August 9, 1917. 



The Florists^ Review 



17 



fruit is being picked, and just at a time 

 when high prices could be obtained. In 

 order to have plants in bearing covering 

 that period, the fruit would have to be 

 set during the darkest months of the 

 year, November, December and January. 

 The weather conditions during that 

 period render it impossible to obtain a 

 setting of fruit in sufficient quantity to 

 make it pay, as experiments conducted 

 at Macdonald College proved beyond 

 doubt. 

 Treatment of Fall and Winter Crops. 



In handling plants for fall and winter 

 crops the seeds are sown in flats of 

 sandy soil, June 25, as before stated. 

 When, large enough the seedlings are 

 pricked off, four inches apart, in flats of 

 good, loamy soil, and shaded until estab-. 

 lished. The plants then are exposed to 

 full sunlight in xin airy house, the plants 

 having ample r»om in these flats until 

 August 1. A wteek at least before that 

 the spring and summer crop will have 

 finished, giving ample time to empty and 

 refill the benches, when planting can be 

 done direct from the flats, thus saving 

 time and material in potting and caring 

 for them while in pots. Plants from the 

 other sowings have to be grown along 

 in pots until space is available for them, 

 and we have found that 3-inch pots are 

 large enough to carry the October-sown 

 plants until planting takes place the 

 second week in January; while the De- 

 cembei^sown plants, which are to re- 

 place violets, will require 4%-inch pots 

 to carry them in good shape. 



For bench soil a good sandy loam per- 

 haps is best, but experience has shown 

 me that a good crop can be grown on a 

 variety of soils. One year we had to 

 use ordinary soil from the field, 

 which, when watered, ran together 

 like cement. On another occasion 

 two of the best crops we have 

 had were grown on soil which had 

 grown carnations for two years. 

 I therefore feel safe in saying that if 

 good drainage is provided and all other 

 details in the growing are attended to, 

 any variety of soil will do, with the 

 possible exception of heavy clay. In 

 filling the benches with fresh soil the 

 grower should not add too much manure 

 or fertilizer, as this is apt to encourage 

 too rank a growth, which is not desirable 

 in the early stages of growth. Feeding 

 can be quite freely given after the 

 plants have set their fruit. 



Benches, Spacing and Staking. 



With all fruiting crops the maximum 

 amount of sunlight is most essential, 

 especially during the time of year when 

 the day is short, the sun is low and 

 roofs are apt to be coated with frost 

 and snow. The nearer the plants are 

 to the glass in reason, the better are 

 the light conditions obtained. This,' of 

 course, will depend to a large extent on 

 the type of house used. In an up-to-date 

 house of the u-bar type the ground 

 bench will be quite suitable. In ridge 

 and furrow houses raised benches would 

 be preferable, especially for the spring 

 and summer crop, as the setting of the 

 early trusses of fruit takes place during 

 February and the early part of March. 

 Any type of bench will suit the other 

 two crops, as the setting of fruit takes 

 place during fine weather. 



In order to arrive at something 

 definite in the matter of distances be- 

 tween plants, experiments were con- 

 ducted at the college for several years, 



UllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllilllllllllP- 



I WHO'S WHO SaIJI AND WHY | 



Tllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllli? 



CHARLES H. TOTTY. 



npO those who know Totty only through his writings in The Eeview, the portrait will 

 1 seem characteristic because of the environment — a house of fine mums — but to 

 those who also know the man from association with him it will seem characteristic 

 because it shows him with his coat off. For Totty 's coat always is off in the figurative 

 sense — there is no more indefatigable worker for the general welfare of the trade. 

 Because of his experience and ability he is to be found wherever the work is heaviest, 

 for flower show or trade society — if modesty prevents his volunteering for some con- 

 spicuous service he is sure to be drafted. Born at Shropshire, England, in 1873, edu- 

 cated as a private gardener and in business for himself at Madison, N. J., since 1903, 

 he is unusually well equipped to serve the trade, and his friends plan to place him in 

 the presidency of the S. A. F. for 1918. 



the results showing that, from a commer- 

 cial standpoint, plants spaced eighteen 

 to twenty inches apart each way gave 

 the largest yield per square foot. In 

 planting the fall and winter crop set the 

 plants eighteen inches apart, as excel- 

 lent weather conditions obtain during 

 the setting period. With the spring and 

 early summer crop set the plants twenty 

 inches apart, on account of the less 

 favorable conditions during the early 

 period of their growth. 



Staking should be done as soon as 

 possible after planting, for when the 

 plants are small the work is more rap- 

 idly accomplished. At the college we 

 use 5/6 wire stakes clipped to two longi- 

 tudinal wires, these giving an excellent 

 support. Bamboo canes have also been 

 tried out, thinking that they would be 



strong enough without the support of 

 the middle wire, but they doubled up 

 under the weight of fruit. We have 

 never tried to support them with binder 

 twine or other strong cord, but it seems 

 to me that if four longitudinal wires 

 were stretched, binder twine would do 

 nicely. One advantage this form of 

 staking would have over any other 

 would be the rapidity with which a 

 house could be cleaned out. The strings 

 would simply be cut and everything 

 thrown out, whereas in using stakes all 

 ties holding the plants have to be cut 

 and clips taken off and wires removed. 



Disbudding, Pollination, Temperature. 



In the disbudding or removal of lat- 

 eral growths, as only the main stem is 

 [Continued on paire 4»>.] 



