEAR. 287

Verbenas, Geraniums, Roses, Chrysanthemums, and other
of the more hardy plants that have yet been standing out-
doors. Lemon Verbenas being deciduous (shedding their
leaves), are put under the benches, as they can there be
kept wiuh safety until March, when they begin to start
again; the temperature will average 45° under the bench.

10th. — The same as yesterday.

llth. — Lifted Japan and other Lilies and placed them
closely together, covered with four inches of sand, at the
north side of a south wall, to retard them for spring sales;
they are lifted for this purpose only, as nearly all Lilies
are hardy, and will always do better if left out undis-
turbed all winter where they grew; though if the situa-
tion is very cold or exposed, a covering up with a few
inches of sawdust, leaves, or manure, will be of benefit.
48°_6L°.

12th. — Put in cuttings of Fuchsias, Heliotropes, and
Carnations, that have been started from plants grown
under glass; young shoots only. * 49° — 62°.

14,th. — Lifted Tuberoses, and placed them in empty
benches of greenhouses to dry. Tied down the flowering
shoots of Tuberoses that are getting against the glass.
44°_52°.

\Qtli, — The earlier kinds of Chrysanthemums, such as
E ' aine (white), Red Dragon, Lance d'Or (dark yellow),
Boquet Fait (rose), Geo. Glenny (lemon color), J. Collins
(bronze), are now coming in flower and selling well,
other flowers being rather scarce at this date. We find it
best to grow for flowers such Chrysanthemums as are
early and late, and thus avoid the glut that always occurs
in the latter part of November.

16^. — Put in cuttings of Carnations and Pinks of all
kinds. 41°— 58°.

17#j. — PrbkcJ out Cabbage, Cauliflower, and Lettuce

288 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

plants, (that were sown on the 12th of September,) in
cold frames. 50°— 61°.

ISth. — Pricked out in shallow boxes soedlings of Del-
phinium, etc., sown on the 4th of last month. 50° — 61°.

19/A. — Planted Pansy seedlings from seeds sown on the
15th of September, in cold frames, four or five inches
apart each way. 52° — 68°.

%lst. — Continued planting Pansies, and put in Verbena
cuttings, taken from the open ground. Collected seeds
of Verbenas, Salvias, etc., etc. 53° — 55°.

22c7. — Potted off the Verbenas put in on the 8th inst. ;
also, Coleus, Centaurea, Salvias, etc., that were put in on
the 28th of September. Sowed Centaurea, Pyrethrum,
etc., for ribbon line plants for spring. 54° — 63°.

23d— Lifted, divided, and potted Callus. 44°— 4G°.

24/7i. — Eepotted Stock Giliflowers. First severe frost.
Dahlias and all tender plants cut down. 24° — 46°.

25th. — Made cuttings of a general variety of soft-
wooded plants, of such as have yet stood uninjured in
the open ground. 36° — 44°.

26th. — Moved the first potted lots of Verbenas, to pre-
vent them rooting through into the sand, and shifted
about one-fourth into three inch pots, for stock plants
for cuttings, 35°— 41°.

2Sth. — Potted off Fuchsias, Heliotropes, etc., from
propagating house. Lifted Roses from the open ground
for shipment and for potting, to be kept in cold frames.
40°— 56°.

29/7i. — Potted Myrsiphyllum (Smilax) asparagoides,
from seed boxes, (sown on August 1st); cleaned up and
top-dressed Primulas. 50° — 50°.

30/A. — Continued lifting Roses for shipment. 46° —
54°.

3lst. — Put in Carnations and Pink cuttings; we find
greater success at this season than earlier, it being very
important that Carnation cuttings are rooted at a low

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR. 289

atmospheric temperature. Caladiums completely dried
off taken from benches, and placed underneath them;
these must be kept dry until they are again to be started
in May. 41°— 53°

NOVEMBER.

1st. — Potted Eoses for spring blooming and sales, first
pruning off one-third of the shoots. This operation of
pruning should always be done before the plant is potted,
as it takes less than half the time, and the plant being
divested of its superfluous shoots is much more quickly
and easily handled in potting. The plants after potting
are freely watered once, to consolidate the soil, and if the
sun is bright and warm they are shaded by latticed shut-
ters. The plants are placed in a cold greenhouse or cold
frame, care being taken to keep them as cool as possible,
and on no consideration to use fire heat unless to keep the
soil in the pots from freezing. Little fire need be used if
the pots are completely covered with dry leaves. If pos-
sible, Eoses should never be kept at a higher temperature
than forty degrees by fire heat, until the young or
"working roots" are formed. See Chapter on the Eose
for more comprehensive details. 41° — 53°.

%d. — Continued potting Eoses, and pnt in Antirrhi-
num, Pentstemon, and other cuttings of half hardy
plants from the open ground. 45° — 53°.

±th. — Cut down and placed under the benches the
Dahlias that have been grown during summer in pots.
47°_48P.

5th. — The Eoses, Bouvardias, Carnations, Stevias, etc.,
are now blooming profusely. 33° — 40°.

6th. — The cold weather warns us that everything must
soon be secured, so to-day we take up, divide, and pot for
spring sales, herbaceous plants of all kinds. Late Chrys-
anthemums grown in deep frames, must now be covered
up with straw mats every night, giving air freely in the

290 PRACTICAL FLORICULTUKE.

day time; also watch that they do not get dry at the
roots. 31°— 40°.

1th. — Last night's frost finally destroyed the Dahlias,
so we lifted and secured them to-day, by drying on the
empty benches of the greenhouse. Those to be started
for cuttings in March are now placed at once in soil and
kept there without water until they start; in this way
every root can be saved. Cannas were lifted and placed
under greenhouse benches. 30° — 42°.

8th. — Planted in the open ground the Strawberry run-
ners that were layered in pots, and covered them close up
to the neck of the plants with rough manure. Put in
Carnation, Begonia, Petunia, Verbena, and other cut-
tings, from plants that have been growing in the green-
house. 41°— 52°.

$th. — Put Tuberose bulbs that have been dried on the
top of the benches underneath, to make room for plants
needing light. 42°— 50°.

ICth.— The same. 42°— 51°.

12th. — Again resumed the potting of the general col-
lection of Koses, which had to be partially suspended for
more pressing work. First snow, two inches deep. 34°
—40°.

13th.— Potted Verbena cuttings and Roses. 33°— 32°.

14^/i. — Lifted Violets from open exposure and placed
them in a sheltered spot for planting out for stock in
spring. 30°— 45°.

15th. — Put in cuttings of Variegated and other Geran-
iums from plants that have been under glass since Octo-
ber 5th. 33°— 34°.

16th. — Potted off cuttings of Geraniums that were put
in the cutting bench in September. The cuttings were
too soft, owing to the season, when they were put in, and
in consequence have taken longer to root, yet have nearly
all taken. 36°— 40°.

17th. — Lifted and potted stock plants of Chrysanthe-

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE TEAR. 291

mums and Phloxes. Koses and Azaleas imported from
England" and Germany, were received in fine order. 28°
—25°.

10th. — Put in cuttings of Pelargoniums?, Geraniums,
Carnations, etc. 18° — 25°.

Wth. — Lifted Roses from the open ground and heeled
them in under cover, as we were apprehensive they may
yet freeze in the ground, and our potting of Roses is two
weeks later than usual. An experience of over thirty
years in the vicinity of New York shows us that we are
never absolutely safe from having the ground frozen after
November 20th. Hence all lifting of plants from the
open ground, digging, or plowing should be finished by
this date. 37°— 39°.

21st.— The same. 33°— 40°.

22d. — Received six cases of new plants from London,
in fair order; we find this time of the year and March
the safest months in which to import. Earlier in the
season, the temperature is too high, and in the time in-
tervening between November and March there is danger
from frost. 32°— 43°.

"23d. — Put in cuttings of Roses made from ripened
wood, and placed them in a cold frame, so sheltered as
not to be frozen in winter. But the result from this
method is far less satisfactory than in propagating Roses
from cuttings of the young wood; here we lose an aver-
sige of fifty per cent., while from the young shoots, if
done at the time and in the manner described in the
Chapter on Propagation, not even one per cent, need be
lost. 39°— 45°.

25th.— The same. 44°— 49°.

2Qth.— The same. 50°— 47°.

%yth. — Cleared the ground of the remaining Roses and
Shrubs, preparatory to plowing up for winter, though
rather late. See remarks under 20th inst. 34°— 43°.

28th.— The same as yesterday. 43°— 48°.

292 PEACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

29th. -^Overhauled and arranged recently potted off
plants. Tuberose flowers are now produced in quantity
from bulbs that were planted in benches in greenhouse,
on August 1st. 42°— 50°.

30th. — Sowed large quantities of seed of Ampelopsis
Veitchii in shallow boxes. Sown thus early they make
fine plants for setting out in May; also seeds of Dracena
indivisa, Pandanus utilis and Latania Borbonica, and
other palm seeds were sown. 38° — 24°.

DECEMBER.

%d. — Potted off cuttings of Carnations and Pinks that
were put in on the llth of October; loss heavy, as they
have been put in two weeks too early. 27° — 28°.

3d, — Potted off cuttings of Pentstemons, Antirrhinums,
etc., which were put in a month ago. Very successful.
30°— 35°.

4th. — Continued potting Eoses, and putting in hard-
wood cuttings of Roses. 26° — 30°.

5th. — Flowers of Bouvardias, Carnations, Heliotropes,
Roses, and Tuberoses, are now produced in large quanti-
ties from the plantations previously made, as recorded.
We find that in the planting out of Tuberose bulbs on
the 15th of July, 1st of August, and 15th of August,
those planted on the 1st of August give the most profita-
ble results; the first date being too early, brings them in
while the market is glutted, while by that of the 15th of
August, the bulbs get too much exhausted by being kept
dry too long out of season. Next season will put late
bulbs in " cold storage vaults." 26° — 28°.

6th. — Finished potting JRoses in five and six-inch pots.
The operation has occupied in the potting alone the time
of three hands for about three weeks, the average work
of each being eight hundred plants per day.

7th. — Put in cuttings of Verbenas, Carnations, Zonale
and Variegated Geraniums,Pelargoniums,and soft wooded

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE TEAR. 293

plants of all kinds, the condition of the temperature from
this date to the middle of March being such that cut-
tings of every description are rooted with unerring cer-
tainty, if the simple conditions which we lay down in
Chapter on Propagation are followed.

