14 



«^# 



5Tie Florists' Review 



Skptembrr 25, 1913. 



MULCHING CHBYSANTHEMUMS. 



. Is it advisable to mulch chrysanthe- 

 mums in benches? Mine are planted in 

 four and one-half to five inches of soil, 

 with rotten stable, manure in the bot- 

 tom of the benches. . I hHve, a go.od 

 supply of blacksmith . shop manure 

 which, though rotten, is still full of 

 ammonia; would this be too' strong! 

 I applied this last year about this time, 

 and mildew followed shortly after- 

 wards. Could it have been caused by 

 the application of the manure? 



What is the proper night tempera- 

 ture for mums, when firing? Do drafts 

 from the ventilators and open back 

 doors hurt them during this and the 

 next month? Is it better to keep the 

 ventilators shut on the windward side 

 on partly cloudy days, when the tem- 

 perature is frona -50 to 60 degrees out- 

 side? My houses run north and south, 

 and west winds prevail. M. 



The advisability of mulching mums 

 depends a great deal on the condition 

 of the plants. If the roots are running 

 all over the top of the benches, appar- 

 ently hungry, a mulch is all right. I 

 note you have rotten manure at the 

 bottom of 3'our benches; too much ma- 

 nure is apt to retain water in the soil, 

 making it more or less spongy. A bet- 

 ter way in this case, perhaps, woyld be 

 to use liquid manure made from fresh 

 droppings. The blacksmith shop ma- 

 nure is strong because the hoof parings 

 contain a large percentage of nitrogen, 

 and if the manure is placed on top of 

 the bench, this is in a large measure 

 lost. A better way to use it is to put 

 it at the bottom of the bench or to 

 incorporate it in the soil when the sod 

 heap is stacked up. The manure from 

 a blacksmith shop is valuable on ac- 

 count of the hoof parings in it, but 

 one must be careful to eliminate the 

 iron as much as possible. I had a dis- 

 astrous experience once in using this 

 fertilizer, and I have always blamed it 

 on the fact that there was too much 

 iron in the manure to be good for the 

 plants. 



Mulching should not necessarily have 

 anything to do with mildew, if venti- 

 lating and watering are properly at- 

 tended to. If the plants were watered 

 or sprayed in the afternoon instead of 

 in the morning, it is entirely possible 

 that moisture may be retained with a 

 miilch on top and help to bring on 

 mildew, though this does not necessarily 

 follow. Mildew, as a rule, comes from 

 improper ventilation more than from 

 any other cause. As regards tempera- 

 ture, 45 degrees, with plenty of air, is 

 high enough. The chief thing to look 

 out for is, when the flowers are open- 

 ing, to have a dry, buoyant atmosphere 

 in the house, so that the moisture will 

 not settle on the petals. This is easily 

 accomplished by having a single line 



of steam pipes around the house and 

 then leaving enough air on the venti- 

 lators, so that the atmosphere is always 

 dry and moving. 



Draughts from the ventilators or open 

 back doors do not hurt mums; in fact, 

 the more draught, or air, they- have the 

 better, unless the temperature is below 

 45 degrees. The last two questions seem 

 to indicate a fear of air on your plants. 

 Keep the ventilators open by all means 

 when the temperature is above 50 de- 

 grees, as long as the wind is not stron»j 

 enough to pull the ventilators off the 

 roof. I imagine the mildew has come 

 from improper and insufficient ventila- 

 tion. The ideal mum house has two 

 rows of ventilators on top and a row 

 on each side about the height of the 

 benches. This gives a current of air 

 through every part of the house, and, 

 as before stated, unless the tempera- 

 ture is below 45 degrees, all ventilators 

 should be fully open. The man who is 

 growing mums in a ridge and furrow 

 house will never grow the same quality 

 of mums as will the man who has de- 

 tached houses with ventilators on all 

 sides. Too many growers forget that 

 the mum is almost a hardy plant, and 

 needs plenty of air. 



Chas. H. Totty. 



MUMS LOSING FOLIAGE. 



What causes the foliage of Polly Eose 

 and Glory of Pacific chrysanthemums 

 to turn yellowish, like the enclosed 

 sample, and finally wither and die? 

 Some of the plants lose nearly all their 

 leaves. The yellowish color begins to 

 be more noticeable soon after the crown 

 bud is taken. I have had more or less 

 of this sort of trouble with these two 

 varieties of chrysanthemums since I 

 began growing them in ^olid beds. Other 

 varieties, grown under the same con- 

 ditions, are not affected. P. P. L. 



The leaves sent are affected with one 

 of the many forms of leaf disease. This 

 trouble usually starts in September, 

 when the weather becomes muggy and 

 there is an excess of moisture in the at- 

 mosphere. About as good a remedy as 

 anything is to be sure the plants are 

 not excessively sprayed from now on 

 and be sure the house and foliage are 

 dry at nightfall. If the night is muggy 

 or wet, air-slaked lime dusted over the 

 beds will be found of great assistance 

 in keeping the foliage in good condi- 

 tion. 



As the wood ripens, the foliage at 

 the bottom of the plants naturally turns 

 yellow and drops off. This is an ad- 



Dahlia John Vanamaker, 



