46 



The Florists' Review 



March 29, 1917. 



VEGETABLES AND 

 FRUITS DEPARTMENT 



PESTS ON LETTUCE. 



Some time ago I wrote to The Review 

 regarding insects with which my lettuce 

 is infested and in your reply you re- 

 quested that I send you some of the 

 insects. I am therefore enclosing some 

 of the infested lettuce. The ground 

 just under the plant is covered with 

 this pest. Can you tell me what it is? 

 Has the green fly anything to do with 

 it? Does the green fly have a different 

 appearance in its different stages, like 

 other insects? Any information on how 

 to successfully combat this pest on my 

 lettuce, and how to control lettuce dis- 

 eases, will be appreciated. W. F. — Pa. 



This aphis has no connection with the 

 common green aphis. There are over 

 forty varieties of aphides that infest 

 greenhouse plants. Fumigation with 

 nicotine extract and scattering tobacco 

 dust below the plants will check the in- 

 juries materially. Aphides breed with 

 marvelous rapidity, in many instances 

 boin J viviparous; that is, in these in- 

 stances there are no eggs, but the 

 aphides are born alive. Against the 

 whole aphis family such remedies as 

 nicotine extracts, whale oil soap, kero- 

 sene emulsion, etc., are used, but of 

 course lettuce would be unsalable if 

 sucli liquid sprays were used on them. 

 I think tliat to clean out these and allied 

 I)ests and diseases affecting lettuce, you 

 should sterilize your soil or rotate crops. 

 The sterilizing would be of the greatest 

 benefit in controlling lettuce leaf-rot and 

 allied diseases. C. W. 



FRUIT ROT ON TOMATOES. 



I have a house of Bonny Best toma- 

 toes which were planted late last fall 

 and which should have been through 

 l)caring fruit by February 1; but as we 

 liave had little sun, the tops of the plants 

 are full of green fruit ready to ripen and 

 a large number are beginning to rot at 

 the ends. Also, some of them seem to 

 liave a rusty streak at the end. Is this 

 a disease? I burned wood the greater 

 part of the winter, on account of the 

 scarcity of coal, and, of course, could 

 not keep an even temperature. I have 

 tried to keep the temperature at 62 to 

 G.J degrees during the night and higher 

 during the day, but some nights it has 

 varied 8 or 10 degrees. I have allowed 

 the plants to go somewhat dry during 

 the cloudy weather, with a moderate 

 supply of water on sunny days. I am 

 sending a sample under separate cover 

 and shall appreciate any information on 

 the subject. 



F. 1). C— Mass. 



The cause of rot on tomatoes is not 

 yet known. It is liable to come more 

 frequently after long spells of dark 

 weather, and affects most the plants 

 whicli are badly crowded. The only 

 remedy I know of is to pick off and de- 

 stroy all affected fruit and in this way 

 help to prevent the spread of the fun- 

 gus. Tomatoes like dry conditions at 

 the root during dark weather and your 

 treatment seems to have been correct. 

 Air the plants on all favorable occa- 

 sions, as a close atmosphere is favorable 

 to the spread of this disease. I think if 



you planted such special forcing toma- 

 toes as Comet, Stirling Castle and Lis- 

 ter's Prolific you would find them more 

 profitable under glass than Bonny Best, 

 which, while a useful outdoor variety, 

 has its limitations for forcing purposes. 

 C. W. 



INSECTS ON CUCUMBERS. 



I am writing for information about 

 the insects on my cucumbers, of which 

 you will find a sample enclosed. Please 

 tell me how to destroy them. 



W. H. W.— O. 



BUQS ON VIOLETS. 



There is a pest on my violets which 

 has the appearance of a chinch bug. It 

 eats holes in the flowers and foliage and 

 causes them to turn yellow. I am en- 

 closing a few leaves with some of the 

 pests on them. Can you tell me how to 

 get rid of this bug? Would you advise 

 me to use nicotine? Also, what treat- 

 ment shall T give the violets in order 

 to have them nicely in bloom for Easter? 



C. M. S.— O. 



The leaves enclosed were cracked and 

 in small fragments when received. I 

 did not notice any signs of aphis. These 

 are easily taken care of by fumigation 

 or spraying with a nicotine solution. 