9tk.— At this date, we number fifty thousand of our
staple plant, Verbena. These we will multiply from ten
to fifteen fold, until the first week in May, which is as
late as the Verbena can be propagated, to make a plant
of sufficient strength. 30° — 26°.

10th. — Potted off Carnation cuttings, which were put
in on November 8th, from plants grown under glass,
which have done very well. Kepotted and cleaned up
Primroses. 27°— 28°.

11th. — Put in green cuttings of Bouvardias, in bottom
heat at eighty; top heat seventy. This mode of propa-
gating the Bouvardia is not so good as by the root, but
it is necessary sometimes to do so when we wish to in-
crease new sorts rapidly. 27° — 28°.

12th. — Put in cuttings of winter flowering Eoses taken
from the plants that are flowering. 20° — 8°.

13^. — Again painted pipes with the sulphur mixture to
counteract mildew; also put in fresh tobacco stems under
benches to keep down Aphis. See "Insects." 4° — 8°.

14^. —The same. 14°— 12°.

16^. — Began staking Roses to-day. If stakes are pro-
vided, the average work for each hand is five hundred
plants per day. Experienced hands should nearly double
that number. 16° — 24°.

Ytfh. —Put in cuttings of the new Fuchsias, Chrysan-
themums, etc., from the plants which were received from
England on November 22d. 22°— 28°.

18^. Repotted Lantanas, Variegated Geraniums and

other plants, kept in hot-house range. 23° — 20°.

19/A.— Potted off cuttings. 11°— 10°.

294 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

20th. — Sowed Pansies, Daisies and Forget-me-nots for
late flowering in spring. 8° — 26°.

21st. — Put in root cuttings of Anemone. (See Propa-
gation). 22°— 26°.

23d. Shipped to-day large numbers of Verbenas,
packed in close boxes. (See chapter on packing). 28°
—26°.

24rfA. — Put in cuttings of Coleus, Lantanas, Fuchsias,
Petunias, etc., etc. 27°— 30°.

25th.— Christmas Day. 30°— 36°.

26t7i. — Continued propagation of all kinds of plants,
and shifted Geraniums, Heliotropes, Koses, etc., from
two to three inch pots. 42°— 38°.

27M.— The same. 44°— 40°.

28//*— Repotted Zonale and Variegated Geraniums, to
induce growth to produce material for cuttings. 36° —
42°.

SOtJi. — Cleared off the roots of Tuberoses that have
done flowering (those that were planted in July and
August). The last flowers sold at $8.00 per 100 florets
on the 24th inst., (1867). Could they have been kept
until January 1st, they would have sold one-third high-
er. Busy in cutting flowers to-day, in large quantities,
to be made up into baskets and bouquets for New Year's
Day. Late Chrysanthemums such as Yellow Eagle, Cul-
lingfordii, (Crimson), Christmas Eve, (White), Moon-
light, (Straw Color), Mrs. Allen, (Carmine), and Fan-
tasie, (Pink), that have been kept in cold houses and
matted up in deep pits — have done well and are very
profitable when kept thus late. 26°— 24°.

31s;.— The same.

JANUARY.

2nd. — Sowed seeds of Lobelia Paxtoniana, Delphinium,
and other plants suitable for bedding out for summer.
28°— 22°.

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR. 295

3rd. — Repotted stock plants of Pelargoniums, Fuch-
sias, Lantanas, Petunias, etc., to encourage growth to
produce cuttings. 29° — 34°.

Uh.— The same. 24°— 28°. . '

6th.— The same. 14°— 26°.

nth. — Eepotted Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, Heliotropes,
Petunias, etc., from two-inch to four-inch pots, to pro-
duce growth for spring sales. 20° — 30°.

8th. — Large quantities of Verbenas, Heliotropes, Fuch-
sias, etc., are now put in the propagating benches, this
being, perhaps, the best season to root cuttings, to give
fine plants in May. 24°— 32°.

9th. — Washed the soil from "pot bound" plants of
Heliotropes, Pelargoniums, and similar plants grown in
bench pots, and re-potted in fresh soil in pots of similar
size. For detail of this method see Potting of Plants.
28°— 14°.

Wth. — First sowing of Cabbage, Cauliflower and Let-
tuce in seed house. Night temperature, 55°. 4° — 12°.

llfh.— The same. 14°— 18°.

13th. — First lot of Chrysanthemum cuttings put in
from general collection. 10° — 12°.

14^. — Shifted Roses that are forcing to produce win-
ter flowers. This date is not the best for this work —
nearer spring is better — but the plants required it. 10°
—20°.

15th.— The same 14°— 22°.

16th.— The same. 18°— 22°.

lyth. — Pricked out in shallow boxes, one inch apart,
the seedling plants sown on the 2nd inst. 12° — 20°.

18th.— Potted off from propagating house, struck cut-
tings of Petunias, Heliotropes, Variegated Geraniums,
Carnations, etc. 10°— 22°.

2Qth. — Top dressed Roses with the same compost, and
in the same manner, as was done on October 3rd. Begun
grafting Roses. See Propagation. 20°— 31°.

296 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

21 at. The same. 18°— 34°.

22nd.— The same. 20°— 14°.

23rd. — Potted Anemone Japonica from root cuttings
put in on the 21st nit. 22°— 18°.

2Uh. — Again potted off Verbenas and Roses in large
quantities, and filled up the place occupied by them in
the bench with cuttings. 19°— 24°.

25th. The same. 20°— 18°.

2Gth. — Weather is steady and moderate, which is taken
advantage of to ship plants to all parts of the country.
Packing is done securely, so that almost every case is re-
ceived in safety. See Chapter on Packing. 20° — 22°.

28/A. — All operations but firing and watering nearly
suspended, in consequence of all hands being occupied in
getting up orders and packing. 18° — 24°.

2Q£h. — Potted off Passiflora ccerulea from root cut-
tings. Potted off in two-inch pots Delphiniums and
Lobelias that had been pricked out in shallow boxes on
the!7thinst. 22°— 28°.

30th. — Continued to pot rooted cuttings of Verbenas,
Geraniums, etc., filling up the space by fresh cuttings
as soon as cleared. 16°— 12°.

31st — Finished staking Roses to-day. Second sowing
of Cabbage and Cauliflower in seed house. 8° — 16°.

FEBRUARY.

1st. — " Plunged " Roses in greenhouse benches that
have been taken from cold pits, in refuse hops to the
rims of the pots. We find this a great saving in water-
ing, besides keeping the roots in a uniform condition of
moisture conducive to healthy growth. 8° — 16°.

2nd.— The same. 8°— 16°.

3rd. The same. 6°— 4°.

4/i.— The same. Zero— 6°.

bth. — Cleared the benches of Eupatorium, Steria, Car-

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR. 297

nations, etc., which have become exhausted or are done
flowering, and filled up with spring stock. 4° — 18°.

6th.— The same. 22°— 28°.

1th. Put in cuttings of Roses, Lantanas, Fuchsias,
Antirrhinums, Petunias, etc. 22° — 28°.

8th. — The same. 1° below zero — 12°.

10th. — Cleared off Bouvardias that have been forcing
for flowers, cutting off the tops and planting the roots
closely together in shallow boxes, and placing them under
the bench. These roots make splendid plants for next
season, or the roots may be cut up for propagating. 12°
— 8°.

llth. — Pricking out Cauliflower and Cabbage into boxes
one and one-half inch deep from the lot sown January
10th. They are placed outside in cold houses or slight
hot-bed and matted up.

12th. — Arranged plants on the benches where the Bou-
vardias and other flowering plants had been growing.
Zero— 26°.

13th. — Continued plunging Roses, as begun on the
first inst., placing them, according to the size of the
plants, at such distance apart as will allow the outside
shoots to be an inch or so from each other. A house full
of Roses in the dormant state when the pots are placed
close to each other should fill, when thinned out, just
double the space, to give them sufficient room to grow.
20°— 32°.

14/&. The same.

loth.— The same.

17^. — Put in cuttings of Phloxes and Chrysanthe-
mums. 14° — 32°.

18^. — Put in cuttings of Begonias, Stevias, Eupatori-
ums, etc., etc., to produce plants to grow in summer for
next winter's flowers.

19^. — Cleared out Carnation plants that have been
forced for flower. As such plants are of but little use

298 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

after they have been thus forced, we find it most profit-
able to throw them away and replace them by young and
fresh stuff. 22°— 30°.

2Qth. — Pricked out rooted cuttings of Carnations one
inch apart in shallow boxes, to economize space; after be-
ing sufficiently rooted in the boxes, they are placed in
cold greenhouses or frames. See Carnations for Cut
Flowers. We find that thus treated and planted out in
the open ground they do quite as well as if they had
been potted, and nearly one-half the space is saved. 30°
—34°.

21s/. — Put in large quantities of the leading bedding
plants, such as Verbenas, Petunias, Heliotropes, Gera-
niums, etc., for succession crops. 36° — 30°.

22d. — Pricking out Cabbage, Cauliflower and Lettuce
from the seed sown January 31st. 26° — 30°.

24#i.— The same. 24°— 16°.

25th. — Put in first Rose cuttings from young wood, of
Borne new sorts that are scarce with us. Finished thin-
ning out and plunging Roses. 17° — 22°.

26th. — Put in cuttings of Lantana, Variegated Gera-
niums, etc.

27^.— The same. 24°— 30°.

28th.— The same. 28°— 26°.

29th. — First sowing of Tomato, Pepper, and Egg Plant
seeds in shallow boxes for spring plants, in a night tem-
perature of 65°. 22°— 20°.

MARCH.

2nd. — Put in first cuttings of Dahlias, new Chrysanthe-
mums, new Fuchsias, etc. Sowed Chinese Primroses,
Calceolaria, Cineraria, and seeds of other plants of this
class, as we find it is better to sow now and carry them
through the summer than to sow, as is often done, in
August. See Chapter on Propagation by Seeds. 12°
—10°.

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOK THE YEAR. 299

3rd. — Pricked off seedling Petunias into shallow boxes
one inch apart each way. Sowed Verbena seeds in shal-*
low boxes; as they germinate slowly, care is taken to
cover with finely-sifted leaf mould to the depth of halt'
an inch, and sprinkle daily, so that they never get dry.
See Propagation of Plants by seeds. Temperature at
night 60° to 65°. Zero— 4°.

4th. — Began to put in Rose cuttings in quantity, care
being taken not to let the bottom heat exceed 65°, with
an atmosphere of 10 or 15 degrees lower. See Propaga-
tion for further details. Zero— 20°.

5th.— The same.

