OCTOBEE 2, 1913. 



The Florists' Review 



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19 



The Boston Gardeners' and Florists' Club on its Field Day at Dedham, Mass., September 27. 



rather light soil and one which drains 

 readily. The failure to obtain infec- 

 tions is attributed largely to the fact 

 that the soil can not be kept wet 

 «nough. 



Crown Bot. 



Only brief mention will be made of 

 •crown rot and the other diseases to be 

 discussed. The crown rot, as the name 

 signifies, is a rotting of the crown of 

 plants, with the subsequent death of 

 many of the runners. The same disease 

 occurs in the cutting beds and is com- 

 monly known as damping off. In both 

 <5a8es the tissues become slimy and rot 

 rapidly. The disease occurs in areas 

 where plants have been too wet, often 

 under a leak in a water pipe or under a 

 liole in the roof during prolonged wet 

 weather. 



The disease is apparently caused by 

 a fungus, although no one seems to 

 have studied it extensively. The or- 

 ganism in its vegetative and sclerotial 

 stages has the appearance of a sclero- 

 tinia. Possibly it is S. libertiana, a 

 common disease producer. 



Sanitation Saves Stock. 



The species of sclerotinia are, for the 

 most part, ones that take advantage of 

 plants that are in a weakened condition. 

 They more often exist as saprophytes 

 and are not particularly choice about 

 the source of food. For that reason it 

 is doubtful whether sanitary measures 

 recommended in the case of the thiela- 

 via root rot would prove entirely ef- 

 fective. Here is a case where the good 

 health of the host plant is of impor- 

 tance in disease control, whereas, with 

 the more active parasites, constitution- 

 ally sickly plants are frequently un- 

 attacked. Since the water-soaking of 

 soil leads to an unhealthy condition 

 and seems to be the most frequent at- 

 tendant circumstance of this trouble, 

 the J«»tter of control is relatively sim- 

 pl«i— ^side from the removal of dis- 

 eased plants, some growers seem to have 

 checked the spread of the disease by 

 heavy dusting of air-slaked lime in the 

 affected region. 



Leaf-Spot and Gray Mold. 



As the name implies, leaf-spot dis- 

 eases are characterized by certain defi- 

 nite spots on the foliage. There are a 

 number of different organisms concerned, 

 each one of which forms a perfectly dis- 

 tinct and definite type of lesion. The 

 more important ones, however, are Alter- 

 naria violse and Phyllosticta violse. Dor- 

 sett and Galloway regard the disease 

 caused by alternaria as the most serious 

 violet disease, but leaf -spots of any kind 

 have not been particularly destructive in 

 our houses in recent years except in a 

 few instances. In one house, however, the 

 alternaria disease was destructive for 

 a number of weeks. The owner of the 

 house picked off infected leaves as fast 

 as they appeared, but was not success- 

 ful in checking the spread of the dis- 

 ease, so that nearly all of the foliage 

 was lost. He complained particularly 

 of not having the necessary foliage to 

 surround the bunches of flowers; even 

 greater damage was done by the loss 

 of so much leaf surface, which decreased 

 the vitality of the plants. 



Spraying of violets for foliage trou- 

 bles has met with indifferent success, 

 according to experiments of Halsted 

 and Galloway. If the plants are wa- 

 tered late in the day, the clinging drops 

 of water should be knocked from the 

 foliage by passing over them a long 

 stick held at a level which will cause 

 the leaves to bend and then spring back 

 suddenly. Careful attention to water- 

 ing and the prompt removal of spotted 

 leaves are the precautions to be ob- 

 served in combating these diseases. 



Leaves and stems often turn yellow 

 or brown and in a day or two become 

 covered with a gray mold. This mold is 

 a fungus of the genus botrytis, possibly 

 Botrytis vulgaris, a common organism 

 living mostly as a saprophyte and only 

 occurring on living plants that are low 

 in vitality. Whenever a leaf or stem 

 is broken or is girdled by thielavia, 

 botrytis is apt to appear on it to com- 

 plete the destruction. The occurrence 

 of the mold in the house is not of 

 itself to be regarded seriously. 



BOSTON. 



The Market. 



There is now something akin to a 

 scarcity of flowers in the markets, and 

 if the demand were at all robust, there 

 would not be nearlv enough to go 

 around. As it is, with but moderate 

 calls, prices have shown a hardening 

 tendency. Frosts and late rains have 

 to a large extent finished the aster 

 crop, and, while a considerable number 

 still come in, they are small and near- 

 ing the end. Gladioli are arriving in 

 lessened numbers, with a proportionate 

 drop in size and quality. Dahlias, 

 where they escaped early frosts, are 

 now of good quality, but somehow 

 these flowers have never become popu- 

 lar here. 



Koses have improved considerably in 

 quality with clear skies and cooler 

 nights. Beauties, Russells, Killarney 

 Queens and Tafts are leaders in popu- 

 larity. Prices on all grades show a 

 little improvement. Carnations are 

 not yet abundant, but are selling well, 

 the bulk at $2 to $3, with some specials 

 at $4. Quite a few single violets are 

 coming in and bring 50 cents to 75 

 cents per hundred. Valley is of good 

 quality, and just about sufficient for 

 the demands. The same is true of 

 longiflorum lilies. Chrysanthemum 

 Golden Glow is overabundant, but 

 there is only a limited supply of 

 Smith's Advance and other varieties. 

 Glory of Pacific and Polly Rose are due 

 this week from several growers. Cat- 

 tleya labiata is more plentiful and 

 prices are easier. Oncidum varicosum 

 Rogersii is abundant and good. More 

 gardenias are arriving. Asparagus is 

 in good supply and the demand is 

 healthier. Colored foliage plants, Lor- 

 raine begonias, nephrolepis, ardisias 

 and palms are now in good demand. 



Club Field Day. 



Beautiful weather prevailed Septem- 

 ber 27, for the field day of the Gar- 

 deners' and Florists' Club at the nurs- 

 eries of Farqohar & Co., Dedham, and 



