32 



The Florists^ Review 



May 25, 1922 



]iiiiiy's ottices in Eiifjli'wood, Wotxllawu 

 and Hyde Park. Tlii' district suiierin- 

 tcndent foniplinu-ntcd him on tlio clis- 

 l)]ays and cxprossed niuidi .satisfaction 

 over the arraiifjonu'iit. 



Mr. Cohen's view is e.xjjressed in tlu; 

 t'oliowinfT statement: "By advertising 

 in The Keview we have tripled our tele- 



Hra])h delivery orders for Mothers' day. 

 We liad to have a separate clerk at a 

 desk ail day Saturday, until midnifjht, 

 just to take care of the out^oinfj and 

 inooniinji; telegrams. "We also had the 

 Western Union offices take orders for 

 flowers and then transfer them to us, 

 an excellent idea." 



TRANSMITTING LEAF-SPOT. 



To determine the cause of the j)res- 

 cnce of a spot disease on the leaves of 

 geranium plants at certain seasons of 

 the year, the University of Maryland 

 agricultural expeAinent station recently 

 conducted an investigation at various 

 greenhouses in the state of Maryland 

 whore the disease was prevalent. The 

 disease was brought to the attention of 

 the experiment station by the rejection 

 of several shi[)nients of geranium jilants 

 by a consignee, wlio gave as tlie reason 

 for his refusal to accept the jilants that 

 the ]dants were affected with a disease. 

 The ])lants were tlien examined and 

 found to be infested with a severe in- 

 sect stigmonose and a number of fun- 

 gous troubles. One of the insects doing 

 considerable damage was found to bo 

 the pallid mite, 'Tarsonemus ])allidus. 

 Accompanying this troul)le was a spot 

 disease, which it became advisable to 

 study carefully, in order to determine 

 wliether the presence of the sjjot and 

 mite were related in any way. 



The investigators went aijout their 

 experiments in a most thorough man- 

 ner. Every known means of growing 

 the ]>lants was adojtted; some of them 

 were covered with large, glass bells 

 when watered; others were left entirely 

 open; some were covered with cloth, 

 while still others were inoculated with 

 the disease and i)laced in the same 

 benches with good, healthy jjlants, in 

 or(V(>r to determine how the disease 

 travtded and what effect the insects had 

 upon it. After these experiments were 

 made, the authorities took measures to 

 find out liow the disease could be com- 

 l)afed and how the insects could be ox- 

 tciiiiiiiated. The in\estigations brought 

 out the fact tliat the geranium leaf-spot 

 was caused in part by a true fungous 

 liarasite, Cercospora Brunkii; that stig- 

 monose is caused by several insects, the 

 most conniion of which are red spiders 

 and white flies, and that the injury 

 (•aus(>d by tbeni may be distinguished 

 from the sjxit caused by the fungus. It 

 was deterniiiied tliat one of the ])rin- 

 cipal means of sj)reading the cercospora 

 s])ot lies in the method of watering; 

 that insects ]day a small part, if any, in 

 the transmission of the disease. 



In searching for methods of elinunat- 

 ing the disease, it was learned that con- 

 trol of the spot may be obtained by the 

 application of Bordeaux mixture to the 

 stock bods and cuttings; that fungicides 

 other than the Bordeaux mixture have 

 not proved so successful in combating 

 the disease as has this latter mixture. 

 It was also learned that the discolored 



foliage resulting from fungicide appli- 

 cations may be largely avoided in plants 

 ready for shipment or setting out in 

 beds if the cuttings are dipped in Bor- 

 deaux soon after removal from the stock 

 plants. Plants so treated will grow out 

 of the marks of the application by the 

 time they are ready to ship or set out. 

 The facts were also established that 

 good ventilation must be provided 

 wherever ])ossiblc and every precaution 

 must bo taken to prevent excessive 

 humidity or dampness in the houses 

 where the plants are growing, in order 

 to avoid the disease. 



GERANIUM BLOOMS SPOTTED. 



"l have a fine lot of S. A. Nutt gera- 

 niums. They are all ablaze with flowers, 

 but every flower has a dark or withered 

 part in the center. Could you tell niM 

 the cause of this ])reniature decay? I 

 have used no fertilizer. Tlie plants are 

 growing in jilain loam, containing about 

 one-fifth sand. The plants were win- 

 tered at about 50 degrees and kej)t on 

 the dry side. At this time of year the 

 temperature goes high during the dav. 