Gth. — Potted off Pelargonium cuttings in good order;
they will make fine, healthy plants by May. Sowed
Zinnias, Asters, and all tender annual seeds. 16° — 33°.

1th. — We are now shipping large quantities of all kinds
of plants, mostly to florists. 32° — 34°.

Mil. — Put in cuttings of all sorts in large quantities.
30°_40°.

Wth. — Second sowing of Tomatoes, Pepper, and Egg
Plant seeds for succession. 32° — 30°.

llth. — Put in Rose cuttings in large quantities. 36°
—25°.

12/A.— The same. 30°— 30°.

13th. — Pricked out in shallow boxes, an inch to an
inch and a half apart, the Tomato, Pepper and Egg
Plants from seeds sown on the 29th ult. Average work
for one hand is about 3,000 plants per day. 36°— 42°.

14^.— The same.

\§th. — Put in cuttings of Dahlias, Fuchsias, etc. 42°
—44°.

17zf/i_ Potted off the Rose cuttings which were put in
on the 25th ult. ; an entire success. 40° — 46°.

18th. — Placed young Carnation plants out in cold
frames, to harden them off, preparatory to planting them
out in the open ground. 38° — 42°.

300 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

19^.— The same. 30°— 40°.

2Qth.— The same. 30°— 34°.

Z2nd. — Continued putting in Eoses and Verbena cut-
tings in large quantities. 28°— 30°.

23r^._The same. 30°— 42°.

%±th. — Pricked out in shallow boxes the Zinnias and
Asters, which were sown on the 6th inst. 30° — 42°.

25th.— Now shipping largely. 3d0— 28°.

25th. — The second sowing of Tomatoes and Egg Plants
was pricked out in boxes. Continued putting in Eose
cuttings in large quantities. 30° — 26°.

27th.— The same. 40°— 44°.

28th. — Pricked out in shallow boxes the seedling plants
of Verbenas that were sown on the 3d inst. 32° — 38°.

30£A. — Putting in cuttings of Clematis and Azaleas,
using the young wood partially firm. 30° — 36°.

31st. — Potted off Eose cuttings that were put in on the
4th inst. 32°— 48°*

APRIL.

l$ft — The Pansy seedlings sown on 29th December
and pricked out in boxes, were now pricked out in cold
frames, and matted up on cold nights. These make fine
plants by middle of May and bloom much better through
the hot weather, than those sown in the fall. Ampelopsis
Veitchii, from seeds sown January 1st, are now being
potted in three inch pots. Selected and shifted stock
plants of Verbenas, Geraniums, Fuchsias, Chrysanthe-
mums, Eoses, etc., to be reserved for stock.

2nd. — Began to plant in the open ground Carnations
and Pinks that are to be kept for our own stock. ( Note.
— May 2nd. Since these have been planted, the ground
has been frozen solid to the depth of four inches, or be-
low the ball of roots, yet not a single plant is killed, or
even injured. The Carnation, be it remembered, is al*

U1ARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR. 801

most a hardy plant, and if not raised too tender, will
stand a great amount of cold without injury. Our lesson
from this, then, is that, if we have plants in the neces-
sary hardy condition, they may be planted out in spring
just as soon as the ground is dry enough to work with
advantage.) 32°— 30°.

3rd. — Potted off Verbenas, and continued planting Cai-
nations outside. 30°— 32°. (Note.— May 2nd. Those
planted from the boxes show quite as well as those that
had been grown in pots.)

4:th. — Put in cuttings largely of Alternantheras,
Coleus, Lantanas, Bouvardia roots, and such cuttings as
require the higher temperature that the brighter sun-
shine now gives. 30°— 48°.

5th. — Began potting off a large quantity of Verbenas
to-day; potted even at this date, they form splendid
plants. 25°— 34°.

1th. — Put in cuttings of Dahlias and Lemon Verbenas,
the latter for next year's stock.

Sth. — Continued making Rose cuttings and potting off
such as are rooted. 45° — 40°.

Mh.— The same. 24°— 36' .

10^.— The same. 28°— 34°.

llth.— The same. 26°— 32.

13^. — Put in cuttings of Lobelia, Pyrethram, and
similar plants, for baskets and vases. 25° — 30°.

] 4*7*.— The same. 40°— 44°.

15th.— Put in cuttings of Coleus, Verbenas, Pelargo-
niums, and Zonale, Variegated, and Eose Geraniums.
It wui be noticed that this date is later than plants are
usually propagated by florists— but every years' business
shows an increasing demand later in the season, and the
plants from these late propagations make excellent
specimens by June. See Succession Crops, page 261.
50°— 60°.

16th.— The same. 48°— 52°.

302 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

\ltJi. — Continued putting in Verbena and Hose cut-
tings, and planted out Carnations in open ground. No
Rose cuttings yet planted out, on account of a very wet
spell. There would be no danger from frost now, were
the ground sufficiently dry. 40° — 44°.

18th. — Putting in large lots of Coleus cuttings.

20th. — Sowed Tomatoes for a succession crop. 44°
—46°.

21s/. — Put in cuttings of Double White Primula, for
fall stock. 42°— 48°.

22nd. — First planting of Roses in the open ground.
Plants in very fine condition. They would have been
planted ten days ago if the ground had been dry. 40°
—52°.

%3rd. — The same.

2Uh.— Put in to-day 20,000 Verbena cuttings. These
will make very fine plants by the end of May. 32° — 44°.

25th. — Put in cuttings of Dahlias and Double Gerani-
ums. 40°— 36°.

27th. — Selected the best Pansies, and planted them out
for seed for stock. 40° — 48°.

28th.— Planted out Roses. 36° — 42°.

29^.— The same. 42°— 46.

3Qth. — Rose cuttings made to-day, later than this,
it is rather uphill work propagating Roses, owing to
the increased heat of the advancing season. 42° — 60°.

MAY.

1st.— Planted out Lilies, Peonies, and other hardy
plants, in open ground, divided Caladium Bulbs ani
potted into two inch pots in leaf mould and sand ; also,
potted and started Tuberous rooted Begonias and Glox-
inias, find these tropical bulbs should not be started
much earlier than this date. 42°— 60°.

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOB THE YEA.R. 303

2nd. — Planted out in open ground seedling Verbenas
from the boxes in which they have been pricked out, at
distances of eighteen inches between the rows, and four
inches between the plants, also, stock plants of named
Verbenas. They are put thus close to admit of rejecting
inferior sorts as they flower. 4G° — 52°.

4/7*. — Pricked out Egg Plants from third sowing, (April
10th) and also potted those previously pricked out in
boxes. Egg plants being rather difficult to transplant,
we prefer to pot them, but there is no such reason for
putting Tomato or Pepper plants in pots. 46° — 54°.

5th. — Potted off root cuttings of Bouvardia in large
quantities. 48° — 52°.

§th. — Planted out in the open ground stock plants of
Variegated and Zonale Geraniums, the ones we have been
propagating from all winter, also the young plants shifted
for new stock. 50° — 53°.

1th. — Put in cuttings of Dahlias, Ooleus and Al-
tcrnanthera, and potted off such as are rooted. 50° — 44°.

8th. — Put in cuttings of Lemon Verbenas for next sea-
son's stock, and pottod off the last of Verbena cuttings
for the season. 42° — 52°.

Wi. — Potted off a general assortment of bedding plants
mostly new, for our own stock. 46° — 54°.

llth.— Planted out Roses largely. 48°— 56°.

12th.— Potted off Rose cuttings. 46°— 50°.

13th. — Potted off the Lemon Verbenas that were put
in on the 7th ult. ; found them too largely rooted, but
had no room to pot off until now. They should have
been potted off ten days ago. 52° — 56°.

IMh.— Put in cuttings of Chrysanthemums, Phloxes,
and Lantanas, for plants for next fall and winter sales,
we find that Chrysanthemum cuttings from healthy stock,
put in now, make plants large enough for six or seven
inch pots by October, if properly shifted. 54° — 55°.

304 PilACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

loth.— The same. 50°— 58°.

IMh. — Budding Eoses on Manetta stock, grown in
three-inch pots.

18^. — Potted off Geraniums, etc., etc. As we are
running short of Egg plants, have put in 2,000 of the
tops as cuttings, as it is too late to sow seed — but the
plan is not advised if it can be avoided. 54° — 56°.

19th. — Potted off Dahlias and Lemon Verbenas. 50°
—54°.

20th.— The same. 52°— 56°.

22nd. — Put in cuttings of Pelargoniums for fall and
winter stock. 52°— 56°.

23rd.— -The same. 54°— 64°.

25th. — Potted off Double White Primulas put in on
the 21st ult., with a loss not exceeding one per cent.
58°_66°.

2Qth. — Planted out stock plants of Petunias, Calceola-
rias, Pentstemons, etc. 57° — 68°.

27th. — Planted out Eoses in large quantities to-day.
58°— 56°.

2Sth. — Shifted winter flowering Eoses from three to
four inch pots. 54° — 60°.

29/7*.— The same. 58°— 64°.

BOth.— The same. 62°— 68°. Divided and planted
out Canna roots in open ground, also Dahlias from green
cut tings together with stock of Coleus, Alternanthera, etc.

JUNE.

1st. — Planted out in shallow benches (having four
inches of soil) stock plants of Eoses from four inch pots,
ten inches apart, these are the plants from which our
summer propagation of Eoses is made. The soil used in
the benches is good loam, without manure. 62° — 66°.

2nd. — Potted off cuttings of Egg Plants that were put
in on the 18th inst. 62°— 66°.

DIALY OF OPERATIONS POi: THC YEAIi. 305

3rd. — Potted Chrysanthemums, Phloxes, and Lan-
tanas, that were pat in on the 14th ult. GO0— 61°.

4/h — Continued to put in Dahlia cuttings. 64° — 68°.

5th. — Planted out our collection of hardy Herbaceous
Plants. G6°— 70°.

6th. — Shaded all glass very slightly by syringing it with
Naptha and White Lead; using only enough to sprinkle
it like rain drops, over such plants as Roses. 68° — 72°.

8th. — Topped Carnation plants that were planted out
on April 2nd, to keep them dwarf and bushy. GO0 — 64°.

9th. — Potted off Roses, Dahlias and double White Prim-
roses. 62°— 66°.

10th.— Repotted stock plants of Double White Prim-
roses. They are kept under glass during summer, and
rather lightly shading the glass from May 1st to Novem-
ber 1st, heavier shading being given during the months
of July and August. 54° — 60°.

