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The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



AUQUST 31, 1905. 



purpose of preventive treatment. Illus- 

 trations were given showing the effect of 

 soil treatment with a weak solution of 

 formalin and it was pointed out that in 

 badly infested beds treatment with a 

 one per cent solution of formalin had 

 been quite successful. Attention was also 

 called to the various diseases of other 

 crops, such as the spot disease of the 

 violet, and methods of prevention; also 

 the bud nematode ana th<» root-knot dis- 

 ease of violets, and other maladies af- 

 fecting this crop. The bacterial disease 

 of calla lilies was also illustrated. It 

 was shown how this disease affects the 

 flower and the leaf stalks, causing both 

 to rot away. One of the oflScers of the 

 bureau, Dr. Townsend, has made an in- 

 vestigation of this disease and published 

 a bulletin on the subject, showing how 

 the disease is caused and how it may be 

 prevented. The speaker stated that in a 

 short lecture such as he was giving it 

 was impracticable to go into details, but 

 that publications on the subject of plant 

 diseases can be obtained by addressing 

 the Department. 



The speaker stated that the florists 

 would probably be interested, indirectly 

 at least, in the work recently conducted 

 by the bureau in connection with the 

 growing of mushrooms from pure spawn. 

 This work had been inaugurated under 

 Albert F. Woods, in charge of vegetable 

 pathological and physiological investiga- 

 tions, through Dr. B. M. Duggar, form- 

 erly a member of the bureau staff but 

 now connected with the Missouri State 

 University. Dr. Duggar 's assistant, Mr. 

 Ferguson, has been quite successful in de- 

 veloping methods for the growing of 

 mushrooms from pure spawn. Illustra- 

 tions were given showing the laboratory 

 methods followed in developing the 

 spawn, how the spawn is specially select- 

 ed, and it was shown how the same 

 rules which govern the selection of seed 

 from ideal plants can be applied to mush- 

 room culture. Illustrations were also 

 given of the methods of making brick 

 spawn and of mushroom establishments 

 in which the pure spawn is used. 



The speaker then took up the work on 

 bulbs, stating that for the past two years 

 the Department has had a bulb garden in 

 which have been tested all the American- 

 grown bulbs that could be obtained, and 

 that some of the American-grown nar- 

 cissi have proved very satisfactory. He 

 stated that the Emperor is one of the 

 best that have thus far been tried and 

 that the Golden Spur is also very fine. 

 He also mentioned the new Elvira va- 

 riety, said to be a cross between Narcis- 

 sus poeticus ornatus and polyanthus va- 

 rieties, stating that it is perfectly hardy 

 and makes a magnificent cut flower and 

 that it forces well. Last year more than 

 25,000 bulbs of all kinds were planted in 

 the Department trill grounds. The 

 speaker also mentioued the fact that a 

 unique display of all classes and varieties 

 of gladioli had been planned for this 

 year but that unfortunately the weather 

 conditions had been unfavorable and 

 these efforts had not met with success. 



The speaker also stated that the mem- 

 bers of the Society of American Florists 

 as well as the American Peony Society 

 would probably be interested in the work 

 of the bureau in the direction of estab- 

 lishing standard variety collections of 

 peony collections. He stated that last 

 year 100 varieties were established on the 

 Arlington Experimental Farm of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture and that this 

 year 200 varieties have been ordered, so 

 that in a few years the Department will 



have a very interesting and valuable col- 

 lection of peony varieties. 



Illustrations were given of the bulb 

 plantings of the Department and also 

 of the bulb gardens of the Puget Sound 

 region, and in California, North Caro- 

 lina and Virginia. All these gardens 

 were visited recently by Mr. Oliver and 

 were found to be doing well. Some of 

 the views of flelds of hyacinths and nar- 

 cissi in full bloom were especially inter- 

 esting. 



The speaker stated that probably most 

 of the florists were more or less familiar 

 with the work that Mr. Oliver is doing 

 on improving the lily, but that it might 

 be well to call attention to this work 

 anew and to point out some of the recent 

 developments. Some important work is 

 now under way in the matter of growing 

 new hybrid lilies. The possibility of 

 growing lilies commercially from seed is 

 believed to have been demonstrated. Il- 

 lustrations were given showing lilies with 

 ten or twelve flowers grown in fourteen 

 months from seed. Publications of the 

 bureau bearing on the subject were re- 

 ferred to from which those interested 

 could obtain full data. 



