32 



The Florists' Review 



Max 21, 1014. 





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^uii^At-mli'- ' ^'--A'' j«»*-**«^^'.'i ^v-j \->; • >*•. 



Part of the Range of Furrow & G)., at Gutbriet Oklahoma. 



tity and frequency in watering depend 

 on the grade of sand in use. For in- 

 stance, after planting cuttings in the 

 sand obtainable near Mobile, Ala., which 

 is fine and rather soft, one good water- 

 ing sufficed to root them. In that neigh- 

 borhood frequent sprayings are danger- 

 ous, as the air is heavy with humidity. 



Bruises tliat Cause Stem-rot. 



Fungus in the form of stem-rot is, 

 according to my observation, less con- 

 tagious than the form which causes the 

 cuttings to damp oflf in the bench. Stem- 

 rot seems to set in at the Joint or at any 

 barked portion of the stem below or 

 just about the soil line. When the cut- 

 ting has been barked or torn, the wound 

 may seem to heal, and frequently does, 

 but often by opening this thin bark 

 which has formed you will observe that 

 beneath it there is a brown, pulpy spot. 

 Though plants thus affected may not 

 manifest stem-rot for some time, they 

 eventually must, but if conditions are 

 not at once favorable to the develop- 

 ment of this fungous spot, months may 

 pass before the disease can eat through 

 enough of the stem to affect the plant. 

 After the fungus has spread, the plant 

 fiber in the portion of the stem just at 

 the soil line will turn brown and pulpy; 

 then the plant will suddenly wilt. Some 

 plants may on\y partly wilt, perhaps a 

 branch or two, and the rest of the 

 plant may grow on for months and 

 often the entire season. Here and there 

 you will find where little breaks have 

 started below the decayed portion. 



Experiments with a Fungicide. 



Several plants which were affected 

 with stem-rot only in part were care- 

 fully scraped; every particle of the rot 

 was cut away. Some of the plants were 

 so far gone as to make it necessary to 

 cut away two-thirds of the stem. After 

 this was done, the wound was bathed 

 with an exceedingly strong solution of 

 ammoniacal carbonate of copper. Fi- 

 nally more than half of the plants over- 

 came the fungus. Of course, this would 

 not be a profitable thing to do. The 

 experiment was carried on for the pur- 

 pose of learning the importance of this 

 solution in preventing the fungus. 



This solution is among the best for 

 use in floriculture; it is easy to prepare 

 and is one of the cheapest fungicides 

 known. To make this fungicide to ad- 

 vantage, use a chemical bottle having a 

 capacity of four quarts; into this pouif 

 three ounces of carbonate of copper and 



one quart of ammonia; cork and shake 

 vigorously. This amount will be enough 

 to make twenty to thirty gallons of 

 spraying solution. The bottle should be 

 kept corked; this will keep the solution 

 indefinitely. When small quantities are 

 wanted, measure the liquid with a chem- 

 ical glass, and make sure that the cor- 

 rect dilution is made, which is approxi- 

 mately one to 100 parts of water. The 

 solution into which cuttings are thrown 

 as they are trimmed is about half this 

 strength. 



In Frame, Field and Oreenhouse. 



When the cuttings are rootBd they 

 should be potted and placed in cold- 

 frames. After they are established, and 

 before planting them out in the field, a 

 spraying or two of fungicide will aid 

 in preventing rust or attacks of other 

 diseases. These plants make surprising 

 growth by the time they should be 

 housed, which will be during August or 

 the first part of September. After they 

 have been two or three weeks in the 

 house and have become well established 

 there, they should be gone over by ex- 

 perienced help for the purpose of remov- 

 ing all dry grass; this work should be 

 done with care, so that the plants will 

 not be barked. After this has been 

 done, a thorough spraying of the car- 

 bonate, of copper solution -shonM be ap- 



plied and repeated three or four times 

 in as many weeks. Plants thus treated 

 should not, at least, manifest grass dis- 

 eases throughout the winter. 

 ^ Thrips sometimes prove troublesome 

 during the months of April and May, 

 when they breed on outdoor flowers, but 

 these pests can be kept at bay by per- 

 sistent spraying or fumigating; spray- 

 ing is much preferable. 



In closing this statement of my opin- 

 ions, founded on my personal experience 

 as a southern grower, I would add that 

 the carnation can be made exceedingly 

 profitable throughout the south, but we 

 first must have men who will make it a 

 study, and who will not confound north- 

 ern ideas with southern ones. 



F. P. Adams. 



CARNATIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST. 



^ The extent of the carnation plant 

 business in that section of the country 

 is shown in a general way by the accom- 

 panying illustrations, which present 

 views of the tract of land given to 

 these plants by an Oklahoma firm. Fur- 

 row & Co., of Guthrie. One picture 

 shows part of the range and of the 

 tract in the vicinity of the greenhouses; 

 the other suggests the extent of the 

 planting. 



THEIFS AND OTHES PESTS. 



I am sending you under separate 

 cover some carnation buds and I wish 

 you would tell me what is the matter 

 with them. You will notice that two of 

 the buds look as though they had been 

 scalded. The scalded appearance is con- 

 fined mostly to the white and light pink 

 varieties. The other buds, as you will 

 see, are eaten, and this is done mostly 

 when the buds are small. The soil in 

 which they were grown was one-third 

 green cow manure and two-thirds gar- 

 den soil. They have not been fed to 

 any extent. We have kept them rather 

 on the dry side. Some stem-rot has de- 

 veloped, but not to a serious extent. 

 There is and has been a little green 

 aphis. The scalded buds have been 

 noted occasionally all winter, but the 

 eaten buds have only been noted within 

 three or four weeks. 



Six weeks ago we put some shelves 

 above the benches, and placed there 

 flats of seedlings. We tried to arrange 



Caroations by the Acre on an Oklahoma Grower's Tract. 



