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The Florists' Review 



July 10, 1918. 



CARNATIONS IN THE SOUTH. 



The Special Treatment Needed. 



My southern observation has been 

 confined to a district in Tennessee, near 

 the southern boundary of that state, 

 and has extended over a period of 

 one year, from July 1, 1912, to the mo- 

 ment when I am writing this article. 

 Though Tennessee is not in the extreme 

 south and though the city in which I 

 -am sojourning is only the "gateway 

 to the south," yet for me and for the 

 carnation, both of northern habits and 

 culture, this state is south enough to 

 make us dream ' longingly of white 

 flakes and ice-covered lakes, and this 

 ■"gateway" is hot enough to make any 

 northerner leap back, in thought at 

 least, all the way to the north pole. 1 

 am ^hus stating the case, not with the 

 least intention to criticise the south 

 and its climate, but simply to give some 

 idea of the conditions which carnation 

 growers must meet. 



Stem-rot in the South. 



When I first came to the south the 

 people told me that the carnations here 

 were severely attacked by stem-rot. 

 Often before the blooming season was 

 over, half of the benches would be 

 devastated by the disease. At first 

 thought, one would infer that here in 

 the sunny south the carnations would 

 Buffer the least from this disease. 

 Wherein lies the cause? This was the 

 first question that occupied my mind. 

 The soil here cannot be the sole cause 

 of the trouble. The land has good 

 drainage and the necessary nourishment. 

 If in some places it lacks lime, this can 

 easily be supplied. The climate, on 

 the other hand, cannot directly en- 

 courage the fungus to multiply and 

 spread. The fungus would be more 

 likely to thrive in a damp and cool at- 

 mosphere. Anyway, the stem-rot fungus 

 in the south can not enjoy more liberty 

 than in the north. The virulence of the 

 fungus spore here is far less than in 

 the north. 



Less Resistance to Disease. 



Then I came to the conclusion that 

 the cause of the stem-rot must be found 

 in the plant itself, and only there. And 

 this is the reason: When the carna- 

 tion,, with its northern habits, is 

 brought to the south, it undergoes a 

 physiological change in its cell struc- 

 ture, as I shall try to show farther on. 

 To a great extent, the cell loses its 

 vigor; it becomes less immune; in other 

 words, its resisting power against dis- 



ease is diminished. The carnation cell 

 loses more of its vigor than does the 

 fungus spore. That is why the fungus, 

 though less virulent than in the north, 

 is more dangerous here in the south. 



Seen Under a Microscope. 



I am particularly interested in the 

 study of the plant cells. I sincerely 

 believe that there, and only there, are 

 hidden all the mysteries of life yet to 

 be revealed in our modern biological 

 laboratories. With this idea in view, I 

 made several microscopical observa- 

 tions, using a compound microscope, 

 with a power varying from forty to 



The Editor is pleased 

 when a Reader 

 presents his Ideas 

 on any subject treated In 



HtVfc^ 



As experience Is the best 

 teacher, so do w^e 

 learn fastest by an 

 exchanee of experiences. 

 Many valuable points 

 are brousht out 

 by discussion. 



Good penmanship, spelling and 

 grammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WB SHALL. BK GLAD 

 TO HKAB FROM TOU 



975 diameters, and a micrometer eye- 

 piece. I compared the size of the cells 

 in southern and northern Enchantress. 

 During October and April the cell of 

 the southern Enchantress was smaller, 

 with a thicker cell wall and proportion- 

 ately less protoplasm than in the north- 

 ern plant. 



An examination of the epidermis has 

 shown that the stomata, or breathing 

 pores, of the southern carnations, are 

 smaller than in the plants from the 

 north. Only during January did the 

 cells and stomata of both southern and 



northern carnations approach each 

 other in structure and size. 



Watering in the South. 



So my few early microscopical ob- 

 servations have convinced me that the 

 carnation cell here in the south is 

 active and that all the processes of di- 

 gestion and assimilation are therefore 

 slower. From this reasoning a natural 

 conclusion followed: That the cama 

 tions must be treated in a most tern 

 perate way, with caution in watering 

 and extreme caution in feeding, 

 will sound strange to say that We, 

 under the scorching sun, the man with 

 the hose must be more careful than ii 

 the north, especially during the first 

 period after housing the plants. Fre 

 quently I allowed the benches to re 

 main almost dry and, qn an average. 

 I used less water here than in the 

 north; I mean during the fall and 

 winter. 



Feeding in the South. 



As to feeding, I must say that nfr 

 where in the United States can tht 

 gospel of temperance be more useful 

 than here in the south. By this prin 

 ciple I was governed throughout tht 

 year. Nowhere else can strong stim" 

 lants do more harm to carnations thai 

 here in the south. Weak liqjiid manure 

 applied often, and bone meal once i' 

 three weeks or a month, are sufficient 

 Of course, once in a great while a 

 tie nitrate or sulphate will be of gresi 

 service. But beware of doping! Liquid 

 manure and bone meal to the exten' 

 mentioned, however, will never give tl' 

 plants stomach trouble. Eemembe' 

 that a plant is a living, organic beinfj 

 largely subject to the same nnturJl 

 laws as are we human beings, and i" 

 we must eat no more than our lig^ 

 tive systems permit, so we must ol ser^' 

 the same precaution in feeding th" <?*' 

 nation. Here, again, I am spe.ik'''| 

 with special reference to the -out^ 

 where the carnation is not at home an" 

 where it can not enjoy the festivs 

 provided for it as it would in the nor''^ 



Results Are Best Proof. 



What are the results of such tres' 

 ment? Here they are: Now, at f''' 

 end of the carnation season, 

 benches are full of thrifty plants, •f'" 

 no sign of stem-rot, stigmonose or «' 

 ternal disease; and, best of all, T^e «' 

 now cutting blooms in such quality 8° 

 quantity as ought to be satisfactory 

 any modern florist. * 



-\8 to the size, I will state that * 



