Avvoms 7, 1919. 



The Florists^ Review 



17 



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TAKE YOUR CHOICE 



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AST EXTEBMINATOBS. 



In the issue of The Review for July 

 24 I noticed that one of your subscribers 

 complained of having trouble with ants. 

 I was troubled with the pests and tried 

 everything I could think of or had heard 

 of, without success. They were large 

 black ants and small brown ants, and it 

 was not until I had tried ordinary flo- 

 rists' tobacco that I received results. 

 I used it freely wherever the ants ap- 

 peared and in about three days there 

 was not an ant to be seen. 



George Hammer. 



I noticed an inquiry in The Eeview 

 for July 24 regarding ants. The fol- 

 lowing is a method suggested by the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture which 

 I myself used last winter with excellent 

 results: "Make a syrup of one pound 

 of sugar in one quart of water and add 

 125 grains of arsenate of soda. This 

 mixture on cooling, after being boiled 

 and strained, is used to moisten sponges, 

 which are placed within reach of the 

 ants. They convey the syrup to their 

 nests, poisoning the whole colony. Arse- 

 nate of soda, however, is poisonous to 

 animus and human beings." 



While I did not use the above amount, 

 I mixed a sufficient quantity of sugar 

 and water so that, after boiling, it spun 

 a thread. When it was cool, I placed it 

 on the ground about the ant hills or 

 where they seemed to congregate, and 

 in a short time the syrup would be 

 swarming with ants. After a few hours 

 had elapsed there were no ants about, 

 nor did any appear afterwards. I for- 



fot to mention that I dropped four or 

 ve crystals of arsenate of soda in this 

 syrup immediately after taking it off the 

 fire and then stirred it for a few min- 

 utes. Arsenate of soda is difficult to get 

 at a drug store because it is so little 

 used, and has to be purchased from a 

 wholesale drug house. 



I hope this will be of benefit to others 

 as it has to me, and I am glad to pass 

 it along for you to print for their use. 



C. A. Voris. 



I have tried several ant exterminators, 

 but find that Hammond's Slug Shot is 

 the best. I have dusted it on ant hills, 

 on plants and soil in pots and on seed- 

 lings in flats. It cleaned out the ants 

 without injuring the plants. Last week 

 I tested it out by sprinkling it in the 

 cracks of sidewalks. In a few moments 

 the ants were running wild and soon 

 afterwards died. They do not go far 

 before the poison takes effect. 



While in New York state I used pieces 

 of fat or meat and when the meat was 

 full of ants I would scald it with hot 

 water. However, this is bothersome and 

 not so effective as Slug Shot. When I 

 came to my present location there were 

 ant hills all about the greenhouse, but 

 now they disappear rapidly with the 

 aid of Slug Shot. 



F. B. Matsinger. 



The best ant exterminator I have ever 

 used is granulated sugar with just 

 enough Paris green to give it a greenish 

 tinge. A small pinch of this mixture, 



placed about the infested spots, will 

 soon do the ^fcork. Care should be taken 

 not to use toi much Paris green, as the 

 ants will not touch it. This remedy is 

 for black ants. I have not had any ex- 

 perience with white ants. 



John J. Whiting. 



For the benefit of those who are trou- 

 bled with ants, I would use the fol- 

 lowing remedy: Mix molasses and 

 paris green, using just enough of the 

 latter to poison all the molasses. Spread 

 this on several small pieces of glass and 

 place it about the greenhouse. In a 

 short time the ants will swarm about the 

 poisoned syrup. Frank H. Ebner. 



the hole, keeping hands and feet at 

 least two feet away. Wait from five to 

 eight seconds and then put the mud ovfer 

 the hole. Stay away from it all day. If 

 ants appear again, they are from a dis- 

 tant colony and you will bflsc« to make 

 another application. Smoke out all ants 

 within a distance of seventy-five feet of 

 your property. Many cans of bisulphide 

 are weak, but it will do the work. 



^ E. Friedrich. 



I saw in The Review a request for an 

 ant exterminator. I have one. Get a 

 1-pound can of carbon bisulphide and 

 an extra cork. This will be enough for 

 from two to four applications. At night 

 when the ants are all in their hole, pour 

 one to four gallons of water in the hole. 

 Next morning at sunrise the first ants 

 will come out. Have a shovelful of mud 

 ready, stand on the side that the wind 

 comes from, pour the carbon bisulphide 

 in the hole, cork the can and set it 

 aside. Strike a match and drop it in 



BUSINESS EMBABBASSMENTS. 