Hth. — Shifted the Lemon Verbenas that wore potted
on May 13th from two inch to three and four inch pots,
in which they will remain all summer. Shifted Caladiums
potted May 1st into three and four inch pots. 64° — 68°.

12th. — Washed the soil entirely from the roots of stock
Pelargoniums, which have been exhausted by excessive
cutting for propagation, and potted in a size smaller pots.
66°— 68°.

13th. — Planted out Bouvardias in open ground, at a
distance of nine inches each way. 68° — 70°.

15th. — Finished planting out Roses on benches for
propagation began on the 1st inst. 64° — 66°.

IQth. — Repotted Roses, to be kept in pots during sum-
mer and fall, to force for flowers in winter. 62° — 66°.

ISth.— Planted out stock Dahlias. 66°— 72°.

IQth.— Have continued budding Roses from May 16th
to this date with excellent success.

20th. — Planted out large Roses that had been left un-
sold. 78°-82°.

306 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

22d. — Still propagating Chrysanthemums largely. 60°
—62°.

23d. — First lot of cuttings taken from the Roses planted
on benches on the 1st. 60°— 72°.

24:th. — Planted out what remained of stock plants. 58°
—64°.

25th. — Carnations have been much injured by contin-
ued rains; we observe that they are more susceptible of
injury from wet than almost any other plant grown, con-
sequently all soils on which they are planted should be
well drained, either naturally or artificially. 60° — 68.

2,6th. — Shifted Chrysanthemums, Roses, Bouvardias,
Carnations, Solanums, Geraniums, Primulas, Cyclamens
and such plants as are being grown for fall flowers or for
the sale of plants; all are placed in beds outside and ex-
posed to full sunshine except Primulas, Cyclamens, Cin-
erarias and similar plants, that we find are benefitted by
being shaded with the protecting cloth "sashes" — (see
chapter on Clofch Frames) — or shutters made by tacking
lath on light frames, at an inch and a half apart. These
are placed over the plants in bright, hot days, from ten
to four o'clock. 60°— 66°.

27th. — Repotted different kinds of plants that are kept
in pots for winter, such as Chrysanthemums, Enpatori-
ums, Roses, Poinsettias, Heliotropes, etc. 64° — 76°.

22th. — Potted off last lot of Pelargonium cuttings, for
the season. 66° — 74°.

30^. — Sowed seeds of Hollyhocks, Carnations, etc.

JULY.

1st. — Repotted Roses for winter flowering. Planted out
Roses from five inch pots on benches for winter. See
chapter on Rose Growing in Winter. 68° — 70°.

2d. — Potted off Dahlia cuttings, the last for the season;
later than this, the roots would hardly ripen sufficiently.
66° — 68°.

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE TEAR. 307

3d. — Planted out Chrysanthemums on solid greenhouse
borders, at one foot apart, for fall flowering. Chrysan-
themum cuttings put in at this date will yet make fine
young plants to flower in fall, or to keep over for spring
sales. 72° — 72°.

6tfi. — Shifted Dahlias from two to three-inch pots, where
they will now remain for the season, care being taken,
however, to thin out the shoots and lower leaves, to admit
sufficient air to the roots to ripen the tubers. 72° — 76°.

1th.— The same. 70°— 70°.

8th.— The same. 72°— 78°.

9th.— The same. 74°— 76°.

10th. — Shifted Roses for winter flowering. 76° — 80°.

llth. — Putting in Rose cuttings, largely from stock
plants, planted in benches in June.

13th. — Topped Carnations, to induce a dwarf growth and
prevent them from exhausting themselves now by flower-
ing, as the flowers are required only in winter. 82°-r-88°.

14:th. — Weather exceedingly hot; nothing done but to
water the plants and clean up. 76° — 88°. '

15th. — Planted out Roses from five inch pots on raised
benches for winter flowering. See chapter on Rose Grow-
ing in Winter. 80°— 90°.

IQth.— The same. 88°— 88°.

llth.— The same. 76°— 80°.

18th.— The same. 88°— 88°.

20th.— The same. 70°— 74°.

21st.— The same. 72°— 72°.

Z2d. — Shifted Heliotropes, Chrysanthemums, Roses,
3tc., for winter flowering. 74° — 76°.

23d.— The same. 72°— 74°.

2±th — .Putting in Rose cuttings, largely; have had ex-
cellent success on the first lots, unless in a few cases
where stock was unhealthy. 72° — 72°.

2oth. — Planted out dry bulbs of Tuberoses on benches,
in five inches of well-prepared, rich soil; these we expect

308 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

to flower in December. Every alternate sash is removed
from the eleven feet wide greenhouse, so that they have
almost full exposure to the open air. The same plan is
adopted in those greenhouses where Chrysanthemums are
now planted out from five inch pots, at one foot apart,
for fall flowering. 76°— 80°.

27th. — Repotted Stevia compacta and other winter-
blooming plants. 74° — 76°.

28th. — Layered in two-inch pots Roses of some new
sorts that are scarce. There is little loss in layering Roses
if it is done in small pots sunk in the soil. The practice
is now nearly done away with in all large establishments.
66°— 74°.

29th.— The same.

3Qth. — Shifted Cyclamens and Primroses, and thinned
out the Primroses, spreading them over a larger surface,
to admit air around the pots. 68° — 74°.

3lst. — Pinched out the points of the shoots of Chrys-
anthemums that were planted out on the 3d and 25th
inst., to make them bushy. 70° — 74°

AUGUST.

1st. — Second planting of Tuberoses in the manner done
on the 25th ultimo. Will endeavor to retard this lot by
keeping the soil as dry as possible, the great object being
to delay the flowering until January. 72° — 78°.

3d.— The same.

tih.— The same. 72°— 78°.

5^. — To-day we pot dry roots of Tuberoses, placing
them in a cool shed and keeping them dry. They can
be thus kept in a shed for ten or twelve days, after which
they must be exposed to the open air, but will still be kept
as dry as possible until they begin to grow. They will be
thus kept in pots (two roots in a six-inch pot,) until there
is danger of frost, when they will be planted out in soil
on the benches as the others are. The object of pot-

DIARY OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR. 309

ting them at all is, that their removal to the benches
can be done without injury to the roots, which could not
be effected unless they were first potted. If we had
planted them at once on the bench we do not think we
could keep them back so well, as by placing them in a
partially shaded place in the open air. — Cut over for the
last time this season those Carnations that are wanted to
produce flowers in December and January. 70° — 76°.

6th. — Shifted winter-flowering plants of all kinds.
Began to withhold water from Hybrid Roses grown in
pots, so that they can be started in October, to flower in
January. See Rose Growing in Winter. 70° — 78°.

7th. — Removed Hybrid Tea Roses, such as Bennett,
La France and American Beauty, that have been grown
in eight-inch pots, outside in open air, to the shelter of
the greenhouse. 70°— 76°.

8^/i. — Continued to put in large lots of Rose cuttings,
from stock plants grown in benches. 72° — 74°.

Wth. — Potted off cuttings, and shifted into larger pots,
Chrysanthemum laciniatum (the winter-flowering vari-
ety). 72°— 76°.

11^. — Continued to pinch back late kinds of Chrysan-
themums. 74° — 78°.

12th.— The same. 60°— 64°.

13M. — put in green cuttings of Bouvardia, Cissus, etc.
54°_60°.

l±th. — Shifted for the last time this season Roses that
are to be used for winter flowering. 55° — 62°.

152A. — Put in largely, at this date, cuttings of the
leading kinds of Alternantheras; it is most important to
do so now, if a large stock is wanted as, unless under very
high temperature, this plant cannot be grown, so that it
can be propagated in winter. It is easily propagated in
May, but it is then too late.

17$. Shifted Eupatoriums, Stevias, Poinsettias, and

other winter-flowering plants,for the last time this season.

310 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

The next shifting will be from the pots to planting out in
the benches. 66° — 74°.

18lh. — Washed the soil from the roots of Roses that
have become "pot bound," and repotted in new pots
with fresh soil. This practice we find very effectual to
recuperate all plants that have been stunted by any cause
whatever. 64°— 72°.

\Wi. — Topped Bouvardias, to keep them dwarf and
delay the flowering until the winter months. 70° — 80°.

2Qth. — Put in cuttings of Abutilons, Begonias, Hibis-
cus, Moonflowers, Passifloras, Salvias, Trapaeolums, Ivy,
Geraniums and several assortments of bedding plants;
also cuttings of Crotons, Dracenas and tropical plants
grown inside. 75°— 72°.

21st.— The same. 72°— 70°.

22d.— The same. 68°— 70°.

24:th. — Put in green cuttings of Bouvardias, Cissus,
Clerodendrons, and other plants of a tropical nature.
(Note. — September 5th. This resulted successfully).
70°— 76°.

25th. — Cut down stock plants of Pelargoniums, and
put in the shoots as cuttings. The Pelargoniums have
been kept under glass all summer, slightly shaded, and
have ripened their shoots finely, so that, no doubt, nearly
every cutting will grow. Great difficulty is always found
with the rooting of Pelargoniums that have been planted
out. The cut down plants will, of course, receive no
water until they begin to grow. 68° — 74°.

%Gth. — Stirred up the surface of the Rose benches to
the depth of about one inch. 68° — 74°.

27th. — Repotted Poinsettia, Heliotrope, Eupatorium
elegans, and stock plants of Lantanas, for the last time
until they are placed in winter quarters. 64° — 72°.

%8th. — Shook out and overhauled stock Fuchsias that
have been injured by exposure outdoors to heavy rains.
72°— 75°.

DIAltY OF OPERATIONS FOll THE YEAR. 3H

29th. — Cut back and top dressed Verbenas, to induce
healthy growth of cuttings. See chapter on Verbena
70°— 74°.

31st. — Cut down stock Heliotropes and put in the cut-
tings. 70°— 74°.

SEPTEMBER.

1st. — Potted off cuttings of new Bouvardias that were
put in on the 13th instant, only about one-half of which
have rooted, owing to too high a temperature. 72° — 80°.

2d. — Shifted Roses thus early, so that they may become
sufficiently rooted in the pots to force for winter flowers.
65°— 70°.

3d. — Cut back Petunias, shrubby Calceolarias, etc., to
produce young shoots for cuttings, which they will do by
the end of the month. The hard growth of the flowering
shoots, or even the ordinary growth of the blind shoots
made in summer, is too hard for the purpose. See the
necessary condition of the cutting in chapter on Propaga-
tion. 56°— 60°.

4*A,— Continued to stir up the surface of the Rose
benches- 50°— 61°.

