566 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



March 5, 1903. 



CARNATIONS. 



Leaf Spot. 



Enclosed lierewith I send you some 

 carnation cuttings. They sliow a disease 

 and I would like you to tell me what it 

 is and the cure for same; also if shoots 

 rooted from them are likely to develop 

 the same disease when planted out for 

 next season. II- F. E. 



The specimens sent by H. F. E. showed 

 plainly a case of leaf spot, and he can 

 easily" rid his plants of it. Pick off all 

 spotted leaves and burn them; keep the 

 atmosphere pure and sweet; dust the 

 plants with slaked slime, fostite or grape 

 dust, and do not wet the plants over- 

 head too much. A stagnant atmosphere 

 is the cause of the trouble, and when 

 you know that you will know how to 

 combat it. The shoots you sent are unfit 

 for cuttings; they are too long drawn. 

 T?he side shoots are much better. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



CARNATION NOTES-EAST. 



Topping Young Stock. 



Young stock will now be growing 

 quite rapidly as the power of tlie sun 

 increases; it will be well to go over it 

 every two or three days, if possible, as 

 it is surprising how much more quickly 

 some plants run up^ than others in tlie 

 same batch. 



Our method of selecting plants of one 

 size when transferring from pots to 

 flats is of material advantage; but even 

 then some will forgo ahead and as the 

 process of topping must not be dclajod 

 too long, it becomes necessarj- to look 

 them over often. 



In topping, there is a right and a 

 wrong way and also a right and wrong 

 time. 



I cannot recommend the pulling out 

 of the center shoots, as this leaves an 

 undesirable place for water to lodge, 

 acting in some cases similar to Pan- 

 danus Veitehii when moisture is allowed 

 to collect in the heart of the plant. 



This may be called one extreme; the 

 other is in allowing plants to run almost 

 into bud, thweby making it necessary 

 to remove a large amount of growth. 

 thus inviting a check to the plants and 

 the possibility of there being a hard 

 stump left from which the eyes do not 

 readily break. 



It is true that some varieties brancli 

 naturally and need but little attention 

 as regards topping. Every variety has 

 its peculiarities in reference to its natu- 

 ral growth, but I think the general 

 make-up of the cutting at the time it is 

 taken from the plant, has much to do 

 with the future plant's natural inclina- 

 tion toward shapeliness. You have per- 

 haps noticed in a batch of seedlings that 

 the majority naturally grow into shapely 

 plants. There was no selection of cut- 

 tings then; Dame Nature showed her 

 inclination towards the beautiful; for 

 is there not beauty in nicely formed 

 plants? 



Plants grown from cuttings which 

 possessed a strong base and a stocky 

 look, will require much less attention 

 as regards topping, than those spindling, 

 long-jointed apologies that are some- 

 times taken in the mad desire to in- 

 crease stock no matter what the result! 



I do not approve of topping directly 

 before or after a shift; that is, trans- 

 ferring potted stock to flats, bench or 



larger pots; for in so doing there is 

 great liability of a backset being given 

 the i>lants. It should be the plan to 

 have the operation of topping done when 

 the roots have a firm hold of the soil, for 

 it is obvious that when topped there is 

 a loss of balance between root,s and toi> 

 and to have at hand a fresh supply of 

 soil into which the roots have not pene- 

 trated, will only result in much time 

 being consumed in restoring the balance, 

 when the object is to get the plants into 

 proper condition as soon as possible. 

 This is very quickly arrived at when the 

 plants are left to their own resources, as 

 it were. 



In explanation I will assume your 

 stock is either in quarters where it is to 

 remain until planting-out time or where 

 it can be kept for a week or ten days 

 without suffering for root room. Those 

 plants which have run up so that the 

 st*m can be easily seen between the 

 joints should l>e cut with a sharp knife 

 (not broken or roughly pinched off) be- 

 tween the joints at a point which your 

 judgment will tell you that a sufficient 

 luuidicr of eyes have liecn left to break 

 and form a shapely plant. There can be 

 no arbitraiy rule laid down which will 

 apply to all varieties, as to the distance 

 above the soil plants should be topped, 

 for there is much difference in the natu- 

 ral habit of each. 



