

J-Trffl'-'' 



NOVEMBEB 15, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



1717 



In these notes, I am quoting the ex- 

 perience of one of our oldest and big- 

 1 gest English growers, who is now pass- 

 ing through his thirty-second year and 

 annually blooms some three and a. half 

 million crowns, coupled with my own ex- 

 perience, which is gathered from hav- 

 ing represented in the United Kingdom 

 and other parts of the world one of the 

 largest German exporters, and I annual- 

 ly sell for my firm four millions or more 



crowns. By this I think the foregoing 

 notes may be considered about correct, 

 although from my own experience I 

 imagine they will differ materially from 

 the experience of many American grow- 

 ers. In valley growing, no hard and 

 fast rule can be laid down, as so much 

 depends on the methods of culture, and 

 where one makes a success another un- 

 der similar circumstances makes a fail- 

 ure. H. Ambupger. 



CARNATION NOTES.-EAST. 



Winter Preparations. 



A little forethought and provision 

 now, before cold weather sets in, will 

 greatly facilitate operations later, when 

 the rush is on. Soil will be needed in 

 which to pot young stock. For this pur- 

 pose there is nothing better than well 

 decomposed sod without addition of ma- 

 nure or fertilizer of any kind. Secure 

 a liberal supply and place where it will 

 be of easy access. There is no need to 

 take up valuable room in a building, but 

 locate the pile in the open, where water 

 will not collect. Build the heap in coni- 

 cal form, cover with leaves, straw or 

 hay to partially exclude frost, and finish 

 with old boards to shed rain and hold 

 the undercovering. 



The propagating bench may need over- 

 hauling, or perhaps a new one is to be 

 built. In any event, now is a good time 

 to put this end of the business in run- 

 ning order. 



Cleanliness is of supreme importance 

 in everything connected with propaga- 

 tion. Whitewash and elbow-grease will 

 accomplish wonders in this direction. 



Continued use of the brick-bottomed 

 bench leads me to renew my recommen- 

 dation of its employment in propagat- 

 ing. It is admitted that the ordinary 

 board bottom will answer, but why not 

 have something better? The best is none 

 too good. 



Give the matter of sand for the cut- 

 ting bench due attention. Make sure the 

 supply is free from foreign matter and 

 store where it will be free from con- 

 tamination, like the soil, outside with it. 



I never could accept the theory that 

 stem-rot obtained its start or owed its 

 existence to certain conditions in the 

 cutting bench, and for that, reason have 

 not advocated sterilization of the sand as 

 a profitable operation. Unlike the cook- 

 ing of soil, no harm will result, but in 

 eliminating any objectionable matter or 

 guarding against any undesirable condi- 

 tion, we have followed perhaps more 

 primitive but less expensive methods, 

 without cause for regret. 



Mention of the above in passing is 

 made in connection with the advice to 

 store propagating sand outside. This 

 subject and that of the brick-bottomed 

 bench will be taken up later. 



General Notes. 



Any stock that is not at this time 

 growing vigorously can hardly be expect- 

 ed to pay its keep this season. This 



may be the case with some new sort 

 being tried this year for the first time. 

 There are many things a recently intro- 

 duced variety has to contend with, that 

 need not influence it when under your 

 care from start to finish. Do not judge 

 too hastily. Give the best of care, with 

 the view of obtaining vigor in order that 

 the plants may furnish strong cuttings 

 at propagating time. 



I do not advise rooting cuttings this 

 early, if for no other reason than that 

 the parent stock is not as yet mature. 

 As a rule, when the shortest days are 

 past is time enough, there being, of 

 course, the usual exceptions. 



In disbudding, the cuttings at the base 

 of the stem otherwise left to furnish 

 cuttings can at this time be removed with 

 advantage. Geo. S. Osborn. 



MAKING A BEGINNING. 



I have a house 38x80 planted to let- 

 tuce that I want to use for carnations 

 next year. It will be ready for plant- 

 ing about May 20. When would you 

 plant? What varieties would be best in 

 the several colors? I want varieties 

 that •will produce. The house has solid 

 beds. M. W. W. 