5th. — Lifted and potted Bouvardias from the open
ground and placed them against a north wall outdoors.
Careful attention is necessary in shading and watering
until they begin to root. 55° — 58°.

7th.— The same. 64°— 62°.

8th. — Put in cuttings of Mrs. Pollock and other Golden
tricolored Geraniums in propagating house. The propa-
gation of all classes of Geraniums will be continued
from the plants growing outdoors, from now to the end
of the month. The plants of such as are wanted for stock
are lifted and potted, as soon as cut down for cuttings.
60°— 61°.

312 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

CHAPTER LVII.
THE CULTURE OF GRAPE VINES UNDER GLASS.

In the previous editions of this work I have included
a chapter on Hothouse Grape Culture, and though it is
outside of the legitimate scope of the book, yet I have
found that not only are quite a number of florists them-
selves, (particularly in the vicinity of the large summer
resorts), find it profitable to combine the growing of
Grapes with their flower business, and in addition, in
many sections of the country the patrons of the florists
often desire to add a Grapery to their establishment, and
look to the florist for information on this subject, which
he does not often possess.

It is many years since I have had personal experience
in the growing of grapes under glass, and this was so
limited that I feel incompetent to do justice to the subject,
even in the short treatise that my restricted space here
will permit. For this reason I have called in the assist-
ance of my life-long friend, Mr. Hugh Wilson, of Salem,
Mass., whose knowledge of the subject is, perhaps, equal
to that of any one in this country.

THE LOCATION OF THE VINERY.

As with all glass structures, the vinery should, when-
ever practicable, be in a situation sheltered from the
north and west, and if the ground is gently sloping to-
wards the south-east so much the better.

THE BORDER

or soil in which the vines are to be planted, is an all im-
portant matter. It is rarely that the natural soil is of
such a character as would serve the purpose, and hence,
in nearly every case, it is nesessary to prepare the ma^

CULTURE OF GRAPE VINES UNDER GLASS. 313

terials for the " border. " The usual rule laid down is,
to take of the top spit (or spade's depth), from an old
pasture, as the main material of the border — say three
parts; lime rubbish, charcoal, scrapings from a paved
street, or oyster shells broken up, one part ; rotted stable
manure one part, with perhaps one ton of crushed bones
added to every twenty tons of this border compost.
Something depends upon the soil of the pasture fi-om
which the top spit is taken; if it is a heavy, adhesive loam,
more in proportion of the lime rubbish or street scrapings
should be added, as it is all important that when the or-
ganic substances of the manure or fibers of the sod are
rotted away, that the material forming the border should
not become sodden or solid, so that it would be retentive
of water and impervious to air. For this reason, when
choice can be made, the pasture from which this turfy top
spit is taken, should be of ashaly or calcareous character.
If the whole material for the border can be prepared a
year before using so much the better; let it be repeated-
ly turned so as to mix the different ingredients thorough-
ly. This is not indispensable, however, as we have often
used the compost fresh with nearly as good results.

THE EXCAVATION FOR THE BORDER

should be made from 16 to 20 inches deep, and of the
width of the grapery itself ; that is, if the grapery is a
span roof, 20 feet wide — the border on each side should
not be made less than 10 feet wide to begin with — and in
two or three years should be extended to double that
width. If the house is a " lean to, " 15 or 20 feet outside.
For a span roof, make it the same distance on each side
outside. Above everything, it is indispensable that this
excavation be thoroughly drained — it should be formed
so that the bottom slopes about one foot in twenty to the
outside of the border, and there a drain should be placed of
sufficient capacity as to quickly carry off all surplus from

314 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

the rains that may fall on the border. Perhaps the safest
and simplest plan to prevent the roots getting through
into the cold subsoil is to cement the bottom of this ex-
cavation. One inch of thickness of cement is enough,
When this is done the border material may be thrown in-
filling it up five or six inches higher than th-3 general
level to allow for settling. Be careful never to handle
the materials for the border in wet weather.

OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE VINERY

little may be here said, as there are now architects in
every large city, fully competent to give plans. I will
simply say that for early forcing, or perhaps in all
graperies where artificial heat is used, the lean-to or one-
sided structure is preferable, or what is more sightly and
will answer equally well, is the two-third span green-
house now considered the best model for Rose forcing.
(See Greenhouse Structures.) While for cold graperies,
or those not heated artificially, the curvilinear or span-
roofed is the best. (See Green-house Structures.) The
" lean-to" or "two-third span" may be 18 or 20 feet
wide, and of any desired length, giving a length of rafter
from 20 to 24 feet. When the curvilinear span for cold
vineries are used, the base width may be 25 feet, which
will give about 15 feet of rafter on each side.

PLANTING THE VINE.

Amateurs planting graperies, commonly desire to pro-
duce vines that are two or three years old, but such as
have had much experience with stocking new graperies,
know that a one-year-old vine that is well ripened, better
answers the purpose than those of greater age; in fact it
is a question whether a vine started from an eye in Feb-
ruary or March, and planted in June, will not by Sep-
tember make as fine a cane as one of any greater age.
As such vines are not very easily transportable or even
procurable at all by beginners, the best thing they can do

CULTURE OF GRAPE VINES UNDER GLASS. 315

is to procure well-grown one-year-old vines and plant
them in spring, but not too early — say May in this lati-
tude, or just when their buds are beginning to start if
kept, as they should have been, in a cool place. It is
best to shake the soil from the ball of the young vines
that have been grown in pots, although the disentangle-
ment or spreading of the roots, to which so much im-
portance is by some attached, is of no consequence. In
planting it has ever been my practice to set the roots out-
side, drawing the tops through the apertures formed in
the wall, a little higher than the border inside the house
(if there is one). The distance apart at which the vines
should be planted is three feet. Strong galvanized wire
should be run horizontally fifteen inches across the rafters
and fifteen inches from the glass, on which to train the
vines.

I may here state to such as may object to outside
planting for hot house or forcing graperies, that I have
grown vines so planted for twenty years in succession, and
never failed to have a satisfactory crop. And do not
think it of any importance to prepare borders inside of
the house where the exclusion of the light when the
vines are in full leaf, must render the value of the roots
inside of but little importance. In early forcing of
course, sufficient leaves or manure must be used to cover
the border to exclude all frost.

Firing begun about the first of February. But for
earlier forcing, say that beginning in December or
January, it is necessary to heat such a border by the
use of hot manure or leaves, which must be in sufficient
depth to ferment ; and it must be covered with boards in
winter so as to throw off rain. The treatment of

VINES THE FIRST SEASON

is very simple, presuming they have been planted in May
and were cut back to two or three buds inside the front

316 PRACTICAL FLOKICULTUIIE.

wall. Select the strongest growth from one of these
buds, tying it to the wires as it grows, and pinching off
to one leaf the laterals or side shoots which it will throw
out above the first joint, until it reaches the top of the
house, after which let it revel at will.

THE SECOND SEASON.

After planting, this single shoot or cane should be cut
down to the foot of the rafter, from which a shoot will
be allowed to grow as on the previous season. Vines are
not allowed to fruit in their first year's growth. When
the vines, however, are strong and well ripened, instead
of cutting them down as above stated, I have adopted the
following plan of fruiting the shoot, with good success:

On well-grown vines the shoot or cane will be well
ripened, seven or eight feet from bottom of the rafter;
this shoot is "layered" by being twisted once round (in
order to check the flow of sap), in a twelve-inch pot,
which is filled up with vine border compost; roots will
be emitted from this "layer" sufficient to sustain and
mature the fruit, and as good a shoot will grow from be-
low the layer as if it had been cut down, as is usually
done; and if the young cane has been well matured the
previous season, a good crop will be secured with no in-
jury to the part of the vine relied on for permanent use.
The layer after fruiting may be thrown away or cut off
and used as a plant.

[The plan is often adopted by those planting new gra-
peries to use the space that otherwise would be useless by
fruiting vines in pots, so that from the first erection of
the grapery, fruit can be obtained. Such vines are spe-
cially prepared for this purpose and can usually be ob-
tained from those who make a specialty of growing hot-
house grape vines. They should be such as are grown in
ten-inch pots, and should have the canes thoroughly
ripened, and not less than an inch in circumference.

CULTURE OP GRAPE VINES UNDER GLASS. 317

Such shoots should bo cut back to four or five feet, and
be allowed to bear from four to eight pounds of grapes,
according to their strength. They should be fruited in
the pots in which they are grown; not shifted; but when
well started into growth, may be fed with manure water.
Such vines cost from two and a half dollars to five dollars
each, according to size. The Black Hamburg is the best
to use for this purpose. — P. H.]

THE THIRD SEASON.

At the pruning of the ripe wood, instead of cutting the
vine down to a third of its length, or five feet on a fifteen
foot rafter, I think it preferable to leave two-thirds, and
if the vine is strong and well-matured it will break freely,
but allow it to bear only a light crop. By doing this, I
have found the strength of the vine better equalized, as
a strong vine when shortened to five feet, is apt to make
a stronger growth on the following season, leaving the
lower part comparatively weak.

THE FOURTH SEASON.

A full crop may be taken, which should be about
eighteen or twenty pounds to each rafter of fifteen feet in
length.

TRAINING THE VINE.

In this short series I will confine myself to the "spur
system," which is the easiest to be comprehended by those
beginning the culture of the vine. It is done in this way:
presuming that the vine has reached its "third season,"
and has been cut back to say ten feet from the foot of the
rafter, the cane is allowed to branch or spur at each
joint or eye, a shoot from the upper part of the cane ia
allowed to run to the top of the house, which completes
the length of the cane. The side shoots, or bearing wood,

318 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

are cut back, or spurred to one eye. The vine is now
complete. The upper part will bear its first crop on its
next season's growth; the bearing wood when next pruned
will be cut back as before to one eye, and so on annually
the side branches or bearing wood to be cut back to one
eye, the bunches of fruit being borne on the spurs annu-
ally.

IN FORCING VINERIES.

The temperature to start with should be from fifty to
fifty-five degrees at night, with a day temperature of ten
or fifteen degrees higher, increasing ten degrees when the
buds are fairly broken, which will be in about a month
from time of starting; in six or seven week? more, the
fruit will be set and the temperature may be raised ten
degrees more, and so continued. Next in importance to
temperature is

MOISTURE.