The most important object to be at- 

 tained is to produce a plant which, when 

 lifted, will have the main stem or trunk 

 of such length that when benching, the 

 lower branches will be at least an incli 

 above the soil, while a trifle less stem is 

 sufficient to extend into the soil. Allow- 

 ing for variation which is bound to oc- 

 cur, I should say, the ideal stem would 

 be from 2 to 2* inches between lowest 

 branch and where the roots join the 

 trunk. Geo. S. Osbokx. 



NEW CARNATION MAGDALENE. 

 I send you herewith an engraving 

 from a photograph of a bench of the 

 new pink carnation Magdalene, at the 

 establishment of Smith & Son, Cleveland, 

 Ohio. The color is a very pleasing cerise 

 pink, not quite so dark as Lawson, and 

 the blooms measure from 2J to 3i in- 

 ches across, being borne on stiff stems, 

 18 to 2.5 inches long. It makes a splen- 

 did plant, lx)th in the field and when 

 planted on the bench. It has a remark- 

 able feature, namely, that of breaking 

 from the bottom and throwing blooming 

 wood almost like a rose. The bench was 

 planted September 24. and the photo- 

 graph was taken February 12. The 

 photograph hardly does the carnation 

 justice, as I have seen it in much better 

 shape with a great many more buds 

 and blooms showinL'. Texep. 



MISCELLANEOUS 

 SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Seeds. 



Every week now will find us with 

 more work and less room in which to 

 do it. From now until we get the relief 

 at Easter is one of the most crowded 

 times of the year. 



Several kinds of seed can be sown 

 about the middle of the month. As im- 

 portant as any to the llorist is the aster, 

 which nowadays is an important summer 

 and fall flower. There are many differ- 

 ent strains and most all good if well 

 grown. I mentioned a few weeks ago 

 that asters could be sown then for a 

 very early batch, and the soxrtng during 

 middle of March should not be the last. 

 Sow another lot middle of April. We 

 found last year a variety known as 

 "Queen of the Market" was very early 

 and useful. Tlie "Comet' is a very beau- 

 tiful flower, and the "Truffauts Paeony 

 Flowered," the "Victoria." and to give 

 you the largest blooms, the ''Vick's'' or 

 "Scrapie's'' branching varieties are in- 

 dispensable. Don't sow the branching 

 varieties too late, as they take longer 

 than others to mature. 



Few florists save their own aster .seed, 

 although they could if they wished to go 

 to the trouble. But I believe in division 

 of labor, and that we may as well leave 

 to the specialist. So the next best thins; 

 is to buy your seeds of the most relialde 

 source you know. Seedsmen too often 

 get blamed for a poor quality of seed or 

 strain when it is our fault and poor cul- 

 tivation is the trouble. A.sters must 

 have a deep, rich soil and in dry spells 

 they must be watered. 



If your trade demands young plants 

 of the so-called hardv annuals, thcv 



shciuld be sown middle to end of the 

 month — balsams. Phlox Drummondi, di- 

 anthus, marigolds, ten week stocks, and 

 others of that clais. Tliere is not much 

 money in any of these to t.he florist a.s 

 cut flowers, but our customers want 

 them. 



Every spring we sell hundreds of 3- 

 inch pots of mignonette, just because peo- 

 ple don't remember, or don't know- enough 

 to sow the seed in the open ground as 

 soon as it can lie dug. They are a-sked 

 for by the dozen and theie is as much 

 profit in them as in any other bedding 

 plant. 



Sow nasturtiums soon. We use these 

 largely in baskets and vases. The tall 

 varieties are most suitable for this pur- 

 pose, and they want a. light, warm place 

 and a stiff soil without any manure, or 

 they will grow too large in the pots be- 

 fore you want to use them. 



There is always a demand for the 

 beautiful cosmos, and where the season 

 is long enough to allow it to flower in 

 profusion there is no more beautiful dec- 

 orative flower. Sow it middle of this 

 month and when in small pots give it a 

 light bench, so that it won't run up too 

 long and spindling. 



Cannas. 



It will soon be time to get up your 

 canna roots and clean and divide them. 

 You can't afford to have them in pots 

 until after Easter, for you don't have 

 the room to spare. One good, sound eye 

 is enough to make a fine plant. Spread 

 two inches of sphagnum on a bench, and 

 if pipes are l>eneath the bench, so much 

 the better. Tlien place the pieces you 

 have cut and divided on the sphagnum 



