SErTEMUEU 8, 1921 



The Florists^ Review 



27 



NOT BEAL BANDITS. 



Though various members of the trade, 

 in the recent era of high prices, liave 

 been characterized as "robbers" and 

 their operations described as a "hold- 

 up," it is not in the sense of admitting 

 such charges and assuming the guises 

 suitable for such activity that the four 

 gentlemen in the illustration on this 

 page donned the garb in which they are 

 shown. The explanation of this photo- 

 graph, taken on the border line be- 

 tween the United States and Mexico, 

 is given by W. B. Clarke, of San Jose, 

 Cal., in these words: 



"I have just returned from a trip to 

 southern California. During the trip I 

 was joined by Edward H. Eust and 

 Frank M. Warner on a week's trip to 

 San Diego. "While there we did the 

 usual stunt of visiting Tia Juana, Mex- 

 ico, and this photograph was taken 

 while there. This bunch of 'bandits,' 

 reading from left to right, are: W. B. 

 Clarke, horticultural broker, San Jose, 

 Cal.; Edward H. Eust, nurseryman, 

 South Pasadena, Cal.; George F. Otto, 

 florist, San Diego, and Frank M. War- 

 ner, bulb grower, Inglewood, Cal." 



BOBEBS ON AMABANTUS. 



We are sending you under separate 

 cover a few stalks of amarantus, from 

 which the roots have been eaten by a 

 small maggot. Some of the maggots are, 

 no doubt, on the stalks. We have tried 

 lime and other remedies in profusion, 

 but a whole bed of plants has been 

 destroyed, nevertheless. 



A. F. C— Mo. 



The stems are badly tunneled by 

 borers, but none could be located when 

 the former were cut open. I do not 

 know of any remedy that will clean out 

 these pests from the stems. You could 

 pour some carbon bisulphide into holes 

 in the soil, at intervals of twelve to 

 eighteen inches, a teaspoonful to a liolc, 

 and destroy all soil pests. Cover the 

 holes, which should be three to four 

 inches deep, immediately after pouring 

 in the liquid. Try spraying a nicotine 

 .solution on the stems, using a fine spray 

 nozzle and directing it toward the 

 lower parts of the stems. C. W. 



CALLAS FBOM THE FIELD. 



We planted our callas in the field 

 last spring. They have grown well 

 enough, but they have not bloomeil. 

 Should we attempt to dry them off? 

 If so, how long ought they to rest to 

 give the best results for winter or early 

 spring blooming in the house? What is 

 the best fertilizer for callas? 



T. C. P.— la. 



It will not do to dry off your callas, 

 when lifted, if you want them for win- 

 ter blooming. It is customary to dry 

 off tubers in pots or those which liave 

 been grown indoors in beds or benches 

 for at least two months in summer 

 before starting them up again. Your 

 planted-out stock will probably be mak- 

 ing an active growth and, if lifted and 

 dried, will be, in a large measure, in- 

 jured. It would be advisable to lift 

 all your plants carefully, to preserve all 

 the roots possible. Watch them care- 

 fully and shade as well as spraj' them 

 until they are established. Then give 

 them full sun. Treating them thus, you 

 will get flowers reasonably early. Cow 



manure and fine bone are excellent fer- 

 tilizers for callas. The last-named is 

 particularly good to use as a top-dress- 

 ing at intervals of eight or ten days 

 right through the growing and blooming 

 season. C. W. 



AVIATOB'S BLOOMING TIME. 



When should the carnation Aviator 

 have its last topping in order to have 

 blooms for Christmas? 



A. E. S.— Mont. 



Aviator is a free and early bloomer 

 and comes into bloom quickly after 

 being topped. We suggest that you top 

 it rather closely about September 1 and 

 then let it come. The main crop will 

 come around Christmas, which is the 

 time you want all the red carnations 

 you can get. We are assuming that 

 your plants are fairly well established 

 in the benches at this time. 



A. F. J. B. 



rOBCING PEBENNIAL LABKSPUB. 



Please give us the cultural directions 

 of larkspur for winter flowering. Will 

 it thrive in solid beds where lettuce 

 has been growing? Will you state the 

 temperature and the time of sowing 

 seed? M. & M.— O. 



grees, advancing to 50 degrees as the 

 plants advance in growth. 



Do not attempt to force the larkspurs 

 any earlier than has been indicated, as 

 it will surely result in failure; plants 

 will suffer from rot and mildew, and 

 you will be discouraged. Keep the tem- 

 perature in your house low until forc- 

 ing starts; if below freezing, all the 

 better. Never attempt any hard forc- 

 ing of larkspurs and always air them 

 freely when they are flowering. You 

 will get stalks five to eight feet high 

 from plants started last February and 

 in your territory wholesale prices should 

 vary from $3 to $8 a dozen in a good 

 market. Hardy larkspur is referred to. 

 The annual larkspurs may be sown now, 

 the seedlings potted off and benched 

 before they become too much root- 

 bound. These give an excellent spring 

 crop, but they are less popular than the 

 blue perennial varieties. C W. 



STOCKS FOE WINTEB CUTTING. 



I should like to know when to sow 

 seeds of Beauty of Nice stocks for cut- 

 ting through the winter. Is it too late 

 now? I can maintain a temperature of 

 about 48 degrees. Is that sullicient? 

 How long will it be before the stocks 

 flower? L. S.— N. Y. 



Seedlings produced from seeds sown 

 late last summer or early in spring un- 

 der glass are better for forcing than 

 larger and older clumps. I have at 

 present a lot of plants from seeds sown 

 last February. These are lined out in 

 nursery rows and are flowering freelv, 

 with stalks three to four feet high. I 



It would have been better to start 

 your stocks seed at the beginning of 

 August. However, sow the seed at once 

 anil plant, j)roferably in raised benches 

 for winter l)l(>oming, nine inches apart 

 each way. Give a minimum tempera- 

 ture of 4;j degrees and ventilate freely 

 whenever weather conditions permit, 

 and your plants should come along all 



The Pose Is Assumed and Is Not Symbolic. 



look for them to make ideal clumps for 

 forcing next season. They include both 

 Belladonna and the later-growing For- 

 mosan hybrids. The plants should suc- 

 ceed well in solid beds where lettuces 

 have been grown. It would not be ad- 

 visable to lift them until they have 

 had considerable frost. Eun the 

 house in which they are planted in quite 

 low temperature umtil the middle of 

 February for best success. Then give 

 a little fire heat, enough to make the 

 night temperature from 40 to 42 de- 



right and commence to flower late in 

 December, continuing to bloom for a 

 number of weeks. A good soil, which 

 suits carnations or roses, will suit stocks 

 equally well. Avoid spraying the foli- 

 age as the season advances. As the 

 flower stalks develop, a light mulch of 

 old, well decayed manure will prove 

 beneficial. C. W. 



Leavenworth, Kan. — Eudolph and 

 Emil Hinz are building a new shop on 

 Delaware street. 