The vine luxuriates in what gardeners call a "'tropical
atmosphere," and during the whole period of its growth,
particularly in our arid climate, the grapery should be
copiously syringed twice a day with water of the temper-
ature of the house, until the first young leaves are formed.
Besides this, evaporating pans placed on the pipes should
at all times be kept full of water. In cold vineries, where
there are no pipes, water should be freely dashed all over
the floor; this necessity for moisture occurs during the
whole period of the growth of the vine until the fruit is
beginning to ripen, except that at the time the vines are
in flower, it must be discontinued, as a dry atmosphere
'is best fitted for the proper fertilizing action of the pol-
len. I have long believed the cause of

RUST ON THE GRAPE,

Is an excess of moisture at the time of the " setting "
of the fruit; the " flower," the cup of petals, instead of

CULTURE OF GRAPE VINES UNDER GLASS. 319

dropping off will, in a moist atmosphere, adhere to the
forming berry, and while being forced off by the growth
of the latter, it leaves its impression on the tender skin,
which increases in size as the berry grows and results in
the well known mark on the matured fruit called from
its appearance "rust."

It is a good plan to jar the wire or trellis to which tha
vines are tied, when they are in flower, so as to cause a
movement of the pollen through the house. This will be
found to greatly assist in "setting" the fruit of such
varieties as Muscat of Alexandria, which does not some-
times set freely.

THINNING.

Only one bunch of grapes should be left on each
spur or shoot, if large bunches are desired. The
berries should be thinned when they are not larger
than peas ; if left until the bunches are crowded, the
process of thinning is not only much slower but the
berries are more apt to be bruised. I have long been
guided in thinning grapes by the fact (and one I think
not generally noticed), that the flowers of the grape are
produced in sets of three. In cases where each of the
three flowers form a berry, two may be safely cut out in
thinning; but in many instances two only are formed,
and sometimes only one, which the operator must take
into consideration in thinning. With large clusters it is
necessary to cut away entirely from the heart of the bunch
many of these sets of three alluded to. The large bunches
of some of the varieties ought to be "shouldered." that
is, the shoulders, or loose and overhanging portions of
the clusters, are to be tied up from the main body of the
bunch, giving opportunity for fuller development. This
is especially necessary with Hamburgs and Muscats.

320 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE.

SUMMER PRUNING

Should commence just before the vines are in flower.
The shoot may be shortened to one joint above the
bunch intended to be left. The laterals which grow be-
low the bunch must be rubbed off, while that which
grows by the bunch and above it is to be left and short-
ened to one joint. When the laterals have again made a
few leaves they need to be again shortened in the same
•way, all through the season while the vine continues to
grow.

MULCHING THE BORDER

Is always beneficial if not indispensable to the well-
being of the grapery, not only to protect the roots from
being frozen in winter, but also because when such fer-
tilizing materials as stable manure is used, the roots are
drawn to the surface of the border, which greatly con-
duces to the health of the vine and the quality of the
fruit.

PROTECTING THE VINES IN COLD GRAPERIES

Is of great benefit.- About the simplest way to do so
is to run a board along eighteen inches or so from the
front wall. After pruning the vines (which may be done
at any time after they drop their leaves), they are to be
taken down from the wires and laid down between this
boarJing and the front wall, and the space entirely filled
up with soil or sand. It is necessary, though, to watch
that ground mice do not get to the vines, as they might
destroy them by eating the bark. We have found that
vines so covered up keep admirably, and that the plan is
less liable to draw vermin than when they are covered
with straw or hay. They are usually covered up about
the middle of December, and are not uncovered or other-
wise disturbed until the first of May, when they are lifted

CULTURE OF GRAPE VINES UNDErt GLASS. 321

up and tied to the wires, and started as before described.
In cases where it is not practicable to cover with sand or
soil, the vines can be laid down snugly along the front
wall and covered up with mats or bagging; but in either
manner of covering up the grapery must be freely venti-
lated during the warm part of the day, unless in ex-
tremely cold weather.

VARIETIES.

The varieties that I consider to be best suited for a
cold vinery of fifty feet in length, requiring twenty-one
permanent vines, would be: twelve Black Ham burgs, two
White Frontignac, two Forster's White Seedling, two
Purple Constautia, two Muscat Hamburg, one Koyal
Ascot.

FOR VINES FOR FORCING. — Ten Black Hamburg, two
Grizzly Frontignac, two Victoria Hamburg, two Golden
Hamburg, one Buckland Sweetwater, two Muscat of
Alexandria, two Cannon Hall Muscat; the last two at
hottest end.

I regret the necessity of being compelled to compress
these notes into so limited a space, being well aware that
many of the points alluded to should have been more
fully treated. But I trust what has been said may be of
some benefit in guiding beginners who are entirely with-
out any knowledge of grape culture under glass. To the
experienced grape-grower it contains few facts but thoss
he already knows, and is, no doubt, wanting in many that
he is familiar with.

INDEX.

Baskets for Packing. .264

Baskets of Flowers 220

Bouquets, Making of. 217

Bulbs for Winter Flowers. 175

Calendar of Operations 282

Cellars for Winter Protection .. 72
Chimneys, Danger of Wooden _. 87
City or Village Lot, Desist for. 81
Cold Frames —Winter Protec-
tion.. 91

Colors, Nature's Law of 256

Conservatory Attached to Dwell-
ing—Heating 104

Cuttings, Dahlia, i . - 122

Fungus of the Bench 126

Medium for 124

Plants Propagated from 120

Potting of 125

Proper Condition of 1 21

Boot ---123

Temperature for 124

Time Required to Root 127

Ventilation of- 125 I

Where to Cut — .123

Dahlia Cuttings 122

Designs in Straw, Willow and

Wire for Floral Work . .236

Decoration of Rooms 213

Diary of Operation s 282

For January 294

February 296

March .298

April 300

May .302

June .....304

" July.- 306

" August 308

" September 282-311

" October 286

" November 289

" December... 292

Diseases Affecting Plants 267

Drainage in Pots 68

Dryness, Degrees of- 60

Dwellings, Greenhouses Attach-
ed to - 88

" Excelsior " Packing Material. 263
Expert Garden Workmen 69

Floriculture, The Profits of 19

Florist, How to Become a 9

Flower Baskets 220

Flower Beds, Designs for 48-54

In, or at Junction of Walks 45

The Planting of 46

Flower Garden, Designs for 31

Design for 39

Laying out the 30

Flowers, What, Will Grow in

Shade 259

Flues, Building of 86

Foliage, Plants for 211

Funeral Designs 227

Fungus of the Cutting Bench. .126

Garden, Aspect and Soil 22

Workmen, Expert 69

Gardening as a Business 10

Begin Moderately. 14

How to Begin,... 10

Grape Vines. See Vineries.
Grape Vines, Culture of, Under

Glass 312

Greenhouse, A Very Simple 89

Heating by Both Flue and

Pipes 79

Heating by Hot Water 77

Plants 215

Structures 76

Succession Crops in .261

Greenhouses, Attached to Dwell-
ings 88

Base-burning Water Heater 103

Cheap, How to Heat 83

"Cloth" Instead of Glass

for 90

Costof 88

Construction of Walls 97

Glass, Glazing and Shading 98

Heating by Flues 83

Heating by Steam 101

Modes of Heating - 100

Of Three-quarter Span 94

Upon a Slope 95

Hanging Baskets 240

Heating with Return Flue 84

Hotbeds, Construction of 74

Insects Attacking Plants 367

(322)

INDEX.

INSECTS, DISEASES, ETC 267

Angle Worms.. 279

Ants 278

Aphis, Aphides 270

Black 272 .

Blue. 270 !

Green ..271

Aramigus Fullcrii .269

Black Aphis.. 272

Black Rust on Verbena 276

Blue Aphis... 270

Carnation Twitter 277

European Sparrow 268

Fly. Green 271

Sreen Fly 271

Macrodactylis subspinosa.-.Zffi)

Mealy Bug 276

Mildew .280

Mite, Verbena 274

Pyrethrum, for Insects 268

Red Spider 272

Rose Bug 269

Rose Bug of Greenhouse- ..269

Rose Slug 267

Scale Insects, Brown and

White ....276

Selandria rosce. 267

Slug, Rose 267

Slugs 278

Snails 278

Soap, Whale-oil .267

Spider, Red 272

Sulphide of Calcium for Mil-
dew.. ....281

Thrips 277

Tobacco for Insects. 271

Verbena, Black Rust of 276

Mite 274

Whale-oil Soap 267

White Hellebore for In-
sects.-. -.268

Worms, Angle. 279

Lawn, Fertilizer for -. 28

On a Sloping Bank 26

Seed for. 27

Weeds in 29

Lawns, Preparation for New... 24

Renovation of Old 29

Layering in the Air 133

London, Window Gardening in 246

Mail, Sending Plants by 265

Moisture and Temperature 57

Packing. Baskets for 264

InEurope--. 264

Material, " Excelsior " 263

Plants 263

Parlor Gardening 242

Plants, Are They Injurious to

Health.:. .—252

Plants by Mail 265

Packing of 263

Plants Sold in Spring. 151

Auriculas 152

Cowslips 152

Daisies 151

Forget-Me-Nots 152

Myosotis 152

Pansies 151

Primroses 151

Plants Injured by Forcing .254

Potting of.. 63

To be Raised from Seeds... 119

PLANTS :

Alyssum, Sweet 200

Ampelopsis tricuspidata... 117

Veitchii _ 117

Antirrhinum 114

Asparagus, Climbing 212

Asparagus tenuissimits 212

Aster 117

Azaleas ..203

Balsams 118

Double .197

Begonias, sorts 198

Bermuda Lily 182

Eignoniajasminvides 200

venusta .200

Bou vardias 195

Cak-eolaria .118

"CallaLily" 180

Camellias 208

Canna Indica 114

Carnation 118

Carnation s for winter flow-
ering 193

Centauiea - 117

Chinese Primrose 208

Chrysanthemums, early 192

For cut flowers 191, 192

Late .192

Cineraria- 117, 113

Cobcea scandens 114

Coleus... 115

Daffodils 170

Delphinium 117

Dianthus 116

Easter Lily 183

Ericas 204

Eucharis. 209

Eupatoriums 1 98

Euphorbia, jacqitiniflora 198

splendens 193

Ferns... - 213

Climbing 213

Ferneries 249

Freesia refracta alba 185

Fuchsias 199

324

PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE*

Plants :

