September 14, 1912 



HORTICULTURE 



379 



TO THE SWEET PEA GROWER. 



Dear Sir: — For the last two years 

 we have been working on the diseases 

 of the sweet pea and their control. 

 We are about to publish a prelimi- 

 nary bulletin and we are anxious to 

 incorporate in our work the experience 

 and observations of all the leading 

 practical horticulturists and garden- 

 ers. 



In our investigations we have dealt 

 with the following troubles: Damping 

 off, similar to the damping off of let- 

 tuce and other plants; Anthracnose, 

 producing a wilt disease of the tips 

 as well as a leaf and pod disease; 

 "Streak," a dreaded disease in Eng- 

 land and now rapidly spreading in 

 this country; this disease is charac- 

 terized by a dark streak all along the 

 center of the stem; Mosaic disease, 

 similar to the mosaic of tobacco and 

 tomato; Root diseases due to fungi 

 and eel worms. 



Due credit will be given you in our 

 report, to any contribution which you 

 will be so kind as to give us. The De- 

 parment of Plant Pathology will high- 

 ly appreciate and consider It a great 

 favor if you will kindly fill out the 

 lists of questions which we here in- 

 clude. An early reply will be duly ap- 

 preciated as it will save the losing of 

 unnecessary time. 



Hoping to hear from you and thank- 

 ing you in advance, I am, very truly, 

 J. J. TAUBENHAUS, 

 Assistant Plant Pathologist. 



Del. Coll. Agrl. Exp. Station, 

 Newark, Del. 



1. Is the sweet pea grown exten- 

 sively in your state? 



2. What is its economic value? 



3. Can you please furnish us the 

 addresses of firms or individuals in 

 your state who grow sweet peas, 

 either for seeds or for cut flowers? 



4. Can you furnish us the address 

 of florists who grow sweet peas under 

 glass? 



5. Do you think the sweet pea 

 well adapted to the climate of your 

 state? 



6. If not adapted, does it thrive 

 in certain particular localities only? 



7. Have you noticed any particu- 

 lar soil in your state to which the 

 sweet pea is especially adapted? 



8. What kind of soil do you con- 

 sider ideal tor sweet peas? 



9. What types of soil do you con- 

 sider unfit for sweet peas? 



10. Do you consider excessive feed- 

 ing a hindrance to sweet pea growing, 

 that is. do plants fail to set flowers 

 or produce a bud drop when over- 

 fed? 



11. Do you prefer manure or fer- 

 tilizers for sweet peas? 



12. What do you consider is a well 

 balanced fertilizer for an average 

 sweet pea soil? 



13. Do you prefer fall or spring 

 sowing? 



14. Is the soaking of seeds before 

 germination necessary? 



15. What kind of support do you 

 consider best for sweet peas? 



16. What kind of cultural practice 

 is best suited for the sweet pea? 



17. According to your observatto'is, 

 what factors do you think are must 

 instrumental in favoring diseases of 

 the sweet pea? 



18. Have you noticed any mil'iev,- 

 (Oidium sp.) ? 



19. Do you irrigate your sweet 



A MISSOURI SWEET PEA FIELD. 



S. Br.TSOD .iyres, Iiidopeiuieiico. Mo., Grower. 



peas, and if so, how much does it help 

 the plants to resist disease? 



20. Do you grow sweet peas on the 

 same place year after year, and if so, 

 do you find the disease to be more 

 prevalent than they otherwise would? 



21. Do you change your soil every 

 year? 



22. Have you noticed any damping- 

 off of the seedlings? 



23. Have you noticed any tip wilt 

 (Anthracnose)? 



24. Have you noticed any Mosaic 

 or mottled leaf disease? 



25. Have you noticed any Streak 

 disease, a black streak running all 

 through the length of the main stem 

 of the plant? 



26. What disease do you consider 

 most detrimental to the sweet pea in 

 your state? 



27. Have you noticed any insect 

 pests troubling the sweet pea; if so, 

 please name them? 



28. Do you advise spraying for the 

 sweet pea? If so, for what do you 

 spray and what material do you use? 



29. What do you spray with to con- 

 trol green lice and mildew? 



30. Please give us the names of 

 the spray material which you use and 

 the name of the firm where you buy 

 it? 



31. Do you think that the time of 

 the day of picking the blossoms is 

 correlated with its keeping qualities? 



32. Do you know of any special 

 method of keeping the blossoms long- 

 est after they have been picked? 



33. Do you advise the application 

 of nitrates during growth; if so, what 

 influence has it on the flowering? 



34. What particular treatment do 

 you advise in order to encourage the 

 plants to bloom until late in the fall? 



35. What cultural treatment would 

 you prescribe for sweet peas under 

 glass? 



36. What daily and nightly range 

 (maximum and minimum) of tempera- 

 ture would you advise for sweet peas 

 under glass? 



37. What soil do you consider best 

 for sweet peas under glass? 



38. Do you sterilize your soil in the 

 greenhouse or do you change your 

 soil every year? 



39. Please add any special remarks 

 or observations that you would like 

 to make. 



40. Name and Address. 



41. Official position. 



NEWS NOTES. 



Westfield Mass.— P. Martino has 

 purchased the greenhouses of L. E. 

 Bennett. 



Huntington, Pa. — Fred M. Isenberg 

 has purchased the business of Hake 

 & Peterman. 



Sheridan, Wyo.— L. M. Best, of the 

 Best Floral Co.. has purchased the 

 property of the Sheridan Greenhouse 

 Co. 



Rockford, 111.— Charles E. Rogers 

 has purchased the greenhouse of H. B. 

 Sullivan, Central avenue and Green 

 street, 



Columbus, Kan.— L. H. Winter has 

 sold his greenhouse to T. A. Blake, 

 who will combine the business with 

 his own. 



Wakefield, Mass.— L. E. Bennett has 

 sold the greenhouses at the corner of 

 Pleasant and Sweetser streets to P. 

 Martimo of Wate street. 



Toledo, Ohio — The greenhouses of 

 Clara K. Wisner, 2476 Cherry street, 

 are being torn down and will be re- 

 built on Delaware avenue. 



Holyoke, Mass. — Reginald S. Carey, 

 formerly gardener for Joseph A. Skin- 

 ner, has purchased the greenhouses 

 and nursery of Joseph Beach. 



Pierre, S. D. — A cloudburst on Au- 

 gust 29 destroyed all the outside stock 

 at the Capitol Greenhouses, 228 Paw- 

 nee street, and flooded everything in- 

 side. 



Fairmount, Minn. — The greenhouse 

 of the late Mrs. J. W. Gould has been 

 purchased by Mrs. D. W. Needham, 

 who will move it to her own plant on 

 Third street 



Grand Rapids, Mich. — Reed & 

 Cheney have about closed negotiations 

 for the purchase of the Grand Rapids 

 Greenliouse Co.'s properties whicli 

 have been in the hands of a receiver 

 since early in the year. They intend 

 to organize a company to continue the 

 business 



