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36 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



AUQCST 6, 1908. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



DRY ROT ON TOMATOES, 



' I noticed an article on the "Dry Eot 

 on Tomatoes" in the Keview of July 

 23, and should like to add a few sug- 

 gestions in regard to this disease. I 

 think the writer must refer to the blos- 

 som end rot, although he may have some 

 other trouble in mind. He states, how- 

 ever, that the disease is not contagious, 

 although he advises as a remedy that all 

 affected fruit should be removed. This 

 would hardly be necessary if the dis- 

 ease were not contagious, except to re- 

 lieve the plant of the burden of the af- 

 fected fruit. It is not at all unlikely 

 that your correspondent's tomatoes are 

 affected with the blossom end rot. 



We have been making observations on 

 this disease and carrying on many ex- 

 periments for a number of years, and 

 have found it to be caused by a bacterial 

 organism which gains entrance to the 

 imperfectly formed, tissue at the style 

 end of the tomato plant, causing a rot. 

 Such fungi as fusarium, macrosporium 

 and others often accompany the rot. It 

 is known that it is more common outdoors 

 during dry than wet seasons, showing 

 the relationship between water supply 

 and the rot. 



Prof. Selby, of Ohio, has shown that 

 applying water to the soil when the fruit 

 is setting is beneficial in checking the 

 disease, and our experiments, covering 

 a number of years, have demonstrated 

 practically the same thing. In a green- 

 house, however, there are other factors 

 which come into play; for instance, ex- 

 cessive transpiration must be checked, 

 as rotting may occur even with consid- 

 erable water in the soil when this is not 

 done. Proximity to steam pipes also 

 causes rotting. In the ordinary green- 

 house, however, where there is a certain 

 degree of saturation and plenty of water 

 in the soil, the dry rot is of minor con- 

 sequence. We have found that in a 

 house of more or less dry atmosphere the 

 rot occurred rather freely on the front 

 rows, which have good light, but on the 

 shaded rows behind these scarcely any 

 rotting occurred. Sunlight increases 

 transpiration, and when this is active 

 the fruit does not obtain enough water 

 to develop freely. 



In growing tomatoes under glass, one 

 has to be careful not to have the air sat- 

 urated too much with moisture, as clado- 

 sporium is likely to be troublesome. It 

 is well, however, to have the atmosphere 

 pretty moist on bright, sunshiny days, 

 and at night let the house run more or 

 less dry. It is not advisable to use com- 

 mercial fertilizers, such as nitrate of 

 soda, on the soil, as they restrict root 

 absorption and limit the supply of water 

 for transpiration, this indirectly induc- 

 ing conditions favorable to rot. 



We have found the best remedy for 

 the blossom end rot to consist of supply- 

 ing the soil freely with water at the time 

 the fruit is setting. Keeping the atmos- 

 phere more or less moist and planting 

 closely enough so that there will be shade 

 for the plants is also advised. In an 

 ordinary house, with ground beds, there 

 is little diflSculty in maintaining proper 

 moisture conditions of the soil and air, 

 which will prevent rot. For outdoor 

 treatment, irrigation is one of the best 

 remedies. G. E. Stone. 



A BED OF MUSHROOMS 



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 raising free. We warrant you, if using our method of growing mushrooms, that all will go w611. 



KIRKEBY & 6UN0ES1RUP SEED CO.,4273 Milwaukee Ave., Gilicaso 



BinSHROOM SPSCaAUBTS . , * 



Mention The Review when you write. '."r' 



USE ANGLO-AMERICAN MUSHROOM SPAWN 



Made direct from spores of selected specimens; nature's way of producing spawn. This 

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 mushrooms in the United States. It will please you If you want the best. 



FREE SAMPLE BRICK TO GROWERS AND DEALERS 



ANGLO-AMERICAN SPAWN CO ,KENNETT SQUARE. PA. 



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FI<OBIST8 have ■ splendid opp*r 

 tanity of raising Maslirooini bi 

 ntilixing the waste ntaoe nnder tht 

 beaches, and then atUliiiu; the wait* 

 material of expended mashrooin 

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room Culture," will be mailed postpaid upon receipt 

 of 40o in i>08tage stamps. Address Amerloan 

 Spawn Company, St. Panl, Minn. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



NEV YORK. 



