22 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



NOVEMBBB 23, 1905. 



luce growers. It attacks the plants, as a 

 rule, just when they reach the hearting 

 stage. Plants that have been perfectly 

 healthy up to that time are often so 

 severely attacked by it that in the course 

 of a few days they are so badly disfig- 

 ured that they are worth little or nothing 

 when exposed for sale. It is, to say the 

 least of it, a very discouraging state of 

 matters and my advice would be to har- 

 vest and sell the crop just as soon as 

 possible after the disease has made its 

 appearance, for as far as I know there 

 is no means of stopping the spread of 

 the disease, once it has got a start, 

 though keeping the atmosphere of the 

 house, and also the soil, as dry as pos- 

 sible will help to keep it in check. 



Several theories have been advanced in 

 explanation of the cause of this disease. 

 Some claim that the cause is to be found 

 in the soil and recommend sterilizing. 

 Others claim that it can be kept in check 

 by the regulation of soil moisture, while 

 others believe that atmospheric condi- 

 tions have all to do with it. My opinion 

 is that a check to the growth of the 

 plant will cause the trouble, no matter 

 from what source arising. 



Lettuce grown ^ndoors is grown un- 

 der artificial conditions and it is hard to 

 supply all the natural requirements of 

 the plant. While the plant is young and 

 vigorous the trouble never appears, but as 

 soon as it reaches the hearting stage, the 

 outside leaves have practically reached 

 the limit of their growth and the plant 

 begins to concentrate its strength in the 

 building up of a heart. This causes a 

 sort of reaction and natural c&eck, to 

 which any weakness of the plant natu- 

 ally accentuates. The secret of success 

 lies in having enough power behind your 

 plant to tide over this critical period. 



I have observed that plants grown on 

 raised benches are much more susceptible 

 to attacks from this trouble than plants 

 grown in solid beds. The cause for this 

 undoubtedly lies in the fact that the 

 plants in solid beds are in a healthier 

 state because grown under less artificial 

 conditions. They have the natural mois- 

 ture of the soil and natural coolness; 

 hence the roots are sure to be in a more 

 active and healthy state than those of 

 plants grown on raised benches, where 

 the soil must inevitably be the same tem- 

 perature as the air of the house. ITie 

 benches, as a rule being right over the 

 pipes, the soil is apt to dry out in the 

 bottom of the bench even faster than it 

 does on the top. This necessitates the 

 too frequent application of water and 

 often leaves the soil on the surface over- 

 wet, while that on the bottom is mute 

 dry. Under such conditions, the roots of 

 the plants cannot be expected to be in a 

 perfectly healthy condition and the 

 plants are very apt to fall a victim to 

 disease as soon as the critical stage is 

 reached. 



But don't run away with the idea that 

 growing in solid benches is a certain pre- 

 ventive. Here also they are liable to at- 

 tack if the plants are not in a perfectly 

 healthy condition, for, as I said before, 

 a check from any cause is sure to be a 

 fruitful source of trouble. The preven- 

 tion of this disease hinges on the whole 

 cultivation of the plant from start to 

 finish. 



Softness of growth is sometimes put 

 forward as a source of trouble and no 

 doubt it sometimes is, and advice is 

 often given to avoid soft-growing varie- 

 ties, but where do you find a softer or 

 more tender variety than Grand Eapids, 



David W. Fr aser. 



a variety which ia practically immune 

 from this disease if given anything of a 

 fair show. This I lay to the fact that it 

 is not a heading variety. This I would 

 advise you to grow, if you can find a 

 market for it. I think it is the nicest 

 variety we have for forcing purposes, 

 and as a table article, I would prefer it 

 to any variety grown, but there is no 

 accounting for tastes and head lettuce 

 is the article most generally called for in 

 eastern markets; still though you have 

 to sell it for less money, if the head 

 varieties do not succeed with you, a half 

 loaf is better than no bread, and it is 

 better to grow something you are sure 

 of than depend on the uncertainty of 

 the other. 



Something is evidently wrong with 

 your cultivation or the conditions under 

 which your plants are grown, and just 

 what it is I am not in a position to 

 state, unless I knew more about the con- 

 struction of your soil, situation and 

 adaptability of the house in which your 

 lettuce is grown, and the general treat- 

 ment your plants have received. This is 

 a trouble that cannot be treated like a 

 dose of greenfly, but, as I said before, 

 hinges on the whole life of vour plants. 



W. S, Croydon. 



Jacksonville, Fla. — Arthur E. Sin- 

 gleton, who was employed for several 

 years by George Just, has been continued 

 as manager of the establishment since 

 its recent purchase by C. D. Mills. 



Pueblo, Colo. — We have had the cold- 

 est weather ever known for so early in 

 the season. Much of the eeler}', which is 

 grown here in large quantities, was badly 

 frozen before it was trenched. Cabbage 

 was a short crop and prices $20 per ton. 

 The crop is now mostly out of the grow- 

 ers' hands and selling at $1.25 to $1.50 

 per hundred pounds in small lots. J. J. 

 Thomas says that Grand Rapids lettuce 

 is the only sort which it pays to grow, 

 as there is no market for the heading 

 varieties. He grows lettuce, radishes and 

 parsley and closes up in the spring with 

 a crop of cucumbers. This year a few 

 egg plants are being tried. 



DAVID W. PHASER. 



Like so many of our best cultivators, 

 David W. Fraser, the new secretary of 

 the Chrysanthemum Society of America, 

 is a native of Scotland, born at Craigo, 

 Forfarshire, in 1866. As a lad he served 

 an apprenticeship at Usan house, near 

 Montrose, but he came to America when 

 only 20 years of age. His first position 

 was at Caaajoharie, N. Y., where he 

 worked in the gardens of Mrs. Smith for 

 five years. Then he spent two years at 

 the well-known E. D. Adams estate in 

 New Jersey, and then gained the very 

 valuable experience of three years under 

 William Falconer during the formative 

 period at Dosoris. Later he spent two 

 years at Ophir, the country home of 

 Whitelaw Reid, two years on the Have- 

 meyer estate at Mahwah, N. J., and then 

 removed to Pittsburg to take charge of 

 the H. C. Frick estate, where he has re- 

 ' mained for eight years, during which 

 time the conservatories have become very 

 popular with the people of Pittsburg, be- 

 ing open to the public at certain seasons 

 each year and visited by thousands. The 

 chrysanthemum show by Mr. Fraser is an 

 annual event of more than local import- 

 ance. Mr. Fraser, while skilled in widely 

 varying branches of the gardeners' art, is 

 in no department more efficient than in 

 his treatment of the chrysanthemum. 

 Like all successful cultivators, he is most 

 painstaking and methodical in his work, 

 and this characteristic extends to all oth- 

 er affairs with which he is associated. He 

 will make the Chrysanthemum Society a 

 most capable secretary. 



Enclosed is a two-dollar bill; please 

 send me two Reviews after this. — J. M. 

 Smiley, Aurora, 111. 



Kewanee, III. — Hamilton & Plummer 

 advertised a special sale of chrysanthe- 

 mums, plants and gold fish, and as a 

 means of drawing a crowd they adver- 

 tised to give away by means of a draw- 

 ing a globe of fish and a plant to the 

 lucky ones of all visitors and a fine plant 

 to the lucky one among those making 

 purchases. The scheme was successful 

 beyond their anticipations. 



