488 Report of the Mycologist of the 



any attention. Soipe time ago there appeared in the American 

 Florist* a brief article entitled, " A Carnation Puzzle." In sub- 

 stance it is as follows: The Heite Floral Co. have two places — 

 one in Merriam, Kaus., and one in Kansas City, Mo. At Merriam 

 the houses are in terrible condition with rust although all reme- 

 dies have been tried. In Kansas City the houses are in perfect 

 health. The stock was all grown at Merriam. The question is 

 asked, " Why is this? " 



Some florists have no trouble with rust. They have a little 

 here and there — a few plants affected — but it does not seem to 

 spread and never gets the mastery. Daybreak is a very suscepti- 

 ble variety which some have been obliged to abandon on account 

 of rust, yet have I seen this variety grown to perfection without 

 the use of any fungicide whatever, notwithstanding the fact that 

 rust was present in the house. Throughout the season traces of 

 rust could be found but never in suflScient quantity to do> harm. 

 This is not an uncommon experience and it indicates that the 

 disease may be controlled by greenhouse management. 



In his account of the experiments previously mentioned Beattie 

 says: "We have also found that careful managment of the 

 greenhouse has more effect than anything else." In an article 

 on ventilating, published in the Florists^ Exchange, Lothrop 

 Wighlf says : " After cold weather has fairly set in we can have 

 things just as we want them under glass and with proper manage- 

 ment rust ought to disappear. If it does not, it will probably 

 be due to neglect or oversight upon the part of the grower." I 

 heartily endorse the views of these two gentlemen. I am 

 confident that if we knew how to manage the greenhouse aa 

 regards temperature, watering, ventilation, etc., we need have no 

 fear of carnation rust. It is easy to make such statements as the 

 above and not diflScult to demonstrate their truth, but to put the 

 principles into practice and grow rust-free carnations is quite 

 another matter. Exactly what are the conditions which are 

 unfavorable to the growth of rust and yet not incompatible with 

 the health of the plants themselves, we do not know and the 



* S. M., American Florist, Vol. X., p. 512. 



+ Wight, Lothrop. Florista' Kxchange, Vol. VII,, p. 1146. 



