April 28, 1904. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



1207 



devour the buds or blooms it seems to me 

 you ought to be able to poison them. Just 

 what kind of bait would be most tempt- 

 ing j-ou can find out by a little experi- 

 ment. Try several to begin with and 

 note the results, changing off to some 

 other kinds every day or so, until you find 

 one that is effective. If any of the 

 readers of The Heview have had experi- 

 ence in combating this pest we should 

 very much like to hear of their experi- 

 ence and remedies. A. F. J. Baur. 



SUMMER CULTURE INDOORS. 



[A paper by Peter Fisher, of Ellis. Mass.. 

 read before the Boston Gardeners' and Florists' 

 Club, April 20, lUW.] 



I have been asked to speak to you to- 

 night on the carnation. It would be a 

 waste of time to attempt a lengthy re- 

 view in the progress made in the develop- 

 ment and improvement of this popular 

 flower during recent years, as it is no 

 doubt fresh in your minds. As compared 

 with five or six years ago the carnation 

 of to-day looms up Mke a new creation, 

 scarcely recognizable as a descendant 

 from the family from which it has 

 evolved. Strong and vigorous, of mam- 

 moth proportions, in beautiful and 

 varied shades of color; and the end is 

 not yet. 



With this change in general character- 

 istics has also come a change in modes of 

 culture. Where a few years ago it was 

 considered the proper time to house ear- 

 nations from the field in Septembei, we 

 find them being planted in July. The 

 latter part of August is now considered 

 late. Experiments have also been made 

 in exclusive indoor culture and this 

 method is what I want to say a few 

 words upon tonight. 



The first requisite to successful indoor 

 culture is properly constructed carnation 

 houses. They must be large and airy, 

 with ample ventilation on both sides of 

 the ridge and in the side walls, the latter 

 to be used judiciously. By that I mean 

 opened on cool or cloudy days or during 

 the night, but closed when a hot, dry 

 wind is blowing and vegetation out- 

 doors is wilting. If opened on such a 

 day, or succession of days, red spider is 

 sure to cause trouble. 



A very convenient type of house, with 

 which I have been experimenting, is of 

 the following dimensions: Length 300 

 feet, -width thirty-three feet, height to 

 ridge fifteen feet, height of sides five 

 feet, three feet being glass, with side 

 ventilators and ample ventilation at the 

 ridge. Last season we built a house cf 

 this size with detached roof ventilators. 

 This season we have nearly completed ore 

 of similar size with continuous ventila- 

 tion on both sides of the ridge, using 

 30-inch glass in same. My purpose is to 

 • (est the merits of both systems. An- 

 jther 300-foot house has continuous top 

 rentilators. but without anv on the sides. 

 Cn this I have grown with excellent re- 

 mits some of our latest varieties. My 

 ntention is to plant directly from pots 

 into the three different styles of houses 

 md carefully note the results. 



The advantages of indoor culture in- 

 ?Iude perfect control of conditions neces- 

 sary for the sticcessful culture of the 

 plants. They are not subject to the ex- 

 tremes of a dry or wet season, or often 

 extremes of both, which invariably causes 

 stem-rot. You save the time and labor 

 of one planting. You don't check the 

 plants as is the case when Kfted from 

 the field, which process has always 

 seemed to me to be unnatural and gives 



some varieties. a .check from which it 

 takes weeks to recover, and the larger 

 the plants the more they are affected. 

 Indoor-grown plants give a steadier sup- 

 ply of blooms, are not so liable to crop 

 and are usually of better form and 

 quality, invariably giving a longer stem. 

 Again, there are no doubt disadvant- 

 ages to this method, especially with the 

 average florist, who needs his flowers 

 luring the early summer months and who 

 .:annot afford to throw them out in or- 

 der to plant into the benches before the 

 voung stock gets pot-bound. But if 

 properly arranged there are few who 

 eannot spare at least one house for trial. 

 And where a grower has, say, from 20.- 



000 to 40,000 feet of glass, or more, and 

 besides carnations grows chrysanthemums 

 or other quickly developing crops, a little 

 forethought will always arrange sufficient 

 space so as to be available when time for 

 planting comes around. 



The time for propagating the cuttings 

 to be used for all-bench culture will de- 

 pend upon the varieties and time when 

 siaee is available. Slow-growing or late- 

 blooming sorts ought to be propagated 

 early in any case. But where they are 

 of free and easy growth they may be 

 rooted any time from January to April 

 as required, first potting them into a 

 2 or 2%-inch ptit, according to the 

 strength of the cutting, and repotting 

 until required for benches. But great 

 care should be exercised never to let 

 them get stunted or pot-bound; a 3V>- 

 inch pot ought to be about the limit in 

 which to. have them growing at planting 

 time, as larger sizes take up too much 

 valuable space. 



