December 8, 1917 



HORTICULTURE 



593 



ABOUT CARNATIONS 



While strolling along the walks of my carnation 

 houses and looking for possible troubles ahead or pres- 

 ent, I could not help harking back to the time when i 

 took hold of this place in February last and how few, 

 if any of my fears at that time have been realized so 

 far. As my going at the job was connected with some 

 rather unusual and actually very unpleasant circum- 

 stances and as the present outcome is rather more than 

 gratifying in every way, I thought 1 would let Hokti- 

 OULTUHE give its readers the benefit of my experience. 

 May be some of my brother florists will be able to benefit 

 thereby and, if not, it will at least be one way of pass- 

 ing a little time by reading. 



My place consists of four houses, two running east 

 and west and two north and south. They had lain idle 

 and without the least of attention in repairs for about 

 two years and the wind was blowing through their whis- 

 kers pretty much. In two of the houses there were no 

 benches — just the level soil; in the other two there 

 were two benches in each, each (; feet wide and not 

 more than 3 feet from the glass at the sides. These 

 houses are IG by 75 feet; the others are :i5 by 100 feet. 

 1 put in the glass and tidied up, got the heating (hot 

 water) repaired and had the houses mider (control by 

 the end of February, sowed and planted sna])dragon, 

 bachelor buttons, marigold, etc., on the benches. In 

 the otlici- luHises I planted 4,000 gladiolus (America 

 and Augusta) and started Market (Juecn asters. Then 

 I ordered the carnation cuttings (13,000) and had 

 the first lot coming and ])otted by March 2. From 

 tlieie on the cuttings came by degi'ees. Mostly on 

 Saturday evening, so I could take a rest, potting and 

 bo.xing all of Sundays. Now right here 1 should like 

 to ask, wliy shippers arc always so particular to have 

 cuttings arrive at the otliei' md at siu-li a tiine? Scarrli 

 me; 1 do not know wliy ! . l>y .\|iril 17 1 had all my 

 cuttings, sixteen kinds, on the place and they were, a 

 liart of them, a sony looking combination. 



Xow, as for the .soil, there was no potting soil handy, 

 so had to use Ibc soil from the houses as it was. It had 

 never before been changed and had for -1 to 6 years 

 grown "cukes," sweet peas, beets, radishes and ferns, 

 etc. It did not look inviting, but was tised as it was, 

 as ]U) other could he gdtlcii outside. 'I'hc cuttings went 

 ahead all right and began to erowil ; not having much 

 room to spare 1 had lo wait till some of the early sow- 

 ings were otf the henchcs ami then i planted all of the 

 voung plants on the benches into I inch "dirt bauds" 

 and gave them a ilose of tankage mixed in the soil. 

 ^lade it a business to yaidv out anv plants that showed 

 a v(dlou- sti'cak or hunsj hark. The plants did evreed- 

 ingly well and lu'cded a lot of pinching light along, 

 although the temperature went over 100 degrees numy 

 times in the houses, a condition that could not then be 

 helped. The plantinsr 'ido the dirt l)ands was started 

 .\]u-il 7 and was fiTii.shod May 0. 



In the mean time soil was trot ready in the field to 

 take into the houses. The soil came from a field Ihat 

 had nothiuLr on it but witch grass, but it had plenty of 

 that and lots to spaie. There may have been nuinure 

 on that field some time witliin tlu^ last 100 years, but 

 nobody hereabouts could reuu-mlier when. We mixed 

 some of that celetu'ated Boston lu^rse manure (why call 

 pure straw by that mime?) with the soil at the rate of 

 about 1 to .". shook out the witch "rass and after gladioli 



and asters were out of the two larger houses we built 

 beds on the grouiul with 1'^ inch pecky cyjjress (three 

 inches into the soil). Before putting on the soil, 9 

 inches deep, the old soil got a good big dose of lime and 

 ashes well spaded in. 'I'lien the plants from the dirt 

 liands were planted into the beds in the two larger and 

 into the benches in the two smaller houses 7 and S 

 indies apart and the benches looked pretty fidl then. 

 The planting inside was started June 2'^ and finished 

 July Vi. Between May '^4 and 26 3,000 young planis 

 from dirt bands were ]>lanted in the field on new turned 

 sod without any fertilizer and did very well although 

 the soil got some diw at times. As to those ''dirt bands," 

 they were a success ; the plants never knew they had been 

 nujved and went right on growing, no leaves on the bot- 

 tom shriveling U]). 'I'hcse .3,(1(10 plants were i)lanted 

 inside on solid beds August ".^3. 



Now, as to feeding: The young plants in the dirt 

 bands got one dose of dried blood while in the hands 

 and how they did like it I After planting into the 

 houses all the i)lants from the bands had the following: 

 Aug. 7. 4 lbs. nitrate soda to 4 by 100 ft. lieiich ; Aug. 

 l.">. 10 ll)s. acid phosphate; Sept. -"i, 10 lbs. tankage 

 (1() per cent) ; Oct. 13, S lbs. tankage and | lb. sulphate 

 of potash; Oct. 34, 2.5 lbs. ashes and lime on 4 by 100 

 ft. bench; nothing more since. 



The first strings and wires were in by .\ugust Id. 

 Everything had the swond deck by August 27, except 

 the pilants from outdoors. Started on third decks 

 .\ugust 30 and Septendicr 2,S the fourth wire went in. 

 Since then a number of benches, like Benora, P. 

 Delight. .Mice aiul Peerless Pink have five decks and 

 are looking for more. The feeding did not seem to do 

 any harm, but it did make necessary a lot of disbudding. 



The planis at present are fine, healthy and big and 

 one mass of buds and flowers. There is no disease anil 

 only about twenty plants replaced on account of stem 

 rot. The temperature lias been and is kept between 

 oO and 70 degrees if ))sosible. but has many times gone 

 down t(] 42 degrees, because the heating a[)paratus 

 proNcd not ipiite adeipiate and is being improved. Yet 

 for all that tliere have not been more than about 200 

 s|)lits and these oidy on White Perfection. We started 

 picking Septemhci- II and have picked heavy in Octt)hci' 

 and Xovendier and from now on are going to do the 

 leal stunt. The Howers are as good as I shall ever want 

 them aiul the stems make them hold up their heads. 



The ]ilants from outdoors are about seven weeks 

 behind the others in the time of flowering; in fact are 

 just now starting well, but thev will make up in short 

 order and 1 tliink will in time outdo the rest. The 

 plants in the raised lienches are not as strong or tall as 

 those in the solid beds, c^cn the same kinds and of lots 

 of the same cuttings, but good enough to look at. 



The plants, all of them, have never been watered over- 

 head oi sprayed, except in one or two snuill s|)ots where 

 som.:" red spider tried to sneak in. For greenfly and 

 ihi'ips we evaporate Xicofume with alcohol lam|)s. 



Now the above is my experience so far and where last 

 s])iing 1 often lost ho])e I have now found all my fears 

 come to nothing ami things turned out 0. K. 



If any id' IToKTiri'i/TfiiK's readers can glean a morsel 

 of a useful hint in this little tale T shall feel repaid 

 for havinu' attempted it. To (hose who do not need or do 

 not want any of the above I nud<e my due ajiologies. 



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