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16 



The Florists^ Review 



Septkmbeb 9, 1915. 



PROPAGATING. 



Tlie piopagatiou of geraniums is at- 

 tended with less risk when delayed until 

 late September or October, but cuttings 

 can be taken now, and if they are al- 

 lowed to lie on the potting bench a 

 few hours to dry before being placed in 

 the sand, there will be less damping oflf. 

 A wet July and August has made all 

 wood outdoors unusually soft and suc- 

 culent, and a spell of hot, muggy 

 weather after the cuttings are taken is 

 liable to cause a heavy loss. Trim the 

 leaves off closely. If left on, they 

 will only wilt and cause rot later. Do 

 not shade the cuttings at all; they need 

 the full sun. Many growers stand their 

 flats outdoors and have good results. Be 

 sure the drainage is good; otherwise 

 heavy thunder showers are likely to 

 damage them seriously. I like to stand 

 them where sashes can be placed over 

 them to throw off heavy rain. 



WINTEB GEBANIUMS. 



Eemove all flower trusses from win- 

 ter geraniums as they appear and give 

 the final potting before the last of Sep- 

 tember. Suitable sizes of pots are 

 5-inch and 6-inch. It is astonishing 

 what splendid plants can be grown in 

 these sizes of pots, if they are properly 

 cared for. Use cow manure sparingly 

 in the soil, but add a 5-inch pot of fine 

 bone to each bushel of soil, and, once 

 the plants are established, give top- 

 dressings of Clay's fertilizer or fine 

 bone once in eight or ten days. Do 

 not use liquid manure; it produces a 

 soft growth. The other plant foods 

 named build up stocky plants. 



BLIGHT DUE TO DAMPNESS. 



J am sending yo;i some geranium 

 leaves which seem to be affected by a 

 disease or blight. I put out several 

 beds of S. A. Xutt geraniums last spring 

 and they seemed to be nice, healthy 

 plants. Now they are almost a total 

 wreck. These beds are not in one loca- 

 tion and have not the same exposure 

 or soil. T^hey are some distance apart 

 in different j)arts of the city, but all 

 the beds have had geraniums in them 

 for several years .nnd tliev always did 

 well before. If you know of any way 

 to overcome this trouble, please let me 

 know. W. K.— N. Y. 



The cause of the blighted foliage is 

 unquestionably the Ini'g spell of humid, 

 sunless and rainy weatl cr experienced 

 in the east sin<e early in .Inly. I have 

 seen many other beds which were per- 

 fectly healthy when planted out and 

 they are now in the same condition as 

 yours. There is little you can do toward 

 alleviating the trouble except to pick 

 over the plants somewhat. A spell of 

 dry, sunny weather would soon put new 

 life into the plants. Geraniums sim- 

 ply cannot stand continuous wet weath- 

 er, but always present a more or less 



miserable appearance under such cou- 

 <Utions. C. W. 



GEBANIUM FOLIAGE DISEASED. 



Under separate coyer I am sending 

 you a sample of geranium foliage which 

 is covered with blotches and small spots 

 of an ash color. Many of the leaves 

 are turning more or less yellow in 

 streaks and splashes, either down the 

 side, or, in some cases, through the 

 middle of the leaf. Can you tell me 

 the cause of this, and the remedy? 



J. G. B.— Mass. 



The leaves when received were com- 

 pletely dried up. An affection of the 

 kind you mention is not at all un- 

 usual. If the plants were outdoors, it 

 can safely be attributed to the abnor- 

 mal climatic conditions experienced in 

 July in your section — tremendous rain- 

 falls, a heavy atmospheric humidity, 

 and, for a considerable period, little 

 sunshine. With clear and drier weath- 

 er, your plants will grow out of their 

 trouble. If the plants are under glass, 

 pick off the worst affected leaves and 

 give a spraying of Bordeaux mixture or 

 Fungine. Eepeat the application a week 

 later. Spray on a clear day when the 

 foliage is dry, and sufficiently early in 

 the day so that any moisture will dry 

 up before nightfall. C. W. 



are plants of less beauty. The explana- 

 tion may be found in the fact that 

 many growers consider Easter Greeting 

 a poor producer of cuttings because of 

 its great flowering qualities. 



This belief, howeve?, is not substan- 

 tiated in the case of , J. N. Spanabel & 

 Sons, East }'alestine,'T3., who produce 

 heavily of Easter Greeting. 



Last summer this concern put 800 

 5-inch stock plants in the field, but 

 owing to a busy season and adverse 

 weather conditions, the stock was not 

 planted until .June 20. The plants were 

 cultivated in the same manner as other 

 plants in the field. Three crops of cut- 

 tings were secured, the first cuttings 

 .luly 31, and the last ones September 

 25. From the three crops 17,500 cut- 

 tings were obtained, and an average of 

 ninety per cent were rooted. Judged 

 by this record, Easter Greeting can 

 hardly be called a poor cutting pro- 

 ducer. 



J. N. Spanabel & Sons attribute their 

 success to keeping the flowers off' the 

 stock plants. After the cuttings were 

 in the sand there was nothing to hinder 

 proper rooting. When potted, the 

 plants were not kept too dry, or the 

 stems would be likely to harden and 

 not produce nice plants. A tempera- 

 ture of 45 to 50 degrees was found 

 best. In a higher temperature the 

 plants would be liable to make a soft 

 growth, which would mean trouble 

 later. For blooming at Easter, plants 

 were shifted to 4-inch pots in No- 

 vember. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 the members of the firm of J. N. 

 Spanabel & Sons photographed among 

 their plants. The head of the concern 

 is in the center and around him are his 

 sons, A. A., E. E., L. L. and R. R., 

 beginning at the top left and pro- 

 ceeding clockwise. 



EASTEB GBEETING GBOWEBS. 



Pelargonium Easter Greeting is con- 

 ceded by many growers to be one of 

 the best pot plants in America, yet it 

 is neither propagated to the extent 

 justified, nor known to the public as 



Perm Yan, N. Y. — James Macfarlane, 

 who was for a time in charge of the 

 greenhouses of the Lake Keuka Floral 

 Co., has been appointed florist for the 

 New Hampshire college experimental 

 station. He assumed his duties Sep- 

 tember 1. 



A. A. SpanalH'l. J. N. Spanabel. K. K. Spanabel. 

 K. K. Spanabel. L. L. Spanabel. 



Members of the Firm of J. N. Spanabel & Sons, East Palestine, O. 