Planting can be done with excellent 

 results any time from February to July. 



1 prefer May or June, the distance be- 

 tween the plants being governed by the 

 variety and season when propagated. 

 Strong growing sorts planted before May 

 will require twelve to fifteen by nine 

 inches, weaker sorts or later propaga- 

 tions correspondingly less, but in no case 

 should free-growing sorts b© planted 

 closer than eight by twelve inches. This 

 insures a better circulation of air around 

 the plants during summer, and Ught 

 during winter, which means better stems 

 and quality of blooms, with few if any 

 of second quality. 



I prefer benches four feet wide to 

 those of five feet or more, as the plants 

 get a much better circulation of air. 

 An extra path in the house is not waste 

 space, for you always get more and bet- 

 ter stems and blooms along the sides of 

 the benches. Care should be exercised 

 not to over-water the plants, as the car- 

 nation thrives best in a moderately 

 moist soil and excess, of moisture will 

 cause the soil to become sour. Always 

 damp down the paths and under the 

 benches freely during hot or sunny days. 

 Fumigate regularly every week for 

 greenfly and syringe every ten days with 

 salt water, two ounces to a common 

 pail, for red spider. 



No doubt some of the objections to 

 this indoor culture will be the follow- 

 ing: Attacks of red spider or green- 

 fly; over-watering and souring the soil. 

 And yet we have just those same con- 

 ditions to contend with in the field, 

 where it is often very difficult to subdue 

 the insects and we have no power over 

 the excess of moisture, usually accom- 

 panied by severe attacks of rust on vari- 

 eties so inclined. Under glass we can 

 keep those evils under control, the worst 

 condition with which we have to contend 



being excessive heat. Yet I doubt if 

 the plants suffer as much from this, 

 providing proper ventilation and atmos- 

 pheric moisture are maintained, as they 

 do in the field when a dry, hot wind 

 causes them to wilt. 



Anything really worth having in this 

 world costs something, and we usually 

 pay the full price. 'This is well, as we 

 are more apt to appreciate it when once 

 obtained. To produce and put upon the 

 market a new carnation often costs far 

 more than the average grower thinks, in 

 time, patience and hard cash, before be- 

 ing tested and its cultural requirements 

 understood. How often have we heard 

 of some originator, on the eve of reap- 

 ing his hard-earned reward, losing al- 

 most his entire stock of some promising 

 new variety in the field, as the result of 

 an unfavorable season, either too wet 

 or too dry. I have come to the con- 

 clusion that it does not pay to run this 

 risk and to my mind indoor culture is 

 the solution. It will be adopted gradu- 

 ally no doubt, but I venture to predict 

 that five years from now few carnations 

 will be grown in the field. 



There never was a time when a better 

 all around grade of carnation blooms was 

 put on the market, never a time when 

 we growers had less excuse for failing 

 to produce them. With improved varie- 

 ties to work upon and modern facilities 

 at hand for their successful cultivation 

 it clearly becomes a duty, not only to 

 ourselves professionally but to the flower 

 loving and consuming public, to place 

 cur "product on the market in the best 

 possible condition to insure their con- 

 tinued popularity and lasting qualities. 

 Flowers have passed the stage of mere 

 luxuries, they have become a daily neces- 

 sity and among them the carnation is 

 neither last nor least. 



FLORISTS ADVISE AMATEURS. - 



The florists of Madison, Wis., and 

 neighboring towns are active members of 

 their local horticultural society and do 

 much practical work in guiding the ama- 

 teurs to safe paths. At the meeting 

 April 22 Wm. Toole, of Baraboo, the 

 extensive grower of pansies, said: 



"If you want flowers all summer, yoj 

 must put out the plants in the spring 

 and also sow some seed at the same time. 

 If the seed is sown now and until the mid- 

 dle of May plants will begin to bloom in 

 August. They will do best in a medium 

 clay and loam soil. The soil must be 

 well fertilized and cultivated thoroughly 

 all the time. It is not so necessary to 

 water the plants every night as it is to 

 keep the soil well stirred around the 

 plant. The flowers as soon as they reach 

 full size should be picked from the plant 

 if a continual bloom is desired. ' ' 



Frank Ovenden, foreman for Fred 

 Eentschler, discussed bedding plants, .is 

 follows: 



"The soU for nearly all kinds of bed- 

 ding plants is similar. If one is making 

 a new bed the chances are that the soil 

 is not what it should be. If this is so, 

 dig out about a foot deep and fill in as 

 follows : 



"Take well rotted sod or rich, black 

 soil, not marsh soil, about a foot deep. 

 Spread over it a liberal dressing of well 

 rotted manure, about two inches thick. 

 Dig well and thoroughly mix. Hake weU 

 and fine, leaving the center somewhat 

 highest. Just a fine dressing of bone- 

 meal given before raking will give color 