R. K. C— Neb." 



It would l)e advisable to apply a light 

 shade to the glass over your plants; a 

 thin coat of whitewash, or kerosene and 

 white lea<l, sprayed on thinly, would 

 answer. The trouble may be duo to 

 burning; tliis is mucli more liable to 

 occur to Jilants under glass than to those 

 in the open air. (iive the j)liints abun- 

 dant ventilation and do not keep a 

 dihnp atmosi)heif or sprav overhead. 



C. W. 



"DISEASED" GERANIUM LEAVES. 



I am mailing you some of our gera- 

 niums, which arc diseased. Kindly ex- 

 amine them and adx'ise me, if possible, 

 what is the matter with them. What 

 treatment can I give them to help them 

 along.' (ias got into our jilace last 

 December. Do you suppose this is what 

 caused the trouble.' Our ])otting soil 

 was in the greonliouso at that time. 

 These plants seemed to do all right as 

 long as the weather was cold, but as 

 soon as the warm weather came the 

 leaves turned as have those we mailed 

 vou. L. & G.— 111. 



If gas was the cause of the geranium 

 leaves dying, the trouble would be most 

 ••icute wliile the temperature was low 

 outdoors and the houses ventilated only 

 a little. It would be much increased 

 with tight ventilators and materially 

 reduced when they were kept open ail 



of the time. Vour leaves are similar 

 to many others received at this season of 

 the year and the real cause is not easy 

 to (letermine. Avoid overhead spray- 

 ing; it soften^ the foliage and makes 

 tlie plants more subject to fungous af- 

 fections. Keep a dry atmosphere and 

 new plants a little on the dry side. 

 If they seem starved at the roots, give 

 a watering with nitrate of soda, a 

 tablespoonful to a 3-galIon can, and 

 give each pot a light top-dressing of 

 fine bone. Keep diseased leaves picked 

 oflF. Give plants plenty of fresh air. 

 Ventilators should never be closed at 

 this season. Do not throw any dis- 

 eased leaves or flowers below the 

 benches; it will only aggravate matters. 

 "Cleanliness is next to godliness" with 

 plants as well as with human beings. 

 "* C. W. 



GERANIUMS UNRECOGNIZABLE. 



I have mailed you a geranium, the 

 name of which I have been unable to 

 discover. Can you advise me whether 

 or not it is an uncommon variety? 



S. G.— O. 



The flower truss and foliage were 

 too badly dried up to make the naming 

 of the variety possible. It is difficult 

 to send geraniums by mail and have the 

 flowers arrive in such a condition that 

 they can be named with accuracy. In 

 your case the small box was crushed 

 flat and recognition was utterlv impos- 

 sible. 'C. W. 



BUSINESS EMBARRASSMENTS. 



Chicago, 111. — Further postponement 

 has been made of the sale of the assets 

 of the Everette E. Peacock Co., no 

 bids having been received. 



Price, Utah. — Creditors of the Carbon 

 Floral Co. have received less than one 

 per cent of their claims against the 

 former owners of the concern, the 

 amount paid being the proceeds of the 

 sheriff's sale held May 29. Both former 

 owners of the company have left the 

 town, and W. F. Olson, the new ])ro- 

 prietor, is only responsible for obliga- 

 tions incurred since March 8. 



Alameda, Cal. — A voluntary petition 

 in bankruptcy has been filed by C. 

 Kooyman, as the C. Kooyman Co. The 

 liabilities are stated to be $37,919 and 

 the assets,' $1H,023; claimed exempt, 

 $4,7-')(l. It is understood that Mr. Kooy- 

 man wished to be rid of some heavy 

 overlioad cxi)enses. He believed that by 

 filing tlie jietition he could protect his 

 creditors better, who will, he assures 

 them, be paid in full in due time. It 

 is understood that the business will be 

 sold for the benefit of creditors, but no 

 date has been set. 



Lebanon, Pa. — The Court of Common 

 Pleas of Lebanon county appointed 

 Clarke M. Seltzer as receiver for John 

 li. Bernstein, to conduct the business 

 until .lune l.l, 1922, and then to dispose 

 (»f the real estate and personal ])roperty 

 of the insolvent. "The liabilities are 

 about .$24,00H and the assets do not 

 exceed $10,000," says Receiver Selt- 

 zer. "The assets consist almost exclu- 

 sivelv of real estate worth between 

 $8,000 an.l $10,000, which is en- 

 cumbered by liens to the extent of 

 about $12,000. It would therefore 

 ai)pear that the entire assets will not be 

 sufficient to satisfy the lien creditors, 

 and that the common creditors will get 

 nothing. 



