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J 330 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



NOVEMBBB 2, 1905. 



MEALY BUG^ 



I have a bouse of coleus and ferns 

 in which there are mealy bugs. I have 

 tried lime, tobacco and washing, but 

 they quickly come again. What will 

 clean them outf C. W. W. 



Mealy bugs may be killed on the 

 plants in question by frequent fumi- 

 gations with Nico-fume paper, this be- 

 ing a nicotine preph ration, and is 

 much more effective than fumigating 

 with tobacco, without the danger of 

 scorching the plants. From twelve to 

 fourteen pieces of the prepared paper 

 may be used in a greenhouse 20x100 

 feet without injury to ferns, and if the 

 foliage of the plants is wet at the time 

 the smoking is done the operation will 

 be more successful than xf the house 

 is dry. But one smoking will not kill 

 *11 the insects, and it may have to be 

 repeated several times. The liquid so- 

 lutions .of nicotine are also effective 

 for this pest, but are somewhat more 

 costly. W. H. Taplin. 



VINCA MINOR. 



Last spring I planted some myrtle, 

 sample enclosed, on a cemetery lot. The 

 parties wish me to protect it for the win- 

 ter. What is the best way to do it! 

 We have very cold weather, 10 to 20 de- 

 grees below zero. F. H. P. 



The best protection for the vinca, or 

 creeping myrtle, as it is commonly called, 

 is to cover the plants ere severe freez- 

 ing weather, vrith a coating of leaves. 

 Some spruce boughs or light boards can 

 be laid over these to keep them from 

 blowing away, or if the space to be cov- 

 ered is not large, make a box covering 

 of matched boards to put over the leaves. 

 Give this a coat of green paint. It will 

 look neat and last for a number of 

 years. English ivy can be treated simi- 

 Ja'ly- W. N. Craig. 



V^etable Forcing. 



VEGETABLE MARKETS. 



Chicago, Nov. 1.— Head lettuce, 50c 

 to $1 crate; leaf lettuce, lOc to 20c case: 

 cucumbers, 50c to $1 doz. 



New York, Nov. 1.— Cucumbers, 75c 

 to $1.25 doz.; head lettuce, 10c to 50c 

 doz.; mushrooms, 10c to 75c lb.; toma- 

 toes, 5c to 10c lb. 



Boston, Nov. 1.— Cucumbers, No. 1, $7 

 to $8 box; No. 2, $2 to $5 box; lettuce, 

 25c to 50c box; tomatoes, 15c lb.; mush- 

 rooms, mostly from Philadelphia, poor, 

 50c to 60c lb. 



LETTUCE. 



There is no one in this vicinity 

 growing vegetables under glaas and 

 there is a good opportunity to make 

 money in this line. I intend planting 

 one house with lettuce. As I do not 

 know anything of its culture I should 

 be glad to have you give some infor- 

 mation as to the night temperature, 

 how far apart the plants should be set 

 and how long it takes to grow a crop. 



E.8. 



The night temperature of a lettuce 



house should range from 40 to 45 de- 

 grees, according to the outdoor condi- 

 tions. By this I mean that under the 

 milder conditions of weather 45 degrees 

 would be about right, but in severe 

 weather it is better to run the house 

 at 40 degrees rather than cause too 

 dry an atmosphere. Lettuce is much 

 more easily grown in solid beds than in 

 raised benches, or, better still, right in 

 the ground when this is composed of 

 good soil. Here they have the advan- 

 tage of natural moisture from below 

 and can be kept in a healthy condition 

 with less frequent watering. The less 

 frequent application of water to the 

 surface of the soil eliminates to a con- 

 siderable degree the danger from fun- 

 gous diseases. 



The distance apart will depend on 

 the variety grown. The Boston Market 

 or Tennis Ball type can be planted 

 about eight inches apart, but larger 

 growers would require a little more 

 space. The type above mentioned, 

 however, is generally conceded to be 

 the most satisfactory to grow for a 

 greenhouse crop where a head lettuce 

 is wanted. The best and easiest grown 

 variety is Grand Bapids, but as this 

 does not head it is not so easily dis- 

 posed of. Personally I would prefer it 

 to any other for table use, as it is in- 

 variably crisp, tender and sweet. But 

 the majority of lettuce buyers, at least 

 in the east, prefer a head lettuce, and 

 it is hard to drive them out of the old 

 rut. In pushing anything else they 

 are apt to think you are playing the 

 "just as good" joke on them. 



From ten to twelve weeks is neces- 

 sary for the maturing of the crop from 

 time of sowing. The gain in time can 

 be principally effected in the growing 

 of the plants up to the time they are 

 large enough to set -in the benches. 

