').> 



!#. 



The Florists' Rievilw 



August 7, 1913. 



ANTS ON GERANIUMS. 



Will you kin<Uy tell me what to <lo to 

 get rid of the little white ants, ov 

 wood bugs? This is the first year I 

 have been troubled by them. They get 

 into the geranium pots and bore holes 

 up the center. The plants then dry 

 and rot. There are also some of them 

 in my mums, and I am afraid I shall 

 have the same trouble with them. They 

 look just like white ants, and they 

 bore holes in the legs of the benches 

 and in wood of all kinds. They are 

 iu my clay soil outdoors. • I am using 

 as much lime as I dare, without run- 

 ning the risk of killing the plants. 



F. .1. P. 



I have not had any experience with 

 the white ants referred to, but would 

 suggest that you either sterilize your 

 compost i)ile with steam, or bore holes 

 in it and pour carbon bisulphide into 

 these. Three or four one-pound cans, 

 costing 25 cents per pound at retail, 

 will kill all living creatures in the soil. 

 A second api)lication may be necessary, 

 to destroy additions from unhatched 

 eggs. A good remedy for ants is Ver- 

 mine. This is a liquid, recommende<l 

 to be used at the rate of one gallon 

 to 320 of water. It is perfectly harm 

 less to plants in pots or benches. A 

 small quantity of potassium cyanide, 

 finely powdered, mixed with powdere<l 

 sugar and laid about the haunts of the 

 ants, will be greedily eaten and large 

 numbers of them will be killed. Coal 

 tar, stirred in hot water and sprinkled 

 below the benches, will drive ants away. 

 They can, of course, be caught by lay- 

 ing baits of various kinds, such as 

 pieces of meat, partly decayed fruit, 

 etc., dropping these into a pail of hot 

 water. Perhaps some one of these 

 suggestions raav be of service to you. 

 . C. W. 



MAGGOTS ON GERANIUMS. 



I am enclosing some geranium shoots 

 and also some specimens of insects that 

 are damaging the plants considerably. 

 These white ants, or whatever they are, 

 do not appear above the ground, but 

 are exceedingly destructive to gera- 

 niums, chrysanthemums, ast?rs, cyrto- 

 miums, poinsettias, or almost anything 

 they can reach. 1 am inclined to think, 

 though I am not positive about it, that 

 old lumber is a favorite lodging place 

 for them. For the last two years, 

 therefore, I have put in cement in- 

 stead of lumber wherever I could. 1 

 hp.vp known these insects to follow 

 the inside of a chrysanthemum to the 

 height of six feet, but I have never 

 seen one on top of the ground. If you 

 can give me any help, I shall greatly 

 appreciate it. J. C. L. 



The maggots of which you sent speci- 

 mens are certainly a bad pest — one 

 whose acquaintance I had not previous- 

 ly made. The sample geranium shoots 

 were so completely tunneled out that 



little more than a skin covering re- 

 mained, and if this pest is equally de- 

 structive on poinsettias, chrysanthe- 

 mums and the other plants you named, 

 you will have an uphill fight to over- 

 come it. 



As it never shows itself above the 

 ground, according to your experience, 

 and as its appearance indicates that it 

 would breed well in decaying lumber, 

 you have done wisely in gradually dis- 

 placing woo<l with concrete, but a thor- 

 ough overhauling is necessary to exter- 

 minate the pest. If you could empty 

 your house or houses, and have the 

 benches and the spaces below them 

 treated with live steam, you should be 

 able to kill all pests of this nature. 

 Probably you can not do that, how- 

 ever, if crops are planted. In that 

 case T would get some carbon bisul- 

 phide, make holes in the soil with a 

 pointed stick, about twelve to fifteen 

 inches apart each way, pour into each a 

 teaspoonful of the carbon and then 

 cover the holes at once. Go over the 

 benches in this way; the carbon will 

 kill all grubs and larva* in the soil and 

 will not harm the ]dants. It can also 

 be used for pot plants and a smaller 

 quantity of the liquid will then suflSce. 



