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The Weekly Florists' Review. 



8KPTBMBKB 12, 1907. 



the part of the grower, a study of up-to- 

 date business methods as followed in the 

 building up of other concerns, and a cer- 

 tain portion of time given to that phase 

 of the situation. Where possible, one of 

 the family ought to be trained for busi- 

 ness, as well as for growing stock, and in 

 this way be able to give assistance as the 

 older heads become incapacitated. 



Choice of Location. 



My five years with Harry Dale, and 

 subsequent seven years, have taught me 

 that growers have something else to think 

 of besides producing their wares. In be- 

 ginning a business, there must be first the 

 consideration of situation. I believe that 

 no business of this nature can be estab- 

 lished very distant from a large city with 

 very much hope of attaining any great 

 size, partly because of the l)enefit of the 

 adjoining city trade, but principally be- 

 cause of good railway facilities, which are 

 vital to building up any large greenhouse 

 trade. While Brampton is not a largo 

 town, it is practically in the suburbs of 

 Toronto, having the immediate benefit of 

 all the railways centering in that city. A 

 smaller business may, of course, be made 

 up as an adjunct to any town in the Do- 

 minion, and the business would likely be 

 froportionate to the size of the town, but 

 believe every such business must be 

 owned and have the personal conduct of 

 the proprietor. 



I do not believe any small or medium 

 sized business, say under 50,000 feet of 

 glass, can be managed and made profit- 

 able by a company, with directors, man- 

 ager, and other officers to be paid out of 

 the dividends. 



There can be no question about the de- 

 sirability of possessing the most modern 

 buildings, with the best class of construc- 

 tion, very best quality of glass, frame- 

 work kept well painted, and greenhouses 

 kept scrupulously clean. It is a positive 

 hindrance to the trade and to our business 

 success, and is in my opinion altogether 



inexcusable, to allow greenhouses to get 

 into the condition in which many are 

 found through lack of proper care. 



It is Wise to Specialize. 



So far we have not thought it wise to 

 mix the trade of plants with cut flowers, 

 ours, as is well known, being a cut flower 

 trade exclusively. I think that it is wise 

 to specialize, unless the business can be 

 made so enormous as to specialize in 

 many different departments. That point 

 has not yet been reached in the trade in 

 Canada. 



In connection with our business, which 

 is wholesale exclusively, we have not 

 thought it wise to have a retail store. 

 When I joined the late Harry Dale he 

 had a retail store on Yonge street, To- 

 ronto, and I came to the conclusion that 

 it was hardly fair to the trade, either 

 there or elsewhere, to depart even to this 

 extent from our wholesale feature, and on 

 my solicitation the store was closed. Mr. 

 Dale lived to indorse my view as being 

 absolutely correct, and I have not yet 

 changed my opinion. Furthermore, we 

 have lived up to our professions of selling 

 to the trade only, and not to the public, 

 with this exception, and at rare intervals, 

 that whore a demand for our flowers 

 comes from a locality far distant from 

 any place where our goods are handled by 

 the trade, and there has not been time to 

 direct service elsewhere, rather than dis- 

 appoint we have filled the order. This 

 trade is discouraged, however, is not de- 

 sired, and never given heed to, except 

 where a refusal would carry unnecessary 

 disappointment. The public, however, 

 cannot in any instance obtain goods from 

 us direct in any town or city where our 

 goods arc handled by the trade, and we 

 believe that growers cannot be too par- 

 ticular in this respect. It is a duty to our 

 customers that will pay, as well as make 

 us feel that we are living up to our pro- 

 fessions. 



[To be continued.] 



CARNATION NOTES. -WEST. 



Seasonable Culture. 



Before you begin supj)orting your 

 plants is the proper time to do whatever 

 cleaning off of dead leaves needs to be 

 done. You can get at the plants better 

 and more and better work can be done. 

 This is an operation which requires great 

 care to prevent injury to the plants, 

 and unless you can do it carefully it 

 had better be left undone. We had 

 splendid weather this summer and our 

 plants have few (Jead leaves, so that 

 little cleansing is necessary. 



The best time to do this is when the 

 plants are quite dry. Then tiie leaves 

 will break off readily, while if they are 

 damp they are apt to pull a string of 

 the bark from the stem, causing injury 

 to the plant. Be sure you rembve the 

 dead leaves entirely from the house, as 

 they are apt to have on them the spores 

 of any i>f the loaf-spot diseases and to 



allow them to lie on the damp soil is to 

 start them into activity. 



