22 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Xovi:mi!i:u 'S.i, 1905. 



liH-c .jiii\\ri>. It ;it lacks till' |)l:uits, :is a 

 Mil,.. iu>i wl'cii tlicy reach tlie hfartin.i;' 

 sta^^c. riaiits tlial liaw l)rcu perfectly 

 hralili\ ii|> to tliat tiiiH' are often so 

 sr\( re 1\ aitacketl livittliat in the eoui'se 

 (pf ;i t. w tlavs they are so badly disfij;- 

 111 til thai tlu'v are wortii little or iiothiii>i 

 wlicii i\|ii'.scii fur sale. It is. to say tlie 

 Ici'vi ,.t ii. a \cry (lisc<i\iraL:,iii;^- state of 

 iii:iii 1- ami my aihicr would he to liar- 

 \,>i .iihl sell llie tid|> just as soon as 

 ]Mi-^sili|i- after the disease has made its 

 apiicaraiice, ior as far as 1 know there 

 is IK. means of stojipine- the spread of 

 ihe dl>ease. oiice it lias _i,rot u start, 

 tlii'Ui;li kl•epin^■ the atniospliei-o of the 

 Inmsi'. and also Ihe soil, as dry as pos- 

 sible \\ ill help to keep it in check. 



Se\eral theories ha\e heeii advanced in 

 eN|daiialion of the cause of this disease. 

 Some claim that tiie cause is to be found 

 in the soil and I'ecommeiid sterilizing'. 

 ()lhei> i-laim that it can lie kept in check 

 1)\- the re^ulation of soil moisture, while 

 ollu'is believe that atmospheric condi- 

 tions have all to do uith it. .My opinion 

 is thai a eheidi. to the yrowtli of the 

 plant will cause the troidde, no matter 

 t rem what source arising. 



Lettuce ^ro\s n 'udoors is thrown un- 

 der ai'lilicial conditions and it is hart! to 

 su[i[dy all the natural rcciuirements of 

 Ihe idant. While the jilant is younii and 

 \i^';(U-(jus the trouble iie\ er ajipears, but ;is 

 soon as it leaches the lieartin^ sla^e. the 

 outside leaves have practically reached 

 the limit of their firowth and the jdant 

 befiins lo concentrate its streiij^th in the 

 Iniildine up of a heart. This causes a 

 sort of reaction and natural cFii'ck, to 

 which any weakness of the plant natu- 

 ally accentuates. The seci'ct oi' success 

 lies in havin<; eiiouuh Jiower behiml your 

 plant to tide o\er this critical ]ieri(id. 



1 have obsei-ved that jdanls "idwii on 

 raised benches are nuich more susceptible 

 to attacks from this trtudile than i)lants 

 eiiiwii III solid beds. Tin' cause t'(U' ihis 

 undoubtedly lies in the fact that the 

 ]dants in solid beds are in a healthier 

 state because okpwu under less artificial 

 conditions. They have the natural iimis- 

 ture of liie soil and natural coolness; 

 hi'iice the idots are sure to be in a more 

 active and healthy state than 1hoM' of 

 plants ^rown on raised lioiiches. where 

 the soil innsi ine\itably in' the ^-ame tem- 

 perature a< the air of the hous(\ 'J'iie 

 beiiche:'^, .'is a rule being right over the 

 jiipes. the xiil is ajit lo dry out in tlie 

 imtioin v\' the beiudi e\en faster llian it 

 ,l,„'s (ui llie lo|i. This necessitate-, the 

 t,Hi fre,|uent a|ijilication of wati r and 

 often leases the soil on the surfm-e o\er- 

 wct. while that on the bottom i- .Miite 

 div. Under such conditions, the roots of 

 the ]dants cannot be e.xpected to be in a 

 jicrfectly healthy condition and the 

 ]dan1s aie \eiy a|d. to fall a victim to 

 disease as soon as the cnlic.d stable is 

 reacheil. 



Tint doll "t run av\ay with the idea that 

 erowii;;^ in solid beiichi-^ is a c.-itaiii pre- 

 ventive. Ileie aNo they are liable t.i al- 

 V.u-k if the jilaiit-^ are not in a |ierfcrt |\- 

 healthy conditioii, for. a-- I said bctore. 

 .•I check from any i-aiise i> sun' 1e be a 

 fruitful source of tnuible. The |oe\cie 

 liim of this disease hinges on the vvlnde 

 cultivation of the ])lant from start to 

 lini-h. 



Softness of o'l-owtli is sometimes put 

 forward as a source of troubh' and no 

 doubt it sometimes is. and advice is 

 ofti'ii given to av(dd soft -growing varie 

 ties, but where do you find a S(d'ter or 

 more tender variety than (Iraiid K'apids. 



