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Decbmbeb 15, 1904. 



The Weekly Rorists^ Review^ 



193 



drnation Abundance, Whiter as Grown by Rudolph Fischer, Great Neck, L. L, N. Y. 



SLEEPY CARNATIONS. 



Please tell me the cause of my carna- 

 tions going to sleep in from twelve to 

 twenty-four hours after being picked 

 quite close daily. I have grown carna- 

 tions for many a year, but have never 

 seen anything like this. I have En- 

 chantress, Estelle, Higinbotham, Morn- 

 ing Glory, Lawson, Melba, Armazindy, 

 Gomez, White Cloud, etc. The stock 

 looked fair when planted the latter part 

 of August, in soil lefr in the liouses 

 where carnations grew last year, turn- 

 ing it over and adding an inch of ma- 

 nure on all and a slight sprinkling of 

 bone meal on some benches. I am grow- 

 ing them quite cool, between 50 and 60 

 degrees in the day time and 46 to 54 

 at night. I have them on the dry side; 

 at times the soil runs through one's 

 fingers like sand. I understand this soil 

 has grown carnations for a good many 

 years. My experience is that carnations 

 go to sleep after being fumigated strong- 

 ly with tobacco stems, but these go to 

 sleep when they haven't been fumigated 

 for weeks. B. J. P. 



Your method of culture is not such as 

 one would expect very high grade blooms 

 from. I cannot point out any one thing 

 that I could say positively is causing 

 your trouble, but there are several which 

 could materially aid in bringing it on. 



The old soil may be the cause of it. 

 If carnations have been growing on it, 

 as you say, for several years, certain ele- 

 ments of a perfect soil may have been 

 exhausted. You are allowing too wide a 

 range in temperature; 46 degrees one 

 night and 54 degrees the next is sure to 

 cause trouble, A variation of 2 degrees 

 is enough to allow. You allow them to 

 dry out too severely, too. Soil in which 

 plants are growing should never become 

 so dry that it will run through the 

 fingers like sand. The carnation is a 

 water loving plant when in vigorous 

 growth. 



I have several times said in these notes 

 to run them just a little on the dry side 

 during dark spells. By that I mean that 

 the soil should be in such a state of 

 moisture that you can crumble it readily 

 in the hand. Try to keep the soil in an 

 even state of moisture all the time. Per- 

 haps you pick your blooms too close, too. 

 At this time of the year we find that 

 carnation blooms keep best if allowed to 

 open up pretty well on the plants; not 

 what we term over-ripe, but just when 

 they are full open. 



I would advise you to begin watering 

 them carefullj^ with a view to keeping 

 the soil just about the same right along. 

 Keep the night temperature 50 to 52 

 degrees, day temperature 60 degrees on 

 cloudy days and 65 to 70 degrees on 

 bright days. Lawson wants 4 degrees 

 warmer at night and on cloudy days. 

 Give a crack of air whenever possible 

 and all you can on bright days. A light 

 sprinkling of air-slaked lime watered in 

 might help some, too; it certainly could 

 do no harm. Drop a pinch of sulphur 

 on one of the steam pipes about every 

 twenty feet. Next season try to plant 

 in new soil. A. F. J. Baur. 



CUT AND COME AGAIN. 



The accompanying illustrations are re- 

 productions from photographs of Abund- 

 ance, white, the most wonderfully pro- 

 lific carnation in existence, or that ever 

 has been in existence. One picture shows 

 three plants potted from the field Sep- 

 tember 23 and photographed October 10. 

 One plant has thirty-two flower shoots 

 and the other two twenty-eight each. 

 They were not the largest plants by any 

 means, as I planted numerous plants with 

 forty and fifty shoots. Every shoot 

 brings a flower and as soon as a flower 

 is picked the eyes below the cut send up 

 other shoots in a very short time, making 

 it a continuous bloomer. Growers will 

 note the absence of grass at the bottom 

 of the plants, as cuttings do not stay 

 there but spring right up to business. 



The plants grow so fast that during 

 their life in the field they had to be 

 cut back four times. The last time 

 the shoots were so numerous that we 

 had to resort to harsh measures to save 

 time; we took hold of the entire shoots 

 of a plant with one hand while with the 

 other we cut below with shears to the 

 desired length! It is certainly the great- 

 est thing for growing I or any one else 

 ever saw. My benches are a sight to 

 see, and will be all winter long. 



I have four center benches ninety-six 

 feet long by eight feet wide and 

 three side benches 100 feet long by two 

 and one-half feet wide planted to 

 it, and would have more if I had room. 

 I raised it from seed eight years ago. It 

 is a cross between Scott and McGowan. 

 It shows strong characteristics of both 

 parents but is a great deal more pro- 

 lific than either; in fact there is nothing 

 to compare with it for blooming quality. 



It is not a fancy carnation that has 

 to bring fancy prices to pay, but it is 



a pure white, of medium size, highly 

 scented and wonderfully prolific, just 

 what every florist wants who is growing 

 carnations for a living and not for 

 pleasure alone. 



The other picture is from a photograph 

 of a plant left out after the houses were 

 filled, to show the fibrous roots and how 

 they retain the ball of soil, but the ball 

 is not necessary, as it grows, no matter 

 how or when planted. I have filled a 

 bench as late as the middle of November, 

 after Jones chrysanthemum was cut, and 

 they have done finely, not one missing. 



B. Fischer. 



TEMPERATURE. 



Will you kindly tell me what average 

 temperature to keep for a house with 

 Prosperity, Lawson and Enchantress car- 

 nations, also, how to burn tobacco dust 

 to fumigate the houses? C. H. 



You will find it impossible to run the 

 temperature so that it will exactly suit 

 all three of these varieties. Mrs. Law- 

 son wants a temperature higher than 

 any other carnation we have; 55 degrees 

 suits it best. Enchantress is just the 

 reverse, while Prosperity is well suited 

 with a medium temperature. If the tem- 

 perature in your house varies somewhat 

 between the two ends and you have En- 

 chantress planted at the cool end, Pros- 

 perity in the center and Lawson at the 

 warm end you need not have much 

 trouble, but if Enchantress is at the 

 warmest end and Lawson the coldest, 

 then you will have trouble all winter. 

 Lawson will split badly and Eiichan- 

 tress will come sleepy. Between the 

 two evils you will have to choose which 

 will be the most costly to you and act 

 accordingly. Lawson wants 55 degrees; 

 Enchantress should not have over 50 

 to 52 degrees. 



To burn tobacco powder take a piece 

 of tin 12x18 inches, bend upward and 

 outward about two inches at each end. 

 Lay on top of this a piece of wire fly 

 screen the same size as the tin and bend 

 the two ends down over the ends of the 

 tin, so the screen will hook onto the tin 

 securely. Spread on the screen a piece 

 of paper sprinkled with kerosene and on 

 this spread your tobacco powder. Light 

 it around the edges and he sure the to- 

 bacco catches fire; sometimes the paper 

 alone will not start it, but if it starts 

 in three or four places it is sufficient. 

 Tobacco dust will not make a dense 

 smoke, like the stems, but the fumes are 



