14 



The Florists^ Review 



January 21, 1015. 



MOBE CABNATION OUT FIOUEES. 



When record carnation cuts are under 

 discussion, the Iowa Seed Co., of Des 

 Moines, la., has figures for considera- 

 tion. From September 1, 1914, to Jan- 

 uary 8, 1915, Grower William Dayson 

 out a grand total of 50,000 blooms, in- 

 cluding a Christmas crop of 11,400 

 blooms, from 1,500 benched plants. This, 

 so far as the company is concerned, es- 

 tiiblished a new record. 



In roses, likewise, a new record was 

 established. From 1,500 4-year-old 

 plants of Killarney and White Killar- 

 iiey and 500 plants of Richmond were 

 cut, during the same period, a total of 

 32,125 blooms. The total cut from 500 

 Beauties was 4,503. It is the opinion 

 of the company that these figures will 

 stand for some time. 



HINTS FOR THE PROPAGATOR. 



Selection of Cuttings. 



Since my recent article appeared, you 

 have probably begun active operations 

 in propagating. The work shoald be 

 pushed along as rapidly as possible 

 now, as conditions will be more favor- 

 able during the next six weeks than 

 later on, when the sun is stronger and 

 the weather more variable. 



There is, perhaps, nothing more im- 

 portant than selecting the cuttings, be- 

 cause next year's success depends so 

 largely on this. Not only should no 

 cutting be taken from any but a 

 healthy plant, but a fine discrimina- 

 tion should be exercised between the 

 strong and the weak shoots. Unless 

 this is done, many cuttings which can- 

 not possibly grow into first-class plants 

 will get into the sand. Especially is 

 this true if the cuttings are all taken 

 from the side of the flower stems, 

 which method is practiced on many 

 places where only cut blooms are mar- 

 keted. There is, perhaps, no better 

 cutting to be had than those taken 

 from the lower part of the stem, but 

 there is the danger of reaching up just 

 a joint or two too high and getting 

 cuttings which are not fit. 



Preparing the Cuttings. 



In preparing the cuttings for the 

 sand, have a pail of water to throw 

 them in as they are made. Be sure to 

 make a clean cut at the base; then 

 take off as much of the foliage as you 

 fan without leaving a bruised surface. 

 This will usually give one joint of 

 clear stem to be inserted in the sand. 

 We do not leave any heels on the cut- 

 tings, because we find that when the 

 iieel is hard, the cutting will take 

 longer to root and sometimes will be 

 unable to draw moisture properly. 

 There is no advantage in leaving the 

 heel on, the advantage in the heel 

 catting being in the fact that the 

 joints are closer together than on the 

 blooming shoot and a bushier plant 

 will result as a rule. 



Try to get cuttings as nearly uni- 

 form in size as possible, in order to 

 get an even lot of plants. It is not 

 necessary that the cuttings be of large 

 size, but it stands to reason that a 

 large cutting will progress more rap- 

 idly than a small one. With a fair 

 start, any medium-sized cutting will 

 produce a strong plant by benching 

 time, if properly cared for. 



Avoiding Disease. 



We usually say that cuttings should 

 be taken only from healthy plants, but 

 this term must be qualified somewhat 

 in actual practice. If any of us con- 

 fined ourselves strictly to taking cut- 

 tings from plants that are in abso- 

 lutely perfect health, I fear it would be 

 difficult to secure enough cuttings to 

 plant our own benches, to say nothing 

 of selling cuttings. We have never 

 yet seen the place to which this does 

 not apply. There are, however, sev- 

 eral diseases which should be espe- 

 cially guarded against in selecting the 

 cuttings, as they will carry in the 

 stock from one season to the next. 

 Perhaps the most dangerous one of 

 these is the almost everpresent (among 

 certain varieties at least) stigmonose, 

 or yellows, as it is more recently 

 called. This disease seems most preva- 

 lent among the Enchantress varieties 

 .lust at present, but all the heavy- 

 growing kinds seem more susceptible 

 to it than the wiry growing varieties. 

