January 17, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



7;? 



CELERY NOT KEEPING. 



Editor llOItTRTLTUltE; 



Celery liere has kept very piinrly this 

 year, fur the eeuters rot away. Not what 

 is called a dry rut hut just a wet dii'ty 

 rot. Other lumehes that are nut attacked 

 with this are very liiiht in weii;ht and 

 the white part, as I might say, is Just 

 like straw. Do you think that there is 

 anything that can be done to prevent this? 

 Do you think it was the drought we had 

 last summer? Isn't a good way to pack 

 celery for winter to put the roots firmly 

 into wet sand, and put iiuuches about 

 four to six inches each way? The atmo- 

 sphere is dry and cool but not cold 

 enough to freeze. 



Dalton, Mass. C. S., Jr. 



Replying to the foregoing would say 

 that the treatment received last sum- 

 mer would not cause the trouble men- 

 tioned. Apparently, after storing, the 

 plants have been allowed to sweat — 

 probably through lack of air. Many 

 use the same method of storing the 

 roots in sand successfully, (soil will 

 answer the same purpose at the roots) 

 which shows the other conditions must 

 have been wrong somewhere. A tem- 

 perature of 35 to 40 should be aimed 

 at; at the same time keep on some air 

 to prevent sweating. Rectifying the 

 atmospheric conditions is all that can 

 be done now as any that have already 

 started to go in the center will con- 

 tinue. The severe weather experi- 

 enced in some sections of the country 

 make it compulsory to lift and store 

 celery in cellars or pits. Here this 

 method is not followed. The plants 

 are set in double rows nearly on the 

 level, which is done to make them 

 more easily accessible when fighting 

 rust in the fall. Earthing up is left as 

 late as possible, after which the sides 

 and the top, up to foliage that is left 

 exposed, is protected with dry leaves, 

 these being covered over with a thin 

 layer of soil to prevent their blowing 

 away. Loose straw litter is thrown 

 over the tops as the bad weather 

 comes and removed when mild. If 

 wide boards are nailed together and 

 placed so a ■ directly over the rows it 

 will save the litter breaking any foli- 

 age and turn most of the water to the 

 sides. These should not be longer 

 than eight feet or they will be difficult 

 to handle. The exceptionally mild 

 weather experienced this fall has been 

 a detriment to good keeping of celery. 

 J. J. M. Farkeli.. 



So. Norwalk, Conn. 



SWEET PEA BUDS DROPPING. 



Editur HllUTl('l]I>TUI!E : 



1 would like to have :i little information 

 in reg.-ird to my sweet peas coming alioiit 

 half of the stems single flowered. They 

 commenced blooming Christmas week. 

 Thev have no disease of any kind. They 

 are planted two feet apart in a good loam 

 soil, rows running north and south am 

 grown in a temperature of 50 at night and 

 from CO to O.J during the day. I have 

 watered them about three times with sheep 

 manure water, putting a peck to a .id- 

 gallon barrel of water. They stand now 

 about live feet high. The varieties are 

 Christmas White and Pink. Mrs. Wallace 

 and .me other pink. They start with two 

 buds but one will dTiip off. leaving only 

 one flower, and the stems now are about 

 live to seven and twelve inches. If some 

 .me could tell me what is the cause I 

 would be very much obliged to him. 



I have given them dressing of lime also, 

 .iiid one dressing of rose growers' bone 

 nour. two days ago. They are throwing 

 out side shoots now but some ot the 

 leaves at bottom are beginning to turn 

 vellow and drop off. Is that any harm or 

 will thev do it when they get along in age.' 

 I have not had much experieme in li row- 

 ing sweet peas in the house. 



Shelburn Falls, Mass. .'. " . 



dropping on sweet peas, would say 

 that the last two weeks have been 

 ideal weather tor bud drop. The only 

 remedy I would suggest would be to 

 run the temperature a little higher, 

 particularly in mid-winter — say 52 at 

 night to 70 by day; 67 I think the 

 proper temperature on sunny days and 

 60 on cloudy days. The atmosphere 

 should never get clammy or dead. 

 There should be just enough heat and 

 air stirring to keep the atmosphere 

 sweet. The vines would show a little 

 soft growth by increasing the temper- 

 ature in this cloudy weather, but that 

 cannot -be helped if the buds are to 

 stick. Running them a little warmer 

 and not over-watering them is the only 

 solution for buds dropping. 

 Yours truly, 



William Sim. 

 Cliftondale, Mass. 



ANTS. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Will you please publish the best remedy 

 for ants in a conservatory adjoining the 

 house, which cannot be fumigated with 



Yours truly, 

 Jirooklyn, N. Y. 



C. 



I take pleasure in sending you our 

 circular on Ants, and especially refer 

 you to the paragraph on the back page, 

 as quoted below. I think where 

 fumigation is impracticable, this meth- 

 od of using a sponge in sweetened 

 water will prove as good as any. Of 

 course, if the ants can be traced back 

 to the nest, which would probably be 

 out ot doors, then the injection of 

 carbon disulfid would thoroughly rid 

 the premises of these pests, but or- 

 dinarily the tracing of the ant lines 

 back to the nest is attended with con- 

 siderable labor and trouble. 

