346 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



FKBRUARY 22, 1900. 



was allowed to act all night. Al- 

 thougli the plants were slightly in- 

 jured, further work by the greenfly 

 was stopped. Three days after treat- 

 ment a few specimens were found still 

 living. These apparently were old fe- 

 males that were through budding and 

 In time died a natural death, as two 

 weeks later not a living specimen 

 could be found in the house. 



As previously stated, syringing with 

 water is usually recommended for red 

 spider and thrips on carnations. Some- 

 times such substances as salt and 

 water, also soap suds, are recommend- 

 ed. In addition, all patented insecti- 

 Bides, such as "Thrip Juice," "Niko- 

 teen," "Rose Leaf Extract, "Antipest." 

 etc., are warranted to kill both red 

 spider and thrips. Nothing is ever 

 said about the effect on the plants of 

 the latter substance. 



I think you will all agree with me 

 that heavy syringing of carnations 

 which stand eighteen inches high, 

 with water, is anything but benefi- 

 cial to the plants. It each grower 

 would take the time to test water and 

 some other substances side by side on 

 the same bench of carnations on which 

 the red spider has become estab- 

 lished, he would prove to his satis- 

 faction that such quantities of water 

 injured the plants nearly as much as 

 does the red spider. 



I CAR see no difference in results be- 

 tween salt and water, and pure water. 

 Both substances act as previously de- 

 scribed, on the young at the time they 

 issue from the egg; at the same time 

 both substances favor the • develop- 

 ment of the rust and spot diseases on 

 the plants. 



Notice it is not claimed that water, 

 salt, and the proprietary substances 

 are of no use on any plants. Some 

 may answer fairly well on plants other 

 than carnations. I have used "Niko- 

 teen" at the rate of one teaspoonful 

 to a gallon of water, as a wash for 

 thrips on ferns, with excellent results. 

 But "Nikoteen" is vile stuff to put 

 on any plant and should never be used 

 on plants which, like carnations, have 

 the foliage covered with a bloom. Be- 

 sides, no substances can be made to 

 reach the thrips after they have got 

 into the carnation's buds. 



I have used hydrocyanic acid on 

 this pest, when on ferns, as strong as 

 three ounces to 1,000 cubic feet of 

 space, allowing it to act all night with- 

 out injuring the thrips in the least. 

 (We will say nothing about the con- 

 dition of the plants.) 



As far as tested, the bcvst results 

 from treatment of red spider have 

 been obtained from the use of a soap 

 solution made by dissolving one ounce 

 of Ivory soap in one gallon of water, 

 or in that proportion. .•Ml individuals 

 struck with this solution were killed, 

 and if the plants were not too heavily 

 drenched, the bloom on the foliage 

 was discolored but little. (Open flow- 

 ers should be gathered before attempt- 

 ing to use the soap solution.) A 

 home-made soap made of clean lard 

 and the best potash lye woiild answer 



just as well as Ivory soap. Fish oil 

 soaps will kill the red spider, but they 

 have the disadvantage of discoloring 

 the foliage, and in addition give the 

 plants a bad odor. 



The Ohio Agricultural Experiment 

 Station has shown that good potash 

 soaps are fungicides, preventing "Lsaf 

 Curl" of the peach. (1 Bulletin 103, 

 p. 186; also Bulletin 104, p. 202.) 



Another measure which is abso- 

 lutely safe to use on the carnation 

 when flowering, and just as destruc- 

 tive to the red spider as water, or salt 

 and water, is the ammoniacal solu- 

 tion of copper carbonate called "Cu- 

 pram." This is a valuable fungicide 

 which does not soil the foliage in the 

 least. By syringing the plants twice a 

 week with this solution, the required 

 amount of moisture to check the de- 

 velopment of the red spider can be fur- 

 nished without supplying a forcing bed 

 for rust and the spot diseases. It is 

 made as follows: To one volume of 2(! 

 degrees ammonia add seven volumes 

 of water. If one quart of ammonia is 

 used, suspend five ounces of copper 

 carbonate in the mixture of water and 

 ammonia; cover, and allow to stand 

 over night. For use, take one quart 

 of the clear solution and add four g.U- 

 lons of water. 



Where the thrips has once gotten a 

 foothold in the buds of the cainat on, 

 the only method of controlling him 

 is to carefully gather all the buds 

 which shovf^ his work, before they 

 open, and destroy them. No old 

 soiled flowers should be left in the 

 benches. 



