March 24. 1921. 



The Florists^ Review 



21 



to start them up and make presentable 

 specimens of them. Keep the plants on 

 a bench in a sunny greenhouse until the 

 weather warms up, say about the end of 

 May. Then set them in a coldframe. 

 First, furnish enough water to prevent 

 complete shriveling. Early in August 

 shake out the plants and reset them, 

 placing either in a coldframe or a green- 

 house where shade from strong sunlight 

 can be affordedj I question if, given 

 the best "of care, these carried-over 

 plants will equal in quality those sown 

 in August or September last. C. W. 



TO SOW CLEVELAND CHEBBIES. 



Will you kindly tell me when is the 

 best time to sow seeds of Cleveland 

 cherries so as to have them in bearing 

 for next Christmas? L. G. B. — Ind. 



Sow seeds at once. Prick off into flats 

 as soon as they are large enough to 

 handle and plant outdoors fifteen inches 

 apart as soon as danger from frost has 

 passed. C. W. 



LEAT-SPOT ON VIOLETS. 



I have mailed you a specimen of my 

 violets. Can you tell me what the trou- 

 ble is and what I should do? 



C. S.— la. 



The plant forwarded was covered with 

 leaf-spot and if the other plants are in 

 like condition you should pull them out 

 and burn them. There is no known cure 

 for this disease. Hand-picking of the 

 diseased leaves, perfect cleanliness and 

 abundant ventilation are necessary, with 

 a night temperature in winter of about 

 40 degrees for best results. C. W. 



CULTURE OF HARDY PHLOXES. 



I am writing for information on the 

 culture of hardy phloxes. I have trouble 

 every year with mildew. The leaves 

 turn white and then shrivel up. Would 

 spraying help this? If so, what spray 

 should I use and when? 



J. C. B.— Ga. 



Perennial phloxes are subject to 

 attacks of both red spider and mildew. 

 The former comes when the plants get 

 an insuflBcient amount of moisture at the 

 roots. Mildew appears usually in late 

 summer, when cold nights follow hot 

 days. Spray with Bordeaux mixture as 

 soon as your trouble appears and con- 

 tinue to spray to keep the foliage clean. 

 Flowers of sulphur, blown on the plants 

 early in the morning while the dew is 

 on them, also acts as a remedy. Phloxes 

 should have soil well enriched and 

 deeply plowed or spaded. In poor soil 

 they are much more susceptible to at- 

 tacks of spider and mildew than when 

 placed in richer soil. C. W. 



ROT ON LETTUCE. 



I am sending you a plant of Big Bos- 

 ton lettuce. The edges are turned 

 brown. What is the cause and what 

 is the remedial treatment? I keep the 

 greenhouse at from 45 to 50 degrees. 

 G. H.— 111. 



The burning of the foliage on your 

 lettuce is most probably due to a warm, 

 clear day following several sunless 

 ones. This frequently causes this 

 scalding or rotting of the leaves, par- 

 ticularly if the plants are not quite dry 

 when the sun hits them. Ventilate 

 early and abundantly on clear days 



JOHN J. WALSH. 



DO you want an illustration proving that this is a young man's age? Well, here 

 is one also demonstrating that the florists' business holds unexcelled possi- 

 bilities for those who are willing to work. John J. Walsh will not be 31 years of 

 age until June 10. He was born in 1890. He was 20 when he started work for the 

 Chicago Flower Growers' Association as packer. Industry brought advancement 

 and he became a salesman. From September, 1919, to January, 1921, he sold cut 

 flowers at wholesale for the Joseph Foerster Co. Having saved some capital, in the 

 latter month he bought a retail store, the Avondale Flower Shop, 3182 Milwaukee 

 avenue, Chicago, and now is on the way to build up a business of his own, proving 

 again that "where there's a will there's a wav. " 



which follow dark spells. The trouble 

 is most likely to occur if the ventilators 

 are left closed too long and the house 

 gets quite warm before an air current 

 passes through it. A temperature of 

 48 to 50 degrees is sufiiciently high. 

 Provided your plants are in solid beds 

 and that these are well soaked when 

 your plants are set out, no further 

 watering should be necessary until 

 your crop is cut. Watering is dan- 

 gerous on head lettuce in winter and 

 early spring, owing to our erratic cli- 

 matic conditions, and will greatly ag- 

 gravate this rot. C. W. 



SEEDLINQ VEGETABLES. 



Our plants, cabbage, tomatoes and 

 cauliflower, are ready for transplanting 

 and we find that many of them are 

 diseased just above the ground. We 

 used the same soil we had last spring, 

 but it was only used three months, the 



remainder of the year lying idle in the 

 benches. We added some manure and 

 considerable acid phosphate fertilizer to 

 the top soil. This soil was quite sandy 

 and dry and loose all last summer and 

 winter. Our heating pipes are directly 

 under the benches and quite close to the 

 bottom. We have kept the soil damp 

 since sowing the seed. Can you give a 

 solution to our trouble and is it likely 

 to ruin our plants for this season? 

 G. H. A.— O. 



Probably your trouble is due not so 

 much to using old soil as to adding the 

 acid phosphate to it. It is dangerous 

 to use fertilizers in any form for seeds. 

 A little old manure, well screened, is 

 safe, and so is leaf-mold or compost 

 from an old hotbed. You will probably 

 lose many of your seedling plants. It 

 would be inadvisable to use acid phos- 

 phate or any other chemical fertilizer 

 in future composts. C. W. 