Dayton, O. — The real estate and green- 

 houses of the Miami Floral Co., the af- 

 fairs of which have been pending in the 

 Common Pleas court on receivership pro- 

 ceedings, were ordered transferred to 

 Rolf Zetlitz, as purchaser of the prop- 

 erty, in an entry filed in court July 19 

 with the approval of Judge R. C. Pat- 

 terson. At master commissioner's sale, 

 conducted under supervision of the 

 court, the realty was bid in by Mr. 

 Zetlitz for $33,000, and the personal 

 property of the company for $2,000. 

 Petition for appointment of the receiver 

 was filed by William Kiefaber, and At- 

 torney R. G. Corwin has been acting as 

 receiver. 



BRIEF ANSWEBS. 



J. J. U., Mich. — ^You can not * ' force ' ' 

 candidum; if the bulbs are planted out 

 in early autumn they should flower. 



J. R., Okla. — Don't cut back the vin- 

 cas unless you want the growth for cut- 

 tings. Wrap each plant separately for 

 shipping and cleat in box. 



BASMUSSEN PBOPOSES PLAN. 



For Employees' Profit-Sharing. 



Outlines of a plan by which his em- 

 ployees will share in the profits of his 

 business in 1920 were given by Anders 

 Rasmussen, who has a range of 300,000 

 feet of glass at New Albany, Ind., in a 

 letter to his employees under date of 

 August 2. Mr. Rasmussen 's plan is not 

 worked out in detail, so far as the letter 

 shows. The general scheme is, however, 

 to divide twenty-five per cent of the 

 year's earnings among the employees in 

 accordance with their length of service 

 and to distribute the rema^&uig seventy- 

 five per cent equally /amcmg all em- 

 ployees who have beent^n the employ 

 from January 1, 1920, to January 1, 

 1921. The amount to be divided is the 

 remainder when there has been allowed 

 Mr. Rasmussen six per cent for his in- 

 vestment, five per cent for depreciation 

 of the property and his salary. The sum 

 which each employee receives is in addi- 

 tion to his weekly wages and is thought 

 likely to be several hundred dollars a 

 year if business in 1920 is as good as 

 that of the last twelve months. 



Mr. Basmussen's Letter. 



The letter to his employees in which 



Mr. Rasmussen outlines his plan reads 



as follows: 



For aeyeral years I have cherished the Idea, 

 sometime, -when my financial afTalra permitted, 

 to have my employees share in the profits of the 

 business. The cyclone that partially destroyed 

 our range has delayed thia. 



By January 1, If trade continues good, 1 shall 

 be able to liquidate the balance of my indebted- 

 ness and I then propose to divide between all 

 my employees all profits over and above a rea- 

 sonable amount for interest and depreciation on 

 my investment and a fair salary for myself for 

 managing the business. 



My plan is this: I will expect stt per cent 

 interest on my investment, five per cent for de- 

 preciation of the property and my salary. Of 

 course the property has to be kept In repair and> 

 stock and equipment up-to-date. After this and 

 other running expenses are paid, all other money 

 will be divided as follows: Twenty-five per cent, 

 or one-fourth, to be prorated to each according 

 to number of years in my employ, as I feel that 

 those who have been with me many years and 

 have helped to build up the business are entitled 

 to more than others who have been with us but 

 a short time. Seventy-five per cent, or three- 

 fourths, to be divided equally among all em- 

 ployees who are with us January 1, 1920, and 

 stay with us to January 1, 1921. Those, if any, 

 employed after January 1, 1920, or who leave 

 before the end of the year, will not share in the 

 profits, except In case of sickness or death. Of 

 course weekly wages will go on as usual. 



If we can increase our output and prices con- 

 tinue as good as the last year, or we can de- 

 crease expenses, or both, we can do better. On 

 the other hand, if business gets poor, or we are 

 overtaken by misfortune, we may have to be 

 contented with much less, but at any rate, you 

 have a great deal to gain, and nothing to lose. 



I have always boasted that I have the best 

 set of employees in the city, but there are sev- 

 eral things that we can do to get better results. 

 For instance, at a time when, as right now, w*- 

 are a little behind with the work, we can try 

 to put forth an extra effort and then take It a 

 little easier at times when we are not so busy. 

 We can take, better care of our tools, and many 

 other savings, that may suggest themselves to 

 you as we go along, can be effected. 



My reason for telling you of this plan so far 

 in advance is that right now we are laying the 

 foundation for our success next year. A good 

 start is half the race won. I assure you I shaU 

 do my best to make the year of 1920 the best on 

 our records and no one would be more pleased 

 than I, if at the end of the year we had for each 

 one of you a nice bonus, the bigger, the greater 

 my pleasure would be, as well as yours. Let as 

 aU pull together. 



