Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-09-21
Flowers.

Although, in the main, bedding plants
are propagated during the latter part OF
winter to the best advantage, still there
must be stock to propagate from, and to
this end considerable preparation is nee
essary in the fall. Such plants as veTbenas
are kept over in what are called stock
pots; that is, the vigorous young tips are
rooted during next month, and then kept
in, say, three inch pots until after the
the turn of the days. BY that time each
plant will furnish quantity of cuttings.
and from that time on, as fast as the tips
grow, they are taken oil, rooted, and
placed in two inch pots until wanted.
Of geraniums 1t is just rs well to strike
the main crop in the fall when cuttings
are plenty, as they need not take up over
a two inch sized pot until February, if
care Is taken To keep them rather dry dur
ing winter Heliotropes. petunias, fever
Jews, salvias and other similar Ilants, are
quite as well struck late as early; hence 1t
is not worth bothering with more than
stock plants of such things, as the room
they would occupy early in the winter
can be very conveniently used for keeping
such plants rs carnations, bOuvardias, Gu
patoriums and the like, for early Towering,
to be afterwards thrown away to make
room for the late bedding plants
Coleus and other foliaged plants are
best struck late, as they require rather
high temperature TO winter well II ID not
desirable to have more Of them than will
furnish cuttings in the spring.
Chinese primulas should now be encour-
| aged to make all the growth possible, AZ
on that will depend their size Of flowers in
great measure Of course poor race
will not furnish first class flowers, neither
will first.class strain If the plants are
grown weak and spindling. Some people
grow flowers of extraordinary size. This
is all owing to extra luxurious growth.
Smiax should also be encouraged now.
1t delights in close, humid atmosphere;
ifkept In dry one the consequence will
be a plentiful supply of the pest, red
spider.
The old common ladies' slipper or balsam
has taken quite a dignified position among
florists, being used very greatly now in
funeral decorations. The pure white
double camelia bslsam has always been an
attractive object, and the fact of its being
stemless does not interfere with 1t In the
florists eyes, as they stem almost every.
thing At first sight this looks barbar-
Gus way to use flowers, but to form flow
ers into exact shape and designs it cannot
be done otherwise. Then, again, for many
of the purposes flowers are used for, they
last abundantly long; if, fresh, twelve
hours, which they will easily do, and sew
eral times twelve stems or no stems.
Only few varieties Of flowers are
grown for the fancy bouquet business, and
they are such as are very prolific in num-
beers and decided in color, or of extra fra
GRANGE.
For purposes Ofhouse decoration, where
one grows their own flowers, all this may
be changed to advantage, and the flowers
cut with some stems and set into water, OF
beds Of sand as the case may be. Here
greater variety may be used; such as fade
quickly can be replaced every morning.
Some Of them will fade in spite of long
stems. This the florist soon finds out, and
entirely discards such kinds from his list.
The gladiolus is really capital plant in
the fiower-garden or for cut-Bower pur-
poses 1t has this important advantage,
that spike cut off and placed in water
will continue in flower quite long time,
as the plant has the rather rare quality Of
opening its flowers that are only In the
bud when cut, successfully, until all arc
are opened.
By planting a batch very early in the
spring, on a warm border, another In
month, and the last batch at the end Of
June, q constant succession of flowers un-
til frost comes is the result.-Irairis
EHrzaer