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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Mat 28, 1908. 



DISEASED GERANIUMS. 



In reply to G. J. L. 's inquiry, on 

 page 11 of the Review of May 21, I 

 would siay that we have occasionally had 

 Buch experiences with geraniums as G. 

 J. L. seems to have, and have never 

 come to a satisfactory conclusion as to 

 the real nature of the trouble. We are 

 inclined to think that it is more of 

 an affliction than a disease and that it 

 is peculiar to certain varieties, especially 

 those which have that fuzzy covering of 

 the foliage, such as the sample sent. 



It is our opinion, based on careful ob- 

 servation, but without any scientific ex- 

 planation whatever, that it is caused by 

 an overabundance of moisture in the 

 houses, which is gathered and retained 

 on the foliage of those particular varie- 

 ties through a peculiarity of the condi- 

 tion of the leaves, until they are scalded 

 by the sun. 



As to the trouble appearing just at 

 the time when the plants are wanted for 

 the spring sales, it is just about that 

 time that the sun commences to get 

 power enough to burn. 



As for a remedy, or rather a preven- 

 tive, we endeavor to keep the air as dry 

 as possible, and give plenty of air, 

 especially at night, as we believe that 

 the trouble is caused more by the dew 

 gathering at night than by watering. 

 We also give a slight shading on very 

 bright houses. R. A. Vincent. 



In the Review of May 21, G. J. L. 

 writes about diseased geraniums. Last 

 year I had, judging from his description, 

 something of the same trouble. I ap- 

 plied a couple of doses of nitrate of 

 soda in solution and the plants recover- 

 ed finely. Perhaps this may help G. 



J. L. L. C. POETER. 



COCKROACHES IN GREENHOUSES. 



A correspondent relates how a florist 

 has discovered by accident a new way 

 to catch cockroaches. A pint fruit jar 

 containing a scrap of bacon happened to 

 be left over night in one of the green- 

 houses. Next morning a dozen or more 

 imprisoned cockroaches were vainly try- 

 ing to escape by climbing the slippery 

 sides of the glass jar. The florist has 

 succeeded in ridding his establishment 

 of these pests, which formerly ate such 

 high-priced plants as orchids and gar- 

 denias. 



It is necessary to ^aste a piece of 

 paper on the outside of the jar, so that 

 the insects can get sufficient foothold to 

 climb up into the trap. In the original 

 case the label of the manufacturer sup- 

 plied this need. 



This surely is as easy a way as any 

 to clear out these pests. 



CARNATION NOTES.- VEST. 



Cultivating;. 



As soon as you have planted out all 

 your young carnation plants, you should 

 begin to use the cultivator to keep the 

 soil surface broken up and mellow. Last 

 year I recommended, and if you have 

 not finished planting, will repeat that a 

 good plan with soil which packs easily 

 is to go over the day's planting each 

 evening with the cultivator, to loosen the 

 Boil between the rows, where it was 

 tramped down in planting. If the soil 

 is sandy and a little dry this is not es- 

 sential, but in any case it will do no 

 harm. 



If the plants are set in moist soil and 

 they get a shower of rain within two or 

 three days, it will suffice to start them 

 off in nice shape, and a good rain once 

 in about each week will kee^ them grow- 

 ing as rapidly as is desirable. What you 

 want is not so much large plants, as 

 plants which are sturdy and short- 

 jointed, with numerous breaks and- well 

 shaped. Well shaped plants can only be 

 had if the young plants stand up straight 

 and, whenever you go over them in top- 

 ping or for other reasons, always straight- 

 en up any plants which may have been 

 washed over by heavy rains or crowded 

 over by the cultivator. 



Make a practice of cultivating once 

 every week or oftener, but be sure you 

 cultivate after every rain as soon as the 

 ground can be worked. This helps to hold 

 the moisture and prevents the soil from 

 forming a crust and baking on top. A 

 crust on the soil will not only allow the 

 moisture to evaporate rapidly, but during 



the hot summer months it will also cause 

 burning of the foliage, etc. 



You need not cultivate deeply; from 

 one to two inches is deep enough. Below 

 that the soil may as well be as firm as it 

 is likely to become during the first sum- 

 mer, after being plowed in the spring, 

 providing the surface is kept loose. 



With the hand cultivators which are 

 used these days it takes a man only a 

 short time to run over an acre of ground 

 and the oftener it is done the better for 

 the plants. 



With each cultivator are several sets of 

 tools and which ones to use must depend 

 on your ground and the condition it is in. 

 If you find it quite mellow and fine, you 

 can use the rake tools. If there are 

 many weeds coming up, use the knives 

 and cut under the surface of the soil. 

 On a hot day this will destroy all the 

 young weeds. If, however, the soil is 

 inclined to be lumpy, we use three of 

 the single teeth, setting them so that 

 they cover the space between the rows. 

 We find these last named the handiest for 

 general use, as they are strong and can 

 be worked into the soil quite deeply, and 

 they do not clog up easily. 



We plant our rows just far enough 

 apart so that we need to go only once in 

 each row. To space them' wider would 

 mean only extra work in cultivating, 

 without any benefit accruing therefrom. 



A. F. J. Baue. 



FLOODED FIELDS. 



My place is all under water, so that I 

 cannot plant my carnations in the field. 

 It will be a week or two at least before 



I can get them out and I do not know 

 what to do with it. Could I plant them 

 in the houses now for next winter's 

 bloom f Some of my neighbors tell me 

 they must be out for a while, but it 

 seems to me that by the time I can get 

 them planted in the field there would be 

 so little time left that they would no 

 more than get started to grow before 

 they would have to be taken in again. 

 What would you recommend? A. B. 



There is no reason why you could not 

 plant your carnation plants inside, in- 

 stead of in the field, providing you han- 

 dle them properly and are willing to as- 

 sume the extra work entailed. Your 

 plants, if they are in good condition 

 now to plant out, will need to be shifted 

 at once into larger pots, as they will not 

 stand in the small pots until you can get 

 your beds ready for planting without 

 getting potbound and stunted. This, in 

 fact, is one of the main secrets of suc- 

 cess with indoor culture. Keep the young 

 plants on the move and never let them 

 get stuntBd and hard. 



I would advise shifting them at once 

 into larger pots. Give them enough of 

 a shift to last nicely until you are ready 

 to bench them. They should be nicely 

 rooted through the new soil at that time. 

 Plunge them to the rim either outside or 

 inside, in cinders or sand, to keep them 

 from drying out too much, as that will 

 cause the plants to harden if the drying 

 out is severe and recurs repeatedly. 



Then get your benches ready just as 

 though you were going to plant from 

 the field and set the plants the usual dis- 

 tance apart. Syringing and shading will 



