JANUARY 17, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



613 



CAHNATION NOTES*— WEST. 



Caxe of Cuttings. 



From now on you will be getting in 

 whatever carnation cuttings you buy this 

 season and a few reminders of how to 

 care for them when they come in will 

 not be amiss. 



First of all we have found it advisable 

 not to allow the express companies to 

 deliver our goods, and, unless they will 

 send them right up to your place, you 

 may find it advisable to do the same 

 when the weather is severe. You can 

 imagine what shape they are likely to 

 be in after being hauled around town in 

 an unheated wagon for a couple of 

 hours in zero weather. Have them call 

 you by phone and then you can send 

 for them at once and take proper pre- 

 caution against the cold. 



If you think the box has been exposed 

 to the cold and frost may have pene- 

 trated the covering, then do not unpack 

 right away, at least not in a warm 

 room. Let the box stand a few hours 

 in about 50 degrees to allow the frost 

 to draw out slowly, and in many cases 

 no harm will be done; whereas, if they 

 were exposed to a warm temperature at 

 once, many would be lost. The sudden 

 change will do more damage than the 

 freezing unless it is severe. 



After unpacking, get them potted as 

 quickly as possible, using the same pots 

 and soil as for your own stock. If any 

 happen to be unrooted or have the roots 

 broken off in packing, then stick all 

 such into your propagating bench. They 

 w$ root better there than in the pots 

 and when you pay a good price, such as 

 you do for all the later introductions, 

 you do not want to lose any of them. 



Lay newspapers over them the first 

 day or two, even if the sun does not 

 shine; it will get them gradually accus- 

 tomed to the light after being packed 

 up tight several days. You will likely 

 have to shade them irom the sun a few 

 y days longer than your own, but shade 

 I Jtaiem only as long as the sun seems to 

 "hurt them. 



The Case for Damages. 



If you receive a batch in poor condi- 

 tion notify the shipper at once. Do 

 not wait until you see how many you 

 will lose. You may be honest enough 

 and you may save all that could be 

 saved, yet at the same time, he is apt 

 to think the loss may have been caused 

 by neglect on your part; whereas, if 

 you notify him at once, he will know 

 that they arrived in bad shape and will 

 not lay the blame at your tioor. It is 

 easier to place the l^ame where it be- 

 longs when the facts are still fresh in 

 his memory, and it will be easier to 

 collect damages from the express com- 

 pany if the case warrants such proceed- 

 ings. 



As to the advisability of asking for 

 damages from the express companies, 

 each case must determine that for itself. 

 But we hold that if a parcel is deliv- 



ered to them in good condition and 

 plainly and conspicuously marked as to 

 its contents and necessity of preserva- 

 tion from frost, etc., and they delay the 

 transit unreasonably, or expose it un- 

 reasonably, then they should be held 

 responsible. Many cases are known 

 where flagrant carelessness was th*e only 

 reason for the damage done and the col- 

 lection of damages is the surest way of 

 getting proper service. 



Of course one must use good judg- 

 ment and be reasonable in all such 

 cases, and be sure you place the blame 

 where it belongs. Faulty packing and 

 failure to make proper allowance for 

 the severity of the weather are some- 

 times the main causes of freezing; but 



pastured for the last eight years and 

 was plowed up last spring. The plants 

 all did well from the beginning and I 

 lost only a few. I useji no bone meal 

 at the time of planting, but I g£\.ve them 

 a dressing of wood ashes about October 

 1 and then thirty pounds of bone meal 

 to 500 square feet of bench about No- 

 vember 1. Then about December 15 I 

 gave them another dressing of wood 

 ashes. They have made a good growth, 

 but the following varieties are making 

 weak stems: Flora Hill, Glacier, Peru, 

 Mrs. E. A. Nelson and Enchantress. I 

 have other varieties which are doing 

 Aveli and all have been treated the same. 

 Lawson, "White Lawson and Flora Hill 

 have been kept at a temperature of 

 about 54 degrees; the others, from 50 

 to 52 degrees. 



Have I overfed them? I have given 

 them all the air possible. I thought the 

 long spell of cloudy weather might have 

 something to do with it. The stems are 

 of good length and the blooms are of 

 fair size. R. M. 



It is rather diliicult to say what may 



George H. Mills. 



(Superintendent of the Toronto Exlilbltlon of the Carnation Society.) 



as a rule the shippers will pack rea- 

 sonably warm. A. F. .1. Baur. 



WEAK-STEMMED CARNATIONS. 



Can you tell me the cause of my car- 

 nations growing weak stems? I benched 

 them about August 25 and they were all 

 good, strong plants. "When I came to 

 fill my benches I found that I did not 

 have enough soil in my compost, so I 

 mixed in several loads of soil, good, 

 clay loam, from a field that had been 



be causing your carnations to come 

 weak-stemmed. As far as you state the 

 facts your treatment has been all right 

 and should result in good stock. Flora 

 Hill and Peru will come rather weak at 

 this time of the year, whatever you do; 

 but the others should hold the bloom up 

 well. Excessive cloudy weather will, of 

 course, cause all kinds of stock to come 

 soft and weak-stemmed unless you han- 

 dle them accordingly. Your tempera- 

 tures are all right and the food you 

 gave them is a!l right, except I would 



