70 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 369 



Cultural Requirements of Freesias. (Harold E. White, Waltham.) The practice 

 of drying Freesia corms for a certain period prior to planting, which is considered 

 essential for successful forcing, results in a definite loss in weight dependent on 

 the length of the curing period. The loss in weight varied between 1 and 2 percent 

 for curing periods of 2 to 3 weeks, but after the fourth week increased rapidly. 

 The greatest loss in weight was 31 percent, which was for a curing period of 13 

 weeks. The loss in weight of corms cured in a potting shed at a temperature 

 of 70° to 75° F. was comparable to that of corms cured at a controlled tempera- 

 ture of 60° to 65° F. Corms cured for 1 to 3 weeks did not appear to make any 

 more rapid vegetative growth than uncured corms. Data on the relation of the 

 length of the cui ing period to time and degree of flowering are not yet available. 



Modification of the growing media by the addition of manure or sand had no 

 noticeable effect on the rate of vegetative growth. 



Physiological Disorders of Carnations. (Harold E. White, Waltham.) The 

 sticking and growing together of petals of carnations, a condition commonly 

 known as adhesion, and brought about by some physiological condition of the 

 plant, has been observed to occur sporadically in greenhouses during the past 

 six years. In a number of instances where this physiological disturbance has 

 been encountered, it has seemed to be associated with particular brands of fer- 

 tilizers applied to the soil. The chief difference between brands of fertilizer that 

 appeared to cause adhesion and brands that did not, seemed to be the high nit- 

 rogen content of the mixtures which, under unfavorable light or other growing 

 conditions, were associated with the trouble. 



Through the interest and cooperation of a well-known fertilizer manufacturer 

 certain features of a particular fertilizer formula were checked to determine 

 whether any of the materials in the mixture might possibly be the cause of ad- 

 hesion. Changes made in the original formula weie modifications in the ratio of 

 nitiate, ammonia, and organic nitrogen and in the sources of potash. Five 

 different fertilizer combinations were used in the tests. No adhesion was ob- 

 served with any of the fertilizer mixtures used. 



This test does not definitely prove that the fertilizers used may not have 

 been associated with the cause of adhesions, but would rather indicate that 

 there are other factors, such as cultural or seasonal conditions, concerned with 

 this peculiar physiological disorder. 



One other trouble with carnations has been observed this past year, in which 

 the nodes or joints of the flower stems were greatly enlarged, causing the stems 

 to grow in a zigzag manner and resulting in a breaking over at the nodes where 

 the swelling occurred. This disorder has so far been confined to certain varieties. 

 It has been suggested that fumigation with naphthalene might be a cause, but 

 this is not definitely known. In all probability this trouble may also be asso- 

 ciated with certain nutritional disorders. 



Packet Seed Studies. (Clark L. Thayer.) For a fourth season the Department 

 of Floriculture has cooperated with the Seed Laboratory in a test to determine 

 the quality of flower seeds sold in retail seed stores, garages, hardware stores, 

 grocei ies, schools, and other retail outlets. The seeds, which were collected by the 

 State Seed Inspector, were weighed and analyzed for purity in the laboratory 

 and were tested for germination and performance under field conditions. 



The test included 224 lots, representing 42 genera, packeted by 30 wholesale 

 establishments. Records on germination in the field showed 150 lots, good; 38 

 lots, fair; 31 lots, poor; 5 lots, no germination. Records on performance in the 

 field showed 168 lots, satisfactory; 56 lots, not satisfactory. Detailed results are 

 included in Control Series Bulletin 102. 



