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JANCABT 12, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



407 



The More Elaborate Type of Grafting Case, Used by Bassett & Washburn, Hinsdale, IIL 

 (From a drawing by the John C. Monlnger Co., Chicago.) 



weather began, and 65 to 70 degrees in 

 the daytime. In August they had a aose 

 of mildew, which spread through six con- 

 tinuous houses, the worst affeoted house 

 being a house of Brides planted with 

 grafted stock. They were without flres 

 several nights in August and July, wben 

 it was needed. We began firing the mid- 

 dle of August. They were given close 

 care to eradicate the mildew, but it held 

 on more stubbornly than we have ever had 

 it do before. Again in October the plants 

 made a nice growth. About the last of 

 October they began to go back, dropping 

 their leaves badly, and looking very bad. 

 Ever since the blooms have been off color, 

 the foliage a bad color, and absolutely 

 no growth from the base anywhere in the 

 houses; almost none at the top. We have 

 held them on the dry side during this ill- 

 ness and tried to get them to a point 

 where they would stand watering freely, 

 but have hardly got them to budge. I'hey 

 seem to stand stock still. They have 

 never been overwatered, never had a se- 

 vere chilling, as a registering thermome- 

 ter has been used and we have a careful 

 night fireman. Steam heat is used. The 

 growers cannot satisfy themselves what is 

 the matter, or what the treatment ought 

 to be, as we have other houses in the same 

 kind of soil and under the same growers 

 doing well. Please give us your ideas of 

 the trouble, and the best course to pur- 

 sue. G. & a. 



The samples of soil are all of good 

 quality and capable of raising high grade 

 roses. The soil from house No. 12 is a 

 fairly good soil though not quite so rich 

 and suited for roses as that from No. 

 14, which is a most excellent soil and as 

 near the rose growers' ideal as possible, 

 and much superior to the sample of black 

 prairie soil in the package. 



The trouble with these roses is, I am 

 sorry to state, one of the worst that can 

 befall them. They are infested with that 

 much dreaded scourge, eel worm, which 

 when it has once obtained a good foot- 



hold is one of the worst troubles known 

 to the grower, because there is no remedy 

 which can be applied without destroying 

 the plants and because it rarely manifests 

 itself until the season is too far advanced 

 to allow of the only remedy being ad- 

 ministered with profit, and that is to 

 throw out all the plants and soil, cleanse 

 the house and replant with fresh, vigorous 

 stock. 



This nematode is found everywhere, in 

 salt and fresh water, in damp earth and 

 moss and among decaying substances and 

 is always present in rose soils. They are 

 always minute and require a microscope 

 of Mgh power to detect them. Their 

 mode of attacking the rose plant is to 

 encyst themselves in the fibre of the small 

 feeding roots. Around these small cysts 

 tubercles form which sometimes grow as 

 large as a grain of barley but are often 

 very much smaller. If these are opened 

 they will be found to contain from one 

 to five small worms, which much re- 

 semble eels, hence the name. They are 

 too minute to be detected by the ordinary 

 naked eye but the tubercles can be seen 

 if the soil is carefully washed off the 

 roots. 



Like many other lower forms of ani- 

 mal life they are capable of retaining 

 their vitality for a long period, even un- 

 der the most seeming adverse conditions, 

 which accounts for their wide distribu- 

 tion. Like most other pests they are 

 more liable to confine their ravages to 

 those plants in which the vitality is low, 

 and seldom, if ever, attack a house of 

 well handled, vigorous stock. The fact 

 that these roses were reduced in vitality 

 by the severe and long continued attack 

 of mildew may in a measure account for 

 this and possibly the stock may not have 

 been very vigorous at the start. 



It would be unwise to propagate from 

 such stock, as the vitality is low *ind 

 any young stock from them would be 

 liable to fall a prey to this or any other 

 trouble during the short days when root 

 action would be sluggish. Eibes 



AZALEA MOLLIS. 



Please give the treatment required in 

 the growing of Azalea mollis to have it 

 in bloom at Easter. I have not grown 

 it before. W. W. 



These plants as soon as received should 

 have the balls thoroughly soaked and, 

 after allowing them to drip, they should 

 be potted in any good garden soil. They 

 should then be put into a cool pit or 

 frame and protected from severe frost. 

 To have them in bloom at Easter they 

 should be brought into the house and 

 for the first two weeks be exposed to a 

 temperature of about 50 degrees. When 

 they begin to show signs of moving the 

 temperature should be gradually raised 

 till it reaches 55 degrees. They require 

 usually six or seven weeks of this treat- 

 ment to bring them into bloom. R. 



TOWN WANTS A FLOftlST. 



The Commercial Club of Larned, Kan., 

 is promoting an effort to build a com- 

 mercial greenhouse to grow plants and 

 cut flowers and would be glad to get 

 a good florist, who has some money, to 

 come and take charge of the building 

 and run in for all there is in it. This 

 is a splendid location, not a greenhouse 

 nearer than seventy miles, a number of 

 flourishing towns near and demand con- 

 stantly increasing. I only have a small 

 greenhouse and do not care to bother 

 with it. I will give all needed informa- 

 tion to anyone who writes to me. 

 Tyra Montoomeey, 

 Box 186, Lamed, Kan. 



PANSIES. 



Please tell us how to make pansies 

 bloom and bear flowers on long stems; 

 heat, soil, water, care, etc. C. S. T. 



To secure a crop of pansy blooms in 

 the greenhouse during the winter months, 

 the seed should be sown early in August 

 and should be shaded until the plants are 

 showing the character leaf. As soon as 



