792 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



the green fly, or aphides, and to a lesser extent, thrips and red spider. 

 The punctures made by these insects make it possible for the disease 

 under consideration to develop. It goes without saying that to avoid 

 the SStigmonose is to keep the plants free from insects. And the 

 rust, strange as it may appe'ar, is entirely gotten rid of by growing 

 the plants under glass both winter and summer. 



The present day carnations are a development from the hardy 

 Dianthus Caroyphyllus of Europe, and some of the closely related 

 varieties to-day will live out all winter in some parts of America 

 when grown in a favored location. That the rust on carnation plants 

 could be gotten rid of in America by growing same under glass, which 

 is a hotter and dryer climate than is that of Europe, does seem diffi- 

 cult to realize, yet such has proven to be the case. It is the result 

 of what is termed an "accidental discovery." The writer hereof, 

 before the American Carnation Society at its convention held in 

 lioston a few years ago, along the lines under consideration, said: 



"Having a seedling carnation that was good enough to send out as 

 a novelty the following spring, and in order to get up as large a stock 

 as possible I kept on rooting the cuttings until quite late in the 

 spring or early summer. It was so late, in fact, and the weather so 

 dry that those plants remained in thumb pots all summer under glass 

 instead of being planted outdoors. After the general collection of 

 carnations had been lifted in the fall, this particular seedling showed 

 unmistakable evidences of being affected with the much dreaded 

 rust. As soon as possible all the affected leaves were picked off and 

 distroyed; but when the job was completed the plants appeared to 

 be planted too far apart, so much foilage had been removed, and in 

 order to fill up the spaces we made use of the small plants which were 

 rooted late and had remained in thumb pots under glass all summer. 

 They were planted between the rows or lines of the affected plants, 

 and, strange as it may appear, the unaffected little plants on each 

 side of those were never affected by the rust during the whole sea- 

 son, while the older plants never recovered from the effects of the dis- 

 ease. At that time the rust had not created quite such a profound 

 impression upon growers as it did later. This point is introduced 

 in order to show how it came that I decided to irj the Buttercup Car- 

 nation under glass all summer. I reasoned in this way, that if one 

 disease could be combated by this treatment, why could not other 

 diseases be combated by the same treatment, and I am pleased to be 

 able to say that the results have been eminently satisfactory. And 

 further, I believe that we will find that some of the choice varieties, 

 if we wish to get the very best results from them, will have to be 

 grown under glass all summer." 



Since that time a modification of the cultivation of carnations has 

 taken place. Instead of leaving the plants growing out of doors, as 

 in the old way, to the end of September or sometimes even as late as 



