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24 



The Florists^ Review 



July 20, 1922 



saw, "An ounce of prevention is better 

 than a pound of cure." 



Proper Soil. 



Did you prepare the soil you intend 

 to use for filling your carnation beds? 

 If you did not, you have eliminated 

 one of the chief factors in the produc- 

 tion of high-grade stock. Do not make 

 the mistake of using the old soil over 

 again. Many growers made that mis- 

 take to their sorrow during the war 

 period, when help was scarce and it 

 seemed impossible to get the beds re- 

 filled with new soil. We have heard of 

 a few instances where it seems to have 

 been done successfully, but in each case 

 it was done by an expert, who knew how 

 to handle the situation in such a nlan- 

 ner as to avoid the dangers ^ioyedved. 



Before filling your benches, be sure 

 they are in good repair to last through 

 the coming season. Spread an inch of 

 long stable manure on the bottom and 

 fill in four inches of soil. When han- 

 dling the soil be sure to break up all 

 the lumps. If the soil is deficient in 

 humus and you have some well rotted 

 cattle or stable manure, run it through 



dry in spots, wet it with the hose and 

 allow it to stand until it is right for 

 planting. We prefer to have the soil in 

 the same state of moisture as we use 

 for potting and we do not hesitate to 

 delay a day or two to get it into that 

 condition. 



Of course you gave the whole house a 

 good cleaning while it was empty. If 

 the benches are raised, you cleaned out 

 from under them everything in the way 

 of weeds, trash or old soil that may have 

 gathered during the last season. A lib- 

 eral sprinkling of slaked lime will help 

 to sweeten things and prevent a foul 

 atmosphere later on, when you spray 

 frequently to maintain a moist atmos- 

 phere. Leaf-spot and fairy ring are not 

 so apt to start in a house that was 

 thoroughly cleaned. A. F. J. Baur. 



OKLAHOMA FLORISTS CONVENE. 



At Tulsa. 



In Convention hall, Tulsa, Okla., July 

 13 and 14, the Oklahoma State Florists' 

 Association convened eighty strong, as 

 shown on the oflScial register. 



There were a number of exhibitors. 



A. S. Gray. 



(I'eelrcti'il I'rcsliliTit of the Oklaliniiia Slati- Flc)rlst>' Association. 



a shredder and spread half an inch 

 over the soil, chopping it in with a 

 ralfe. This will prevent the soil from 

 baking and forming a crust after water- 

 ing and will Ijelp the plants to get off 

 to a good start. The shredded cattle 

 manure offered by the fertilizer com- 

 panies will answer the same purpose. 

 If the soil is too dry for planting or is 



The Ove Gnatt Co., La Porte, Ind., was 

 there with a fine exhibit, as were also 

 Poehlmann Bros. Co., Chicago; Lion & 

 Co., New York; Hilmer V. Swenson Co., 

 Chicago; Roseville Pottery Co., Rose- 

 ville, O.; Morris Levine Co., New York; 

 A. Henderson & Co., Chicago; W. W. 

 Barnard Co., Chicago; Vaughan's Seed 

 Store, Chicago; American Bulb Co., Chi- 



cago, and the Gilson Mfg. Co., Port 

 Washington, Wis. 



J. F. Ammann, of Edwardsville, 111., 

 made a stirring talk about the F. T. D. 

 A temporary district association of the 

 F. T. D. was organized and officers were 

 elected — the first instance of this kind 

 in the United States. C. O. Boston was 

 elected president of the temporary asso- 

 ciation. 



Interesting Papers. 



Eobert Behle, of Muskogee, Okla., 

 read a paper on his experience in grow- 

 ing greenhouse roses in Oklahoma, and 

 Eugene Woerz, Ardmore, Okla., read 

 one on carnations. Both of these pa- 

 pers drew much discussion. 



A lively discussion came about con- 

 cerning whether or not it is right for 

 wholesale dealers to sell at cut prices 

 to department stores. 



When the ballots for officers had been 

 counted, it was found that A. S. Gray, 

 of Chickasha, was reelected president. 

 Percy Cowan, of Enid, will be vice- 

 president for the ensuing year and 

 Lon Foster, of Oklahoma City, will be 

 secretary and treasurer another term. 



The next meeting of the association 

 will be held at Enid, Okla. 



CAMELLIA SEED WANTED. 



Please inform me where I can get 

 seed of Camellia japonica. Can it 

 be grown without heat, outdoors or in 

 coldframes? What is the best method 

 and time of sowing? N. R.— jDel. 



Possibly some southern readers of 

 The Review can advise where camellia 

 seed mav be secured. Will someone do 

 so? 



In your state it is doubtful if they 

 can be grown outdoors at all. A cold 

 greenhouse would be necessary. Cold- 

 frames would be valuable in which to 

 plant out young stock under lath 

 screens. Winter or early spring is the 

 best time to sow camellia seed. C. W. 



PLANTING QYPSOPHILA. 



Will you tell us when to plant seed of 

 gypsophila, Shasta daisies, etc.? 



D. B.— Ind. 



Seeds of Gypsophila paniculata, the 

 hardy baby's breath, can be started 

 indoors in February or March and 

 planted out early in May. Seed can 

 be sown now and the seedlings will be 

 of a fair size before fall, but they would 

 be better if carried over winter in a 

 coldframe. If you had sown even as 

 late as the end of May, you could have 

 had good-sized clumps before winter. 

 By purchasing seed of so-called double 

 gypsophila, you can secure a fair pro- 

 portion of double flowers and double 

 gypsophila sells much better than sin- 

 gle in the wholesale markets. The an- 

 nual baby's breath, G. elegans, can still 

 be sown outdoors for a late batch. 



Shasta daisies can be sown now, pref- 

 erably in a coldframe. They germinate 

 quickly and should be pricked off as 

 soon as they are large enough to han- 

 dle; if they are again set out in a bed 

 or in nursery rows, there is still time 

 to get fair-sized plants this season; 

 these will bloom next year. 



You can at present sow foxgloves, 

 Canterbury bells, delphinium in all va- 

 rieties, lupines, lychnis, sweet williams 

 and wallflowers, and toward the end of 

 the month, pansies, bedding violets, 

 myosotis and double daisies. C. W. 