 Another disease is that common! 

 known as branch rot. Cuttings taken 

 from a plant that has lost a branch 

 in this way will usually show the dis- 

 ease the next season. Certain vari- 

 eties are more susceptible to this dis- 

 ease than others, but I have not been 

 able to see that any special type of 



growth is more susceptible than an- 

 other. Such diseases as rust, leaf -spot, 

 etc., are subject entirely to cultural 

 conditions and any growth that is suffi- 

 ciently far removed from the spores 

 or germs as not to be affected when 

 removed from the plant might make a 

 desirable cutting. But it is desirable 

 to give all these diseases as wide a 

 berth as possible. 



The Tendency to Split. 



Another thipg that is usually lost 

 sight of while taking cuttings is the 

 plant that has developed a habit of 

 splitting the calyx on all ' its blooms. 

 While splitting is usually attributed to 

 faulty cultural conditions, there is no 

 question but that a natural tendency 

 to split the calyx may be aggravated 

 by taking cuttings from plants which 

 produce an undue percentage of splits. 

 Granting this, it is only reasonable to 

 suppose that splitting may be dimin- 

 ished by taking cuttings only from 

 plants which show a lesser tendency to 

 split. A good example is the variety 

 Enchantress Supreme, which splits 

 practically none of its calyxes. Loss 

 of vitality will show up first in an 

 increase of the percentage of splits on 

 a variety that normally splits some. 



OceasiWHially you will notice a plant 

 that is apparently growing wild. The 

 growth is exceptionally strong and the 

 cuttings are more numerous than usual. 

 Avoid these, else you will soon have 

 stock that is fit only for making hay. 



Care in the Sand. 



Pack th.^ sand firmly before insert- 

 ing the cuttings and give a thorough 

 watering afterward. They will need a 

 go^d watering daily until the roots be- 

 gin to strike out, providing the drain- 

 age is good. Keep the sun off them 

 for a couple of weeks. By that time 

 tuey will be drawing water nicely and 



little sun during the early morning 

 and late afternoon will help to keep 

 them plump. It may be increased . as 

 the cuttings are able to stand it, until 

 by the time they are rooted they may 

 be getting the full sun. In the regula- 

 tion of the water and the sun is where 

 your good judgment will assert itself. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



ODEN LETTEn^^-" READED^. 



VALUE OF FORETHOUGHT. 



' I notice on page 26 of the issue for 

 December 24 that a Mr. Albert had a 

 considerable loss through the failure of 

 his night man to keep up steam. How 

 many times has The Review warned 

 the greenhouse men on tb?S one particu- 

 lar subject? A thermostat can be in- 

 stalled so cheaply that there is no ex- 

 cuse for a happening of this sort. Now, 

 why am I taking the trouble to write 

 this letter? For the simple reason that 

 I do not wish to see some other poor 

 devil like myself going down and out 

 through want of thought, carelessness, 

 or whatever you may wish to call it. 

 December 4, 1913, during the great snow 

 storm in Colorado, three of my six 

 houses were wrecked, and why! Sim- 



ply for the reason that I did not have 

 what every florist should have, sufficient 

 2x4 's with which to' support the roofs 

 in an emergency of this kind. And here 

 you have, gentlemen, an illustration of 

 want of thought. Although carrying 

 fire, hail, boiler and tornado insurance, 

 wo were still remiss, and so I write 

 these few words of warning to my 

 brothers in the trade who for years 

 may have been building up a compe- 

 tence for their old age, which in a few 

 moments, for the want of thought^ may 

 be lost. When a loss of tjis kind 

 comes, not one man in a ^ftousand can 

 stand up under the blow, knowing, as 

 he does, the great length of time re- 

 quired and lacking the vim of youth 

 to put him back to where he was. 

 This thought applies to all lines of the 