Another special feature of the work 

 under glass mentioned by the speaker is 

 the attempt to produce new types of let- 

 tuce by crossing. This work has been 

 carried on for two years or more with 

 very favorable results. Many successful 

 crosses have been made by Mr. Oliver and 

 the resultant plants are in many cases 

 showing features of considerable prom- 

 ise. More than 6,000 plants were grown 

 the past summer on the Department 

 grounds for the purpose of eliminating 

 by selection certain undesirable qualities 

 of the new types. The object of all this 

 work is to secure types better adapted 

 for growth under glass. The speaker 

 stated that for a number of years he 

 had been interested in lettuce and in 

 growing it had endeavored as accurately 

 as possible to determine the weak points 

 of the different varieties as well as their 

 strong points. "With the knowledge ac- 

 quired in this way certain ideals were 

 formulated and the main object of this 

 work was to see if those ideals could not 

 be secured by bringing together types in 

 which certain of the ideal elements were 

 present. The ideal elements which in 

 the judgment of the speaker were essen- 

 tial were pointed out and discussed. It 

 was stated that further selection work 

 was necessary before seed could be dis- 

 tributed, but as soon as it was ready it 

 would be sent out to those interested in 

 the growing of this crop. 



The speaker dwelt at some length on 

 the fact just stated, namely, that the ef- 

 forts of the Department were wholly in 

 the direction of aiding the florists and 

 horticulturists in every way within its 

 power and that no discrimination what- 

 ever would be made in sending out ma- 

 terial wherever such material was thought 

 to give promise of value. 



Attention was also called to other lines 

 of plant breeding work, mostly conducted 

 by Mr. Oliver. Boses, clematis, and sev- 

 eral other ornamental crops were men- 

 tioned in this connection. 



The speaker concluded his address by 

 referring to some of the newer plants in 

 which the florists and horticulturists are 

 either directly or indirectly interested. 

 Special attention was called to the collec- 

 tion of spineless cacti now being brought 

 together for the purpose of distribution 

 in the west with a view to improving for- 

 age conditions. Mention was also made 

 of a number of tropical and semi-tropical 



plants, such as the mango and mango- 

 Bteen, which are being grown, propagated 

 and developed under Mr. Oliver's direc- 

 tion with a view to introducing these 

 crops more extensively into Florida. At- 

 tention was also called to a number of 

 other new or rare plants which are still 

 under investigation and which it was 

 stated would be disseminated later if 

 they were found to be of value. 



V^etable Forcing. 



BEDS FOR LETTUCE, 



I am planning to build a greenhouse to 

 be used for vegetable forcing, particu- 

 larly lettuce, and would like a little in- 

 formation regarding solid beds. My laud 

 is quite high, the subsoil, a retentive clay 

 with occasional streaks of sand; the soU 

 a sandy loam, and lies in such a position 

 that, when properly graded, it will not 

 require tile drainage. If I make my 

 solid beds so that the surface will be one 

 foot above the walks, will it be neces- 

 sary to use cinders for drainage! If so, 

 about how much would you advise f 

 W. K. 



Your location and soil formation are 

 all right for growing lettuce without the 

 use of drainage in any shape or form. 

 It is all the better to raise the beds 

 so that the surface will be one foot above 

 the walks; it makes them much easier 

 to reach. There is no need to use cinders; 

 the lettuce will succeed better without 

 them; they would only obstruct capillary 

 attraction and rob your plants of the 

 advantage of underground moisture. Un- 

 der certain conditions they might be 

 necessary, but not in your case seeing 

 that your elevation is high enough that 

 your soil can be graded to insure against 

 subterranean water being stagnant near 

 the surface. The nature of your surface 

 soil being sandy, considerable moisture 

 will be lost by evaporation, but the heavy 

 subsoil, being more retentive, will have 

 the advantage of retaining moisture 

 enough to support your plants without 

 the too frequent application of water, 

 and this in the dull, short days of win- 

 ter you will find to be a great benefit in 

 the prevention of fungus diseases. 



W. S. Croydon. 



PARSLEY. 



From parsley seed sown in July the 

 plants should by this time be pretty 

 well up, and if they have come up 

 thickly this is a good time to thin them 

 out. They do not need to be thinned 

 out to single plants, as they can be 

 lifted in clumps, but if they are too 

 thick the roots would be so small and 

 weak at lifting time that it would 

 take them a long time to produce foliage 

 large enough to be fit for market, and 

 the chances are that they would never 

 produce a first-class article. If thinned 

 out so that they can be lifted about 

 three plants to a clump they give the 

 most satisfactory results, as each indi- 

 vidual has a chance to fully develop. 

 Some practice the single-plant system, 

 but from these, although the product 

 can bo relied on to be first-class, with 

 good cultivation, the returns at the end 

 of the season generally fall short, as 

 parsley is one of the things tint ^ o 

 not wanted too large. Three average- 

 size leaves are preferable to one large 

 one. 