David W. Fraser. 



a variety which is practically immune 

 from this ilisease 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 ytui can find .-i 

 market for it. 1 think it is the nicest 

 variety wc have for forcing pmiioses. 

 and as a table article. I would jneter it 

 to anv variety grown, but there is no 

 ficcouiiting for tastes and head lettuce 

 is the article most generally called for in 

 eastern markets; still tliouLih you have 

 to sell it for less money, if the head 

 varieties do not succei'd with you. a halt 

 loaf is V)etter than no bread, and it is 

 better to grow sometiiing you are sure 

 of than depend on the uncertainty of 

 the otlicr. 



Somethiug is evidently wrong with 

 vour cultivation or the conditions umier 

 which your plants are grown, and just 

 what it is 1 am not in a positi(ui to 

 state, unless I knew nioie abinit the con- 

 struction of your soil, situation and 

 .■idaptabilitv of the house in which your 

 lettuce is tzrowii. :,nd the ecueral treat- 

 ment your jdants liave received. This is 

 a trouble that cannot be treated like a 

 dose of grcently. but. as 1 said before', 

 hinees on the v, l,u|c lit'e m| v ,air nlant-^. 



W. S. CiaiVDON. 



JacKSii.WU.I.I.. I'l.A. — Arthur \'.. Sin- 

 "leton. who was emploveij t'nr si'veral 

 vears bv (oMirLie .lust, has been cdatimu'd 

 :is manager ol' the e^tabli'-hment -iih-e 

 its recent purchase by < . I ». Al ills. 



I'll I'.Id. ' 'ill, II. \\i' have had t lie cnld- 

 ("-t Weatiier eV M klloWtl l'( U' -^o e.'irlv III 

 the season. Much of the celery, w hich i- 



• ■rown here in lar^^e ijiianl it iev. was badly 

 fi-o/.eii iiefoie it vva'-; trenched. ( abiiaLie 

 was a short crop and prices ^■2** |ier ton. 

 The croii i*- now mostly o\it ot' the yrow • 



• •rs" iiands and selling at i^-l.l'." to *l.."ii» 

 per hundred peunds in small lot-.^. .t. .7. 

 Thomas says that (irami ii'apids lettuce 

 i< the onlv ^-^ort vvliii-h it pays to grow, 

 as there is no market for the heading 

 varieties, lie grows lettuce, rtidishes and 

 )iarslev and closes up in tlie sjiring with 

 a crop of cucunibers. This ye:ir ;i few 

 egix plants are being trieil. 



DAVID W. FRASER. 



bike so many of our best cultivators, 

 David W. I'raser, the new secretary of 

 the ( hrysantheinum Society of America, 

 is a native of Scotland, born at Craigo. 

 I'orfarshire. in ISGli. As a lad lie served 

 an apprenticeship at Usan house, mar 

 .Montrose, but lie came to America wiieii 

 onlv -20 years of agi>. His first position 

 was at Canajoharie, X. Y., wheie he 

 worked in the gardens of ^Irs. Smith for 

 five years. Then he spent two years at 

 the well-known V.. D. Adams estate in 

 New .b'rsey. and then gained the veiw 

 valuable exjieriencc of three years under 

 William l''alconer during the fornmtivi- 

 period at Dosoris. Later lie spent two 

 Years at Opliir, the country home of 

 Whitehiw Hcid, two years on the litive 

 iney<'r estate at Mahwali, N. J., .and then 

 I'eiiioved to Pittsburg to take charge of 

 the If. (J. IT'i(d< estate, where he has re- 

 mained for eight yi'ars, during which 

 time the conservatories have become very 

 popular •uith the ]ieople of I'ittsburg. be- 

 ing o|ien to the imblic at certain seasons 

 each year :ind visited by thfuisands. The 

 chrysanthemum show by Mr. fraser is an 

 aiinual event of more than local import- 

 ance. .Mr. I'ra-er, while skilled in wiilely 

 varviiiL; branclie- nt' the gardeners" art. is 

 in no deiiart nieiii more ellii-ieiit than in 

 1,1-; tieatnieiii ot' tlie ch I'vsa lit heniiini. 

 Like ,-ill suci-esst'iil cultivators, he is most 

 pain-t;ikiii'i and methodical in his work, 

 .-iiid this i-haracleii'^l ie e\i<'nds to all otli- 

 ei atfairs with which he is associated, lie 

 will make the rinysanthemnm Soci.-ty a 



]\\n-\ c;ip;|ble sc( li'taiy. 



Lnti.osfo i< a two dollar bill; please 

 send me two b'l.VIKVVs after this. .1. M. 

 S\ii!,i'.v, Atiror-i. III. 



KiWAXii.. 111. Ilimilton & riummer 

 advi'itised a >pecial -ale ot' chrysantlie- 

 miini'-'. plants and ^old fish, ami as a 

 me.-ins of iliawing a crowd lliey adver- 

 tised to ^ive away bv me.'ins id' a draw- 

 ing a elobe of li^li ami a iil:iiit lo the 

 imkv ones of all visitors and a fine plant 

 to the luckv one ;inioiig those making 

 purchases. The scheme was suci-essful 

 lieyoml their anticipations. 



