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NOTEMBEB 1, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



1537 



VENTILATION. 



My carnations were planted in the 

 beds about September 20, and have been 

 doing well until last week, when the 

 upper half of some of the plants has 

 become distorted, looking as though they 

 were half starved. In carnation houses, 

 after the plants have been established, 

 should I carry a little air all night, pro- 

 viding the temperature is 5 or 10 degrees 

 above zero? C. B. S. 



The specimens you send show two 

 causes for complaint, the one you men- 

 tion and another which is more serious. 

 The latter are traces of carnation leaf- 

 spot, and I would advise you to go after 

 it at once and rid your plants of it be- 

 fore it gets too bad. Pick off all the 

 spotted leaves and handle them as I have 

 suggested in recent answers to inquiries 

 in the Review^. 



The other trouble often appears on 

 certain varities worse than on others, 

 and usually a few weeks after the plants 

 are set in the benches. It seems the se- 

 vere check when the plant is in active 

 growth and the sudden resumption of 

 growth cause <the leaves to hang to- 

 gether. Any severe check is liable to 

 cause it, and especially if it is followed 

 by rather strong food. If the plants are 

 subjected to the ravages of aphis, they 

 will show similar distortion. If you 

 are satisfied that it is not caused by the 

 latter, then I would advise you to handle 

 them so that the growth will be moderate 

 for a few weeks, and I think they will 

 grow out of it. Keep a little on the dry 

 side, and withhold any kind of sitmulant. 

 Keep the surface of the soil stirred and 

 give plenty of ventilation. Kun a little 

 fire heat at night whenever possible, and 

 a crack of airmen. "When the roots get 

 to working freely this trouble will dis- 

 appear. 



It is not necessary to go to such ex- 

 tremes as you suggest in this matter of 

 carrying ventilation on your carnation 

 houses. To carry two inches of air when 

 the temperature is 10 degrees above zero 

 would entail a great waste of fuel, and 

 would be utter folly. Our plan is to 

 run a flow and return in a 20-foot house, 

 and an inch or two of ventilation. When- 

 ever the temperature outside drops low 

 enough, so that more heat is needed, then 

 we close the ventilators, and, if neces- 

 sary, turn on more pipes as they are 

 needed. If the nights are cold, so that 

 hard firing is needed, then we keep the 

 ventilators closed and try to run a little 

 air during the day whenever it is possi- 

 ble, if it is only an hour or two in case 

 of cold, cloudy days. 



You will find that in cold weather the 

 pressure from the outside is sufficient to 

 cause a change in the atmosphere very 

 quickly when the ventilators are opened 

 a trifle. Also that the warm air will 

 escape through the numerous small 

 cracks, and draw in fresh air as it goes 

 out, sufficiently to keep the atmosphere 

 in good condition for some time, with- 

 out opening the ventilators. You will 



find that the tighter the house is built, 

 the more ventilation will be required, 

 outside of keeping the temperature down 

 on bright days, and the milder the weath- 

 er the more ventilation is needed to keep 

 the atmosphere fresh in the house. 



A. F. J. B. 



DORNERS' NOVELTIES. 



The trade has grown to expect at least 

 one new carnation a year from the F. 

 Dorner & Sons Co., Lafayette, and sel- 

 dom is disappointed. This year, for good 

 measure, they have two new sorts for 

 dissemination next January. One is red. 

 Red Chief, and the Dorners esteem it 

 as one of the best of the many good 

 sorts they have sent out. They say that 

 last year their house of that variety gave 

 a splendid cut and during Christmas 

 week produced two to one as compared 

 to Crane, and four to one as compared 

 to Cardinal. The flowers are full, 

 rounded and average three inches. Calyx 

 is non-bursting and stem long and wiry. 

 It is a good keeper and holds its color. 

 It is an easy grower. 



Bonnie Maid is a fancy, similar in 

 general appearance to Prosperity but 

 better described as edged wMte shaded 

 to pink center. It is said to be early 

 and free, though not so large as Pros- 



perity, which latter has about dropped 

 out of cultivation because of its lack of 

 freedom. 



Both these varieties will be seen at the 

 more important fall shows and will be 

 examined with interest. 



SUPPORTS FOR CARNATIONS. 



Will you advise me whether I should 

 have one or two strands of wire between 

 my carnation plants? They are only ten 

 inches apart across the bench. J. M. 



We run only one wire between the 

 rows of plants lengthwise of our carna- 

 tion beds. Most plants will need the 

 full ten inches of space by midseason. 

 The twelve inches between the rows 

 across the beds allows you to run two 

 strings across between the rows, and 

 when these strings are three inches apart 

 it leaves a good space between the plants 

 for circulation of air. This we consider 

 sufficient. But by all means run two 

 strings crossways between the rows; that 

 is essential. A. F. J. B. 



AMERICAN CARNATION SOCIETY. 



Malachi Tieney, gardener to Robert 

 Hartshorne, Highlands, N. J., registers 

 Carnation Mrs. Robert Hartshorne, a 

 cross between Gen. Maceo and Mrs. T. W. 

 I^wson; color bright scarlet, size three 

 to three and one-half inches, with a 

 good, strong calyx that does not burst 

 and on strong, stiff stems two to three 

 feet long. An exceptional keeper, flow- 

 ers having kept fresh from twelve to 

 fifteen days, and has a strong clove odor. 

 A good, clean grower, producing an 

 abundance of bloom. 



Albert M. Here, Sec'y. 



ANTHRACNOSE. 



We send you some of our rose plants, 

 which we ask you to examine carefully, 

 and tell us what is the matter. They 

 were planted in June, were nice healthy 

 plants and have had the best of attention 

 by our florist, who has grown roses for 

 years. We never have had trouble of 

 this nature before. We have given them 

 a light sprinkle of lime, and one of to- 

 bacco ashes. Most of our plants are 

 looking well ; but, here and there, we find 

 plants affected as these are. L. L. B. 



This specimen is infested with the 

 fungus known as anthracnose, an insidi- 

 ous trouble, hard to eradicate and in- 

 fectious. 



The indications of its presence are, 

 the tops of the shoots begin to wither 



within a few inches of the top, and con- 

 tinue to die downward, while the stem 

 will continue to send out nice, healthy 

 growths, which in time are attacked in 

 the same manner. This disease, if not 

 engendered by close, moist, and stagnant 

 atmosphere, is certainly fostered by 

 these conditions, which should be avoided. 



Cut out all affected wood, and burn it. 

 Keep all ripe and decaying leaves off 

 the branches. Keep walks and ground 

 under benches clear of weeds, and de- 

 caying vegetable matter, and spray the 

 house twice a week with the carbonate 

 of copper mixture (Cupram), applying 

 this during bright weather, and using a 

 nozzle that makes a fine spray. 



Keep the temperature 56 degrees at 

 night, with enough ventilation on to keep 

 the air in- circulation, being particularly 

 careful not to water during cloudy or 

 muggy weather. 



While the plants are in this condition, 

 do not attempt to mulch or apply liquid 

 feeding, as this only makes the trouble 

 worse. RlBES. 



