20 



The Rorists^ Review 



July 7, 1921 



such susceptible plants as coleus, agera- 

 tum, heliotrope, fuchsia, etc., with no 

 injury to the foliage. Moreover, such 

 resistant pests as scale insects can be 

 eliminated entirely by killing the im- 

 mature stages with a small dosage re- 

 peated at frequent intervals. 



Under favorable conditions houses 

 which do not contain roses, rose gera- 

 niums, asparagus ferns, lemon verbena, 

 snapdragon, wandering jew or sweet 

 peas can be fumigated with safety with 

 an initial dosage of one-half ounce of 

 sodium cyanide per thousand cubic feet. 



Mixing the CIi»micals. 



The chemicals should be mixed in the 

 following proportions: For each ounce 

 of sodium cyanide use one and one-half 

 fluid ounces of sulphuric acid and two 

 fluid ounces of water. 



After the generators, which should be 

 gallon or half-gallon earthenware jars, 

 have been distributed throughout the 

 greenhouse, and before the chemicals 

 have been mixed, the cyanide should be 

 w -ighed accurately and the proper 

 amount for each generator placed in a 

 paper bag near the generator. The 

 chemicals should be mixed invariably in 

 the following manner: First, measure 

 and place in each generator the amount 

 of water required; second, measure and 

 place in each generator the amount of 

 sulphuric acid required; third, drop the 

 cyanide into the diluted warm acid in 

 each generator, immediately leave the 

 house, and post a danger sign on the 

 closed door. The cyanide should be 

 dropped gently, not thrown, into the 

 generators, and the operator should be- 

 gin at the generator farthest from the 

 door and work toward the door. In 

 case there are two rows of generators 

 the cyanide should be dropped simul- 

 taneously by two operators. As little 

 time as possible should elapse between 

 the addition of the acid and the addi- 

 tion of the cyanide, as the heat which 

 is liberated by the mixing of the acid 

 and water assists in the generation of 

 the gas. 



The residue left in the generators 

 after fumigation should be buried or 

 poured into a sink and the generators 

 washed before being stored for further 

 operations. 



The generators should be so arranged 

 that the gas will be uniformly distrib- 

 uted throughout the enclosure. They 

 should be spaced from twenty to 

 twenty-five feet apart, and in case of 

 a light wind a few extra generators 

 should be placed on the windward side 

 of the house. An ounce to each jar is 

 as small a dose as is practicable, unless 

 the generators are well rounded inside 

 at the base or well tilted. 



Duration of Exposure. 



Short exposures with a greater 

 strength of gas h^^ve been found more 

 satisfactory than a weaker strength 

 of gas overnight. In fact, better re- 

 sults will be gained if the exposures do 

 not exceed one to two hours. An ex- 

 posure of one ho;ir is satisfactory in 

 most instances. Whort exposures also 

 have the additional advantage of per- 

 mitting the house to become thoroughly 

 aerated previous to the rising bf the 

 sun. 



If there is a light wind, a ventilation 

 of ten to fifteen minutes, using side and 

 top ventilation, will be sufficient and 

 will not lower the house temperature to 

 a dangerous point unless it is close to 

 zero weather outsi<'.e. If it is a still 



evening and the outside temperature is 

 not below 32 degrees, a ventilation of 

 twenty to thirty minutes is satisfac- 

 tory. 



In case it is necessary to enter the 

 house shortly after ventilation to deter- 

 mine the temperature, the person enter- 

 ing should not remain any longer than 

 is necessary. 



Temperature and Light. 



Much experimentation has proved 

 that excessive heat and cold will affect 

 the results of fumigation. As already 

 stated, it is not advisable to fumigate 

 if the temperature in the house exceeds 

 70 degrees or is lower than 55 degrees. 

 It is possible that a variation of 5 de- 

 grees from the latter temperature will 

 not result in serious injury to the 

 plants, provided, of course, that the 



PRECAUTIONS 



Do not guess the amount of chem- 

 icals to be employed or the cubic 

 contents of the house. 



Do not fumigate plants In a 

 greenhouse In daylight. 



Do not fumigate when the tem- 

 perature In the house is below 50 

 degrees or above 70 degrees. 



Do not leave the chemicals within 

 reach of those unacquainted with 

 their poisonous nature. Always 

 have them properly labeled. 



Do not handle the chemicals any 

 more than Is absolutely necessary, 

 and always wash the hands thor- 

 oughly after doing so. It Is well to 

 have a pair of old gloves for such 

 worl<, and to use them for no other 

 purpose. 



Do not allow the acid to splash 

 or drop on the clothing or skin. 



