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12 





The Florists^ Review 



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Jdlx 29, 1915. 



BEPLANTINQ OABNATIONS. 



Soil Should Be Moist. 



After carnation beds are filled with 

 new soil, the first thing before planting 

 should be to see that the soil is in a 

 proper state of moisture. It is not 

 likely to be too wet, because you would 

 not have brought it in in that con- 

 dition, but it is quite possible that it 

 may be too dry. Soil that is in ideal 

 condition to handle is just a trifle too 

 dry for planting carnations that have 

 been lifted from the field. There is 

 a difference between these plants and 

 plants from pots, just as there is a dif- 

 ference between potting cuttings from 

 the cutting bench and shifting estab- 

 lished plants into larger sized pots. 

 The soil should be moist enough to hcild 

 together when pressed in the hand and 

 yet crumble readily when broken up. 



In sections where the rains have been 

 excessive, there will be considerable 

 trouble with wilting after the plants 

 are benched. Carnation plants grown 

 under moderate rainfall will transplant 

 much more easily, because the growth 

 will be more matured, and less wilting 

 will result. Greater care will have to 

 be exercised in spraying and damping 

 down, and it will have to be kept up 

 longer, when the plants have grown 

 rapidly and are soft. 



Keep Plants Fresh. 



If the day promises to be hot, start 

 digging plants early in the morning 

 and dig what you will need for the 

 day's planting before the heat sets in. 

 You can keep them fresh better in a 

 cool shed, by covering them over with 

 damp burlap, than if you dig them in 

 the hot, midday sun. Under no con- 

 dition should they be allowed to stand 

 uncovered or in the sun. To allow a 

 carnation plant to wilt before it is 

 planted is to cut its chances for re- 

 establishing itself in half, and in every 

 case it will result in a serious loss of 

 foliage. Success in housing carnations 

 depends altogether on ability to keep 

 them in a fresh condition until the 

 roots have taken hold of the new soil. 



Two planters should work on a wide 

 bench, in order to finish the bed straight 

 across as far as you go, so that the 

 watering can be done properly. Some 

 growers mark off the bed in squares 

 for the convenience of the planters. 

 We use a line stretched down the center 

 of the bed, to plant the center row by. 

 A little practice will enable the plant- 

 ers to set the other three rows on each 

 side at the proper distances. To space 

 the rows we use a 16-foot pole with 

 notches cut at proper distances. 



Plants that are of medium size, of 

 such varieties as the Enchantress fam- 

 ily, White Wonder, Mrs. Ward, Match- 

 less, Beacon, etc., will do well if the 

 rows are spaced ten to twelve inches 

 apart and seven plants set in a row 

 across a 5-foot bench. Victory, Glori- 



osa* ^nd other"" slender-growing sorts 

 nqed -not more than eight or nine inches 

 between the rows. We have spoken 

 before of the little extre care demanded 

 by Gloriosa to get a good plant. Ours 

 have made fine plants again this season, 

 and not a single one needed doubling. 

 We set the rows of this variety nine 

 inches apart. 



Not Too Deep. 



Be careful that you do not set the 

 plants too deep, as that is likely to 

 bring on stem-rot. If your plants 

 wSre topped properly you will have lit- 

 tle "trouble with their not standing up 

 when set as deep as they were in the 

 fi^a, but some varieties do not make 

 as rigid stems as others. These should 

 b6" supported as early as practical. 

 Press the soil firmly around the roots 

 and leave a slight depression around 

 the plant to make sure that the water 

 will not run off. 



After planting a few hundred plants, 

 be sure to give them a good watering. 

 Keep them sprayed frequently for sev- 

 eral days. Eegulate the frequency of 

 these overhead sprayings according to 

 the weather. In moderate weather you 

 will be able to begin tapering off after 

 the fourth day, but right then is when 

 you must keep the plants under close 

 observation. They will wilt slightly 

 during the middle of the day for a 

 week or more, but if they freshen up 

 by evening, you will know that the 

 roots are supplying some moisture and 

 they should be encouraged to action by 



allowing the soil to run just moderately 

 moist. While spraying frequently, you 

 should be careful to use a fine spray, 

 else the soil will become soggy and 

 stem-rot will set in. 



After the first watering, we flush 

 the walks and keep them flushed until 

 the plants are established. It helps 

 to keep the atmosphere moist, and that 

 is what does the most good. 



Do not make the mistake of putting 

 on a heavy shade. Just enough to 

 break the heat of the sun will be suffi- 

 cient, if you will supply the moisture, 

 and the plants will start off more 

 quickly and strongly. By September 

 there should be no shade at all on the 

 glass. A. F. J. Baur. 



SEED DOES NOT GERMINATE. 



I am enclosing asparagus seed, of 

 which we cannot get more than five per 

 cent to germinate. What is the cause? 

 Other seed from the same locality ger- 

 minates at the rate of ninety per cent. 

 L. E. B.— Fla. 



The asparagus seeds in question show 

 few live germs, and it is not probable 

 that more than five per cent would 

 germinate. Either the seeds are old, 

 or else the majority of them are imper- 

 fect, the latter being the most likely 

 cause of the trouble. W. H. T. 



TOO LATE FOE PLANTING. 



Is it too late now to plant Lilium 

 magnificum outdoors and get blooms 

 this fall, in September, from large-sized 

 bulbs, nine to eleven or eleven to thir- 

 teen inches? At what stage of develop- 

 ment should the spikes be cut for ship- 

 ment to Chicago? G. K. — 111. 



It is too late to plant Lilium specio- 

 sum magnificum for flowering in Sep- 

 tember. This lily needs a longer sea- 

 son for development than L. longi- 

 florum. C. W. 



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in 



CATEBPILLABS ON FEBNS. 



We are writing you for some infor- 

 mation regarding the worst pest a 

 greenhouse man ever ran up against — 

 a worm that will not eat anything but 

 ferns. It made its appearance in our 

 greenhouses last October, when we had 

 about as choice a lot of ferns as any- 

 one ever saw. Before we were well 

 aware of it, they were ruined. The 

 tips were eaten from every frond and, 

 upon examination, in many cases we 

 found the crown eaten out. It just 

 took them about four days to make 

 our 8,000 or 10,000 ferns look present- 

 able for the dump. We hand-picked 

 them and used To-bak-ine, Paris green 

 and arsenate of lead, but all of these, 

 if in strong enough doses to kill the 

 pest, did the plants more damage than 

 good, especially the adiantums and 

 crested ferns, such as Amerpohlii, etc. 



Since last October the pests have 

 made their appearance four different 

 times and at present they are at their 

 worst. No doubt, they at some stage 

 are moths, and since there are so many 

 of the worms, one would think the 

 moths would swarm the place, but such 

 is not the case; we have seen few 

 moths of any kind in or about the green- 

 houses. There are three colors of the 

 worms, green, black and brown. As 

 before stated, they do not bother any 

 other plants so far as we have seen, 

 and we have made careful examination. 



We are afraid to use hydrocyanic 

 acid gas, as it is so warm here that 

 we fear it would ruin too much other 

 stock as well as the ferns. We have 

 not the least idea where they came 

 from, but they are in every place where 

 we have ferns, including some big hang* 



