42 GKEENHOUSE MANAGEMENT. 



more loosely if two stakes are used to each plant, or, 

 better yet, by bending No. 9 galvanized wire into the 

 shape of a hairpin, a support will be formed that answers 

 fairly well. There are also a number of individual sup- 

 ports that have been brought out, and in several in- 

 stances patented, during the last two years. Their 

 appearance is shown in Fig. 8. Several of them are of 

 simple construction and are sold quite cheaply, so that 

 in time they will be no more expensive than the perish- 

 able wooden stakes. In most cases they are designed to 

 keep the lower leaves off the soil, and also to support 

 the flower stalks. Nearly all of them are preferable to 

 the single stakes, but most of them confine the stems 

 rather more closely than is desirable. 



The Lonsdale stake, with a single ring, is only 

 adapted to small-growing, slender varieties, but this 

 stake with two rings, or some of the other kinds with 

 two or more, answers fairly well except for the strong- 

 growing sorts, where some method that Avill support 

 them without confining them so closely will be better. 

 The Horan support shown in Fig. 8 has the disadvan- 

 tage of being expensive and of being easily disarranged, 

 but it serves its purpose well. A home-made form, de- 

 signed by a Detroit florist, has heavy galvanized wire 

 for the bows at the ends, and to these smaller cross 

 wires are fastened. Between them common twine is 

 woven to support the leaves and stems, so that in a gen= 

 eral way it is much like the Horan support. 



Among the first to experiment with carnation sup 

 ports was Fred Dorner, of Lafayette, Ind., who finally 

 designed a support that has been extensively used by 

 florists all over the country, and with slight modifica- 

 tions has been found adapted to houses of strong-grow- 

 ing varieties. He used, to support the lower leaves, 

 galvanized wire chicken netting with a fine mesh (Fig. 

 9), cut into strips eighteen or twenty inches in width, 