In conclusion, I would recommend 

 the following measures to prevent and 

 control the three worst pests that 

 trouble carnation growers: If pos- 

 sible, select land that has grown corn 

 or potatoes one year after being in 

 sod. Avoid having old hedges and 

 rubbish patches on the margins of 

 the carnation field. (These harbor red 

 spider and greenfly.) Never plant 

 carnations under or around trees. 

 (The latter harbor red spider.) Do 

 not grow cabbage or related plants 

 by the side of the carnation. (These 

 furnish abundant crops of thrips.) 

 At time of transplanting use heroic 

 measures. First dip the plants in a 

 soap solution, being careful not to get 

 the solution on the roots. This so- 

 lution can be made as already recom- 

 mended, from Ivory soap, or from 

 Good's potash soap, Owen's U. S. 

 Standard caustic potash soap, or even 

 from a home-made fish-oil soap. Of 

 the latter, use one gallon of soap to 32 

 gallons of water. The home-made fish- 

 oil is made as follows: 



Caustic potash 1 pound 



Fish oil 3 pints 



Soft water 2 gallons 



Dissolve lye in the water; then add 

 oil and stir. Boil from twenty min- 

 utes to one hour. 



.\s soon as the plants are estab- 

 lished in benches, syringe thoroughly 

 with the Ivory soap solution, giving 

 a second treatment ten days later. 

 'I'he above treatment should free 



the plants of all three pests, but a 

 later treatment may be needed for 

 greenfly which have found their way 

 Into the house through the ventilat- 

 ors. If these are discovered while the 

 plants are short and not flowering to 

 any extent, fumigate with hydrocy- 

 anic acid gas, using one-halt ounce of 

 98 per cent cyanide of potash, one 

 ounce of sulphuric acid, and three 

 ounces of water to every 1,200 cubic 

 feet of space in the house. Allow gas 

 to act all night. A week or ten days 

 later repeat the fumigation. REMEM- 

 BER THAT THIS GAS IS ONE OF 

 THE MOST DEADLY POISONS 

 KNOWN; be sure the workmen realize 

 this fact. After all the above precau- 

 tions have been taken, do not store 

 any plants under the benches. 



The florist who becomes convinced 

 that he must fight these three pests 

 each fall from the start, will be the 

 one who will have the best success. 

 Transient Pests. 

 The worst of these is the "Varie- 

 gated cutworm" (Peridroma saucla), 

 and the "Cabbage looper" (Plusia 

 brassicae). The former, while small, 

 is a climbing cutworm which feeds at 

 night and hides in the loose soil dvir- 

 ing the day. This is one of the most 

 common of the cutworms. It is found 

 in nearly all countries, and usually oc- 

 curs in forcing-houses more frequent- 

 ly than other cutworms. In color it 

 is a sooty brown, with a yellow stripe 

 mottled with red on each side of its 

 body. The head is reddish yellow. 

 The adult insect, or moth, is very in- 

 distinctly marked. 



Many writers have assumed that 

 this cutworm is carried into the house 

 in the soil. The fact that they occur 

 in forcing-houses more frequently 

 than any other specie.? of cutworms, 

 combined with the fact that they are 

 often found in considerable numbers 

 in spots throughout a house, indi- 

 cates that the eggs are deposited on 

 the carnations by the parent moth, or 

 "miller," after transplanting. The 

 latter can easily fly into houses on 

 cloudy days and early in the evening 

 during the months of September and 

 October. The young worms climb to 

 the buds, eat holes through the calyx 

 and then devour all the floral parts. 



The caterpillar of the cabbage plant 

 is a light green worm about one 

 and one-half inches long, when full 

 grown, which can always be recog- 

 nized by its habit of looping the body 

 when traveling. The moth, or miller, 

 has mottled, dark brown head and 

 wings. Two white spots on each fore- 

 wing sometimes resembles the figure 

 8. The hind wings are slate color, 

 varying to tawny, while the body is 

 covered with gray and tawny red hairs. 

 This pest, like the variegated cut- 

 worm. fee<ls usually at night, on the 

 buds and in the same manner. Dur- 

 ing the day they attach themselves to 

 a stem of the plant by means of their 

 caudal legs and stand at the same 

 angle as do the leaves. This habit 

 requires sharp eyes to find them. They 

 I can be carried into the house on the 



