JOLI 12, 1917. 



*• 



The Florists^ Review 



17 



lose the lower foliage. Especially is 

 this true if you do not cultivate the 

 plants frequently; in fact, frequent cul- 

 tivation will prove of the greatest help 

 in keeping the soil in proper condition. 



Condition Goes Before Size. 



A large, soft plant will not transplant 

 well, but a well matured plant that has 

 been run rather on the dry side for a 

 few weeks before planting time, re- 

 gardless of the size, usually will com? 

 through without trouble. For this rea- 

 son we are always mindful of the 

 condition of the plants, rather than 

 their size, at planting time. Experience 

 has taught us that a medium-sized plant 

 in good condition for transplanting will 

 soon overtake a large plant that lingers 

 for several weeks before it really is 

 under way. It should be borne in mind, 

 however, that we are saying nothing 

 against a large plant which is properly 

 matured for planting. 



The time is here to prepare the 

 benches for replanting. Do not lengthen 

 the work any more than is necessary, 

 as every day lost will mean just that 

 much less time for the new plant to 

 make its growth. Empty benches pro- 

 duce no revenue; put on enough men 

 to push the work along. If possible, 

 refill a whole house at one time. You 

 will find it much easier to handle a 

 whole house of newly planted carna- 

 tions than part of a house of them. 

 When refilling the benches, see that the 

 soil is well pulverized and that the 

 bench is properly filled along the edges, 

 and level the soil off nicely as you go 

 along. Place an inch of strawy manure 

 on the bottom of the bench before fill- 

 ing in the soil, and before filling make 

 sure that the bench will go through the 

 next season without breaking down. 

 There is, perhaps, nothing more vexing 

 than to have a bench give way under 

 a batch of high-grade stock. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



GREEN APHIS ON CARNATIONS. 



I am sending you three plants of car- 

 nations, one each of Matchless, White 

 Wonder and Alice, and would like to 

 have you tell me the cause of the spots 

 and streaks on the foliage. The plants 

 appeared to be healthy until they were 

 attacked by green aphis, but after a 

 few sprayings with a nicotine extract 

 this pest apparently was overcome, as 

 I found no more of the insects. The 

 plants, however, resemble those sent 

 you. Do you think they will come 

 through all right by benching time? 



A. L.— Mo. 



Those spots on your carnation plants 

 were caused rather by the punctures 

 made by the aphis than by the nicotine. 

 There is no reason why the plants 

 should not grow right along and make 

 fine plants by early August. We noted 

 two or three leaves with leaf-spot on 

 them. It might be advisable to go over 

 the field and pick off all the leaves that 

 show a trace of this disease. A hot, 

 sultry spell would cause the disease to 

 spread rapidly and endanger vour en- 

 tire stock. A. F. J. B. 



ZOE LEADS THEM ALL? 



A carnation which has been on the 

 market long enough to have proved 

 itself is Zoe Symonds. It is a variety 

 which originated with Henry J. Sy- 

 monds, at Decorah, la., but which never 

 has been, widely disseminated. Peter 



Carnation Zoe Symonds Has Made Some Warm Friends. 



Eeinberg has grown it in considerable 

 quantity for the Chicago market and has 

 sold the cuttings to a number of other 

 growers in various parts of the country. 

 Another grower who obtained stock of 

 the originator is Joseph Bancroft & 

 Son, Inc., Cedar Falls, la. George H. 

 Bancroft, secretary and treasurer of the 

 company, who supplied the photograph 

 for the accompanying illustration, says 

 that Zoe Symonds with them has proved 

 to be the best dark pink they ever have 

 seen, and they have tried practically all 

 of them. 



The originator describes the color as 

 cerise. The average size of the flower 

 is from three to three and one-half 

 inches. The flowers are well built up 

 in the center and are carried on long, 

 stiff stems. It is said to be a rapid 

 grower and prolific bloomer. The va- 

 riety was registered with the American 

 Carnation Society in 1913 as a cross 

 of White Perfection and Prosperity. 



BADLY INFESTED WITH THRIPS. 



Can you help me out of my trouble? 

 As you can see by examining the en- 

 closed carnation buds, they are in bad 

 condition. Can you tell me the cause 

 and the best remedv? P. J. S. — 111. 



ing cold weather, when conditions are 

 in your favor. By keeping them down 

 throughout the cool season, you could 

 keep the upper hand after warm 

 weather sets in. If the percentage of 

 good blooms is too small to be profit- 

 able, I suggest that you tear these in- 

 fested plants out and get your houses 

 ready for an early start with the new 

 plants. It will pay you far better than 

 to try to exterminate the thrips. Empty 

 the houses entirely and fumigate heav- 

 ily with cyanide gas. A. F. J. B. 



If you will tear open one of your 

 buds, you will find a number of small 

 insects, known as thrips. They are 

 about one-sixteenth of an inch long and 

 about one-fourth as wide, and of a 

 light brown color. You will have to 

 look sharp, as they are quick to hide 

 among the petals. It would be useless 

 to start now to dislodge them. They 

 multiply so fast during the warm 

 weather that you could not hope to get 

 them under control before it would be 

 time to refill the benches with new 

 stock. The time to fight thrips is dur- 



CULTURE OF SMILAX. 



Please inform me as to the proper 

 treatment of my smilax plants. They 

 grew splendidly during the entire 

 ^\•inter and some of them now are dry- 

 ing off. The remainder I propose to 

 transplant into another house, but T 

 would like to know if I should dry them 

 first. M. M. — Mo. 



The smilax may be transplanted from 

 the old bed to tlie new one without 

 being really dried off, but young stock 

 from 3-inch pots would give better re- 

 sults, as the old plants may not start 

 off as evenly as the young ones and con- 

 sequently would not produce so good a 

 crop. A bed of smilax should have a 

 depth of six inches of good soil and 

 should be well drained, for after the 

 plants are established they require 

 plenty of water. 



During the hot weather a light 

 shading may be put on the glass, but 

 by the middle of September the plants 

 should have full light, and throughout 

 the winter a night temperature of 60 

 degrees should be maintained. Syringe 

 the plants every bright day, otherwise 

 thrips and red spider are likely to at- 

 tack them. W. H. T. 



