ANNUM. REPORT, 1940 73 



on an average of two weeks sooner than precured conns. The plant growth 

 and productivity of the corms were not affected by precuring treatments 

 prior to forcing. 



Freesias subjected to constant temperatures of 50° -52' F. during the 

 rooting period after precuring were not aflfected favorably or unfavorably 

 by such a treatment. Corms precured at temperatures of 45°-46° F. in a 

 refrigerator for 1 to 4 weeks did not flower any sooner that those given a 

 warm storage treatment. 



Treatments of precuring for 1 to 11 weeks prior to forcing resulted in a 

 loss in dry weight of the corm to the extent of 1 to 24 percent, but there 

 was no correlation between losses in weight and forcing characteristics of 

 the corms. 



The data presented were on the variety Purity. Tests in progress with 

 the variety Daffodil indicate that possible varietal differences may exist. 



These responses of Freesias to precuring treatments were obtained with 

 forcing temperatures of 52°-55° F. 



Soilless Culture of Florists' Crops. (Harold E. White, Waltham.) 

 Marigolds, calendulas, poppies, snapdragons, stevia, sweet peas, carnations, 

 roses, and gardenias were grown in cinders in comparison with soil. The 

 annual type of flowers responded quite satisfactorily to culture under soil- 

 less conditions. 



Rose plants of the variety Cliieftain pr(jdiice>l an average of 16.43 fl<:>wers 

 per plant compared to 21.37 blooms in cinders. There was 77.18 percent 

 of flowers with 12-15 inch stems from soil-grown plants as compared to 

 82.45 percent from plants grown in cinders. The gain in production of 

 12-15 inch grades from plants in cinders was 5.27 percent. 



With the variety Talisman, flower production was greater from plants 

 in soil. 25.68 blooms per plant in comparison with 23.75 blooms per plant 

 in cinders. However, on a grading basis Talisman plants in soil produced 

 79.32 percent of flowers with 12-15 inch stems as compared to 82.90 per- 

 cent in cinders. The gain in production of 12-15 inch grades was in favor 

 of cinder-grown plants to the extent of 3.58 percent. 



Sweet peas sown in August in soil in a raised bench produced twice as 

 many flowers as plants grown in cinders. Sweet pea blooms from plants 

 in cinders were superior to those from plants grown in soil. There was a 

 much more pronounced stimulation of vegetative growth of the sweet pea 

 plants grown in cinders than of soil-grown plants. 



Carnations responded very poorly to culture in cinders and production 

 was inferior to that of plants in soil. However, the plants available for 

 use in the cinders were of poor quality which may be an explanation for 

 the poor results obtained. At least, the results would indicate that weak, 

 inferior plants cannot be expected to respond any more satisfactorily under 

 soilless culture methods than they would in soil. 



. Carnation plants growing in cinders or gravel were successfully fumi- 

 gated with naphthalene compounds for the control of red spider. Fumiga- 

 tions were made without flooding the benches with water. 



One observation in a commercial range on the use of naphthalene fumi- 

 gants on carnations in gravel indicates that injury can occur. In this 

 particular case burning of tlie plants occurred under soil conditions as well 

 as on plants in gravel; apparently fumigation conditions as related to 

 temperature, humidity, or rate of vaporization were not properly controlled. 

 Burning of the foliage was more severe on plants grown in gravel and a 



