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August 24, 1916. 



The Florists' Review 



21 



clined to think it will, for so far as I 

 can make out from the specimen sub- 

 mitted it is the cuscuta, commonly 

 known as the dodder plant, a parasitic 

 twiner belonging to the order of eon- 

 volvulaceee. The seed germinates in the 

 ground and as soon as the shoot gets 

 through the soil it attaches itself to a 

 plant and becomes a parasite, sucking 

 its nourishment from the host plant and 

 eventually strangling it. Th« dodder, 

 in one or another of its many species, is 

 found in most countries and mostly in 

 low, swampy ground. If J. C. A. used 

 rich black soil from a low bottom, it 

 is safe to say that the seeds were pres- 

 ent in the soil, unless the variety 

 Smith's Advance was brought in from 

 some other locality, as the dodder is 

 not so particular as to prefer this mum 

 to any other. If this particular variety 



never comes above the surface, as J. C. 

 A. says, it is hard to see how it- per- 

 petuates itself. That is why I think 

 it will appear above ground as the sea- 

 son advances. 



It is difficult to say how this pest may 

 be eradicated, as it is twined around 

 the roots of the mum plants. A dress- 

 ing of lime may help and if the chrysan- 

 themums are encouraged to make a 

 strong growth they may overcome it. 

 Failing that, I see nothing for J. C. A. 

 to do but to clean out the plants en- 

 tirely, with every particle of soil, and 

 replace them with another crop and 

 soil taken from some other section. 



Every year our old friend, the dodder, 

 crops up somewhere, as an additional 

 crop with the mum, but I never have 

 heard of its interfering much with the 

 results of the crop. Chas H. Totty. 



starved. This treatment acts well on 

 adiantum and nephrolepis. 



In the compost for palms, a 6-inch pot 

 filled with the manure to a wheelbar- 

 row load of soil will be beneficial. A 

 larger proportion than this sometimes 

 will sour the soil. W. H. T. 



REMEDY FOB SCALE ON FERNS. 



I am enclosing a frond taken from a 

 Boston fern that was badly infested 

 with a scale of some kind. Please tell 

 me what scale this is and what is the 

 best remedy for it. P. O. M. — Ohio. 



^•'^^*;' 



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The nephrolepis frond referred to 

 was badly infested with the common 

 brown fern scale, an insect that breeds 

 rapidly and soon spoils the plants upon 

 which it is found. This trouble may 

 be kept down by regular sprayings each 

 week with a solution of tobacco extract, 

 using one of the commercial extracts 

 in the proportion of one fluid ounce to 

 one gallon of water. If there are many 

 fronds in this condition I would cut 

 off and burn the worst of them, and 

 then give the plants a dip in the solu- 

 tion as the first treatment, following 

 this with the spraying as noted above. 



W. H. T. 



STAGHORN A PLATYCERIUM. 



We are enclosing a frond taken from 

 a fern which we sold to one of our cus- 

 tomers as Nephrolepis davallioides fur- 

 cans, or the Staghorn fern. Our cus- 

 tomer, however, who wanted the Stag- 

 horn fern, informs us that the variety 

 sent him is not the Staghorn fern. Is 

 not Nephrolepis davallioides furcans 

 commonly called Staghorn f 



N. & U.— Fla. 



The fern in question, Nephrolepis 

 davallioides furcans, is not correctly 

 known as the Staghorn fern, this name 

 being applied to Platycerium alcicorne. 



W. H. T. 



'FANCY FERNS. 



Can you give me the botanical name 

 of the ferns commonly called "fancy 

 ferns"? E. H.— Md. 



The "fancy ferns," as they are 

 called in the wholesale trade, usually 

 are forms of Asplenium Filix-foemina, 

 a species of which botanists have 

 described more than fifty varieties, 

 many of them growing wild in large 

 quantities in the northern United 

 States. In old botanies this fern was 

 called Athyrium Filix-foemina, but 

 later revisions place it among the as- 

 pleniums. W. H. T. 



RIDDING FERNS OF SCALE. 



Will you please tell us what ails this 

 fern and what to do for it? Spraying 

 with water does not have any effect. 



F. D.— Mich. 



The nephrolepis frond forwarded with 

 this query was badly infested with the 

 common brown scale, or turtle scale, as 

 it is frequently termed, and the first 

 step to take would be to cut off and 

 burn all the fronds that are in as bad 

 condition as the specimen. Then pre- 

 pare a dip composed of one part, by 





measure, of tobacco extract to fifty 

 parts water, and after dipping the 

 plants in this solution, lay them down 

 on the bench to drain off. 



By using this dip three or four times 

 at intervals of one week this particular 

 scale may be eradicated. W. H. T. 



SHEEP MANURE FOR FERNS. 



In what proportion should sheep ma- 

 nure be mixed with soil to make a good 

 compost for ferns and palmsf 



H. C— La. 



Ferns in general do not require the 

 addition of sheep manure to the potting 

 soil, but a sprinkling of sheep manure 

 on the surface of the soil is beneficial 

 to plants that are becoming somewhat 



REMEDY FOR BROWN SCALE. 



I am enclosing an infected fern leaf, 

 which one of my customers sent me. 

 What is the disease and what is a rem- 

 edy for it? 



F. J. A.— Neb. 



The specimen in question is a portion 

 of a nephrolepis frond badly infested 

 with the common brown, or turtle, scale, 

 an insect frequently found on ferna 

 and one that spreads rapidly. Dippings 

 in a solution of tobacco soap or extract 

 of tobacco — the commercial extract, 

 such as may be purchased from the 

 leading seed stores — is a good remedy 

 for this particular scale. 



Try the minimum strength of solu- 

 tion as directed on the packages of 

 these preparations, it being safer to 

 use the treatment two or three times 

 rather than to risk too strong a solution 

 in one dose. W. H. T. 



Madison, Conn. — Frank Dowd, who 

 has two houses, says he finds business 

 rather quiet. He had nice sweet peas 

 outside this spring and grows some 

 gladioli. 



Westbrook, Conn. — Brooks Bros, sold 

 out of bedding stock this season. They 

 disposed of about 1,900 geraniums with 

 their large auto truck. They are grow- 

 ing a few hundred mums. 



Guilford, Conn.— B. A. Latham is 

 erecting a sweet pea house 16x56 feet, 

 thirteen feet to the ridge. He has one 

 large carnation house and is growing 

 5,000 mums and 550 ferns. Mr. Latham 

 started five years ago with a lean-to 

 house 9x16. This season he had a quar- 

 ter acre of asters and sold all clean. 



Fall Elver, Mass. — Chatterton War- 

 burton has leased new quarters in Wil- 

 bur House. 



New Britain, Conn. — F. H. Bolleror 

 has leased the greenhouses recently 

 operated by Mrs. E. Eggert. 



East River, Conn. — Paul Watrous has 

 two carnation houses, each 80x100 feet, 

 and grows some fine blooms, also a few 

 sweet peas. 



East River, Conn. — Charles Hotchkiss 

 is growing 6,000 mums and is remodel- 

 ing his carnation house, putting in new 

 benches. Ho grew 4,000 snapdragons 

 last spring and disposed of them in 

 New Haven. Mr. Hotchkiss has only 

 had two years' experience in the busi- 

 ness, but he is doing well. 



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