30 



The Weekly Florists* Review, 



NOVBiMBER 14, 1907. 



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CAHNATION NOTES.-EAST. ♦ 



Disbudding. 



Several years ago, when carnations 

 were grown for quantity rather than 

 quality, it was frequently the practice 

 to remove the main bud and allow the 

 side ones to develop, thus obtaining 

 from three to five small, short-stemmed 

 blooms on each flower shoot. 



As the purpose for which they were 

 intended did not require long stems, 

 this method answered very well, but un- 

 der present day demands we must not 

 only produce long stems but stiff ones 

 and blooms large enough to sit up and 

 be noticed; so the plan now is to en- 

 courage growth of the main bud. 



Advantages. 



Of the latter method we shall treat 

 here as having advantages over the cus- 

 tom of not disbudding at all or doing it 

 on the tri-weekly (t) plan — working at 

 it one week and trying to the next. The 

 term disbudding, as understood among 

 growers, includes the removal of surplus 

 side shoots as well as buds, and aside 

 from tending to increase size of bloom 

 and the length and rigidity of stem, the 

 timely removal of such growths con- 

 serves the plant's energies. You wUl 

 •take particular note of the word timely, 

 as used above, for the longer the opera- 

 tion is delayed after the growths can 

 be easily caught hold of, the more plant 

 tissue must be disposed of, with pro- 

 portionate waste of energy. 



Although this waste may not be no- 

 ticeable, you will be sure to observe a 

 more important condition — no increase 

 in size of bloom' if this delay is carried 

 to the point where the main bud is about 

 to show color, and, in fact, the whole 

 object of the operation is defeated. 



It may be that similar circumstances 

 exist with those growers who are rather 

 lukewarm on the merits of disbudding. 



Rash or Severe Disbudding. 



Beginners, in their determination to 

 leave no stone unturned in their efforts 

 to secure }arge blooms, sometimes begin 

 operations too soon, causing' injury to 

 leaves. Or perhaps they remove the bud 

 close under the main one, before it is 

 sufliciently advanced to come away with- 

 out wounding the stem, resulting in the 

 bloom turning at an angle. 



Make it a point to go over the beds 

 weekly, thereby keeping up with the 

 work. 



Let no one influence you to discon- 

 tinue the operation, taking refuge under 

 the excuse that people will not pay more 

 than a certain price anyway; they cer- 

 tainly will not if given no opportunity 

 and if you persist in growing to meet 

 that price. Geo. S. Osborn. 



WORMS ON CARNATION BUDS. 



Enclosed you will flnd some carnation 

 buds. Can you tell me what is eating 

 them? Its work seems to be done mostly 



at night, as I have been unable to de- 

 tect what it is. D. L. V. 



If you will look closely you will find 

 that a worm is eating your carnation 

 buds. There are several varieties of these 

 and all of them do most of their feeding 

 at night. Some of them are of a light 

 green color and are not easily distin- 

 guished from the carnation foliage, while 

 others are of various shades of light 

 brown. Look over your plants at every 

 opportunity and destroy all you can by 

 hand. Mix up some of the bran, molasses 

 and Paris green preparation, as was rec- 

 ommended in the Eeview some weeks 

 ago. You will find it as effective as any 

 thing you can do. A. F. J. B. 



STIGMONOSE ON CARNATIONS. 



Please tell me what is the matter with 

 the enclosed carnation slips and what to 

 do for them. They have had plenty of 

 air. C. A. M. 



The spots on the carnation growth you 

 sent are caused by the disease called 

 stigmonose. We treated this subject at 

 considerable length in an article in the 

 Review of October 3, page 9, and in it 

 you will find all the information I can 

 give you. Careful selection of cuttings, 

 careful watering, feeding and ventilating 

 will do all you can do to rid your stock 

 of it. It will require several years of 

 time and you will have to determine for 

 yourself whether it will pay you to nurse 

 that variety out of it. A. F. J. B. 



RED SPIDER ON ARAUCARIAS. 



Enclosed you will find a piece of Nor- 

 folk Island pine. We never had any 



trouble with plants of this sort until 

 lately, when a lady told us her pine was 

 dying. We brought it to the green- 

 houses, repotted it and put it with ours, 

 and every leaf that touched ours started 

 them to turn yellow and die. D. L. V. 



The cause of the trouble with the 

 araucaria is a severe attack of red 

 spider, the specimen forwarded having 

 been severely pjinished by these pests. 

 Strong spraying with either pure water, 

 or a solution of Ivory soap or of whale 

 oil soap, should soon dispose of these 

 insects. 



This pest is encouraged on arauearias 

 by lack of syringing and too high tem- 

 perature, these plants enjoying a moist 

 atmosphere and a temperature of 50 de- 

 grees at night W. H. Taplin. 



RHODODENDRONS FOR XMAS. 



I have a few rhododendrons recently 

 imported from Belgium. Could they be 

 gotten into bloom for Christmas? 



J. E. 



While such varieties as Cunningham's 

 White are sometimes forced for Christ- 

 mas, I hardly think it will pay you to 

 try to force the newly arrived Belgian 

 plants for that holiday. Better hold 

 them for Easter, when they will sell bet- 

 ter. In forcing them, treat similarly to 

 azaleas. C. W. 



THE READERS' CORNER. 



Pansies in a Cold House. 



The advice given by C. W. to H, E. B. 

 in the Review of October 31, page 7, is 

 good only if the winter is warm enough 

 to thaw the beds out two or three times 

 and thus permit copious watering. If 

 the beds are frozen solid for even a 

 month, they will become so thoroughly 

 dry that the pansies must die. 'ftiey 

 must have moisture, and frost will make 

 the beds dust-dry if severe. As I lost 

 a fine lot of pansies that way four years 

 ago, I paid for my knowledge. M. P. 



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ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENTS. 



The Debutante Bunch. 



This week's illustration, of the series 

 now appearing showing the work of 

 Charles Henry Fox, appears upon the 

 cover. It is a debutante bunch sent out 

 at this season last year, from the Sign 

 of the Rose, Philadelphia. It is a com- 

 bination of Bonnaflfon chrysanthemums 

 with autumn foliage, and the arrange- 

 ment displays the highest class of work 

 by the floral artist. 



THE ELKS' WREATH. 



The accompanying illustration, and the 

 purpose for which the design is used, 

 suggests an idea which can be employed 

 with profit by a great many retail 

 florists, and especially by those who are 



what are technically known as "join- 

 ers. ' ' 



This illustration is from a photograph 

 of the design used by Lodge Number 474 

 of the Benevolent and Patriotic Order 

 of Elks, located at Auburn, N. Y. When- 

 ever an Elk is buried the lodge sends 

 this design and it has come to be recog- 

 nized in the town as the funeral em- 

 blem of the order. This was made by 

 E. H. Dobbs, of Dobbs & Son, who is 

 a patriotic member of the order. 



It is the practice in many lodges to 

 send flowers to the funerals of deceased 

 members, but in the majority of cases 

 the pieces vary as do the whims of the 

 moment, in some cases the observance 

 being overlooked altogether. The florist 

 member usually can secure the adoption 

 of some standard piece, with instruc- 

 tions that it be sent in every case where 

 there is a death in the lodge. 



