M 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



May 21, 1908. 



importers at the end of July or the first 

 part of August. The long rest the bulbs 

 have until they can be potted is decided- 

 ly in their favor. The Formosa lilies 

 should not be forced as hard as Harrisii, 

 otherwise they grow too tall. 



TEMPERATURE f6r GREENS. 



This is to settle a dispute on the tem- 

 perature for growing smilax and As- 

 paragus plumosus. Can these be grown 

 in a solid bench in a greenhouse where 

 the temperature in the winter is some- 



times 48 degrees for two or three weeks 

 at a time and never over 52 degrees 

 in the winter? What ie the proper tem- 

 perature to grow them in ? G. K. 



Asparagus plumosus and smilax can 

 be grown in a solid bed at the tem- 

 perature mentioned by G. K. However^ 

 this is decidedly too cool to obtain best 

 results. Our experience tells us that 

 these greens thrive best in a night tem- 

 perature of 58 to 60 degrees, allowing 

 it to run up to 70 degrees in the day- 

 time. • \lbert F. Amlinq. 



THE PLANTING SEASON. 



Operation Must Not Be Delayed. 



As the planting season approaches, we 

 should see that everything is in order so 

 that no time may be lost between throw- 

 ' ing out the old stock and replanting with 

 ^- the new. Every day lost at this opera- 

 tion means a shortening of the growing 

 season, and the growing period given to 

 roses, as at present practiced, is short 

 enough, usually dating from sometime 

 in June up till October, when the young 

 bushes are supposed to be able' to bear a 

 crop. This is a brief time in which to 

 develop a good, thrifty bush. Rose grow- 

 ers are every year realizing the fact that 

 houses which are planted in May or early 

 in June produce the heaviest crops and 

 that the cut is superior in quality to 

 that from stock planted later. Where a 

 system of record-keeping is practiced, 

 this statement is easily verified. 



Accompanying the actual work of emp- 

 tying and refilling the benches there is 

 aJways the more or less disagreeable and 

 tardy work of repairing the benches. 

 This work is always rather disagreeable 

 to the ordinary greenhouse man, as he is 

 not accustomed to it. It is- tardy be- 

 cause, when we begin repairing, there is 

 usually a good deal more to be done than 

 is apparent at first sight ; in fact, it 

 ' often takes longer to repair an old bench 

 than to build a new one. 



Having all materials at hand and 

 tools in good repair will make the work 

 more pleasant and satisfactory. 



The old fashion of expecting the or- 

 dinary help to complete the work of 

 .:. . emptying and refilling is happily disap- 

 pearing. The work of the greenhouse 

 during the rest of the season unfits the 

 ordinary help for this class of labor and, 

 indeed, without calling on them for ex- 

 tra time it is impossible for them under 

 such coiiditions to attend properly to 

 their ordinary duties, and extra time 

 during hot weather, and especially under 



'i, ■■f■^ ■■V*-,'- 

 ' ' . it., 



glass, is enervating and no doubt tends 

 to keep many a bright and capable man 

 from devoting his life to the study of 

 the "genteel craft." 



Progressive employers nowadays are 

 fully alive to the fact that it is more 

 profitable to engage suflScient extra help 

 to perform the heaviest part of the work 

 and to have it done as expeditiously as 

 possible and that the ordinary man can 

 tire his muscles and brain sufficiently in 

 a 10-hour day. Ribes. 



RED SPIDER ON ROSES. 



What is the trouble with the enclosed 

 rose leaves, and the remedy? Only the 

 foliage is affected. 



J. S. M. 



The trouble is red spider, and in 

 plenty. The remedy is syringing at 

 every favorable opportunity, with a 

 pressure of at least forty pounds to 

 the square inch. 



The branches and leaves show a weak 

 growth. This may be due to the weak- 

 ening effects of the ravages of this pest, 

 but may also be due to want of ventila- 

 tion. 



Give plenty of air, lots of- water and 

 keep the syringe going. See that the 

 under sides are thoroughly washed, as it 

 is there where these insects congregate. 



