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Mat 8, 1910. 



The Florists^ Review 



21 



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LIME TO SWEETEN FEBN SOIL. 



What "is the best way to apply lime 

 to ferns in pots to sweeten the soilf In 

 what proportion should the lime be 

 used? M. A. R. — Ind. 



The best way to apply lime to ferns in 

 order to sweeten the soil is to mix some 

 ground limestone in the soil at the time 

 of potting, using a 6-inch potful of the 

 lime to an ordinary wheelbarrow load 

 of soil. If the plants are already potted 

 and you wish to give them lime, the 

 cleanest method would be to water them 

 once a week with clear lime water, 

 which may be prepared by slaking a 

 peck of lime in a barrel and then filling 

 the barrel with water. After the lime 

 lias settled to the bottom, use the clear 

 water on the ferns. W. H. T. 



FERNS LOSING FBONDS. 



Is it sour soil that causes fern fronds 

 to turn brown and drop off? I have 

 been advised to use lime water for this 

 condition of the soil. In what propor- 

 tion should the lime be used! What is 

 the best way to kill green aphis on As- 

 paragus Sprengeri in a store window? 



M. A. E.— Ind. 



It is understood that the ferns re- 

 ferred to are nephrolepis, and in that 

 case sour soil and defective drainage 

 may cause the leaflets to turn brown 

 and drop off. But the leaflets may also 

 drop from having been too dry. Water- 

 ing with clear lime water once a week 

 will do no harm and may be the treat- 

 ment your soil needs. An easy method 

 to provide the lime water is to slake 

 one peck of quicklime in a barrel of 

 water, allow it to stand until the lime 

 settles to the bottom and then use the 

 clear water on the plants. 



The best insecticide for green aphis 

 is solution of nicotine, using one tea- 

 spoonful of the forty per cent solution 

 to one gallon of water and applying 

 with a sprayer. W. H. T. 



CXJTWOEMS ON FEENS. 



Kindly advise us how to get rid of 

 green cutworms on ferns. They seem 

 to work at night. We have tried many 

 remedies and have even picked the 

 worms off the plants, but they still are 

 numerous. I. G. — Tenn. 



While we cannot be positive just 

 what insect is at work upon the ferns, 

 we judge it to be the climbing cut- 

 worm. There are a number of species 

 which behave as stated in the inquiry, 

 feeding' at night upon the foliage of a 

 great variety of plants and burying 

 themselves during the day just below 

 the surface of the soil. When only a 

 few plants are concerned, it is a simple 

 matter to find them by digging over the 

 surface soil to the depth of one inch. 



One of the best remedies for cut- 

 worms is to place about a spoonful of 

 poisoned, sweetened bran in each of the 

 pots where the work of the insects has 

 been noted. For one pound of bran use 

 a sufficient amount of cheap molasses 

 to give a thin coat to each particle of 

 bran, and then add one ounce of Paris 

 green or white arsenic to each pound 

 of bran, mixing thoroughly. L. R. T. 



SOME QUICK CROPS. 



We read with interest the timely 

 hints in The Review, but inasmuch as 

 our situation is peculiar in that the 

 greenhouse is only one of the depart- 

 ments on our farm, we shall appreciate 

 any suggestions you can give us as to the 

 operation of a plant such as ours. 



We have a greenhouse 25x40 feet, 

 heated with hot water, only in the 

 spring, same being run in connection 

 with our chicken brooders. We have for 

 the last two seasons devoted the house 

 almost entirely to the raising of tomato 

 and cabbage plants, followed by cucum- 

 bers and a few flowers for our own use 

 and for local sale. We have a good 

 market for vegetable plants along our 

 local railroad branch and feel certain 

 that we would be able to dispose of any- 



thing in the line of cut flowers of our 

 limited output. With this end in view 

 we put in a few sweet peas, the latter 

 part of February, which are doing 

 nicely. These occupy only a portion of 

 our middle bench and in March we added 

 300 gladioli. We expect to put in one 

 bench of snaps and the other side bench 

 we will devote to lettuce, radishes, to- 

 mato and cabbage plants. As these 

 will be gone by July 1, we had planned 

 to devote all our space to asters. We 

 have made it a practice to transplant 

 the tomato plants four inches each way, 

 which givdg us fine, stocky p|ants, but 

 as we haA^ plenty of hotbed sashes we 

 feel we could use them for the vegetable 

 plants, devoting the greenhouse to 

 plants requiring more care. 



As our winters are severe and the 

 greenhouse so small, we do not feel justi- 

 fied in running it all winter, preferring 

 to drain the piping and start up again 

 in February. This necessitates our 

 growing only short-season plants, requir- 

 ing a minimum of heat. 



We should appreciate any suggestions 

 you care to make or changes, which 

 would tend to increase the returns from 

 a small, short-season plant such as ours. 



A. & C— Mich. 



With the house going empty in June, 

 the natural crop for a situation in which 

 it was not desired to heat in winter 

 would be chrysanthemums. These might 

 require a little heat for finishing, but 

 would be cut out about Thanksgiving 

 and probably would be the best autumn 

 crop. If there is not enough head room, 

 grow pompons on the side benches and 

 one of the large sorts in the center 

 bench. For a spring crop sweet peas, 

 snapdragons, mignonette or bedding 

 plants could be grown. The house could 

 be kept busy with the aid of the hotbeds. 



Sheffield, Ala. — A new concern here 

 is the Tri-City Floral Co., which recently 

 began the construction of a range of 

 greenhouses, in which will be grown a 

 general line of pot plants and cut fiow- 

 ers. G. W. Redus is manager. 



Charleston, S. C. — A branch store has 

 been opened by the Rodgers Floral Co., 

 Inc., in the Garden theater building. 

 Miss E. T. Britton will be in charge. 

 Candy will be handled as a side line. 

 Harold E. Rodgers, of the company, has 

 returned from overseas service in the 

 army and will resume his duties at the 

 main store in the near future. 



Memphis, Tenn. — The Memphis Floral 

 Co. was made defendant in a damage 

 suit for $10,000, recently filed in the 

 circuit court here by Mrs. H. Schaffer. 

 The suit grew out of an automobile ac- 

 cident, in which Mrs. Schaffer says she 

 was' injured. A motor truck belonging 

 to the florists' concern is alleged to have 

 struck the complainant. 



Vinita, Okla. — R. E. Moss, florist, has 

 undertaken a column of "Garden 

 Talks^' in the Journal. He finds busi- 

 ness excellent. 



Miami, Fla. — William N. Beechey 

 bought out Farrar & Oakley a few 

 months ago and has been busy getting 

 things into the shape he wants them. 

 He has been experimenting for some 

 years with little known varieties of or- 

 namentals and soon will have something 

 out of the ordinary to offer in roses and 

 palms. 



De Land, Fla.— H. H. Tomlinson, of the 

 Tomlinson-Key Floral Co., Jacksonville, 

 Fla., has sold out his interests in that 

 business and has bought a half interest 

 in the business of William B. Currey 

 here in De Land. The new name will be 

 DeLand Fern & Cut Flower Co. They 

 have enlarged the ferneries considerably 

 and are still going to make extensive 

 improvements in both branches of the 

 business. 



