JuKB 25, 1914. 



Tk Florists' Review 



15 



for planting the harrow distributed this 

 infectious disease throughout the entire 

 patch, and while the one-third men- 

 tioned was practically a total failure 

 the other two-thirds was only infected 

 so as to cause a loss of forty to fifty 

 per cent of the crop. It is a positive 

 fact that where you have this disease 

 on high ground, lower ground will soon 

 be infected by overflowing water. 



While this disease is particularly dis- 

 astrous among Queen of the Market, I 

 am not sure that all other varieties will 

 prove immune; in fact, I have noticed 

 it to a limited extent in Early Paris 

 White and Early Wonder. The later 

 varieties seem to have a stronger 

 growth and are more able to resist this 

 disease, for which, up to this writing, I 

 know of no remedy. 



Yellows. 



Yellows is another disease of which 

 little seems to be known and is easily 

 recognized in its earlier stages by a 

 branch here and there showing a light 

 ^reen or yellowish cast. It spreads 

 from plant to plant as conditions seem 

 to favor. I have experimented along 

 different lines with this disease and 

 have practiced pulling out every, plant 

 which showed the slightest sign of it, 

 but finally concluded that it was labor 

 in vain and discontinued it. I have also 

 sprayed with different sulphur solutions, 

 but could never be positive of any bene- 

 ficial results. We now simply let it run 

 its course, during which time anywhere 

 from five to as high as twenty-five per 

 cent of the plants are a total failure. 

 This disease accounts for the fact that 

 after we are through cutting for the 

 season, the patch generally has the ap- 

 pearance of being only half picked 

 over; in fact, I have had persons not 

 acquainted with aster growing and its 

 troubles ask me why I let so many 

 flowers go to waste. This disease, un- 

 like stem-rot, does not seem to infect 

 the ground; it seems to me to be a 

 general clogging up of the pores, or sap 

 courses, of the plant. Some persons 

 have an idea that overfeeding is respon- 

 sible for it, but for this statement I 

 bave thus far no proof. I have seen 

 plants badly infected in both poor soil 

 and well-fed soil. I, on different occa- 

 sions, attributed this disease to the 

 sting of the tarnish bug, but have been 

 unable to prove it; in fact, I have seen 

 plants badly infected where this bug 

 was and where it was not present. 



The Tamish Bug. 



Even excusing this bug from respon- 

 sibility for this disease, it causes trou- 

 ble enough for the aster grower in this 

 section, as a plant once badly bitten by 

 it is practically worthless. The bite or 

 sting seems to be poisonous and dwarfs 

 or stunts the plant. Generally speak- 

 ing, one will get some flowers from 

 these dwarfed plants, but of an in- 

 ferior quality. We have tried various 

 methods to eradicate this pest — air- 

 slaked lime, whale oil soap, kerosene 

 emulsion, tobacco extract, tobacco dust, 

 moth balls, etc. All of these frighten 

 off or kill some of the bugs, providing 

 you can persuade the bug to remain un- 

 til you get the remedy on him. These 

 flies, or bugs, are up and away almost on 

 your approach or, if they do remain, are 

 so hidden under the broad top leaves 

 that it is next to impossible to find them 

 or get the spray on them, owing to the 

 protecting leaves. The extremely early 

 a«ters are not affected by this bug, as 



Establishment of H. B. Brubeck, at Rockvilie, lad. 



the pests do not make their appearance 

 until June 10 to 15, to any great extent. 



' The Black Beetle. 



Another pest so well known that it 

 seems useless to mention it here is the 

 black beetle. When they first appear 

 we hand-pick them or use a dipper 

 about six inches in diameter, in which 

 we pour an inch or two of kerosene", tak- 

 ing the dipper in one hand and a short 

 cane stake in the tJther, extending the 

 dipper under the bugs and jarring them 

 off with the stake into the oil. This 

 proves quite satisfactory. Later, when 

 the bugs become so numerous that to 

 combat them seems almost hopeless, we 

 resort to Paris green. This must be used 

 with caution, owing to its tendency to 

 burn the foliage. 



A few words in regard to planting. 

 We plant in beds, six rows to the bed, 

 and set the plants one foot each way, 

 allowing every seventh row for a walk 

 one way. We cultivate entirely with 

 hand barrows and try to go over the 

 ground after each rain, if possible, so as 

 to have the benefit of a dry or dust 

 mulch. I do not try to irrigate, on ac- 

 count of the fact that I do not have 

 water enough at my disposal. 



IN A SMALL INDIANA TOWN. 



Four feet of glass for every member 

 of the town's population is the ratio 

 of H. B. Brubeck's range to the num- 

 ber of people in the town of Rockville, 

 Ind., where it is located, and he is the 

 only florist in the place. These figures 

 may interest the members of the trade 

 in small towns who are from time to 

 time estimating how large or small a 

 place should be for the support of a 

 florist. Of course, Mr. Brubeck, in com- 

 mon with every other country florist, 

 depends to some extent on the sur- 

 rounding towns for his business, so that 

 the inhabitants of Rockville are not 

 such heavy flower-buyers as they seem 

 at first sight. 



The range of Mr. Brubeck, which is 

 shown in the accompanying illustration, 

 contains 10,000 square feet of glass and 

 the town of Eockville has a population 

 of about 2,500. Mr. Brubeck reports a 

 good business and steady growth. The 

 spring trade, he says, has been better 



than in former years and Memorial day 

 business was a record-breaker. 



DAVIS TO BUILD IN INDIANA. 



What is said to be the largest single 

 order for commercial greenhouses ever 

 placed has been given this week by 

 J. W. Davis, to the Lord & Burnham 

 Co. It calls for an entirely new estab- 

 lishment to be erected at Terre Haute, 

 Ind. 



Those who are acquainted with the 

 size and success of the operations of 

 J. W. Davis, some of whom have known 

 that he has for several months been 

 looking for a .suitable location for an 

 establishment east of Chicago, will be 

 specially interested in the announce- 

 ment that last week he closed the pur- 

 chase of sixty-five acres of land at 

 Terre Haute, admirably located for side 

 track and shipping facilities, and will 

 proceed at once with the erection of 

 the new range. The first order calls for 

 eight detached greenhouses each 76x600 

 feet, iron frame, and two propagating 

 houses each 25x200 feet, with curved 

 eaves. The contract has been given to 

 the Lord & Burnham Co., through George 

 Sykes, manager of the Chicago office. 

 The type of construction is to be simi- 

 lar to the houses erected by the Lord & 

 Burnham Co. for the J. W. Davis Co. 

 and the Davis Floral Co. at Bettendorf, 

 near Davenport, la. The new estab- 

 lishment is to be financed and managed 

 by a separate corporation, the J. W. 

 Davis Co., of Indiana. The houses, 

 which are expected to be completed in 

 the early autumn, are to be used first 

 of all for cucumbers and tomatoes, but 

 Mr. Davis has expressed his intention 

 of eventually turning much of his glass 

 to cut flowers and pot plants, the Davis 

 Floral Co. having been organized as an 

 Iowa corporation to make a start in 

 this direction. 



The success which has attended J. W. 

 Davis since he withdrew from partner- 

 ship with his successful brothers, who 

 grow vegetables at Aurora, Morrison 

 and Streator, 111., starting for himself 

 in Iowa, has been phenomenal. After a 

 thorough investigation of modern green- 

 house construction, he determined on 

 big, wide houses, instead of the smaller 

 houses generally employed by western 

 vegetable growers. The range he put 



