

16 



The Florists' Review 



Seftembeb 30, 1915. 



STEM - ROT. 



Unusually Prevalent This Year. 



Numerous reports, coining from all 

 directions, indicate that there is an un- 

 usual amount of stem-rot throughout 

 the country. The cause of it, no doubt, 

 is the excessive rainfall through the en- . 

 tire summer season. Some growers re- 

 port heavy losses in the field, especially 

 where the ground lay low and the water 

 did not drain off readily. In fields 

 which showed traces of stem-rot the 

 previous season, there would also be an 

 increase of the disease during such a 

 season as this. Others report large 

 losses in the houses after benching the 

 plants. These are simply cases of hav- 

 ing transferred the trouble to the house 

 before it broke out in the field. In 

 fact, it was hastened somewhat by the 

 closer atmosphere in the house. There 

 is no disease more demoralizing, . per- 

 haps, than the common wet stem-rot. 

 Once it gets a fair start in a bench, 

 under conditions that are favorable to 

 its development, it soon destroys 

 enough plants to make the bench un- 

 profitable. We always expect to lose 

 a few plants pach year by this disease, 

 and this loss does not give us any par- 

 ticular concern. One can readily dis- 

 tinguish between this mild form of the 

 disease and the sort that is likely to 

 get beyond the grower's control. In 

 the one case you will notice that a 

 single plant is lost here and there, 

 showing that the fungus has done its 

 damage and is gone, being either de- 

 stroyed or taken ,out with the dead 

 plant. In the other case whole patches 

 of plants are gone, and then the grower 

 is justified in being alarmed and should 

 resort to heroic treatment. 



Preventive Measures in the House. 



Just as soon after benching as the 

 soil gets into workable condition, we 

 break up the crust that has formed on 

 top during the period of frequent 

 syringing. This lets the air into the 

 soil and has a tendency to retard the 

 development of the stem-rot fungus. 

 Then, just as the plants are fairly es- 

 tablished in the new soil, we give them 

 a sprinkling of slaked lime, which is 

 raked into the soil before watering. 

 Lime is one of the best destroyers of 

 fungus and it is to destroy any traces 

 of this disease that we use it at this 

 time. A little later, perhaps a month 

 after' benching, we give a thorough 

 spraying with Bordeaux mixture, also 

 for the purpose of warding off not only 

 stem-rot, but other fungous diseases, 

 such as leaf-spot and fairy ring. This 

 is repeated after a month, if not needed 

 sooner. 



There is usually most danger of stem- 

 rot between the time of planting and 

 whatever date cool weather sets in. If 

 there is none of the disease then, the 

 chances are in favor of there not being 

 any at all. For that reason, the pre- 



cautionary methods already described 

 are followed each year, regardless of 

 whether there was stem-rot in the field 

 or not. There is really little more that 

 could be done, even should a case of 

 stem-rot get started, except to take out 

 some of the soil where the dead plant 

 stood. 



Tlie Use of Lime and Sulpbur. 



In applying the Bordeaux mixture, 

 we advise the grower to poke the noz- 

 zle right into the crown of the plant. 

 To ward off stem-rot, the material must 

 be applied to the stems, as that is 

 where the attack is made. It can be 

 applied once each week, if deemed 

 necessary. As soon as firing is started 

 — and it might pay to start a little 

 sooner on account of the benefits to b^ 

 derived — a little sulphur, dropped here 

 and there on one of the heating pipes, 

 will help to purify the atmosphere and 

 to make it unhealthy for all kinds of 

 fungous growth. The fumes will be 

 given off longer if you n^ake a thick 

 paint of one-half sulphur and one-half 

 lime, mixed with water, and paint this 

 on one of the heating pipes. We have 

 also found Grape Dust valuable for 



dusting over the plants. If it is blown 

 overhead through a bellows, it will take 

 the excessive moisture out of the house. 

 Do not get the idea that to run the 

 soil dry will help to keep the house 

 dry and will prove beneficial. The fact 

 is that when you withhold the water 

 from the plant, you weaken it and it 

 will fall an easier prey to the disease 

 than before. Give the soil enough 

 water to keep the plants in a good 

 growing condition, as a vigorous plant 

 will stand a better chance to fight off 

 the disease than one that is famished. 

 Plenty of fresh air is also essential, 

 but avoid chilly drafts. When firing 

 on mild nights, have the ventilators 

 open an inch or two. A. F. J. Baur. 



BUDS ROTTING IN CENTER. 



We shall greatly appreciate your ad- 

 vice regarding our carnations. We 

 have found several Enchantress blooms 

 that have commenced to rot in the cen- 

 ter. We do not think this is caused by 

 too much water, as we only water about 

 twice a week. C. D. — Mich. 



The enclosed bud was badly rotted 

 when it arrived here. The rotting 

 might be due to the carnation mite, 

 which causes the petals to adhere to- 

 gether. Moisture then collects and rots 

 the bloom. Begin spraying regularly 

 with any of the nicotine preparations 

 and you will soon g^t the trouble under 

 control. Be sure to burn these rotted 

 buds as fast as they appear. 



A. F. J. B. 



MORE ABOUT WORMS ON PERNS. 



In our further attempts to eradicate . 

 the worms on our ferns concerning 

 which we submitted a query to you, 

 published on page 14 of the September 

 9 issue of The Review, we have given 

 the Nico-Fume paper a thorough test, 

 and believe the worms can be cleaned 

 out by using eighteen to twenty papers 

 to a 20xl00-foot house and continuing 

 every other night for a period of sixty 

 to eighty days. We have had spme 

 success from fumigating one night a 

 week and have kept it up for some 

 fifteen weeks, but still have some 

 worms, though nothing like the number 

 we had a year ago. 



Enclosed you will find a little data 

 on the fern caterpillar given us by the 

 Texas Department of Agriculture, to 

 whom we sent some of the larvae. You 

 will note what Mr. Millender says 

 about hellebore. Consequently we are 

 afraid to try it, as we have a splendid 

 lot of ferns, and are hand-picking 

 every fern on the place, as we have 

 been more or less all summer. There 

 seems to be an unusual number of 

 worms right at this time, the same 

 time they hit us so hard last year, al- 

 though we have been finding them all 

 summer. 



We trust some one will hit upon a 

 way to exterminate this pest, for it is 

 surely a hard one to handle. 



Texas Nursery Co. 



H. C. Millender, of the Texas Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, writes: 



"The larva! sent in were fed on 

 ferns here in the laboratory and have 

 been hatched. We find that this is the 

 Florida fern caterpillar (Eriopus flori- 

 densis), which is reported in U. S. D. 

 A. Bureau of Entomolgy bulletin No. 

 125, written by F. H. Crittenden. It 

 has been reported from Mexico, Guate- 

 mala, Costa Eica, the Bahamas, Ja- 

 maica, Cuba, Haiti, Santa Lucia, St. 

 Vincent, Venezuela, British Guiana, 

 Brazil, Trinidad and Santo Domingo. 

 It is reported in the following of the 

 United States: Illinois, Ohio, Florida 

 and the District of Columbia. It was 

 introduced into Florida first, hence the 

 name. 



"Possibly you can find some of the 

 moths, which are small, about one and 

 one-eighth inches by one-half inch, be- 

 neath the benches in the daytime. 

 These fly at night only. It was report- 

 ed in the U. S. D. A. yearbook for 1908, 

 on page 578. 



"Various methods have been tried 

 to exterminate or control this insect. 