Geraniums 208

Apple scented 213

Lemon scented -222

Rose scented 123

Zonale .115

Health, Are Plants Injuri-
ous to? 254

Heaths 204

Heliotropes 197

Hot-house Plants 216

Indian Shot -114

Jasminum -199

Lantana 1.115

Larkspur 117

Lilium Harrisi 182

lily, Bermuda.- .182

Easter 182

Of the Amazon 209

Of the Nile 185

Of the Valley 180

Lobelia ...-115

Lygodium scandens 212

Mignonette -200

Myrsiphyllum asparagoides.217
Narcissus. Incomparable,

Double 176

Narcissus Trumpet Major-Ma
Nature's Law of Colors .... 256

Orchids 204

Pansy -115

Petunia. 116

Poinsettia .198

Polyanthus Narcissus. 176

Primrose, Chinese 238

Primula -- 118

Pyrethrum, Golden 117

Itichardia ^Ethiopica 185

Roman Hyacinths, four

kinds -180

Sage, Scarlet 116

Salvia splcndens - 116

Scarlet Sage. 116

Smilax 217

Snap-Dragon 114

Stevias 196

Stove Plants 216

Sweet Alyssum -..200

Tropaeolum .209

Tuberoses 185

Tuberose, "the Pearl" 186

Tulips.. -179

Verbena -.-116

Violets as winter flowers -.189

Zonale Geraniums 115

Pots, Drainage in 68

Potting of Plants. 63

Soils for 54

Prices, Abroad and at Home... 15

Profits of Floriculture 19

Propagation, The Saucer Sys-
tem 129

Of Plants by Seeds 106

Soft-wooded Plants in Sum-
mer 131

" Protecting Cloth " for Frames 73

Roads and Walks 37-38

Rockwork .250

Rooms, Decoration of 213

Plants for 214

Root Cuttings 123

Rosebuds in Summer 173

Roses, Diseases and Insects Af-
fecting - 173

Roses, Distance to Plant 161

Forcing..- 157

Garden Culture of. 170

Growing in Winter .155

Houses for 156

Hybrid Perpetual s 165

Hybrid Perpetuate in Solid

Beds 167

Layering in Pots 140

Mildew Attacking the 167

Propagation by Cuttings... 135
Propagation by Grafting

and Budding 141

Propagation by Layering.. .139
Propagation in the South-
ern States 139

Pruning 163

Shading the House 170

Soil and Benches 160

Solid Beds and Raised

Benches 156

The Rose-bug of the Green-
house 168

Varieties to Force 163

Ventilation of Houses 160

Watering and Mulching 161

Saucer System with Cuttings.. 127
Seeds, Flowers Best Grown

from 114

What Varieties Come Time

From? 110

Shade, What Flowers Grow in.259

Soils for Potting 54

Spring, Plants Most in Demand,

etc.... .143

Fancy Pelargoniums 147

Other Plants 147

Roses 144

Zonal Geraniums 145

Succession Crops in Green-
houses 261

Summer, Propagating Soft-
Wooded Plants in 131

Temperature and Moisture 57

INDEX.

Verandas. Plants for 214

Verbena, Culture of 148

The "Rust" in. .150

Vineiy, The Border. 313

Forcing Vineries 318

Location 312

Moisture in. 318

Mulching the Border. 330

Planting the Vines.. .314

Protecting the Vine 320

Rust on the Grape 318

Summer Pruning. 319

Thinning 319

Training the Vine.. 317

Varieties of Grapes 321

Vines, The First Season-.. 315

Vinery— Vines, The Second Sea-
son 316

The Third Season 317

The Fourth Season 317

Wardian Cases 248

Wide Greenhouses for Bedding
Plants and Rose Grow-
ing. 93

Window Decorations, Plants in

Demand for 153

Window Gardening 242

In London 176

Winter Flowering Plants 154

Winter Protection, Cellar for. . 72
Cold Frames 71

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history of the rose. New and revised edition. In his work upon the
rose, Mr. Parsons has gathered up the curious legends concerning
the flower, and gives us an idea of Ihe esteem in which it was hi- Id in
former times. A simple garden classification has been adopted «nd
the leading varieties under each class enumerated and briefly
described. The chapters on multiplication, cultivation, and training
are very full, and the work is altogether one of the mcst complete
before the public. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo .1.1.0

Heinrich's Window Flower Garden.

The author is a practical florist, and this enterprising volume cm-
bodies his personal experiences in Window Gardening during a lon^
period. New and enlarged edition. By Julius J. Heinrich. Fully
Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo 75

Liautard's Chart of the Age of the Domestic Animals.

Adopted by the United States Army. Enables one to accurately de-
termine the age of horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, and pigs 50

Pedder's Land Measurer for Farmers.

A convenient Pocket Companion, showing at once the contents of
any piece of land, when its length and width are known, up to 1,500
feet either way, with various other useful farm tables. Cloth, 18mo;

How to Plant and What to Do with the Crops.

With other valuable hints for the Farm, Garden and Orchard. By
Mark W. Johnson. Illustrated. CONTENTS : Times for Sowing Seeds :
Covering Seeds ; Field Crops ; Garden or Vegetable Seeds, Sweet
Herbs, etc.; Tree Seeds ; Flower Seeds ; Fruit Trees; Distances Apart
for Fruit Trees snci Shrubs ; Profitable Farming ; Green or Manuring
Crops ; Root Crops; Forage Plants ; What to do with the Crops ; The
Rotation of Crops; Varieties; Paper Covers, post-paid.... 50

Your Plants.

Plain and Practical Directions for the Treatment of Tender and Hardy
Plants in the House and in the Garden. By James Sheehan. Tho
above title well describes the character of the work—" Plain and Prac-
tical." The author, a commercial florist and gardener, has endeavored,
in this work, to answer the many questions asked by his customers, as
to the proper treatment of plants. The book shows all through that
its author is a practical man, and he writes as one with a large store
of experience. The work better meets the wants of the amateur who
grows a few plants in the window, or has a small flower Garden, than
a larger treatise intended for those who cultivate plants upon a more
extended -scale. Price, post-paid, paper covers —

Husmann's American Grape-Growing and Wine-Making.

By George Husmann of Talcoa vineyards, Napa, California. New and
enlarged edition. With contributions from well-known grape-growers,
giving a wide ransre of experience. The author of this book is n
recognized authority on the subject. Cloth, 12mo... 1.50

The Scientific Angler.

A general and instructive work on Artistic Angling, by the lato David
Foster Complied by his Sons. With an Introductory Chapter and
Copious Foot Notes, by William C. Harris, Editor of Ihe " American
Angler." Cloth, 12mo i-50

6 STANDARD BOOKS.

Keeping One Cow.

A collection of Prize Essays, and selections from a number of other
Essays, with editorial notes, suggestions, etc. This book gives the
latest information, and in a clear and condensed form, upon the man-
agement of a single Milch Cow. Illustrated with full-page engrav-
ings of the most famous dairy cows. Recently published. Cloth,
12mo - - - 1.00

Law's Veterinary Adviser

A Guide to the Prevention and Treatment of Disease in Domestic
Animals. This is one of the best works on ttis subject, and is especi-
ally designed to supply the need of the busy American Farmer, who
can rarely avail himself of the advice of a Scientific Veterinarian. It
is brought up to date and treats of the Prevention of Disease, as well
as of the Remedies. By Prof. Jas. Law. Cloth, Crown 8vo 3.00

Guenon's Treatise on Milch Cows.

A Treatise on the Bovine Species in General. An entirely new trans-
lation of the last edition of this popular and instructive book. By
Thos. J. Hand, Secretary of the American Jersey Cattle Club. With
over 100 Illustrations, especially engraved for this work. Cloth, 12mo.

1.00

The Cider Maker's Handbook.

A complete guide for making and keeping pure cider. By J. M. Trow-
bridge. Fully Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo 1.00

Long's Ornamental Gardening for Americans.

A treatise on Beautifying Homes, Rural Districts, and Cemeteries. A
plain and practical work at a moderate price, with numerous illus-
trations, and instructions so plain that they may be readily followed.
By Elias A. Long. Landscape Architect. Illustrated. Cloth, 12ino.

2.00

The Dogs of Great Britain, America and Other Countries.

New, enlarged and revised edition. Theii1 breeding, training and
management, in health and disease ; comprising all the essential parts
of the two standard works on the dog, by " Stonehenge," thereby fur-
nishing for $2 what once cost 811-25. Contains Lists of all Premiums
given at the last Dog Shows. It Describes the Best Game and Hunt-
ing Grounds in America. Contains over One Hundred Beautiful En-
gravings, embracing most noted Dogs in both Continents, making to-
gether, with Chapters by American Writers, the most Complete Dog
Book ever published. Cloth, 12mo - 2.00

Stewart's Feeding Animals.

By Elliot W. Stewart. A new and valuable practical work upon the
laws of animal growth, specially applied to the rearing and feeding
horses, cattle, diary cows, sheep and swine. Illustrated. Cloth, 12mo.

2.00

How to Co-operate.

A Manual for Co-operators. By Herbert Myrick. This book describes
the how rather than the wherefore of co-operation. In other words it
tells how to manage a co-operative store, farm or factory, and co-op-
erative dairying, banking: and fire insurance, and co-operative farmers'
and women's exchanges for both buying anil selling. The directions
given are based on the actual experience of successful co-operative en-
terprises in all parts of the United States. The character and useful-
ness of the book commend it to the attention of all men and women
who desire to better their condition. 12ino. Cloth 1.50

STANDARD BOOKS. 7

Batty's Practical Taxidermy and Home Decoration.

By Joseph H. Batty, taxidermist for the government surveys and
many colleges and museums in the United States. An entirely new
and complete as well as authentic work on taxidermy— giving in
detail full directions for collecting and mounting animals, birds, rep-
tiles, fish, insects, and general objects of natural history. 125 illus-
trations. Cloth, 12mo 1.50

Stewart's Irrigation for the Farm, Garden, and Orchard.

New and Enlarged Edition. This work is offered to thosu Americnn
Farmers, and oilier cultivators of the soil, who from painful expe-
rience can readily appreciate the losses which result from the scarcity
of water at critical periods. By Henry Stewart. Fully illustrated.
Cloth, 12mo 1.50

Johnson's How Crops Grow.

New Edition, entirely rewritten. A Treatise on the Chemical Compo-
sition, Structure, and Life of the Plant. Revised Edition. This book
is a guide to the knowledge of agricultural plants, their composition,
their structure, and modes of development and growth ; of the com-
plex organization cf plants, and the use of the parts ; the germination
of seeds, and the food of plants obtained both from the air and the
soil. The book is an invaluable one to all real students of agricul-
ture. With numerous illustrations and tables of analysis. By Prof.
Samuel W. Johnson, of Yale College. Cloth, 12mo 2.00

Johnson's How Crops Feed.