 Very truly yours, 



AiiTiHK I. BouKNE, Assistant. 



Mass. Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion. 



Extract from Circular No. 7. 



If the nest is in the wall of the house 

 or cannot lie found, various baits may be 

 used effectively. It is stated that maple 

 syrup mixed with London Purple in a low 

 dish and exposed to the ants, not only 

 killed large numbers but prevented the 

 recurreni-e of the pests for a long time 

 afterward. An old and popular remedy is 

 dipping a sponge in sweetened water and 

 placing it where the ants are. and when 

 the ants have collected in the sponge it 

 maj' be dropped into hot water. A greasy 

 lione may be used in a similar manner. 

 A few repetitions of any of these baits 

 is generally sufficient, for the ants seem 

 to communicate the intelligence of danger 

 or disaster one to anotlier and they all 

 seek safer quarters. A broad chalky line 

 is an effectual barrier for many species, 

 especially if frequently renewed. Placing 

 the legs of tables in shallow vessels con- 

 taining water is another protection from 

 this pest, and a ring of powdered cloves 

 around an article it is desired to protect 

 is generally effective. 



In reply to inquiry regarding bud- 



DISEASED CARNATION FOLIAGE. 



"P. L. T.." Hingham, Mass., who 

 sent sample of diseased carnation 

 leaves is informed that it is not pos- 

 sible to diagnose .what is the matter 

 with the plants, because the leaves 

 were too much dried up, for one thing, 

 and because a description of the 

 symptoms aiid behavior of the plants 

 is needed. The variety should also be 

 mentioned and what treatment the 

 plants have been given for the last 

 two or three months. If P. L. T. will 

 furnish the above mentioned informa- 

 tion an expert opinion will be obtained. 

 Also would ask P. L. T. to give his 

 full address to this office. 



BIRDS DO POLICE DUTY. 



"Birds are an aerial police force con- 

 centrating quickly on any unusual ir- 

 ruption of insects or the lesser ani- 

 mals," said Edward Howe Porbush, 

 State ornithologist, at the first of the 

 series of lectures in Horticultural Hall, 

 Boston. His subject was "Utilizing 

 Birds in Horticulture." 



He said that a single bird will eat 

 100 insects daily and that a hawk will 

 save farmers hundreds of thousands ot 

 dollars by destroying field mice and 

 grasshoppers. It has been calculated, 

 he said, that in Massachusetts alone 

 birds devour 2,560,000,000 insects each 

 day. He stated that birds are espec- 

 ially valuable in protecting the trees, 

 in the woods and also the grass crops. 



To utilize birds in horticulture, he 

 advised attracting them to the desired 

 locality, then protecting them and do- 

 ing everything possible to increase 

 their numbers. Owls are particularly 

 valuable, he declared, because ot their 

 warfare on field mice. He advised at- 

 tracting kingbirds and martins, which 

 drive away birds of prey and pro- 

 tect smaller birds. 



Kingbirds can be attracted, he said, 

 by hanging cotton twine in pieces 

 about 12 inches long on fences or the 

 branches of trees. Orioles can some- 

 times be attracted In the same way, 

 but the bird houses and food are the 

 principal means of attracting birds, 

 he said. He urged that children be 

 taught to take an interest In the por- 

 tection of birds. 



FARMERS' WEEK AT PENN. STATE 

 COLLEGE. 



During Parmers' Week, which begun 

 December 29, there were registered 

 975 visitors. Three of this number 

 were large growers ot Pennsylvania, 

 namely, Jos. Heacock and son, of 

 Wyncote. and Mr. Pyle, of the Conard 

 & Jones Company, West Grove. 



Mr. Pyle gave very instructive and 

 interesting talks on the subject of the 

 Rose. All three men were much, 

 pleased with what the Department was 

 endeavoring to do with its meagre 

 equipment and they will co-operate in 

 making it the best ever. 



The Short Course in Ploricultur& 

 started three weeks ago with an en- 

 rollment of seven men who are all 

 located in Pennsylvania. Three of 

 this number have had a little practical 

 experience. This branch of study is 

 becoming more and more popular from' 

 year to year and It bids fair to become- 

 a valuable asset to the younger men 

 who contemplate going into the flor- 

 ists' business. In addition to the short 

 course men, there are 38 regular stu- 

 dents who are receiving instructions- 

 in commercial floriculture. 



A FLOURISHING BRITISH SOCIETY 



At the annual meeting of the Na- 

 tional Rose Society, held in London, 

 on Dec. 11th, it was reported that for 

 the first time in the history of the 

 Society, the members total over 6,000. 

 The president stated that the year had 

 been the most satisfactory in the an- 

 nals of the Society. They had put by 

 the biggest sum than in any previous; 

 year, whilst the literature sent out 

 wa.s better than ever. During the pro- 

 ciodings a telegram was read from E. 

 T. Cook, president of the Rose Society 

 of Canada, sending fraternal greetings. 

 W. H. Adsett. 



