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HKftK^UiAi 11', J DOT. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



is brought on by the Hani« conditions that 

 bring on all tho loaf-spots and kindred 

 <li8ea8e8. Too inm-h rain or a hot spell 

 right after a iieavy rain is most fre- 

 ijuently the cause. Bonietinies it does not 

 appear tintil the plants are benched, in 

 which case it is caused by too much heat 

 and too much syringing. Picking oflf the 

 affected leaves is the proper thing to do, 

 and after you have them picked clean 

 dust the plants with grape-dust or with 

 lime and sulphur mixed in equal jiropor- 

 tions. Bordeaux mixture is also one of 

 the best remedies. Stoj) syringing just as 

 soon as practical and water only at the 

 roots until you have the disease checked. 

 A little fire heat on cool nights with the 

 ventilators open and a pipe painted with 

 sulphur and lime will be found a great 

 help. A. F. J. B.\UR. 



AMERICAN CARNATION SOCIETY. 



For the meeting and exhibition in 

 Washington, D. C, January 28 to 31, 



1908, the Henry F. Michell Co., Philadel- 

 phia, offers a silver vase valued at $40 

 for the best 100 blooms of carnations in 

 four varieties, twenty-five blooms to a 

 vase and open to private gardeners only. 

 Albert M. Herr, Sec'y. 



EXTERMINATING SNAILS. 



My greenhouses are full of snails, 

 from two to four inches long. They live 

 in solid beds and at night come out to 

 feed. What shall I do to get rid of 

 them? A. V.B. 



Snails, if in such numbers as you men- 

 tion, will do much damage to any plants 

 for which they have a liking. Air-slaked 

 lime dusted over the surface of the soil 

 will kill all which crawl over it. Scatter 

 it on the beds the last thing in the eve- 

 ning, when the surface is moderately 

 dry. It is of little value when damp. 

 Many can be trapped by laying lettuce 

 and cabbage leaves at intervals over the 

 beds and searching these at intervals. 



If you have a bad plague of these 

 pests and heroic measures are necessary, 

 purchase a bottle of carbon bisulphide, 

 with a pointed stick make holes at in- 

 tervals of twelve to twenty-four inches 

 apart each way, and allow a few drops of 

 the liquid to go in each hole, covering 

 it up immediately. Go over your beds 

 in this way and you will clean out not 

 only snails but any other pests in the 

 soil. 



Carbon bisulphide is poisonous and is 

 explosive, so do not light any matches 

 while using it or results may be disas- 

 trous to yourself. It is best used .when 

 the soil is quite damp, the fumes then 

 penetrating farther. It will not injure 

 the plants in the least. If you have the 

 facilities, sterilize your soil before plant- 

 ing the houses for another season. It 

 will not only help you keep clear of 

 snails, but will free your soil of all weed 

 and fungous growths, and insects, and 

 will cost yon little. C. W. , 



SEASONABLE CULTURE. 



The days are rapidly getting shorter and 

 the summer sun is decreasing in power. 

 This, with the heavy growth now on the 

 benches, means that much less syringing 

 is necessary than was the case a month 

 ago. Excepting on clear, bright days the 

 plant* should not be sj)rayed at all, and 

 they should never be sprayed so late in 

 the day that they are not perfectly dry 

 by nightfall. 



Just now is when the different forms 

 of leaf -spot (Septoria), rust and kindred 

 (liseases get their foothold if the plants 

 are indiscriminately watered and syr- 

 inged. The beds will not dry out as 

 evenly as they did, because the sun can- 

 not penetrate to the center of the bench, 

 and it will often be found that the 

 benches need water along the sides when 

 the middle is moist enough. 



As the stem begins to ' * bark up, * ' that 

 is to say, as it ripens, the bottom leaves 

 of the plant will gradually turn yellow 

 and decay. This is in no sense of the 

 word a disease, but merely a natural 

 process by which, as the stem gets hard, 

 the supply of nourishment to these leaves 

 is gradually withheld. They can be re- 

 moved and the plants will be better with- 

 I'ut them, as it gives the soil a better 

 ihance to dry out. 



The earliest varieties are showing color 

 and, as they develop, the feeding should 

 be discontinued. It is generally neces- 

 sary to shade the earliest flowers and 

 this should be done without shading the 

 crop generally, because just at present 

 the main crop is in need ef all the sun 

 [lossible to ripen the growth. 



All buds should be taken now as they 

 appear. There is no longer any question 

 of early or late crowns. Any bud in 

 "ight is safe to take and it is wonderful 



at this time how quickly they show up. 

 Plants should be gone over every day, 

 in the early morning, and all buds taken 

 that show. After the cool night, the 

 superfluous shoots and buds break out 

 much more quickly than they do in the 

 middle of the day, when the sun tough- 

 ens up the growth a^ain. 



Charles H. Tottv. 



TAKING THE BUD. 



What is meant by the following expres- 

 sions used in catalogues in connection 

 with the culture of mums: "Take the 

 bud August 25 to September 1," "sec- 

 ond crown bud, " " use early crown ' ' ? 



W. N. T. 



By saying, "Take the bud August 25 

 to September 1, " we mean that it is per- 

 fectly safe to take the first bud that 

 shows after August 25, while buds taken 

 before that date will not give flowers of 

 such good quality. I would rather give a 

 date that way, as it is so much simpler 

 than to say, "Take a first or second 

 crown bud." The terms "first crown," 

 "second crown," etc., are misleading, 

 because early rooted stock will produce a 

 first crown bud in May, a time when most 

 commercial growers are only just propa- 

 gating their stock. Plants rooted in Feb- 

 ruary and grown right along will often 

 produce four or five buds before one 

 comes late enough .to be taken, and in 

 such eases the term "first or second 

 crown ' ' is useless. The term comes to us 

 from England, where the growers time 

 their blooms, and that, too, with wonder- 

 ful regularity. Here conditions are very 

 different climatically and the same 

 method of culture cannot be followed 

 with any degree of success. 



By giving a date after which it is 



safe to take buds, one not thoroughlj 

 at home in mums is relieved of a lot of 

 worry, and crowns and terminals need 

 not enter into his calculations at- all. 



I presume W. N. T. is aware that 

 when we say ' ' taking a bud ' ' we literally 

 mean leaving it, rubbing off the side 

 shoots or buds and retaining the central 

 bud; that is what is meant by taking 

 buds. C. H. T. 



NIGHT SOIL. 



We think of using some night soil on 

 our mums and would like to have some 

 pointers on how much to use to a barrel 

 of water for applying in a liquid state. 

 Would a pail of night soil to a barrel 

 of water be too strong? J. A. K. - 



Niglit soil may be used on chrysanthe- 

 nmms and other stock, but in its raw 

 state it is decidedly objectionable. The 

 odor, which is not exactly that of 

 ' ' Araby the blest, ' ' will hang around the 

 place for weeks, and this one fact pre- 

 vents its use in any establishment hav- 

 ing any pretensions to being sanitary or 

 progressive. There is a preparation on 

 the market called Clay 's fertilizer, which, 

 it is claimed, is sewage matter, dried and 

 pulverized, and which gives splendid re- 

 sults. Far better use this than become 

 ' ' a stench in the nostrils of men. ' ' 



The chief element of virtue in night 

 soil is, of course, the nitrogen. This can 

 be obtained from sulphate of ammonia, 

 nitrate of potash, nitrate of .soda, or from 

 the excrement of cows or sheep, in a far 

 more cleanly manner, and so far as I ca« 

 see is equally beneficial. To any reader 

 intending to feed with night soil I would 

 say, Don't! C. H. Totty. 