A treatise on the Atmosphere and the Soil, as related in the Nutrition
of Agricultural Plants 'The volume — the companion and complement
to " How Crops Grow," — has been welcomed by those who appreciate
scientific aspects of agriculture. Illustrated. By Prof. Samuel W.
Johnson. Cloth, 12mo 2.00

Warington's Chemistry of the Farm.

Treating with the utmost clearness and conciseness, and in the most
popular manner possible, of the relations of Chemistry to Agriculture,
and providing a welcome manual for those, who, while not having
time to systematically study Chemistry, will gladly have such an idea
as this gives them of its relation to operations on the farm. By R.
Warington, F. C. S. Cloth, 12mo 1.00

French's Farm Drainage.

The Principles, Process, and Effects of Draining Land, with Stones,
Wood, Ditch-plows, Open Ditches, and especially with Ties; includ-
ing Tables of Rainfall, Evaporation, Filteration, Excavation, Capacity
of Pipes, cost and number to the acre. By Judge French, of New
Hampshire. Cloth, ]2mo..-

Hunter and Trapper.

The best modes of Hunting and Trapping are fully explained, and
Foxes, Deer, Bears, etc., fall into his traps readily by following his
directions. By Halsey Thrasher, an old and experienced sportsman.
Cloth, 12mo

The American Merino. For Wool or for Mutton.
A practical and most valuable work on the selection, care, breeding
and diseases of the Merino sheep, in all sections of the the United
States. It is a full and exhaustive treatise upon this one breed of
sheep. By Stephen Powers. Cloth, 12mo 1.50

8 STANDARD BOOKS.

Armatage's Every Man His Own Horse Doctor.

By Prof. George Armatage, M. R. C. V. S. A valuable and compre-
hensive guide for both the professional and general reader with the
fullest and latest information regarding all diseases, local injuries,
lameness, operations, poisons, the dispensatorv, etc , etc., with practi-
cal anatomical and surgical Illustrations. New Edition. Together
with Elaine's " Veterinary Art," and numerous recipes. One large
8vo. volume, 830 pages, half morocco 7.50

Dadd's Modern Horse Doctor.

Containing Practical Observations on the Causes, Nature, and Treat-
ment of Diseases and Lameness of Horses— embracing recent and im-
proved Methods, according to an enlightened system of Veterinary
Practice, for Preservation and Restoration of Health. Illustrated.
By Geo. H. Dadd, M. D. V. S., Cloth, 12mo .... 1.50

The Family Horse.

Its Stabling, Care, and Feeding. By Geo. A. Martin. A Practical
Manual, full of the most useful information. Illustrated. Cloth,
12mo 1.00

Sander's Horse Breeding.

Being the general principles of Heredity applied to the Business of
Breeding Horses and the Management of Stallions, Brood Mares and
Foals. ^The book embraces all that the breeder should know in regard
to the selection of stock, management of the stallion, broodmare, and
foal, and treatment of diseases peculiar to breeding animals. By J.
H. Sanders. 12mo, cloth 1 2.00

Coburn's Swine Husbandry.

New, revised and enlarged edition. The Breeding, Rearing and
Management of Swine, and the Prevention and Treatment of their
Diseases. It is the fullest and freshest compendium relating to Swine
Breeding yet offered. By F. D. Coburn. Cloth, 12mo 1.75

Dadd's American Cattle Doctor.

By George H. Dadd, M. D., Veterinary Practitioner. To help every
man to be his own cattle-doctor ; giving the necessary information
for preserving the health and curing the diseases of oxen, cows, sheep,
and swine, with a great variety of original recipes, and valuable infor-
mation on farm and dairy management. Cloth, 12mo 1.50

Silos, Ensilage, and Silage.

A practical treatise on the Ensilage of Fodder Corn. Containing the
most recent and authentic information on this important subject, by
Manly Miles, M.D., F.R.M.S. Illustrated. Cloth 12mo -. .50

Broom Corn and Brooms.

A Treatise on Raising Broom-Corn and Making Brooms on a small or
Large Scale. Illustrated. 12mo. Cloth cover .50

American Bird Fancier.

Or how to breed, rear, and care for Song and Domestic Birds. This
valuable and important little work for all who are interested in the
keeping of Song Birds, has been revised and enlarged, and is now a
complete manual upon the subject. All who own valuable birds, or
wish to do so, will find the new Fancier indispensable. New, revised
and enlarged edition. By D. J. Browne, and Dr. Fuller Walker. Illus-
trated, paper cover - 50

STANDARD BOOKS. g

Armatage's Every Man His Own Cattle Doctor.

The Veterinary Cyclopedia — Embracing all the practical information
of value heretofore published on the Diseases of Cattle, Sheep, and
Swine, together with the latest and best information regarding all
known diseases up to the present time. Compiled and edited by that
eminent authority, Prof. George Armatage, M. R. C. V. S. One
large octavo volume, 894 pages, with upwards of 350 practical illus-
trations, showing forms of disease and treatment. Half morocco. 7.50

Onions— How to Raise them Profitably.

Being the Practical Details, from Selection of Seed and Preparation
of Ground to Harvesting and Marketing the Crop, given very plainly
by Seventeen Practical Onion Growers of lonff experience residing in
different parts of the country. No more valuable work of its size
was ever issued. Paper cover, 8vo 20

Tobacco Culture— Full Practical Details.

This useful and valuable work contains full details of every process
from the Selection and Preparation of the Seed and Soil to the Harvest-
ing, Curing and Marketing the Crop, with illustrative engravings of
the operations. The work was prepared by Fourteen Experienced
Tobacco Growers, residing in different parts of the country. It also
contains notes on the Tobacco Worm, with illustrations, 8vo,.. .25

Hop Culture.

Plain directions given by ten experienced cultivators. Revised, en-
larged and edited by A. S. Fuller. Forty engravings 30

Flax Culture.

A very valuable work, containing full directions, from selection of
ground and seed to preparation 'and marketing of crop, as given by
a number of experienced growers, 8vo —

Potato Pests.

No Farmer can afford to be without this little book. It gives the
most complete account of the Colorado Beetle anywhere to be found,
and includes all the latest discoveries as to the habits of the insect
and the various means for its destruction. It is well illustrated, and
exhibits in a map the spread of the insect since it left its native home.
By Prof. C. V. Riley. Paper cover... 50

Home Fishing and Home Waters.

By Seth Green. The Utilization of Farm Streams ; Management of
Fish in the Artificial Pond ; Transportation of Eggs and Fry, etc.
Cloth, 12mo - 50

Reed's House Plans for Everybody.

By S. B. Reed. This useful volume meets the wants of persons of
moderate means, and jrives a wide range of design, from a dwelling
costing $250 up to $8,000, and adapted to farm, village and town resi-
dences. Nearly all of these plans have been tested by practical work-
ings. One feature of the work imparts a value over any similar pub-
lication of the kind that we have seen. It gives an estimate of the
quantity of every article used in the construction, and the cost of eacl
article at the time the building was erected or the design made. Even
if prices vary from time to time, one can, from these data, ascertain
within a few dollars the probable cost of constructing any one of the
buildings here presented. Profusely illustrated. Cloth, black and
gold,12mo-

STANDARD BOOKS.

Gregory on Cabbages— How to Grow Them.

A Practical Treatise on Cabbage Culture, giving full details on every
point, including Keeping and Marketing the Crop. By James J. H.
Gregory. Paper cover, 12mo ...... __________ ....... . ........... 30

Gregory on Carrots, Mangold- Wurtzels, etc.

How to raise them, how to keep them, and how to feed them. By
J. J. H. Gregory. Paper Cover, 12mo .............. . ........... 30

Gregory on Onion Raising.

What kinds to raise, and the way to raise them. By J. J. H. Gregory.
Paper cover, 12mo ........................ __________ ......... 30

Gregory on Squashes.

This Treatise, which no Farmer or Gardener ought to be without,
tells all about selecting the soil for squashes ; how much Manure is
necessary ; how to prepare and Plant ; about Hoeing and Cultivating ;
Setting of the Fruit ; Ripening, Gathering, Storing, Care during Win-
ter, etc. By J. J. H. Gregory. Paper coVer, 12mo. ...... .. ...... 30

Hog-Raising and Pork-Making.

By Rufus Baoon Martin. The hoy; is reared for the money that is in
him, and he represents either a profit or loss to his owner according to
the treatment he receives. This pamphlet gives the personal research
and experience of the author, contains many valuable suggestions,
and answers many of the questions that arise'in the business of hog-
raising. Paper, 12mo..- ..................... . ................ . .40

Fulton's Peach Culture.

This is the only practical guide to Peach Culture on the Delaware
Peninsula, and is the best work upon the subject of peacli growing for
those who would be successful in that culture in any part of the
country. It has been thoroughly revised and a large portion of it re-
written, by Hon. J. Alexander Fulton, the author, bringing it down to
date. Cloth, 12mo ..................... . ....... . ____ ........... 1.50

Silk Culture.

A Handbook for Silk-Growers. By Mrs. C. E. Bamford. COX-
TENTS. — Chapter I. The Mulberry. — II. Gathering the Leaves. —
III. The Cocoonery.— IV. Eggs of the Silk Worm Moth.— V. Feed-
ing the Silk Worms.— VI. Moulting.— VII. Spinning.— VIII. The
Cocoons.— IX. The Moths of the Silk Worm.— X. Varieties of Silk
Worms.-XI. Diseases of the Silk Worm.— XII. Reeling.— XIII.
Chemistry of Silk.— XIV. Miscellaneous. Paper, 12mo. Price, post-
paid. ........ - ........ ______________________ ........ ___________ .30

Treats' Injurious Insects of the Farm and Garden. By
Mrs. Mary Treat.

An original investigator who has added much to our knowledge of both
Plants and insects, and those who are familiar with Darwin's works
are aware that he gives her credit for important observation and dis-
coveries. New and Enlarged Edition. With an Illustrated Chapter
on Beneficial Insects. Fully illustrated. Cloth, 12mo ...... ____ 2.00

Fulbr's Small Fruit Culturist.

By Andrew S. Fuller. Rewritten, enlarged, and brought fully up to
the present time. The book covers the whole ground of propagating
small fruits, their culture, varieties, packing for market, etc. It is
very finely and thoroughly illustrated, and makes an admirable com-
panion to " The Grape Culturist," by the same well known author.

AT?

rs-

THE LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

Santa Barbara

THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE
STAMPED BELOW.

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