Deckhbkb 21, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



305 



One of the New Rose Houses of the George Wittbold G)., at Edgebrook, 111. 



in the beds is four-fifths garden loam and 

 one-fifth rotted cow manure. Can you 

 tell me what to do to overcome these 

 troubles? J. T. 



I will need more data before I can tell 

 you why your carnations are weak in 

 stem and not blooming much. If you 

 will answer the following questions I can 

 possibly help you: What varieties are 

 you growing? When were they planted? 

 Have they made much growth since you 

 planted them? Do the plants look 

 healthy and strong? What temperature 

 do you keep the house night and day? 

 Do you open the ventilators nearly every 

 day? 



Your soil ought to be all right if the 

 soil was an average good garden poil and 

 if you mixed in some bone-meal before 

 planting, your plants should not be suf- 

 fering for want of food. Too high ^ 

 temperature will cause the stems to come 

 weak and possibly you have erred along 

 that line, unless your varieties are nat- 

 urally weak stemmed. For most varie- 

 ties 50 to 52 degrees at night, 58 to 60 

 degrees on cloudy days and 65 to 75 on 

 sunny days will be found just about 

 fight. In fact, you can grow any variety 

 m this temperature if the rest of your 

 culture is right. A. F. J. Baur. 



STABLE DRAINAGE, 



I can get all the manure water from a 

 cow stable, which drains into a barrel. 

 How much will I dilute it for feeding 

 carnations and callas? And also, I have 

 saved wood-ashes from old bench lumber 

 and willow trees. Are thev worth saving 

 to be used on carnations?" Is it a good 

 thing to use a little air-slaked lime with 

 them or should thev be used separate? 



I have used on my callas one-third of the 

 liquid out of this drainage barrel of 

 manure water, together with two-thirds 

 water, I have noticed on the roots that 

 they are slightly decayed, just as though 

 they had been over-watered. I thought 

 they could neither be over-watered nor 

 over-fed. They are in 6-inch pots. 

 What do you think is the cause? W. 



i Unless your carnations really need feed- 

 ! ing I would advise against giving them 

 ; any of this liquid for another month. 

 However, you know better than I just 

 i; what shape your plants are in. Feeding 

 with liquid during mid-winter is a deli- 

 cate undertaking and unless you are well 

 experienced I would advise you to let it 

 alone, I do not mean to say that a 

 little judicious feeding will not do some 

 good, but unless you are able to note 

 minutely the eflfect produced on the 

 plants you are apt to overdo it and per- 

 haps ruin your crop before you are 

 aware of it. When you do start, about 

 February 1, if there is a fair amount of 

 : sunshine right along, I would advise 

 diluting it about ten to one and give a 

 good watering with this about every ten 

 ; days or two weeks. By the middle of 

 March you can increase it to six to one 

 and apply once each week. This is of 

 course providing your plants are in good 

 condition to take the food. 



Yes, callas can be over-watered and 

 over-fed. If the drainage is good they 

 will stand lots of water, and food in 

 proportion, but if you will see that the 

 soil is moist and not soggy your calla 

 blooms will be better. It does them no 

 harm to show a little on the dry side oc- 

 casionally, but of course it should not 

 happen too frequently. I would make it 

 about five to one for the callas and give 



it to them once each week and water 

 with clear water between times. Always 

 see that the soil is not too dry before you 

 fjive an application. If necessary touch 

 up the dry ones with clear water first. 

 If applied when the soil is dry it is liable 

 to burn the roots and possibly that is 

 what happened to your plants. This 

 same rule will hold good with your car- 

 nations. A. F. J. Baur. 



OVER-FED. 



I send some blooms of Queen Louise 

 carnation. They are grown in solid beds, 

 a loamy soil containing one-third cow 

 manure well rotted and well mixed. The 

 stock was planted the last week in July 

 and all look healthy, with a good crop 

 on for Christmas, but the trouble with 

 the sample blooms I do not understand. 

 Once a week since October 15 I have 

 given them a top-dressing of bone meal 

 mixed with two parts soil, stirred once a 

 day to prevent heating. I have also 

 treated them twice with air-slaked lime 

 and once with grape dust. The moisture 

 of the soil has been as even as possible. 

 Night temperature 52 to 56 degrees. We 

 have Wolcott in one bed and Enchantress 

 in another, R. j. c. 



I found some thrips in the blooms yo« 

 sent and no doubt these are partly the 

 cause of your trouble. You should lose 

 no time in getting after them. I have a 

 number of times lately advised inquirers 

 as to the use of the nicotine solutiong 

 and would suggest the same to you. 



You are feeding your carnations more 

 than I would deem advisable, unless you 

 make the applications very light. A good 

 dose of bone will last two months as a 

 rule, and during the mid-winter months 

 it will last longer. Feeding during No- 