ElBES. 



THRIPS ON BEAUTIES. 



I am sending you by mail a small box 

 containing seven buds of American Beau- 

 ties. Nearly all my Beauties are form- 

 ing buds like the sample I am sending 

 you. I waited a little while, thinking 

 the warmer spring weather would im- 

 prove them. It may be that they have 

 done a little better, but the buds are 

 still very imperfect and are worthless 

 for flowers. Will you kindly advise me 

 what the trouble with them is, and how 

 to remedy it? W. L. 



These Beauty buds are badly infested 

 with thrips, and so long as they are in 

 the house you may expect a large propor- 

 tion of the buds to be spoiled. As thrips 

 love the heat, there is little probability 

 of their decrease unless remedial meas- 

 ures are applied. 



Light and persistent fumigation with 



tobacco fumes, applied late at night or 

 early in the morning, will lessen their 

 numbers. This fumigating, however, has 

 a tendency to bleach the outer petals, 

 making them unmarketable. 



Fresh Cayenne pepper, applied in the 

 following manner, if persisted in, will 

 also subdue them. Heat some bricks or 

 iron plates, and place through the house. 

 Then start at the end farthest from the 

 door and put a tablespoonful of the 

 pepper on each brick or plate, and leave 

 the house quickly, as the fumes are very 

 irritating and even dangerous. Keep 

 the ventilators closed for an hour. 



Syringing occasionally with kerosene 

 emulsion has also a deterrent effect. 



As a preventive, keep all weeds and 

 decaying matter well away from the out- 

 side of the houses, and keep the paths, 

 as well as the ground under the benches 

 and on the benches, scrupulously clean. 

 This is a pest which requires time, pa- 

 tience and persistence to eradicate. 



Rises. 



THE READERS' CORNER. 



Qeosote in Greenhottses. 



I note in the Review of May 14 the 

 remarks of Thomas H. White with re- 

 gard to concrete slabs for bench bottoms. 

 He concludes: "1 should think it would 

 pay to use the slabs even if wood sup- 

 ports were used, as the supports could 

 be treated with some of the creosote 

 preparations and would last a good many 

 years. It is the bottom boards that need 

 so much renewal." 



I am specially interested in the refer- 

 ence to creosote, for I always have sup- 

 posed that creosote, while a good pre- 

 servative of wood, was injurious to plant 

 life and that it could not safely be 

 used about a greenhouse. I should like 

 to hear, through the Review, from those 

 whose experience gives them definite in- 

 formation on this subject. If there is 

 any wood preservative that can be safely 

 used, I think we all want to know about 

 it. K. L M. 



White Fly. 



I have noted in the Review several 

 methods of fighting the white fly. I use 

 and recommend the burning of damp 

 tobacco stems, fumigating every other 

 night for three fumigations. The first 

 time add half a teaspoonful of sulphur 

 for a house 20x100; for the second fu-. 

 migation use two-thirds of a teaspoonful 

 of the sulphur, and the third time use 

 a whole teaspoonful. Using this every 

 other night, it will not hurt the stock 

 and is sure to kill the white fly. 



Henry Barton. 



Wheeling, W. Va. — John Beck has do- 

 natedv the stock and planting of several 

 beds-Hbn the hospital grounds. 



Whitinsville, Mass. — Plans have 

 been completed for the construction of 

 new iron-frame greenhouses at the Pine 

 Grove Conservatories, to take the place 

 of the old wooden houses. 



Brockton, Mass. — Herman Batchel- 

 der, of the James Edgar Co., had charge 

 of the decorations in the town hall of 

 Stoughton, Mass., May 8, when the an- 

 nual May party of the St. Mary's Wo- 

 man's T. A. S. was held there. 



Keene, N. H.r- William M. Foley's 

 greenhouses were damaged May 5 by a 

 miniature cyclone. The wind got into 

 the house through an open door, raised 

 the roof from its supports and blew off 

 several ventilating skylights. The loss 

 is estimated at about $75. 