If your house is built so that you 

 have plenty of ventilation and you can 

 get it ready to plant by May 20, I would 

 advise you to plant it at that time from 

 pots. By getting your cuttings in good 

 time you can get them into 3-inch pots 

 by planting time and ought to have 

 splendid stock by fall. 



As to varieties, you must Jearn I-'-'- 

 from experience what you will be able to 

 handle best and what your trade wants. 

 I would advise you to plant several 

 varieties in each color this year and then 

 select for another season what seem de- 

 sirable. In white Lady Bountiful, The 

 Belle, Queen, Vesper and White Perfec- 

 tion, all are splendid varieties and prof- 

 itable. In light pink. Enchantress seems 

 to succeed almost everysshere, other 

 varieties in that color being overshad- 

 owed by its fine size and good habits. 

 In dark pink Mrs. Thos. Lawson is the 

 most grown. Helen Goddard and Can- 

 dace are being looked to by many to 

 give relief from the worries that go with 

 growing liawson. Bose-pink Enchan- 

 tress will be as good as a medium pink 

 as Enchantress is in its color. In red we 

 grow G. H. Crane and Flambeau. Bobt. 

 Craig, Victory and J. E. Haines all are 

 promising, and it might pay you to try 

 some of them. In crimson, Harlowarden 

 and H. Fenn are the leaders. In varie- 



gated, Mrs. Patten and Variegated 

 Lawson lead. 



There are many other splendid varie- 

 ties, not so well known. Some of them 

 are fully as profitable and some of tnem 

 might suit you the finest kind. So while 

 I can name over to you the varieties 

 that are most generally grown, it is for 

 you to find out which are the ones that 

 will best succeed under your local condi- 

 tions and which are best suited to your 

 purpose. If you mean to dispose of 

 your blooms at retail locally, then 1 

 would advise you to grow a wide range 

 of colors and to plant white, light pink 

 and bright pink in equal quantities and 

 to divide the other fourth between sear- 

 let, crimson and variegated. You will 

 soon learn your needs along that line, 

 too, from experience. A. F. J. B. 



RUST. 



We enclose some leaves from our car- 

 nation plants covered in places with a 

 blister-like breaking out and a black, 

 smut-like substance. The Adonis are 

 troubled most, but an occasional leaf 

 like these is found on other varieties. 

 The health of the plants so far does not 

 seem to be injured, but we should like 

 to know what it is, if there is danger of 

 it hurting the plants, and if so what to 

 do for it. We noticed a few leaves like 

 this last year, but it got no worse. 



G. P. K. 



The leaves you sent were badly af- 

 fected with the common carnation rust. 

 While we do not fear this disease these 

 days, as we did a few years ago when 

 we did not know how to handle it, yet it 

 is not a desirable thing to have on one's 

 place. Some varieties are subject to it, 

 while others arQ seldom attacked, but all 

 are more or less liable to contract it. 

 Adonis has always been a special favor- 

 ite of this disease. 



Bust, like many other diseases, re- 

 quires moisture to be active and will re- 

 main inactive when kept quite dry. It 

 also will attack plants when they are 

 weakened through a check of some kind, 

 or when growth is less vigorous than 

 usual. Pick off what leaves are affected 

 and burn them. Then dust, the plants 

 with dry-slaked lime and^ sulphur in 

 equal portions and do not syringe for 

 several days. After syringing dust them 

 again, and keep this up until the plants 

 are clean. The idea is to keep the foli- 

 age and the atmosphere as dry as is 

 possible, keeping an eye open, however, 

 for red spider, etc. A. F. J. B. 



THRIPS. 



Please state what causes the carna- 

 tion buds to rot on the inside before the 

 flower opens. P. K. 



The most frequent cause of carnation 

 buds rotting instead of unfolding is 

 thrips. They get into the bud before 

 the petals begin to unfold and by punc- 

 turing them here and there cause shriv- 

 eling instead of development. In time 

 moisture gathers inside the calyx and 

 causes the tissue to decay. If you will 

 examine closely you will find that it is 

 not really a bud that is rotting. While 

 in the bud state, if development is nor- 

 mal, moisture will seldom cause decay. 

 The crippled petals will develop as much 

 as the injury will allow, and then de- 

 cay, but not until practically the bloom 

 has developed. 



To find this pest take off a bud that 

 is in the earliest stages, an old, rotted 



