JDNB 1, 1916 



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The Florists' Review 



15 



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they reduce the loss from stem-rot the 

 time will have been well spent. L. 



I SEASONABLE SUGGESTIONS I 

 I FOR SOUTHERN FLORISTS | 



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MIIiDEW ON BAMBLEBS. 



This is the season that many grow- 

 ers of rambler roses have trouble with 

 mildew and rust. In many places, espe- 

 cially in the south, this disease is so 

 bad that it is almost impossible to 

 grow good specimens of many of the 

 varieties. 



Here at Nashville we have been ex- 

 perimenting with various remedies for 

 some time, in the hope of finding some- 

 thing cheap, odorless and nonpoisonous 

 that would clear up this difficulty. Last 

 season we hit upon permanganate of 

 potash and this season's further trials 

 have convinced us that we have found 

 the right thing. 



We dissolve one tablespoonful of the 

 crystals of permanganate of potash in 

 two gallons of water and use it as a 

 spray. It is almost immediately eflfec- 

 tive. Plants that were so badly in- 

 fected that they looked entirely white 

 and moulded being effectively cleared 

 of the pest in two days. It is some- 

 times necessary to make two applica- 

 tions where the first job is not done 

 thoroughly. 



We have never tried it on the roses 

 inside, but feel sure that what gives 

 such good results in the open cannot 

 but be helpful in the greenhouse. It 

 does not burn the foliage at all, even 

 where used much stronger than the 

 above directions. Floyd Bralliar. 



PRIMUIiAS IN THE SOUTH. 



Primula Chinensis and P. obconica 

 should be well started now in order to 

 have good-sized plants at holiday time. 

 P. malacoides need not be sown until 

 the middle of June, as this variety 

 grows faster than the other two. The 

 soil for all these should contain plenty 

 of leaf-mold and sand, to allow the 

 fine roots to work freely. Any outdoor 

 frame with a covering of lath sash will 

 suit them. They do not require so close 

 a shading as the cyclamens. What they 

 require most is plenty of room and a 

 good, moist atmosphere. P. malacoides, 

 after it is established in small pots, 

 may be planted out in the frame. It 

 will make finer plants when grown like 

 this and there is no difficulty in lift- 

 ing and establishing the plants in the 

 fall. L. 



CYCLAMENS IN THE SOUTH. 



Young cyclamen plants in the south 

 should be in their summer quarters 

 now. The best place for them is in a 

 frame in a lath house. During the hot 

 hours of the day they may require an- 

 other lath sash to prevent wilting, but 

 the sashes must be removed as early as 

 possible, or the plants are liable to be 

 drawn. When growing freely they need 

 a good deal of water. A fine, dew 

 spray at noon and another at quitting 

 time will keep them in good shape. 



Thrips is the cyclamen 's worst enemy 

 and fresh tobacco stems should be 

 placed between the rows and renewed 

 every two weeks. Use leaf-mold free- 

 ly in the soil until the last shift in 

 October, when the soil can be much 



stiffer. Shift the plants along as re- 

 quired, giving them only a small shift 

 each time. An occasional, stirring of 

 the surface soil will be of great benefit. 

 It is well to have some sashes at hand 

 to protect the plants from heavy rains. 



L. 



CARNATIONS IN THE SOUTH. 



The prolonged drought in the eastern 

 and northern sections of the south is 

 having a ruinous effect on the young 

 carnation plants in the field, especially 

 where the soil is red clay. No rain has 

 fallen for more than a month and where 

 there is no irrigating system many 

 plants have died. To attempt to water 

 a patch of carnations with a hose is 

 mere folly; it is never possible to give 

 enough water by this method. Unless 

 you can soak the ground to a depth of 

 five or six inches it is better not to 

 water the plants at all, but keep the 

 surface soil well stirred. 