After cleaning off the plants, dust 

 them with grape-dust or any such prep- 

 aration and stir the soil again before 

 putting on the supports. 



Perhaps in going along you will notice 

 some of the lower leaves partly eaten off 

 along the edges. This is being done by 

 the pests known as wood-lice, sow-bugs 

 or shot-bugs. You will find them mostly 

 along the edge of the beds and they are 

 easily reached by distributing bait along 

 the edge-board. Use sugar and Paris 

 green, or the remedy recommended for 

 cut-worms in the Eevieav a few weeks 

 ago. Do not expect one dose to kill 

 them all, but repeat at the end of a 

 week, and even a third time if deemed 

 necessary. 



If the red and pink varieties are com- 

 ing with white spots on the petals it is 

 a sure sign that thrips are present and 

 you must get right after them. There 

 will be few blooms of value for a few 

 weeks yet, and you can use tobacco dust 

 to good advantage. After blooming com- 



mences you must use only the liquid ex 

 tracts, which will not injure the blooms. 

 Fumigating is not desirable at this time, 

 "because you should not have the ventila- " 

 tors down tight any length of time, even 

 at night4 



Aphides will not appear for some time 

 yet, but if you spray to keep down 

 thrips the aphides will not bother you, 

 as they succumb easier than the thrips. 

 Red spider will not likely appear until 

 hard firing begins, so you can reduce 

 your syringing to a couple of times each 

 week, or less if any of the leaf-spots 

 appear. Keep the soil in good, open 

 condition and give all the air you can 

 both day and night. A. F. J. Bauk. 



STEM-ROT. 



Will you please tell me the cause and 

 remedy of young carnation plants, 

 planted from two to four weeks, simply 

 withering up and dying? Upon examin- 

 ing the plants I find the bark of the 

 stem rotted, decayed and falling off. Not 

 rnany are affected so far, possibly two 

 per cent, but this loss is giving me mucli 

 worry, t did not notice this trouble in 

 the field and the plants are exceptionally 

 fine, thrifty stock. I have followed direc- 

 tions given in the Review as to sprajdng. 

 watering, ventilating, etc. The varieties 

 are Enchantress, White Perfection, three 

 varieties of the Lawson, Craig and Bos 

 ton Market. The plants have all taken 

 hold of the new soil and are making fine 

 growth. Ninety per cent of the loss is 

 among the Enchantress. I had a light 

 lime shade on the glass, which is now 

 practically all off. The plants suffered 

 little from wilting, as we had cool 

 weather at time of housing. E. H. O. 



Your plants are dying off with the 

 common form of stem-rot. This is one 

 of the worst enemies we have to deal 

 with, because not only is it destructive 

 to the plants, but it is di£Scult to combat. 

 Its operations are confined to the stem 

 «f the plant and it is difficult to reach 

 the stems with any remedy you may ap- 

 ply. After you once notice the plant be- 

 gin to wilt, it is too late to do anything 

 to save it, as it is too far gone by that 

 time. 



This is a fungous disease, which re 

 mains practically inactive when kept dry 

 and which delights in a warm, humid at 

 mosphere. That is why you find it so 

 troublesome right after housing the 

 plants. The frequent syringing and the 

 greater heat of the house cause it to 

 spring into activity. Planting too deeply 

 will also bring it on. 



Stir the soil and dust the plants well 

 with slaked lime and sulphur mixed in 

 equal portions, and sprinkle the soil as 

 well with it. Grape dust is also good. 

 These will dry up and kill the fungus 

 wherever they reach it. Run the soil a 

 little on the dry side, too, and give all 

 the vontilation possible. A. F. J. Batjr. 



FAIRY-RING. 



Enclosed are some leaves of carnations. 

 Most of our carnations are turning thic 

 way. Please let us know the cause and 

 what to do for it. The new shoots have 

 leaves that are turning the same way. We 

 arc beginners on this line and do not 

 know the cause of the trouble. We arc 

 picking off all the leaves this way now. 

 but would like to know what else to do. 

 L. & B. 



The sjjots on the leaves of year car- 

 nations are caused bv fairy-ring and that 