The Market. 



There is no change in the condition 

 of the wholesale cut flower market. There 

 can be none before September, Prin- 

 cipals, lieutenants, gentle stenographers 

 and the rank and file all have been or 

 are away recuperating and preparing for 

 the autumnal revival. With its formed 

 and prospective aggregations of retailers, 

 growers and plantsmen, we may look for 

 a strenuous fall and winter. Fortunately, 

 optimism is rampant. I hear no proph- 

 ecies of ill. Everybody is expecting to 

 ride on the coming wave of prosperity. 

 Through the panic and depression few 

 florists gave up the fight. Some have 

 held on by their finger tips, some have 

 skated on thin ice, but they are all 

 here and ready for the reaction and 

 the good times, when the great harvests 

 are safely housed and the election tur- 

 moil at an end. In the meantime the 

 wise florist will take a hopeful view of 

 the future and make his plans on the 

 sane and safe basis of sure prosperity. 



The weather is ideal now and danger 

 of a vegetable famine is past. Stock of 

 the florists in the field is growing rap- 

 idly and looking well. Asters are com- 

 ing now in shoals, and there is not 

 much for the patient grower in the 

 superfluous grades. First-class varieties 

 still yield $2 per hundred. It should 

 be easy to draw the proper lesson from 

 this intimation. It is the best of any- 

 thing that pays. 



There must be nearly a million gladioli 

 coming to New York every day. Every 

 wholesale house is full of them; 50 

 cents per hundred is bottom, and a few 

 of the new varieties and America bring 

 from 2 cents to 3 cents. Thousands are 

 thrown away every night, so slight is 

 the demand. 



There is really no call for anything ex- 

 cept the special Beauties. These com- 

 mand 25 cents and up and the stores 

 which use them ask for fifty and receive 

 about twelve as their share of the ar- 

 rivals. Plenty of lilies continue to come 

 to town. Auratum is especially fine. Cat- 

 tleyas and oncidiums are in good de- 

 mand. 



Retail- windows are pathetic in their 



With the Skinner Sys- 

 tem of Irrigation ONE 

 MAN can do the work 



of FORTY MEN 

 watering with a hose. 



The Skinner Irrigation Go. 



TROY, O. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



SWANSON'S 



New varieties of Mush- 

 room Spawn is the best 

 Spawn on the market. 

 Write for price list and 

 book about Mushrooms. 



Paul Swanson, 



2743 W. 47tii St., 



CHICAGO 



Mention The Review when you write. 



simplicity. Sensational displays are post- 

 poned until society returns. Weddings 

 seem to be about shelved. One large one 

 is in prospect at Newport, where the sea- 

 son to date has been dull. 



The Clam Bake. 



The Cut Flower Exchange clam bake 

 August 1 was a fine success. There were 

 seventy present and for a while they all 

 forgot the strenuous season of 1907 and 

 1908, and enjoyed their outing with a 

 hilarity and harmony that it was inspir- 

 ing to look upon. As usual, the single 

 men won the honors of the, ball game. 

 The shore dinner was up to 'the Wetzel 

 Point reputation and gave general satis- 

 faction. Especially was the fraternal 

 feeling in evidence and the merchants of 

 the Coogan building are firm believers in 

 the value of brotherly unison and mutual 

 help and sympathy. Many of the whole- 

 salers bought tickets for the occasion and 

 helped to make it a financial success. 

 The committee, Messrs. Dorval, Hahn and 

 Golsner, worked hard and won the ap- 

 probation of all. 



The members of the exchange and 

 guests were: Anton Schultheis, W. H. 

 Siebrecht, John Donaldson, Charles Mil- 

 lang, E. Dorval, V. Dorval, F. Feldscher, 

 H. JKeke, O. Klowmuller, E. Schultheis, 

 J. Bechamps, J. Nocher, L. Cohn, L. 

 Klein, H. Pritchard, A. Beckman, Her- 

 man Dreyer, J. Golsner, G. Golsner, W. 

 Hahn, P. Jacoby, C. Ulrich, H. Ulrich, 

 William Amos, J. Meisem, J. Siefert, F. 

 Smith, Phil Haas, Ernest Bergei*, Charles 



