20 



The Florists^ Review 



Dbcbmbbb 20. 1921 



There Are 13,000 Plants of Asparagus Plumosus Nanus in this House, Contained in Nine Beds, Each 5x220 feet. 



moisture. Therefore, waterings need 

 not be 80 frequent in winter, when wet 

 foliage overnight causes loss of sprays. 

 To prevent the sprays from falling 

 into the walks and being tramped, wires 

 should be strung along the sides of the 

 beds, one about eight inches above the 

 board and another about twenty-four 

 inches higher. An eflScient and eco- 

 nomincal way of wiring is as follows: 

 Old 1-inch pipe which has been taken 

 from water or steam systems, and which 

 a florist usually has a stock of, is cut 

 into pieces about four feet long, to serve 

 as posts. Two holes — about three-six- 

 teenths of an inch is large enough — 

 are then drilled through the posts, one 

 close to the upper end and the other 

 two feet from it. The posts are then 

 driven inside the bench side until the 

 lower hole is eight inches above the 

 board. The posts are spaced about 

 twelve or fifteen feet apart. The wires 

 are then drawn through the holes and 

 fastened securely to posts at each end 

 of the bed. If the posts are driven into 

 the ground deep enough to be fairly 

 solid, no cross wires or braces are 

 needed. No longitudinal or cross wires 

 are needed in the beds, as the foliage 

 usually is so dense that it does not fall 

 unless it is hit too hard in watering. 



Pinching the Tops. 



As the plants throw up long, rank 

 shoots, the tops should be pinched when 

 about three feet high. This prevents 

 vining and encourages branching. Plu- 

 mosus is by nature a climber and the 

 grower should be exceedingly careful 

 that his beds do not become one solid, 

 tangled mass, for after the sprays 



branch H is nearly impossible to separate 

 them. 



Green aphis, red spider and sow bugs 

 are the most common pests, and the only 

 serious ones, that infest plumosus. Green 

 aphis is easily held in check by spray- 

 ing with a nicotine solution, or by burn- 

 ing nicotine papers or tobacco. Of the 

 three methods, spraying is most success- 

 ful. Red spider, which is rarely found 

 during the winter, may be controlled by 

 syringing with plain water. The sow 

 bugs destroy the tender shoots, usually 

 biting out the tops as they come through 

 the soil. Should the bugs become numer- 

 ous, great damage will follow and only 

 incessant feeding with a good Paris 

 green mixture — several formulas for 

 which have appeared in these columns — 

 will finally succeed in ridding the beds 

 of this, the worst pest known to growers 

 of Asparagus plumosus. 



Beginning to Cut Sprays. 



Plumosus will do its best in a light, 

 high house, with a night temperature of 

 55 degrees, but may have a higher tem- 

 perature than that and will produce more 

 accordingly. Some growers dry their 

 beds during the summer, but this has 

 been found not entirely successful and 

 not at all profitable. 



Cutting should not begin until the 

 second summer or early autumn, when 

 the plants have become firmly estab- 

 lished in the soil and have thrown up a 

 good number of sprays. Then they will 

 not be so much affected by cutting as 

 they would be if the cutting had begun 

 soon after planting. Care should be 

 exercised at all times that the plants 

 are not cut too hard, for excessive cut- 



ting always leaves its mark. Beds from 

 which the sprays are cut as soon as they 

 are developed, and on which this is made 

 a regular practice, will never produce 

 the desired quantity or quality, nor will 

 the life of the bedB be half so long. 

 The grower will find that it pays to be 

 in no hurry in cutting a new bed. 



Although there are several other spe- 

 cies of ornamental asparagus, A. plu- 

 mosus is the best of them all and leads 

 all other greens for florists' use. 



HOUSE OF ASPABAGUS. 



The illustration on this page shows a 

 house of Asparagus plumosus nanus at 

 the range of J. N. Spanabel & Sons, Co- 

 lumbiana, O. It contains nine beds, 

 each 5x200 feet, which hold approxi- 

 mately 13,000 plants. The height of the 

 plants may be determined by comparison 

 with the head of the firm and father of 

 the author of this article, whose figure 

 appears in the center of the house. 



NEWAEK, N. J. 



Considering the general state of busi- 

 ness conditions, most of the Newark 

 florists had a satisfactory Christmaa 

 trade. The range of prices was higher 

 than it was thought some time ago that 

 they might be and the high cost of flow- 

 ers caused many persons to buy plants. 

 The outlook is good for a brisk New 

 Year's trade and one which will be as 

 satisfactory as that of Christmas. Tho 

 year, as a whole, has been rather slow 

 with most of the florists and profits have 

 been correspondingly small. 



The Terminal Flower Shop had an 

 excellent Christmas trade. B. B. M. 