 One fragment of leaf contained some 

 red spider. This is a serious pest. It 

 breeds where the atmosphere is dry, and 

 is most liable to appear in quite warm 

 parts of the house, particularly near 

 heating pipes. The best remedy for this 

 is a pressure of cold water from the 

 hose, well directed through a fine spray 

 nozzle below the foliage. Also, use the 

 hose more freely on any portions of 

 bench or floors, or below benches where 

 there is the greatest drying out. An in- 

 creased atmospheric moisture will prove 

 uncongenial to red spider. C. W. 



The pest is one with which I am not 

 acquainted. You should be able to get rid 

 of it by either a nicotine fumigation or 

 spraying, or both. In spraying be sure 

 to use a fine nozzle and direct the spray 

 below the foliage as well as possible. 

 More than one application may be neces- 

 sary to clean out the pest. A fumigation 

 with one of the standard nicotine ox- 

 tracts should account for most of those 

 pests. A mulch of well decayed manure 

 will be beneficial to your plants. You 

 could further improve them by giving 

 an application of liquid cow or sheep 

 manure water, but do not use any chem- 

 icals. They make the flowers too soft. 

 Violets will need an abundant supply of 

 water as the days grow longer and 

 warmer. Some shade may be needed to 

 keep vour plants in condition for Easter. 



C. W. 





Auburn, R. I.— C. W. Patt & Ron spe- 

 I'alize in lettuce and mention the late 

 frost in the south as a factor in even 

 liigher prices being obtained for this 

 popular salad. 



Westerly, R. I.— Conrad Schultz says 

 business has considerably increased since 

 tlic opening of the store downtown. Im- 

 portant changes are contemplated during 

 the coming summer. 



Danbury, Conn. — T. H. .Tudd is so 

 pleased with the returns from the new 

 house recently built that he feels like 

 adding another, providing spring busi- 

 ness turns out in proportion to present 

 conditions. 



Waterbury, Conn. — Alex. Dallas & Son 

 report a busy season in which funeral 

 work has formed a large part. Raising 

 the bulk of the stock used, the cost of 

 production figures heavier than usual, 

 the dull weather causing a short supply 

 when most needed. 



Auburn, R. I. — J. A. Budlong & Son 

 have cut back part of the Beauty stock 

 following a successful season. In addi- 

 tion to being one of the largest growers 

 of roses in the east, Messrs. Budlong 

 grow large quantities of cucumbers, 

 which are bottled and pickled on the 

 place. 



Amherst, Macs. — Prof. A. H. Nehr- 

 ling left Amherst March 17, to take up 

 his new work as manager of the Mc- 

 Donald Floral Co., Crawfordsville, Ind. 

 Clark Tha3'er, instructor at Cornell, has 

 arrived in Amherst to fill temporarily 

 the position at the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural College left vacant by Prof. 

 .\o!iilir,g. 



Norwich, Conn.— The Gednldig Green- 

 liouses are well equipped for a good 

 Easter trade. No complaint to register, 

 says Otto Ernst, proprietor. 



Amherst, Mass. — The Florists' and 

 Gardeners' Club Annual is being dis- 

 tributed. Members of the trade may 

 obtain copies by addressing Harry Sai- 

 (lel, Amherst, Mass. 



Lsmn, Mass. — Mr. Van Maldeghem, 

 working foreman for Gibbs Bros., 

 claims a record for well flowered cycla 

 mens. For Christmas he had eighty 

 five plants in 9-inch pots and each plant 

 carried sixty or more flowers; one had 

 ninety-three open flowers and another, 

 counting the buds that showed above 

 the leaves, had 1161 Some of the plants 

 in 7-inch pots had seventy blooms an! 

 the smaller sizes were proportionately 

 heavily flowered. 



Augusta, Me. — Florists in this stat 

 are not greatly exercised over the in^ 

 pending passage of House Bill No. IK- 

 requiring the licensing of firemen oper 

 ating steam boilers. In the first place, 

 it applies only in cities of 40,000 popul." 

 tion, of which there is only one in Mainr- 

 AloO, a special grade license is provide i 

 for night firemen and those in charge of 

 low-pressure heating plants. Also, the 

 bill provides that any person "who has 

 operated a boiler in any particular plait 

 for five consecutive years and who sha'.l 

 produce a satisfactory statement fron 

 his employer to that effect, shall be en- 

 titled to a license to operate the boih r 

 and engine in this particular plant where 

 he is employed, without examination, 

 and upon payment of the fees prescribed 

 for the granting of licenses bv examina- 



