OcTOsnt 28, 1920 



The Florists' Review 



21 



full sun. Where your shoots are as 

 much as fourteen inches long, the tops 

 could still be taken and the plants would 

 have time to branch out and make 

 bracts, but they would be smaller, of 

 course, than if not topped. Probably 

 dwarf er plants from cuttings taken at 

 ,<ffaee might suit you best. In making 

 cuttings, trim off the longest leaves and 

 iay them in cold water an hour or so be- 

 fors putting in pots or cutting bench. 



C. W. 



I Ll^^. UA I fn.'' 



THEIPS ON CYCLAMEN. 



We have sent you under separate 

 cover a box containing cyclamen plants. 

 Kindly explain the trouble. Notice 

 the large bulb growth and many in- 

 cipient leaves, some of which become 

 two or three inches long before they 

 decay or the tip blights. Our plants 

 are in a greenhouse, well shaded, with 

 double ventilation in the roof and two 

 doors opening on one side and two at 

 one end of the house. Several spells 

 of hot, dry weather have affected the 

 foliage considerably. T. L. C. — Minn. 



The trouble is caused by thrips. I 

 should suggest that you try spraying 

 the foliage with a preparation, to rid 

 the plants of that pest, following the 

 directions on the container. I should 

 also suggest that you keep the doors of 

 the house closed, because at this season 

 of the year the outdoor foliage is gen- 

 erally infested with thyips and red 

 spider, which work their-way into the 

 houses. *r 



If the plants are welljrooted in the 

 soil, an occasional wateii^ with weak 

 liquid cow manure in ]i|M|^erate doses 

 will give the plants more^fctive growth, 

 90 that after a few sprayings they will 

 have a chance to grow away more 

 ''■©ely- M. P. 



OBOWINO CYCLAMENS. 



We wish to grow about 2,000 cycla- 

 mens next year and wish to build our 

 house or frame this fall to begin right 

 with seedlings about April 1. As the 

 summers are long and quite warm here, 

 where would they grow better, in a 

 frame or a smaU, detached house, with 

 ridge and side ventilation! The house 

 would have two 5-foot benches, with a 

 2-foot path in the center of the house 

 and eighteen inches on each side be- 

 tween bench and wall. Which is better, 

 a temporary shade of cheesecloth or a 

 light shade on the glass t We wish to 

 grow as fine plants as would be pos- 

 sible in our climate and shall appreciate 

 any cultural directions you may be able 

 to offer. C. B.— Ala. 



April is not a suitable time to start 

 cyclamen seed. August and September 

 are the best months. Then you are as- 

 sured of good plants for Thanksgiving 

 and Christmas of the following year. 

 This is the plan followed by all good 

 cyclamen growers. 



I should prefer a small, detached 

 house such as you describe, vnth ample 

 ventilation, to a coldframe in your lat- 

 itude, and should give the glass a light 

 permanent shade. If you can dispense 

 with all shade in midwinter, all the bet- 

 ter; likewise on dark days later in the 

 (leason. The ideal shade is one which 

 can be removed at will in the form of 

 lath screens or cheesecloth hung inside. 



Spray several times a day during hot 

 weather and syringe with nicotine to 



Full Page Flower and Service Advertisement Used by New Orleans Retailer. 



keep down insect pests. Spraying with 

 nicotine also helps to check the dreaded 

 cyclamen mite. I should advise get- 

 ting seed and sowing it at once in flats 

 in a close, warm house. C. W. 



CLTJBSOOT INFECTS SOIL. 



I am sending you specimens of some 

 snapdragons and cherries which I have 

 for greenhouse planting. They are 

 grown from seed. Both have been af- 

 fected with clubroot. My carnation 

 plants are similarly affected, although 

 planted in a different part of my farm. 

 Last year the carnations had clubroot, 

 although they were planted on a farm 

 four miles from those of this year. The 

 carnation plants of this year are from 

 some healthy plants bought last year and 

 cuttings bought this spring in the north. 

 What is the cause of clubroot, and 

 what is itf Is there any remedv for 

 itf R. B. S.— Va. 



ure is used from animals that have bees 

 fed with cottonseed meal. Fresh stone 

 lime, applied at the rate of seventy-five 

 to eighty bushels per acre upon freshly 

 plowed land in the spring and worked 

 into the soil, is suggested as a meanii 

 of greatly reducing clubroot. The 

 plants sent were badly affected and I 

 doubt if you can do a great deal with 

 them, but if you plant any more from 

 the same batch I advise you to use lime 

 stone freely in the soil. M. P. 



EXTEBMINATINa MEALT BUG. 



Please tell me if the enclosed grape 

 fruit twig is infested with mealy bugf 

 and how these may be destroyed in 

 greenhouses. My vincas are also full 

 of them. P. K.— Pa. 



The plants are affected with clubroot 

 fungus. The cause of this disease is 

 hard to tell. It is likely to have been 

 brought into the soil by some weed of 

 the mustard family. When it once gets 

 a foothold and the soil becomes in- 

 fected, it may prove lasting and be 

 carried from one crop to another. Some 

 authorities maintain that heavy manur- 

 ing will cause it, especially when man- 



Force of cold water well directed 

 from a misty spray nozzle on the hose 

 is the best way to clean out mealy bug, 

 such as you have on your grapefruit 

 and vincas. If you will use plenty of 

 cold water under good pressure, you will 

 soon make it untenable for the mealy 

 bugs, but keep at it daily and not spas- 

 modically. Fumigation with hydrocyanic 

 acid gas will kill mealy bugs, but thip 

 is a dangerous fumigant and speciallj 

 so to vegetation in hot weather. 



C. W. 



