20 



The Florists^ Review 



August 28, 1913. 



VIOLET GOVEENOE HEEEIOK. 



Please give us information about the 

 treatment of Violet Governor Herrick, 

 as to temperature. Can it be grown 

 in the same house as Princess of Wales? 



R. & S. F. S. 



Violet Governor Herrick is now large- 

 ly discarded, as Princess of Wales is a 

 much superior variety. Governor Her- 

 rick did poorly in a night temperature 

 of 40 degrees, which suits Princess of 

 Wales, but a Review reader last year 

 stated that Herrick did well in a night 

 temperature of 50 degrees. Perhaps 

 some reader who is successful with this 

 variety can give more information. 



C. W. 



VIOLET BOOT EOT. 



Please tell me what causes black 

 roots on violet plants, I received two 

 different lots of the same kind of vio- 

 let plants, grown by different men. The 

 plants looked fine; they were all set 

 by one man in the same house and 

 looked after by the same man. One 

 lot of plants grew finely, but the other 

 lot all got black roots. I inquired of 

 a man who had been in the violet busi- 

 ness for fifteen years. He told me he 

 had never been troubled with the dis- 

 ease until this year. His own plants, 

 which he set, grew finely, but he wanted 

 to change stock in one part of his 

 house, so he bought 1,800 plants that 

 looked even better than his own, and 

 yet the 1,800 all got black roots, while 

 his own were all right. My case is just 

 about the same. The cuttings were fine 

 and the roots were apparently sound, 

 with not a bit of black on them, yet 

 one lot flourished and the other lot got 

 black roots. Can you give me any in- 

 formation in regard to this? F. M. 



This disease is commonly called black 

 rot, root rot and black root, and in the 

 New York violet growing districts is so 

 deadly that it takes the name of "the 

 violet disease." Its scientific name is 

 Thielavia basicola. The same disease 

 occurs on sweet peas, field peas, cycla- 

 mens and asters, and is destructive on 

 tobacco. It was first discovered and 

 described in America by Prof. R. Thax- 

 ter in 1892. It was known in England 

 in 1850, and in Germany in 1876. 



Attacked plants have a dwarfed ap- 

 pearance and the foliage is crinkled 

 and of a yellow cast; sometimes an en- 

 tire crop will die. A parasite is the 

 cause of all the trouble and, to fight it, 

 sanitation of a scientific nature is neces- 

 sary. Use only cuttings of healthy 

 plants. Even one or two runners, ap- 

 parently healthy, taken from affected 

 plants and thrown, as is common, into 

 a pail of water with others, will spread 

 the disease. Water the cutting benches 



with formaldehyde, one quart to twenty- 

 five gallons of water, as a sterilizer. 

 Cover with an oilcloth after applying. 

 The soil should, if possible, be ster- 

 ilized in the violet houses. Lime, it 

 has been proved, tends to spread the 

 disease, as an alkaline soil favors it. 

 Experiments with manure and fertil- 

 izeru have proved that stable manure 

 gives the best results and that acid 

 phosphate ranks next in value. Lime 

 and wood ashes gave the least num- 

 ber of healthy plants. There is a great 

 deal 3'et to be learned about this dis- 

 ease, on which experimental stations 

 are still working. C. W. 



HAETFOED, CONN. 



The Market. 



Business is fair for August. Roses 

 are the mainstay, there being a good 

 supply; and they clean up well. Some 

 asters are seen and sell at fair prices 

 considering the quality. Gladioli are in 

 oversupply. 



Various Notes. 



E. S. Drake, Joseph F. Coombs and 

 D. A. Spear will serve on the jury of 

 the Superior court. 



The Connecticut fair will open Sep- 

 tember 1. Vice-president Marshall will 

 be in attendance. Liberal premiums are 

 offered for cut flowers and plant dis- 

 plays. A silver cup will be offered for 

 the best and most appropriate wreath 

 suitable for presentation to the winner 

 of the Charter Oak race. Alex Gum- 

 ming, Jr., will have charge of the horti- 

 tural department of the ifair. Mr. Gum- 

 ming has resigned his position as super- 

 intendent of Elizabeth park and will 

 take charge of the retail department of 

 A. N. Pierson, Inc., at Cromwell. 



Wolfgang Swartz, who for the last 

 nineteen years has had charge of the 

 palm and decorative plant department 

 of A. N. Pierson, Inc., has tendered his 

 resignation and will take charge of the 

 greenhouses of Holm & Olson, of St. 

