June 25. 1908. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



CARNATION NOTES. -WEST. 

 — >/. 



The Plants in the Field. 



During the months of May and June 

 your carnation plants should make their 

 main growth, and everything you do for 

 them should be done with that end in 

 view. As a rule, the weather conditions 

 during this period are most favorable to 

 plant growth and, if cultivating and top- 

 ping are looked after closely, no trouble 

 is experienced in getting good, fair-sized 

 plants for housing in July and August. 

 During this period rains are usually fre- 

 quent enough, if supplemented with 

 proper cultivation, to insure a sturdy, 

 healthy growth, which, if followed by 

 rather dry weather for a couple of weeks 

 before housing time, will carry the plants 

 through the transplanting season in 

 splendid shape. 



I have always been a strong advocate 

 of the cultivator in both wet and dry sea- 

 sons, especially in the lafler, and during 

 the last few weeks we have had occasion 

 to verify our good opinion of the culti- 

 vator. During the last few weeks we 

 have had no rain heavy enough to wet 

 the soil deeper than just to lay the dust, 

 and vegetation has been hanging its head 

 during the heat of the day. Uncultivated 

 soil became hard enough to defy the 

 spade. Yet, our carnation field, which 

 has been gone over regularly, has kept 

 mellow, ahd moist, except for the top two 

 inches or less of loose material, which 

 acts as a mulch. Plants cannot suffer 

 under such conditions, and while the 

 growth is not very rapid, yet it is steady 

 and sturdy. 



Artificial Watering. 



If we could have a longer growing sea- 

 son in the field, I would certainly prefer 

 those conditions to any other. During 

 such spells the temptation to water arti- 

 ficially is quite strong and many grow- 

 ers yield to it, only to make matters 

 worse. Usually watering with the hose 

 is resorted to, and in most cases not half 

 enough is applied to wet through the dry 

 soil. The plants are freshened up for 

 the time and excited into activity, only 

 to be burnt up worse by the sun the next 

 day. We have seen this happen so often 

 that we would discourage hosing the field 

 plants at any time. 



If, however, artificial watering is done 

 intelligently and systematically and is 

 supplemented with the cultivator, it can 

 in some eases be made to be of great 

 benefit. For instance, if shortly after 

 planting a dry spell should set in, before 

 the plants have really gotten a good start, 

 a good, thorough watering twice each 

 week will start them into growth. Each 

 watering should be followed by the culti- 

 vator as soon as the soil dries enough to 

 work well, the same as you do after a 

 rain. Cases of this kind are exceptional, 

 liowever, and will be met with, perhaps, 

 once in five years. 



A Word of Warning. 



The greatest danger lies in overdoing 

 the thing, and to those who are watering 

 I would offer a word of warning. As I 

 said at the beginning, your carnation 

 plants should make their main growth 

 during May and June if you plant be- 

 tween July 15 and August 15, which 

 seems to be the favorite time among the 

 best growers. During that time, promote 

 the growth as much as your judgment 

 tells you and do it in whatever manner 

 you choose, but after July 1, if you 

 would have success, you must confine 

 your energies to getting the growth into 

 proper shape to stand transplanting. By 

 this I do not mean that growth must 

 cease altogether during that time, but it 

 must not be rapid or soft. 



If you have ever carried roses over the 

 second season, you will understand what 

 I mean when I say that the plants should 

 be brought to a practical standstill. In 

 the ordinary summer, when the weather 

 during July is hot and dew is scant, the 

 carnation will naturally come to that 

 point, and if transplanted when it is in 

 that semi-dormant condition very little 

 trouble is experienced. But if you wait 

 until late in August and September, when 

 the nights are cool and the dew is heavy, 

 even though the rainfall may be scant, 

 the plants waken up and growth is re- 

 sumed. The growth soon becomes succu- 

 lent, and any disturbance at the roots 

 causes wilting and loss of foliage and in 

 many cases of the whole plant. 



To keep on watering the plants right 

 along till housing time keeps them in a 

 soft con<lition and prevents this semi- 

 dormant condition which is such a help 

 in transplanting. To this better condi- 

 tion of the plants, rather than to the 

 longer season inside, may be attributed 

 the success of those who house their car- 

 nations early. 



A fine, hea\7 rain last night, which 

 has saturated the soil thoroughly, has 

 caused all vegetation to look up again, 

 and our carnations, after cultivating to- 



morrow, will be ready for another two 

 weeks' drought. It is surprising to see 

 what growth was really made during this 

 dry spell. The plants seemed to gain but 

 little in size, but the breaks are there, 

 and now, after the rain, the foliage has 

 swelled out and the plants look twice as 

 large as they di^ two days ago. 



A. F. J. Baur. 



A LEHIGH VALLEY SHOW. 



The flower show in the Market House 

 at Bethlehem, Pa., Wednesday after- 

 noon and evening, June 10, was not 

 only notable as being Bethlehem's first 

 annual floral festival, but was the first 

 of its kind held in the Lehigh Valley on 

 such an extensive scale. It was also no- 

 tably successful, for, as a local news- 

 paper states, the building was "more 

 than packed with an ebbing and surging 

 tide of humanity." The entries, num- 

 bering over 200, surpassed the expecta- 

 tions of the committee in charge and 

 more than filled the space in the big 

 square allotted to the plants and flowers. 



Two commercial florists, John E. 

 Haines and Jacob A. Fries, had exhibits 

 and each received a first prize of $15, 

 Mr. Haines for the best professional 

 florist's display of flowers, and Mr. 

 Fries for the best professional florist's 

 display of ferns and plants. 



Mr. Haines' exhibit, a photograph of 

 wiich is herewith reproduced, occupied 

 a section to the right of the orchestra 

 platform. The name ' ' John E. Haines ' ' 

 was formed on lattice work in crimson 

 carnations, with a narrow border of 

 sweet alyssum at the edge of each let- 

 ter. Suspended from the name were 

 three pretty baskets of red and blue 

 asters and sweet peas. The border in 

 the lattice work was covered with Crim- 

 son Kamblers. The display consisted of 

 palms and ferns for the background, 

 large receptacles filled with carnations 

 of every description grown by Mr. 

 Haines, rubber plants, cannas just turn- 

 ing into bloom, fuchsias, maidenhair 

 ferns, coleus, Rex begonias and gloxinias, 

 the latter being so arranged as to show 

 the rich purple and red colors to perfec- 

 tion. Nasturtium vines in full bloom 

 were trailed along the front edge of the 

 display, surmounted by Crimson Ram- 

 blers. Mr. Haines received hearty con- 

 gratulations for his fine exhibit. 



Mr. Fries had a display which was 

 greatly admired. It consisted largely 



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Ezliibit of J. E. Haines at a Lehigh Valley FestivaL 



