Makch .'JO, 1010. 



The Florists' Review 



45 



OBITUARY. 



NUTT GERANIUM IN 1874. 



In The Review £01* March 2 I read 

 with interest two articles relative to the 

 history of the S. A. Nutt geranium. 

 One of the first geraniums that I be- 

 came familiar with was the S. A. Nutt, 

 and that was in 1874, in the green- 

 houses of the late L. T. Charles, of 

 Hornell, N, Y. At that time S. A. 

 Nutt was grown throughout that part 

 of the country. In 1877, while at 

 Limestone, N. Y., I purchased this va- 

 riety from the Storrs & Harrison Co., 

 of Painesville, O., which had S. A. 

 Nutt listed as one of the best colored 

 varieties but not as a new one. I 

 think you are right when you say that 

 the history of the S. A. Nutt geranium 

 is lost in the mists of antiquity. 



John I. Whiting. 



GERANIUM FOLIAGE TURNS RED. 



I should like to know what is mak- 

 ing my geranium leaves turn red, as 

 red as an oak or maple leaf in autumn. 

 The plants are thoroughly watered at 

 all times, but the soil is never allowed 

 to get soggy. Young cuttings and ma- 

 ture plans are affected alike. 



F. Q.—m. 



Too much potash in the soil is the 

 probable cause of the foliage turning 

 red. An excess of bone is just as bad. 

 Shake the plants out and give them a 

 compost of two-thirds well decayed 

 loam and one-third old hotbed manure, 

 cow manure or horse manure, being 

 sure it is old, crumbly and well de- 

 cayed. Add a 4-inch pot of fine bone 

 to a wheelbarrow load of compost and 

 mix thoroughly before potting. Your 

 system of watering seems to be all 

 right. C. W. 



GERANIUM LEAVES DISEASED. 



Enclosed you will find a few gera- 

 nium leaves which were removed from 

 young stock in 2^-inch pots. Will you 

 kindly tell me what is the cause of the 

 spots on the leaves and what causes 

 the edges of the leaves to turn brown? 

 I am careful never to wet the leaves 

 during the winter months and I have 

 kept all affected leaves picked off, but 

 the trouble continues. There are about 

 5,000 plants on the bench and they are 

 all sturdy and now ready to shift. 

 Yet, twenty-four hours after leaves 

 have been picked off, many become 

 like those enclosed. This occurs in 

 patches over the whole bench. 



A. E. D.— Mich. 



The leaves were all dried up on re- 

 ceipt. Your trouble is not at all un- 

 common. Each year at this season we 

 get many similar letters. It is not 

 easy to tell what has been the cause 

 of the trouble. Geranium diseases are 

 yet but imperfectly understood, and it 

 is to be hoped that some of our state 

 colleges will take up the study of them. 



Often the cuttiner bed is the cause of 

 this trouble; cuttings left in the sand 

 too long often develop disease. I would 

 suggest spraying the plants with either 

 Bordeaux mixture or Fungine. Apply 

 the latter at the strength advertised 

 on the cans, on a bright day, being 

 sure the foliage is quite dry. Give a 

 second application four or five days 

 later. If this does not stop the spread 

 of the disease entirely, give a third, 

 or, if necessary, a fourth spraying at 

 intervals of a week. 



Keep a dry atmosphere in your house, 

 air freely, give the plants all possible 

 sunshine, and continue to pick oflf the 

 badly affected leaves. Let the aver- 

 age night temperature be 50 degrees. 

 When repotting, avoid the use of any 

 animal manure unless it is old and well 

 decayed. The kind that will crumble 

 in your hand is the best. Also add a 

 4-inch pot of fine bone to each bushel 

 of earth. Bone promotes a hard, stocky 

 growth, and where it is used the plants 

 bloom much more freely than where 

 cow, horse or sheep manure only is 

 used. C. W. 



Jacob Fischer. 



Jacob Fischer, one of the pioneer flo- 

 rists of Toledo, O., died March 21 after 

 an illness of four days, death being 

 due to pneumonia. Mr. Fischer was 

 born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, six- 

 ty-seven years ago. He came to this 

 country at the age of 18 and found em- 

 ployment in greenhouses at Toledo. In 

 1879 he started a greenhouse business 

 on Central avenue, Toledo, in which he 

 was actively engaged up to the time 

 of his death. Recently the city, in re- 

 turn for a boulevard right of way, 

 which necessitated the removal of the 

 old greenhouses, built for Mr. Fischer 

 houses valued at $12,000, a short dis- 

 tance from the old location. He is sur- 

 vived by his wife and two daughters. 



George E. Tromey. 



George E. Tromey, a well-known re- 

 tail florist of Cincinnati, O., died at his 

 home last week after an illness of only 

 a few days' duration. For a large num- 

 ber of years he was a member of Fred 

 Gear's force. Eight or nine yedrs ago 

 he opened hie own store and was suc- 

 cessful from the start. Mr. Tromey 

 belonged to several lodges and orders. 

 His wife and two children survive him. 



C. H. H. 



Se-wlckley, Pa.— W. E. Fatten has 

 sold his greenhouses to Thomas Evans 

 and retired from the business. The 

 new owner will continue the business 

 under the name of Valley Green- 

 house Co. 



POINTS ON PROPAGATING. 



I wish to grow my own chrysanthe- 

 mums this year, with Mrs. Henry Robin- 

 son as my principal variety. Will you 

 kindly let me know in what size of pots 

 I should place the cuttings and what 

 kind of soil is best? How deep should 

 the cuttings be planted in the pots? 

 Would it be safe to put them all in a 

 coldframe and put sashes over them, 

 shading them until they take root and 

 also giving them air? When can I start 

 taking the cuttings? G. K. — La. 



Chrysanthemum cuttings are struck or 

 rooted in sand, as a general rule. When 

 the roots are about an inch long in the 

 sand, they are taken up and potted in 

 2^-inch pots. The soil for this potting 

 does not contain any fertilizer of any 

 description; the best soil is a nice virgin 

 loam, where it is possible to procure it. 

 When the cuttings are planted, half an 

 inch or so of the stem should be cov- 

 ered, with the roots. It would be en- 

 tirely safe to put them in a coldframe 

 with sashes over them, in your vicinity. 

 When the plants are growing nicely 

 they should be given all the air pos- 

 sible, whenever the temperature is over 

 40 degrees. 



You can start making cuttings as soon 

 as the old plants begin to throw up 

 stock. If planted early the stock is 



liable to grow too tall, but it can be 

 kept tipped and allowed to come along 

 at the same time as the later propa- 

 gated batch. Chas. H. Totty. 



MUMS FOR LATE OCTOBER. 



Please give me the names of the best 

 white, yellow and pink chrysanthe- 

 mums that will yield perfect blooms be- 

 tween October 20 and 30. What is the 

 largest white that will flower at that 

 time? Is Odessa perfect by that timet 



L. W. v.— S. C. 



The largest and most perfect white 

 to come on between the dates men- 

 tioned would be either Mrs. J. P. 

 Mitchel or Antigone. Both are good 

 and superior to others. Mrs. Syme 

 comes in about the same time, but it is 

 little cultivated. The best yellow 

 would be either Marigold or A. S. Bald- 

 win. Odessa is a good variety, but it 

 hardly would be ready at the time de- 

 sired. Take either Lady Hopetoun or 

 Adele Griswold for good pink blooms. 

 Hopetoun still is the peer of any pink 

 yet introduced, providing it can be 

 had in good condition. 



Chas. H. Totty. 



Ravenna, O.— Mrs. George Whitlock 

 is stocking her new house, recently 

 erected on Elm street. 