 Given ideal conditions, with good, fresh 

 seed that will start quickly and 

 strong, cutting may begin with some of 

 the largest in ten weeks from time of 

 sowing, but a week more should be al- 

 lowed for the maturing of the majority 

 of the crop, and if any little setback 

 should occur a week longer still will 

 be necessary. W. S. Croydon. 



A POOR COMBINATION. 



This year I threw out my violets at 

 Memorial day and planted tomatoes, 

 with the result of a good crop. I 

 should like to put in one bed of toma- 

 toes in March and fill the other beds 

 with stocks and candytuft for Memo- 

 rial day. Do you think the tomatoes 

 would bo a success with the flowers 

 mentioned if I hand-fertilize the to- 

 matoes t E. S. B. 



I do not think stocks, candytuft and 

 tomatoes would be a very desirable 

 combination. There is no reason why 

 the tomatoes would not do in such 

 company as long as the proper temper- 

 ature can be maintained, but I would 

 not vouch for satisfactory results if 

 the temperature was run much below 

 65 degrees. This, in my opinion, is 

 about 10 degrees too high for the 

 stocks and candytuft. With some 

 things you might be able to strike an 

 intermediate condition, but I don't 

 think the tomatoes would stand for it, 

 and I am afraid a temperature of 65 

 degrees would so weaken the growth 

 of the stocks and candytuft that you 

 would have poor results with your 

 flowers. W. S. Croydon. 



GRAPES UNDER GLASS. 



I should be glad to have advice as 

 to what can be done to get good color 

 in Black Hamburg gtapes grown in the 

 greenhouse. Some of the bunches have 

 grapes of a good color and some only 

 look red. They are all on the same 

 side of the house and in the same soil. 

 The vines are in first-class order and 

 have from twenty to thirty pounds of 

 fruit on each. The plants are forty 

 years old. J. B. A. 



This is one of the cases where it is 

 hard for the doctor to prescribe with- 

 out seeing the patient, so many differ- 

 ent conditions tend to prevent the 

 proper coloring of grapes: wrong at- 

 mospheric conditions, temperature, lack 

 of moisture at the roots, an overabun- 

 dance of moisture, lack of proper 

 drainage, overcropping and a hundred 

 and one other things would produce the 

 condition described. But seeing that 

 the vines are forty years old and grown 

 under artificial conditions, I have no 

 doubt that the trouble lies with the 

 roots, and if the vines were mine I 

 would not hesitate a moment in throw- 

 ing them out, renewing my soil and 

 replanting with young vines. You 

 seem to think your vines are in good 

 condition. It is surprising how fresh 

 and healthy a vine will look as far as 

 growth and foliage are concerned with 

 the roots in an unhealthy condition, 

 but it will always tell on the fruit. I 

 took hold of an old grapery a few years 

 ago in which much the same conditions 

 prevailed as you describe, and in turn- 

 ing it out I was astonished to see the 

 state of the roots. The soil, through 

 constant watering and the annual add- 

 ing of manure, together with the want 

 of the sweetening influence of frost, 

 had got into a very bad state; the 

 roots were in a black, half-dead condi- 

 tion, and it was really surprising where 

 the vines got the support to keep them 

 in as healthy condition as they were. 



If you do not want to go to the trou- 

 ble of renewing, you may be able to 

 help them a good deal by taking away 

 about six inches of the surface soil and 

 replacing it with fresh material. In 

 this way you may be able to draw some 

 roots to the surface, where they will 

 maintain a more healthy condition and 

 where feeding can be accomplished 

 with better effect. Don't use too 

 strong a compost until you get your 

 roots working. After this use wood 

 ashes freely to supply potash, which is 

 one of the most necessary ingredients 

 in the production of good fruit. 



W. S. Croydon. 



Muskegon, Mich. — Prompt work by 

 the fire department, October 26, saved 

 Voss & Smith a serious loss. They were 

 roofing the boiler shed and the tar kettle 

 boiled over. 



Lake Geneva, Wis. — The Lake Geneva 

 Gardeners' Society will hold its first an- 

 nual exhibition November 3 and 4. A 

 good show is promised and invitations 

 have been sent to the Chicago and Lake 

 Forest clubs to send delegations. 



Davenport, Ia. — The Tri-City Flo- 

 rists ' Club has postponed its flower show 

 to November 16, because of the absence 

 of J. T. Temple and Otto Arp, who will 

 attend the Chicago show on the dates 

 originally scheduled for the local exhi- 

 bition. 