Many growers now are planting the 

 young carnation plants rather closely 

 in frames, where they are easily reached 

 with the hose. In dry seasons this 

 method has a big advantage over the 

 field planting. We are trying a few 

 thousands this year in dirt bands as 

 an experiment against the spread of 

 stem-rot. The most serious objection 

 to these bands is the time required to 

 get them in position and filled, but if 



A aOOD COMPOST. 



One of the hardest problems I have 

 had to contend with since building my 

 greenhouse several years ago is how to 

 make good potting soil from the mate- 

 rial at my command. I want the soil 

 suitable for growing a general collec- 

 tion of plants. I have obtained a quan- 

 tity of soil from a fairly fertile loamy 

 field. To two wheelbarrows of this I 

 added one barrowful from a cow yard, 

 where there is twelve inches or more 

 of soil and manure. Please tell me how 

 to finish the compost into a good grow- 

 ing soil. Should bone meal be mixed 

 with it? If so, how much? I have 

 several bushels of sifted hardwood 

 ashes. I certainly shall appreciate your 

 advice. W. M. V. — Ga. 



. Your soil as prepared will answer 

 well for many plants. Some varieties, 

 such as cyclamens, gloxinias, begonias, 

 calceolarias, cinerarias and most of the 

 bedding plants in the earlier stages of 

 growth, will do better if at least one- 

 fourth of the compost consists of leaf- 

 mold, or decayed leaves. Some sharp 

 sand also is beneficial. I would not add 

 the wood ashes to your compost for any 

 pot plants, but some could be advan- 

 tageously used in compost for carna- 

 tions. Pine bone meal may be added 

 for general bench crops at the rate of a 

 4-inch pot to each wheelbarrow load of 

 compost. This also will suit roses, cal- 

 las, chrysanthemums and geraniums. If 

 your soil is heavy, some sand and leaf- 

 mold will improve it. It is not possibly 

 to mix a compost to suit all pot or 

 bench plants. C. W. 



Jackson, Tenn. — H. C. Brown origi- 

 nally came here from Hopkinsville, Ky., 

 to manage the Metcalfe greenhouses, 

 but after a time he decided that he 

 might as well be owner and manager. 

 So a deal was arranged whereby Mr. 

 Brown became proprietor. 



Nashville, Tenn. — In accordance with 

 its annual custom, the Mclntyre Floral 

 Co., May 22, made donations of fifty 

 plants to any of the city's charitable 

 institutions which would call at the 

 Hillsboro pike greenhouses. This is a 

 form of advertising the Mclntyre 

 brothers consider profitable. 



Houston, Tex. — Memorial day in the 

 south is May 10, not May 30, as in the 

 north, and the trade had no special 

 rush to interrupt work on S. A. F. con- 

 vention preparations. The convention 

 garden is making progress and all the 

 plans for the convention are in an ad- 

 vanced state of preparedness except for 

 the outing of August 18, at the San 

 Jacinto battleground. This is to be 

 typically Texan and will be a decided 

 novelty to northern visitors. 



Jacksonville, Fla. — Dr. H. Dux & 

 Bros., manufacturers of a widely used 

 brand of magnolia leaves, have incor- 

 porated at $30,000. The officers are: 

 President, H. M. Dux; vice-president, 

 M. M. Dux; secretary and treasurer, 

 John M. Dux. 



Chattanooga, Tenn. — During the 

 Mothers' day rush W. F. Haeger took 

 pen in hand and penned his favorite 

 paper the following: "Mothers' day is 

 only half over, but Chattanooga flo- 

 rists have sold every blessed thing. 

 Flowers can't be had at any price." 



Alvln, Tex. — The shippers of cape 

 jasmines here never have had a better 

 Memorial day since the industry at- 

 tained its present large proportions. 

 The high prices carnations commanded 

 at recent holidays and the lateness of 

 the peonies all helped to make an extra 

 good demand for the southern garde- 

 nias, so that excellent prices were real- 

 ized for large shipments. Most of the 

 stock went direct to retail florists, only 

 a small percentage being sold through 

 commission bouses. 



