Dbcei*ber 21, 1916. 



The Florists^ Review 



19 



for red spider that I found it would 

 destroy the white fly. I had a chance 

 to test this remedy thoroughly this 

 \ear. When I took charge here last 

 June there were some flies in the house, 

 , iore on the flowers outdoors, and when 

 \t became cold the insects came indoors 

 ;,! swarms. 



I notice in The Eeview of December 7 

 that C. W. tells A. A. S. to sow his 

 ( . lendula seed in pots. I wonder why. 

 1 sowed mine in a flat and trans- 

 ]. 'anted them, and I could not ask for 

 letter plants than those now coming 

 ir<o bud. John T. Whiting. 



THE SITUATION OF SPHAGNUM. 



In regard to the moss question, will 

 you permit me to state that this is a 

 matter that could be taken up with 

 some of the large jobbers? They are 

 tbe ones who put things in that line 

 where they are. 



In the first place, pulling sphagnum 

 nu)ss is by no means an easy or pleasant 

 job. Then, after it is pulled in small 

 piles, it has to be carted on small push 

 cars, for few can afford to lay tracks 

 aud have motor cars to put it on high 

 land for drying beds. Then, after 

 spreading and turning it until it is 

 fit to be put in the press and baled up, 

 it has to be hauled to the station and 

 shipped to its destination. 



Now, this takes time and labor, and 

 then some fine looking gentlemaii cornea 

 along who tells you that moss is com- 

 ing down and tries to get a contract for 

 all you have. Then the moss man gets 

 busy and writes to some of the firms, 

 but cannot get rid of his moss, so he ad- 

 vertises. He gets some orders, but not 

 enough to get rid of his holdings and 

 finally he lets go of his moss on a con- 

 tract with some commission firm until 

 they get about all the available moss 

 that is to be had. Then the prices go 

 up. But, on the other hand, if we hold 

 the moss, people get disgusted and will 

 not pull any more than what they get 

 orders for. Unless this thing of the 

 middleman holding down the producer 

 and holding up the consumer is put on 

 a better footing, the supply of moss 

 will be decidedly less within a few years. 



There is not much moss in this terri- 

 tory this season; not over 5,000 bales, 

 and prices will run high next spring. 

 I expect to see sphagnum reach the $1 

 niark at the baling station by April and 

 then everybody will start pulling full 

 blast and just about when the new crop 

 is ready to come in, down comes the 

 price far below what it will cost to pull 

 it, not taking into consideration the 

 baling and the material used in baling. 

 ^'•iis is the way the moss business stands 

 i'l 'his section. 



'list as soon as the people who are 

 pulling moss can get a fair price for 

 til' ir crop the public can have all the 

 "ii'^s that can be gathered in this sec- 

 tiin. A fair price at the shipping point 

 "1 Wisconsin would be about 50 cents 

 ^■''hout burlap or wire. That would 

 b'^'g the bales to about 70 cents with 

 b" lap and 55 cents wired. 



II. A. Lamp. 



I>ISEASED GERANIUM FOLIAGE. 



1 am enclosing some leaves taken from 

 "' ' geraniums. I have found only two 

 !']■ 'its in this diseased condition. My 

 1'' lilts are young and vigorous, and I 

 •'' at a loss to know the cause of the 

 ^I tted leaves. It is the new leaves 



Ulltlllllllllllllllllllllll ||illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllilllllllllillllillllll">S 



I WHO'S WHO Si AND WHY I 



fillllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllHII""""""""!"^^ 



E. B. WASHBUEN. 



WHEN "Ned" Washburn had absorbed the soil chemistry and other fancy 

 farming notions that go with learning the variations of "On Wisconsin" he 

 stepped into a partnership in Bassett & Washburn and settled down to the 

 pleasant life of a cut flower grower at Chicago. A beautiful wife soon came 

 to make his lot a happy one. But the rigors ot the winters hei-ide Lake Mniii'ian 

 proved too rough for him; the mellow climate at Pasadena was what he needed 

 to maintain robust health. So ho settled there. Then time hung heavy. The 

 result is the Pacific coast branch of Bassett & Washhuiii, at Sierra Madie. There 

 palms will be the specialty, grown under glass and under lath. The nucleus of 

 the establishment is just approaching completion; its development will be car- 

 ried on conteinporaneously with the education of tiiree line hoys as the fourth 

 generation of florists in this family. 



that are affected and I am afraid the 

 disease will spread and prevent me 

 from marketing the cuttings or pot 

 plants. I have been using liquid cow 

 manure quite freely, and the plants are 

 growing well. T. II. G. — N. Y. 



You arc not treating your geraniums 

 properly. Discontinue the use of cow 

 manure water at once. This makes the 

 plants produce a rank but flabby 

 growth, which makes them fall an easy 

 prey to bacterial diseases. A little 

 liquid manure occasionally is all right 

 in the spring, but it is not needed now, 

 and it is easily overdone even in the 

 spring. If your plants need stimulation 

 a light sprinkle of fine bone is the best 

 food. Seratch the surface after apply- 

 ing the bone. Bone also should be used 

 in the soil for all geraniums, at the rate 

 of a 4-inch potfnl to a bushel of loam. 

 The bone promotes a sturdy growth and 



makes plants more floriferous. (,'onstant 

 feeding with liquid manure produces 

 rank, soft wood, which will flower but 

 sparsely. 



Pick off all affected leaves, and if only 

 one or two plants are affected throw 

 them away. Keep the house well ven- 

 tilated. Do not spray the plants; they 

 like a dry, buoyant atmosphere. Plenty 

 of sun and cleanliness below and above 

 the benches will help to keep your plants 

 clean. C. W. 



Honeoye Falls, N. Y. — Charles Fowler 

 has erected an addition to his range, 

 which will be devoted to vegetable and 

 bedding plants. 



Decatur, 111. — Henry Gerstenkorn has 

 bought out the interest of his partner in 

 the firm of Gerstenkorn & Klumpp, and 

 will conduct the business under his own 

 name in the future. The firm formerly 

 was Charonne & Klumpp. 