Even this method will not dispose of 

 a'l the larva", as some of these will be 

 up in the stems of the plants, but con- 



tinue its use. Keep your houses free 

 troHi debiis. ]iour boiling water 6ver 

 any flo<n- spaces likely to be hiding 

 {daces for the pests and you should 

 gradually overcome thcni. Also steril- 

 ize all soil before potting or planting 

 in benches, using steam w carbon bi- 

 sulphide. C. W. 



LETTUCE TO FOLLOW MUMS. 



I have a house plante<l to Nonin 

 mums and wish to follow the mums 

 with head lettuce. What variety ^ 

 should be used to produce nice, large 

 heads? How far apart should they be 

 planted? How much time is required 

 to produce nice heads, ready for table 

 use? H. J. H. 



Good head lettuces are Hitiinger 's 

 Belmont. Boston Forcing, TenniB Ball 

 and Golden Queen. Th« last men- 

 tioned is paler iu color than the other 

 sorts. The best forcing varieties are 

 practically all white-seeded forms of 

 Tennis Ball. The temperatur« in se- 

 vere weather may be adlowed to drop 

 to 40 degrees and should n«t exceed 

 70 degrees. Apply ventilation freely 

 when the tlierniometers indicate above 

 GO degrees. It will take thirteen to 

 fourteen weeks from time of sowing to 

 mature head lettuce to follow late 

 mums. Earlier and later in the season 

 ten to fourteen days less will suffice. 

 Use stable manure freely, digging it in 

 well and to a depth of twelve inches. 

 One watering after transplanting will 

 usually carry the crop until it is head- 

 ing. It is a common error to suppose 

 that frequent waterings are either 

 necessary or desirable for plants grown 

 in solid beds. Aphis can be kept in 

 check by light fumigations with tobac- 

 co dust. Be careful, however, only to 

 use light doses, or the foliage is sure 

 to be scorched. ' O. W. 



NONIN MUMS FOR CHRISTMAS. 



What is the latest date to plant J. 

 Nonin mums, single stems, to produce 

 nice blooms bv Christmas? H. J. H. 



In order to have good heads on this 

 fine, late white chrysanthemum, the 

 planting should be done not later than 

 .luly 1. Of course flowers may be had 

 from even later planted stock, but they 

 will not do justice to this varietv. 

 C. W. 



GRASEHOFFERS ON MUMS. 



Will you jdease tell me what is p. 

 pood means of getting rid of grass- 

 lioppers on chrysanthemum plants? My 

 j>lants have been almost ruined bv 

 th^m.. C. M. ■ 



The only effective remedy for grass- 

 hoppers is hand-picking early in the 

 morning, before the sun has warmed 

 them up. A weak .solution of Paris 

 green, only half as strong as woulil 

 be used on potatoes outdoors, and 

 sprayed lightly, will kill great num- 



bers of the grasshoppers, but even 

 then it will be necessary to hand-pick 

 them. When the grass and weeds 

 around the houses are cut down, so as 

 to deprive the grasshoppers of a har- 

 boring place, they are less trouble- 

 some than thev otherwise would be. 



Chas. H. Totty. 



CROFS TO FOLLOW LATE MUMS. 



W^hat crops can be profitably grown 

 to follow late chrvsanthemums? 



L. C. S. & S. 



A few good crops which are frequent- 

 ly used for this purpose are: Antir- 

 rhinums, plants of which should be 

 ready in pots; sweet peas, using the 

 new winter-flowering Spencers; lilies 

 and other pot plants for the Easter 

 trade, and bedding plants. If there is 

 a good demand for tomatoes in your 

 neighborhood, they can be grown in- 

 stead of flowers, provided you can give 

 them a temperature of 60 degrees at 

 night. Sweet peas and snapdragons, 

 on the other hand, will do well in a 

 minimum of 45 to 50 degrees. C. W. 



