/ 



278 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



June 21, 1906. 



To sum it up, we have first Festiva 

 maxima, second, Grandiflora nivea, an 

 old variety of 1825 — for this is the sec- 

 ond variety which I received and which 

 was awarded the first-class certificate by 

 the Massachusetts Horticultural Society 

 in 190». Third, we have the one sent 

 Thurlow & Son, which I already had as 

 Princess of Wales and James Kelway. 

 Fourth we have the old variety of Duch- 

 esse de Nemours (Calot) which was sent 

 to Mr. Whitman. 



Here are two old and choice varieties 

 taken from France and renamed, and 

 perhaps we will yet find that others 

 been given this name somewhere in 

 Europe. 



I am led to the conclusion that there 

 is no such peony as Lady Alexandra 

 Duff, or Lady A. McDuff, as it was first 

 called. It has been, probably, a renam- 

 ing of an old French variety from the 

 very beginning. E. J. Shaylor. 



Wellesley Hills, Mass. 



BLACX SPOT ON ROSES. 



I have young plants of roses, repotted 

 a few weks ago. They are growing very 

 nicely, but I have noticed that some 

 leaves get one or more dark brown spots 

 on them, causing them to turn yellow 

 and look bad. Will you please advise me 

 how to prevent the spread of the disease! 



A. F. 



This is a case of black spot, and as 

 the stock is yet in pots the condition can 

 be easily remedied. Pick off all affected 

 leaves and burn them; keep the plants 

 rather dry for a week and repot if neces- 

 sary. 



Black spot is usually caused by some 

 condition which brings a sudden check 

 to root action, thus lowering the vitality 

 of the plants, such as overwatering dur- 

 ing cold, damp weather, when evapora- 

 tion is slow. The spots usually appear 

 just before firing is necessary to keep 

 up the temperature, or immediately after 

 firing is dropped in the spring. By judi- 

 cious care in firing, ventilating and 

 watering, these conditions can be avoided 

 and the following remedy will cause the 



disease to disappear after a few applica- 

 tions, even where it has got a good hold: 

 Carbonate of copper, five ounces; am- 

 monia, three quarts; sixty gallons of 

 water; use a nozzle that will make a 

 fine spray and carefully wash both upper 

 and lower sides of the leaf. By re- 

 peating this treatment twice a week the 

 spots will disappear. Bibes. 



BORDEAUX MIXTURE. 



Will you kindly tell me the ingredients 

 and preparations required for making a 

 barrelful of Bordeaux mixture? Is it 

 considered good for thrips on roses, or 

 is there something better? E. B. 



The formula for Bordeaux mixture is 

 as follows: Copper sulphate, two 

 pounds; fresh lime, unslaked, one and 

 one-half pounds; water, twenty gallons. 



Here is the recipe as used at experi- 

 mental stations: Put six gallons of 

 water in a tub or barrel and hang in it 

 four pounds of pulverized copper sul- 

 phate in a burlap or other coarse sack. 

 Take water-slaked lime, adding water 

 only as "fast as it takes it up, and pour 

 together. Before using, dilute to forty 

 gallons. 



Enough lime should be added to neu- 

 tralize the free acid; if this is not done 

 it will injure the foliage. To test this 

 get 5 cents' worth of ferro-cyanide of 

 potassium at a drug store and place in a 

 small bottle of water. Add a few drops 

 of this to the Bordeaux mixture before 

 it is diluted; if it turns it brown the 

 lime is deficient and more should be 

 added until the ferro-cyanide has no 

 effect. A slight excess of lime is gen- 

 erally desirable. 



Bordeaux mixture, from all I can 

 learn, has little effect in destroying 

 thrips. For relief from this pest see last 

 week's issue of the Beview under the 

 heading of "Eoses, " page 216. It 

 gives directions for combatting thrips. 



ElBES. 



TO STIFFEN STEMS. 



Will you please tell me if there is a 

 fertilizer, or anything, which I can put 

 in carnation beds to grow good stiff 

 stems to plants? Would air-slaked lime 

 be an improvement? H. G. F. 



If your soil does not naturally grow 

 strong stems it is likely too light and 

 does not contain enough lime. Perhaps 

 you can find a soil that is heavier, which 

 will grow strong stems and large flowera 



If you can find a natural soil that con- 

 tains these various elements in proper 

 proportion, it is better than any com- 

 bination you may mix. 



I would not add lime to the compost, 

 but would prefer to add it after the 

 benches are filled and planted. Unless 

 you know from experience that this par- 

 ticular batch of soil will not grow strong 

 stems you had better wait and see what 

 kind of growth it will produce. It will 

 not take long to stiffen the stems after 

 you see it is needed. 



Air-slaked lime is good to use for 



The Boston Peony Show — McKissick't Table of Thirty Doublet in Foregfrouod. 



