OF IOWA Greenhouse Management. A Manual for Florists and Flower Lovers Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Gardening, Michigan Agricultur ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 25 a 6 May 30 SR "Bint. Tia PREFACE. The florist finds that in his profession changes are continually taking place, and if he would succeed he must keep up with the procession. Not only are new and improved methods continually being brought into use, but the plants that he grows change from year to Syear. A few years ago camellias, tuberoses and bouvardias were among the plants that were most grown, but now, if grown at all, they have but a small place. Not only does Fashion change the classes of plants that are grown, but from year to year the varieties change, and the methods of culture improve. To inform himself as to the methods that have been found valuable by his competitors, one can, to be sure, look to the horticultural periodicals, which contain much valuable information, but the books to which he can go for advice are few and most of them are out of date. To supply a source from which information as to the methods used by the more successful florists can be drawn, this book has been prepared. As originally written it consisted of about ten chapters, which were intended as a sort of appendix to Greenhouse Construction, but the subject of Greenhouse Management was deemed worthy of a separate volume, and accordingly the copy was withdrawn from the printer and considerably added to. An attempt has been made in this book to give to florists an insight into the methods that are to-day being used by their intelligent and successful brethren. In nearly every case they have been tried by the author, or iii he has seen the results of their use in numerous in. stances, so that they can be used without hesitation. It is hoped that the information as to the best methods of forcing vegetables will be of especial value, as but little attention has been given that industry, which is one that is rapidly increasing in importance. Although this subject has perhaps received less space than it really deserves, we have endeavored to present it in a clear and concise form that can be followed and understood by anyone. In treating the standard crops of the commercial florist, such as the rose, carnation, violet and chrysanthemum, we have touched upon the time and method of cultivation and the general care required in growing them, but have not deemed it worth while to go into lengthy descriptions of varieties, as they change from year to year; the lists given, however, are those that are to-day deemed most valuable. Florists are more and more, each year, troubled by injurious insects and fungi. For many of them we have pointed out the treatment, and have added a list of remedies which includes those that are considered most reliable. In the chapters devoted to the care of house plants, we have indicated the methods of growing and caring for the plants that are commonly grown in the house. Many of the illustrations are from drawings and photographs made under the direction of the author, and for the others we are indebted to the kindness of friends. Several were furnished by the publishers of the American Agriculturist, while most of the half tones of the specimen pots, and of specimen blooms, as well as Figs. 47, 91 and 92, were supplied by the publishers of The Florist's Exchange and American Gardening. We are also indebted to Gardening and The American Florist. Many of the cuts illustrating the interiors of greenhouses used for various crops, as wel as the cultural methods used, were supplied by various specialists. Thus, Mr. Alex. Montgomery of the Waban conservatories, Natick, Mass., furnished cuts of their rose houses; Fred Dorner & Son, Lafayette, Ind., and The Cottage Gardens, Queens, L. I., carnations; Pitcher & Manda, Short Hills, N. J., and E. D. Smith, Adrian, Mich., chrysanthemums; Fred Boulon, Sea Cliff, L. I., Hitchings & Co., New York, and Profs. Galloway and Dorsett, Garrett Park, Md., violets; J. C. Vaughan, Chicago, Ill., J. M. Gasser, Cleveland, Ohio, and Cushman Gladiolus Co., Euclid, O., bulbs; W. H. Elliott, Brighton, Mass., asparagus house; and Julius Roehrs, Carlton Hill, N. J., miscellaneous plants. Acknowledgments are also due for the use of cuts and for helpful suggestions to the following officers of experiment stations: Prof. L. H. Bailey, Ithaca, N. Y., Prof. S. T. Maynard, Amherst, Mass., Prof. W. M. Munson, Orono, Me., Prof. L. F. Kinney, Kingston, R. I., Prof. C. S. Plumb, Lafayette, Ind., and Prof. R. L. Watts, Knoxville, Tenn., as well as Prof. B. D. Halsted of New Jersey, for the article on Violet Diseases, and Prof. W. J. Green, Wooster, Ohio, who supplied the article on Sub-irrigation. AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, MICH. L. R. TAFT. |