Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-22

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3 GS situated here. One firm
NS,ES in this city has $780,
~ 80 OF the plants growing
EyF1.,A under six acres Of glass.
r@ >SSsSA More of the blooms are
N%SSN~. shipped hence than
from any other place in the country except
New York. From here they are sent by tens Of
thousands to the west and all over the south
Roses are good travellers They can be carried
thousands of miles at any season Of the wear
with certainty Of their arriving In good condi-
ton The system Of packing BY which they
are KEEP: fresh for days and even weeks while
on journey is both odd and interesting.
In the summer season. or whenever the
weather is no: bitterly cold. the roses are laid
in a long fat box. with their heads at the two
ends and their stems in the middle. There IL
no pre:tier sight Of its kind than box of
travelled roses freshly opened. Over the stems
OF the flowers are nailed two strips OF wood
which serve as partitions. making a central
compartment IN which the stems meet. In this
compartment Is plGc-d lump Of ice. which is
larger or smaller. according 10 the distance that
is to be traverSed by the blossoms. IL they were
going TO Denver. il would be large; 10 Chicago,
1t would be smaller.
The wooden box protects the ice from the
heat SO that il melts slowly; but as it melts it
continually supplies TO the flower stems cool
fresh water. They want no other nourishment
CT thei- journey. Over the buds tissue paper,
well dsmped, is spread. Prepared in this way,
roses were shipped from Washington 20 Mrs
Mckee. President Harrison daughter. when she
was abroad. They arrived In London in good
condition, remaining fresh and beautiful for
several days. 1t was like a glimpse Of home 10
the traveller to see Washington flowers. When
the weather is very cold roses which must
travel are carefully packed in cotton 30 keep
them from being fros:bitten, with layer Of
wGxed tissue paper cext the flowers 10 prevent
evaporation. Protected in this way the blooms
are almost absolutely insured agaiIEt damage.
PRoPAaATISs rEoN slIPs.
At the great establishment: above referred TO.
where ak acres Of glass cover 10000 rose
plants, most interesting feature Is The propa-
CATION of the Plants from slips To obtain new
plants the horlst n ast propagate from the old
Take the stem OF a rose in your hand and
examine it. Wherever a leaf shoots forth you
can see peeping out at lis base where it joins
the main stem q tiny bit of light green growth.
1t ia a dormant rosebud; the place where it lies
is the ''axil' OF the small stem, and tine whole
is known in Horticulture as an EYE" Zach OF
these eyes represents u possible rose bush. See
how many eyes there are in a stem and csicu-
late how many rose bushes you could get from
an entire plant. The possibilities are enor-
NOUS. From 500 plants You may get 25.000
cuttings and with proper care each of these will
develop into a healthy plant from three to six
feet high within eight months.
Sometimes only one. sometimes two eyes are
left on a cutting. The bed prepared to receive
the cuttings is Of the clesnest river sand. 1t is
from two to three inches deep and rests on q
tie foundation. Under this thing run steam
pipes, which keep the sand at q temperature of
IS degrees, while the temperature OF the green
house is kept at 55degrees. The cuttings are
vNa taA oil, nlx- 3d. h..
First a long opening is made IN the sand with
knife blade; then the cuttings are placed in it
side by side, and finally the sand is pressed
down with a piece Of wood. When the bed is
full the sand is thoroughly saturated with
water. In four or five days a little wart forms
at the lower end Of the cutting. In fifteen to
eighteen days it begins TO put forth roots.
Then the cuttings are taken up carefully one
by one and transferred by dest hands to
thumb pots"-tiny things which look as
though they had been made for a dolls house.
THE BADY PLANTS.
As is the case with a young baby, the infant
rose plant requires no sustaining food to speak
OF at FIRST. While in the heated bed Of sand it
thrives right merrily upon light, warmth and
moisture. The sap flows downward, csllousing
tine wounded extremity OF the cutstem and pro-
jecting therefrom delicate little fbers. which
extend themselves in every direction through
the baby again, on being transferred to the
thumb pot the young Plant must not be
gorged excessively with food. 1t must receive
just enough and no more. Accordingly. the
gardener fills the little pot with pinch or two
of light loan mixed with sand. as the baby's
milk is Diluted with water. The warm bright
air of the green house gives the youthful rose
bush good appetite and it grows at such a
pace that pretty soon 1t requires more room.
So then it is moved out OF the thumb pot"
into bigger pot, and again and again into big
ger ones until it mas obtained frn adult devel-
opment ard is ready to be regularly planted in
a bed of rich soil.
As the Young rose bush grows and can absorb
stronger nourishment IL IS supplied with richer
loan anu stimulsnts in the shape Of fertilizers
are fed to it in doses as strong il will stand.
The cuttings are made in tine fall and are planted
in the opea green house beds next June for
the following winters blooming. They keep
on poisoning through the subsequent summer
and when they stop they are dug up and thrown
away. Meanwhile others have been growing
up to take their places. In one respect a rose
bush is like hen. The most economical
method is to replace il with q younger one as
quickly as it has passed its first youth.
the compost utilized here for growing Tie
roses is the ordinary clayey soil mixed
thoroughly with COW manure. At the big es-
tGbllshment just described there are three great
manure tanks. One of them is filled every
and mixed with water. The solution Is then
filtered into the two other tanks. o2t of which
it finally passes through q strainer into the
pipes which lead to the various green houses.
Before being used IT is Diluted, and frequently
nitrates Of soda and potash are added 10 1t. The
nitrates increase the size of the blooms. Inis
manure water Is applied twice a week Twelve
boilers are employed for supplying steam TO
heat the green houses, and in this way 1000
tons Of coal are consumed annually. Muddy
water is sprinkled on the glass with q hose, to
give the roses partial shade.
KEEPING OFF THE BCos.
Most people admire roses more than any
other flowers Success with them is hardly
more than question Of keeping OF the bugs
and other things which prey upon their foliage.
Most persons fail in growing them because they
devote their attention to remedying tine trouble
instead of trying to prevent il. The former is
practically impossible, but the latter is very
easy. Once let the bugs and Sings get started
on q rose bush and you may as well give it up.
A mixture Of whale oil soap and strained soiu-
ton OF tobacco-the stems are cheapest-ap-
piled with a syringe will keep them of alto
together. Administer the preventive freely
at the tune when the young leaves are first COM
Ing, keeping up the treatment at jldiciors in
"a ND fha