\i gi st 20, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



493 



Convention Exhibit of E. F. Winterson Co., Chicago 



in a week or two a thin mulch of half 

 rotted manure will help that first crop 

 of flower shoots to get a start, besides 

 preventing rapid drying out of the 

 soil. We aim to water the plants well 

 in the morning, according to the state 

 of moisture the soil may be in and right 

 after noon on warm days we damp down 

 the walks and syringe lightly overhead 

 and of course water what dry spots there 

 may be. On cloudy days the morning 

 watering usually suffices. From this time 

 on you handle them just as near like 

 you do in winter as circumstances will 

 allow. 



Eegular fumigating should commence 

 in the houses that have been planted four 

 weeks or more even if you do not see 

 any greenfly. Yon don't want to wait 

 until they begin to carry away the plant 

 before you begin to fight them, but you 

 should never let them get a foothold on 

 your place. There are other greenhouse 

 pests that will likely bother you, but I 

 will make them the subjects of my notes 

 in the near future. 



I do not see anything in the argument 

 Mr. Lambert is putting up in defense of 

 his article on watering carnations in the 

 field in a recent issue of the Review. 

 Now he says he waters when water rs 

 needed, though he does not say what 

 condition the plants should be in when 

 the water is needed, but from the tone of 

 his remarks one would judge that it was 

 done only when the plants become very 

 dry and arc really suffering for water. 

 That is correct and I have never so much 

 as hinted that in such cases watering 

 should not be resorted to, but I have al- 

 ways said and I say it again that such 

 eases are extremely rare if cultivating is 

 properly done. 



In his first article Mr. Lambert said 

 that he watered his carnations outside 

 just as he watered them in the house, 

 when water was needed, which would 

 lead any one to believe after reading 

 his remarks about cultivating that he 

 watered regularly like you would an 

 a.ster bed or some other blooming crop. 

 That is the kind of watering I object to. 

 I say that as long as you ran touch 

 moist, soil with the teeth of the culti- 

 vator you need not water even while the 

 plants are making their growth and later 

 on about planting time they can get 



drier than that. We have gone through 

 rainless spells of from four to six week? 

 without any serious harm, but they are 

 extremely rare. Of course a sandy soil 

 that dries out rapidly will not stand a 

 long spell like that without burning up 

 the plants. I claim that a moderatelv 

 dry summer will produce better (not 

 larger) plants than even a moderately 

 wet season. Mr. Lambert says he can- 

 not fin i where he says that frequent 

 watering or excessive rains do not cause 

 stem-rot. Here are his words, can you 

 make anything else out of them? "Be- 

 lieving as I do that stem-rot arises from 

 the composition of the soil and condi- 

 tions of the fertilizers used and not from 

 moisture, I have always watered my field 

 carnations as I water them in the houses, 

 etc. ' ' Mr. Lambert ignored the fact 

 that stem-rot is caused by a fungus and 

 that that fungus is very apt to be pres- 

 ent wherever there is decaying vegetable 

 matter, and that while it is kept dry it 

 remains in a dormant state and that 

 moisture will cause it to become active. 

 The fact that he uses very little or no 

 stable manure is one reason why he has 



no trouble with stem-rot ; 

 are other reasons. 



His argument that 

 produce moisture is vc 

 it does not produce ' 

 that in nine summer! 

 there is enough rain 

 carnation . plants 



possibly there 



ation will not 

 >ak. Of course 

 but I claim 

 of every ten 

 o grow good 

 ill manage so 

 that the plants can have the use of what 

 water falls. This can be done by fre- 

 quent cultivating or mulching, the for- 

 mer being the most practical in the 

 field. I should like to see Mr. Lambert 

 take a part of his carnation patch an- 

 other year and cultivate it every week 

 ■it least once and water only when the 

 soil dries out deep enough so he can not 

 turn up moist soil with his cultivator, 

 and see if he does not have a finer lot 

 of carnation plants six weeks after 

 planting them in the house than the ones 

 he watered all summer. The proof in the 

 pudding is in the eating thereof. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



Toronto, Ont. — .T. H. Dunlop will 

 grow "green goods" extensively next 

 season, putting up houses especially for 



(lie purpose. 



Seasonable Hints. 



The cold damp nights which have pre- 

 vailed during August and which re- 

 mind us of late September weather, are 

 already showing their effects by the ap- 

 pearance of black spot and mildew. 



Where the place is of such dimensions 

 as to warrant the keeping of a night 

 watchman these conditions need give us 

 little or no trouble. He can by keeping 

 an eye on the outside temperature so 

 regulate the ventilation that no sud- 

 den change of temperature inside may 

 occur. But in the thousands of places 

 where the extent of glass is below 30,000 

 feet, and where the space occupied by 

 roses may not be even the half of that, 

 keeping a night man during the sum- 

 mer months appears in most cases too 

 big a drain on the prospective profits 

 to be safely indulged in. and the in- 

 genuity and skill required in overcom- 

 ing these unfavorable conditions at 

 small cost, will be the cause of many 

 anxious hours. 



Black spot is usually engendered by 

 some condition which causes a sudden 

 cheek to root action, thus lowering the 

 vitality of the plants, such as overwater- 

 ing during cold, damp weather, when 

 evaporation is slow, and which from 

 now on must be carefully guarded 

 against. 



On the first appearance of spot the 

 soil in the benches should be allowed 

 to become moderately dry, and all af- 



fected leaves carefully 

 burned, giving plent 

 even at the expense of 

 the evenings are cold, i 

 accompanied by rain, 

 under 56 degrei - shot 

 cold, for this is the 



i-k.-.l 



iff and 

 itilation 

 ring, if 



works sad havoc among the as yet tender 

 foliage of Beauty and Liberty, and in 

 bad cases extending even to Kaiserin. 



When thes thi ds are put in force 



early enough and persisted in, the dis- 

 ease -will usually give little trouble. 



Where the disease has a good head- 

 way and is so severe that picking off the 

 affected leaves would leave the plants 