Do not stay in the house any 

 longer than Is necessary to place 

 the cyanide in the Jars, and never 

 enter a house charged with gas un- 

 til it has been thoroughly aired. 



Do not fall to post danger signs 

 at all entrances before setting off 

 the charge, and to see that the 

 house Is tightly closed. 



Do not attempt to fumigate with- 

 out adjusting the ventilators so 

 that they may be operated from 

 the outside. 



Do not attempt to fumigate a 

 large house alone. 



Do not fumigate a frame adjoin- 

 ing a dwelling without notifying the 

 occupants before fumigation and 

 allowing them time to leave. 

 Houses contiguous to fumigated 

 frames should be aired thoroughly 

 before the occupants are allowed to 

 reenter. 



Do not pour water on the acid; 

 pour the acid on the water. 



Do not become negligent in any 

 of the precautions; to do so may 

 cause serious results. 



plants are not affected by such a low 

 temperature. 



Light unquestionably affects fumiga- 

 tion. It has been known for a long 

 time that it is undesirable to fumi- 

 gate when the sun is high. Furthermore, 

 recent experiments have demonstrated 

 that some injury may result to plants 

 which have been subjected to fumes if, 

 on the following day, the sun is quite 

 bright. 



Have You a Fumigation Box? 



A fumigation box is desirable for two 

 reasons, namely, for testing the amount 

 of gas which plants can stand without 

 injury, and for ridding a limited number 

 of potted plants of insects and thus 

 avoiding costly and laborious hand- 

 scrubbing of such plants. The size of 



the box will depend on the use to which 

 it is to be put. A box with a capacity 

 of 200 cubic feet can be used advan- 

 tageously for nursery stock, palms, etc. 

 Plants to be fumigated in a box in the 

 daytime should remain in the box with 

 the door closed at least one hour before 

 the gas is generated and should be 

 shaded from the bright sunlight for at 

 least two hours after the completion of 

 the exposure. 



LAWNS GROWN QUICKLY. 



A new, quick method of establishing 

 stands of sod on lawns, and more espe- 

 cially on golf greens, where the grass 

 gets severe usage, has been worked out 

 by botanists of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture. Bent grasses, 

 which grow from runners, are princi- 

 pally used in the method. A quantity 

 of healthy sod is stripped at a depth of 

 approximately one and one-half inches, 

 which gathers in most of the grass roots 

 with as little dirt as possible. The sods 

 are run through a feed cutter, which is 

 so arranged as to slit them into ribbons 

 about two inches wide. The ribbons 

 are shredded by hand, leaving a mass 

 of grass roots. These roots are sowed 

 broadcast on the ground, which has 

 been carefully prepared by plowing and 

 harrowing; and, if a golf green is de- 

 sired, it is usually covered about an 

 inch deep and rolled. 



For ordinary lawns it has been found 

 sufficient to broadcast the sod shreds 

 and harrow or disk them in. By this 

 method a good stand of sod has been 

 obtained in as short a time as three 

 weeks. The method has been used on 

 golf courses throughout the country. A 

 green of the public golf course in Poto- 

 mac park, Washington, D. C, prepared 

 in this manner, is regarded as one of 

 the finest in the country. 



TO SOOT GABDENIAS. 



How are gardenias rooted? 



W. G.— 0. 



Gardenias root easily in a propagat- 

 ing bench at this season, while the 

 weather is warm. Earlier in the season 

 they require a genial bottom heat and 

 succeed best if placed in a small frame 

 with a hinged top. This should be kept 

 closed until roots start to form; then 

 admit air gradually. Several light 

 sprayings a day will keep the cuttings 

 plump. Some growers put the cuttings 

 singly in small pots in a mixture of 

 sphagnum moss and sand, and few cut- 

 tings fail to root under this method. 

 After cuttings are potted off from sand 

 they should be kept close and warm and 

 should be frequently sprayed until es- 

 tablished. C. W. 



Warren, O,— Edgar F. Taylor, who 

 now operates two large greenhouses, has 

 another, 15x40 feet, under construction. 

 He specializes in fine transplanted 

 stock. 



Sanborn, N. Y.— C. F. Treichler has 

 completed his two new greenhoufes 

 each 30x260 feet, and will plant an as- 

 sortment of roses, a new feature of his 

 establishment. 



HoUand, Mich.— The Twelfth Street 

 Floral Shop can boast of a fine June 

 business. There were a great many 

 weddings, at times as many as six a 

 day, and some of these were large 

 church affairs. They have been picking 

 sweet peas in great abundance. 



