598 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



APItl I. 1:. !■' 



The latest claimant for our atten- 

 tion among the greenhouse rusts is 

 that of the chrysanthemum. As yet 

 the advent of this importation from 

 Europe has not been traced baclj ot 

 1S96, when it was found by Mr. Hast- 

 ings of Fitchburg, Mass., and reported 

 by Dr. Stone in the ninth annual re- 

 port of your experiment station. From 

 foreign correspondence it is gathered 

 that it was rampant in France and 

 then spread throughout England, 

 where it was very destructive, partic- 

 ularly in 1898. With ns it has in- 

 creased quite rapidly during the past 

 three years, and during the last one It 

 has become decidedly troublesome. Up 

 to the present time only the uredo 



the carnation. The two rusts are, 

 however, <\-ery distinct, belonging to 

 dilTerent genera of fungi, and not 

 transmissible from one host plant to 

 the other. 



In the treatment ot our subject we 

 have made a few selections of typical 

 rust plants from widely separated host 

 plants, and have endeavored to bring 

 before the hearer so i e of the more 

 important points connected with one 

 of the leading groups of destructive 

 fungi. We have seen that rusts in- 

 fest herbs, shrubs and trees. The for- 

 ests are not exempt from them, and 

 even the giant pines are destroyed by 

 them. The blackberry and raspberry 

 rust is one of the most serious pests 



Carnation Gov. Roosevelt. 

 [Given the full number of points for form at Buffalo ] 



form has been met with upon Ameri- 

 can plants and therefore it is impos- 

 sible to be sure of the species. While 

 this is interesting from the standpoint 

 of the botanist it may be of no great 

 economic importance. However, it 

 the other forms are associated with 

 the dandelion or similar related com- 

 mon wild species the bearing of this 

 knowledge upon the checking of the 

 rust is at once apparent. This disease 

 is so recent with us that there is very 

 little in the line of remedies that has 

 been determined experimentally. It 

 being a greenhouse plant propagated 

 by cuttings, the precautionary meas- 

 ures are practically the same as with 



to growers ot bush fruits. It shows it- 

 self in early spring, dwarfing the cane 

 and ruining the foliage. When such 

 an infected plant is cut to the ground 

 the new shoots springing from the 

 stock will also become rusted like the 

 first growth of the year. Actual mi- 

 croscopic examination of the tissue ol 

 the root demonstrates the presence of 

 the perennial mycelium. With these 

 facts before us it is not strange that 

 the multitudes of experiments made 

 to eradicate the disease by spraying 

 the plants result in failure. The Bor- 

 deaux or other mixture when upon 

 healthy plants may help to prevent the 

 spread of the disease; but when once 



within the tissues of root and stem It 

 is out of reach of spraying compounds. 

 It goes without any argument that all 

 such rusted plants need to be dug up 

 aud destroyed root and branch, and 

 the earlier this is done the less likeli- 

 hood there will be of the infection 

 spreading by means of the spores. The 

 burn heap is one of the best adjuncts 

 of a well equipped horticultural estab- 

 lishment. It excels greatly the rubbish 

 pile. Ashes may be blown about by 

 the winds, and no serious inoculations 

 follow from them. 



The "seed treatment," so called, for 

 the prevention of diseases in grain 

 fields, while ot great value with the 

 smuts, is not effective with the rusts. 

 The oat or wheat smut spores are pro- 

 duced in the grain itself and healthy 

 grains become bmeared and dusted 

 with the sports. The last resort in all 

 cases when rust is suspected is to fur- 

 nish the best possible conditions for 

 the growth of the crop, bearing in mind 

 that vigilance is especially demanded 

 when the foe is at hand. Any neglect, 

 as lack of light, air, food, or water, or 

 a surplus of the same, may engender a 

 weakness that will cause the plants to 

 fall a victim at the first opportunity. 



CARNATION GOV. ROOSEVELT. 



The dark crimson carnation raised 

 by Mr. C. W. Ward and given the pop- 

 ular name of Governor Roosevelt, as 

 exhibited at Buffalo received the full 

 number of points for form and in the 

 opinion of the judges it was perfect 

 in that respect, or at least the most 

 perfect of any carnation up to date. 

 Opinions may differ as to form, but 

 in this case there was hut one opin- 

 ion with three men. 



Roosevelt is a perfectly round flower 

 but not so finely defined as to tire. 

 Its edge is nicely broken up with fim- 

 briated petals. It is high and full 

 but not crowded. Each succeeding 

 whorl of petals is slightly shorter than 

 the under one and the edges of the 

 petals being cut or laciniated the 

 flower has a full rich appearance with- 

 out the crowding of the petals of some 

 varieties or the stiffness of others. It 

 had in the judges' estimation the right 

 number of petals to make a full pleas- 

 ing flower, a form that when looked 

 at for a few moments became still more 

 pleasing to the eye. 



Two of the very finest carnations 

 yet sent out are so perfect in outline 

 that you wish they were not so regu- 

 lar, and when well grown their regu- 

 larity gives you the feeling ot cold- 

 ness, grand flowers as they are. I al- 

 lude to White Cloud and Olympia. 

 Other fine varieties are marred by an 

 overcrowding of petals which detracts 

 from their grace and the feeling they 

 produce 1 would pronounce "uncom- 

 fortableness." 



Governor Roosevelt is not the only 

 carnation of fine form by any means, 

 but the qualities 1 have mentioned 

 make it in my opinion the nearest to 

 perfection we have yet reached. It has 

 a splendid broad calyx, which allows 



