A Manual for Florists and Flower Lovers ON THE Forcing of Flowers, Vegetables and Fruits IN GREENHOUSES, AND THE Propagation and Care of House Plants. BY L. R. TAFT Professor of Horticulture and Landscape Gardening, Michigan Agricultural JELUSTRATED ·· SOCIETY NEW YORK ORANGE JUDD COMPANY 1898 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 year. 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which contain much valuable information, but the books to which he can go for advice are few and most of them are out of date.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but the subject of Greenhouse Management was deemed worthy of a separate volume, and accordingly the copy was withdrawn from the printer and considerably added to.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 |