 Paul, Minn., September 1. Mr. Swartz 

 is considered one of the best plant 

 growers in New England. 



Lewis Gaskill, of Cromwell, has ac- 

 cepted the position of head gardener at 

 the Massachusetts State Hospital, at 

 Worcester. He is a graduate of the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College. 



Carnation planting is now completed 

 at A. N, Pierson 's. The plants are look- 

 ing fine and will soon be producing 

 flowers. Most of the plants have been 

 grown inside, and are superior to field- 

 grown stock. R- C. S. 



BUSINESS EMBAEEASSMENTS. 



Poughkeepsie, N. Y.— The Sunny- 

 field Nursery Co. has filed a petition in 

 bankruptcy with liabilities of $5,798 

 and assets of $6,724, the latter consist- 

 ing of nursery stock at cost, $4,500; 

 office fixtures, $300; wagons and imple- 

 ments, $225, and accounts, $1,699. 

 Frank B. Lown, the president of the 

 company, is a creditor for $2,470. 



Augusta, Oa. — A ten per cent adjust- 

 ment of all claims has been accepted by 

 the creditors of the Alexander Seed Co. 

 According to an involuntary petition in 

 bankruptcy filed August 1, the assets 

 are $3,2:i6 and the liabilities $21,042. 

 H. H. Alexander and Irvin Alexander 

 are not now connected with the firm, as 

 the interests of the family were sold 

 toil years ago. 



WASHINGTON, D. 0. 



John Clark, 82 years old, has been 

 named acting superintendent of the Na- 

 tional Botanical Gardens, to fill the 

 vacancy made by the death of C. Leslie 

 Reynolds. At the time of the death 

 of Mr. Smith, Mr. Clark was promoted 

 from the position of propagator to that 

 of assistant superintendent, succeeding 

 Mr. Reynolds, who was made superin- 

 tendent. Mr. Clark is a Scotchman by 

 birth and was a lifelong friend of 

 Mr. Smith. In 1854 the latter wrote 

 to him in Scotland, offering him the po- 

 sition of assistant superintendent if he 

 would come to America. He declined 

 and did not come to America until 

 about fifteen years ago, when he ac- 

 cepted a position as propagator. It is 

 probable that he will be made the 

 superintendent of the gardens. 



There will probably be some little 

 demand for store decorations during 

 the week beginning September 29. This 

 has been designated as Fall Trade 

 Week and is being advertised exten- 

 sively, with a view of drawing the 

 people of the surrounding country into- 

 Washington at that time to do their 

 season's shopping. This will also give 

 the local trade an opportunity of 

 demonstrating their ability to handle 

 mail and telegraph orders. 



Preparations are being made for the 

 holding of the fall flower show at the 

 propagating gardens of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture on a larger scale 

 than ever. 



Fred H. Kramer and Adolphus Gude, 

 with nine other Washingtonians, sailed 

 last week for Germany, where they will 

 act as color guard for the German- 

 American organizations of veterans 

 who will go into camp with the Ger- 

 man troops. They will visit France and 

 England and will return in the last part 

 of October. C. L. L. 



EEAMPTON, ONT. 



Toronto florists have been popping 

 in and out frequently during the last 

 fortnight, their visits forming probably 

 part of their holiday program. They 

 tell us of the change in proprietorship 

 of George Allin's greenhouses, at West 

 Toronto; Hamilton Milligan has just 

 taken over the business and placed M. 

 Bullyment in charge of the growing 

 department. 



Dunlop's new Lord Sc Burnham 

 buildings at Richmond Hill are covered 

 in, but planting has not yet begun. 



W. J. Lawrence has made two houses 

 of the single long-span that suffered so 

 badly from the storm last January, and 

 they are now filled with a variety of 

 healthy-looking stock. 



It is also reported that the Steele- 

 Briggs Seed Co. is arranging to remove 

 its greenhouses from Toronto to Oak- 

 ville, nearly twenty miles out. 



Some of the growers in Brampton 

 had excellent crops of tomatoes during 

 the early summer and are now busy get 

 ting ready for the fall. W. Calvert'? 

 and Mark Henderson's new houses are 

 almost in shape for planting. 



At the Dale Estate the six new 

 houses, covering two and one-half acres, 

 have made splendid progress, owing to 

 the magnificent weather experienced 

 throughout the spring and summer. . 

 Scarcely twenty-four hours have been 

 wasted during the entire period of 

 building. The benches are already 

 planted with violets and the glaziers 

 have begun work. Stock is extremely 



