

The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



Sbptbmbbb 10, 1908. 



SOIL AND 

 THE FLORIST 



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STERILIZATION OF SOILS. 



An Important Problem. 



One of the most important problems 

 with which the grower has to deal is 

 that of subduing his enemies. So far 

 as the general mastery of the situation 

 is concerned, the florist has no com- 

 plaint to make. Indeed, there is no line 

 of agriculture, using the term in its 

 broadest sense, in which the operator 

 comes as near being the real master of 

 the situation as in farming under glass. 

 If the soil is too rich or too poor or too 

 light or too heavy, he can add sand, plant 

 food or leaf-mold and prepare it ac- 

 cording to his own formula. If his 

 plants need water, he does not need to 

 watch the clouds or bombard the skies, 

 but simply open the faucet. The tem- 

 perature and other important factors are 

 equally under his control. 



However, with all of this, he still has 

 a number of important problems to deal 

 with in the control of certain insects 

 and diseases. Among the latter, none 

 are more diflScult to handle, perhaps, 

 than those which infest the soil. 



A PromiuDg Crop Ruined. 



Some five years ago we had growing 

 in the greenhouse of the Iowa State 

 College a crop of winter tomatoes and 

 cucumbers, consisting of the American 

 and English forcing varieties. About 

 the middle of the forcing season, when 

 the heaviest set of fruit was ripening, 

 the plants suddenly began to wilt and 

 show signs of disorder. They bore a 

 good leaf system ; the f oUage appeared 

 to be green and healthy; the plants had 

 done quite well up to this time and had 

 a good set of fruit, and everything 

 seemed to be favorable. The soil was 

 moist and in good condition, which made 

 the wilting all the more puzzling. The 

 soil was washed away and the root sys- 

 tem of some of the plants examined. It 

 was found that they were badly infested 

 with a club root growth somewhat like 

 the club root of the cabbage. An ex- 

 amination under a microscope revealed 

 the presence of a small, microscopic 

 worm, known as the nematode, which 

 was the real cause of the trouble. 



Ravages of the Nematode. 



This animal really belongs to the 

 worm family and is, strictly speaking, 

 not an insect. It is closely related to 

 the vinegar eel, the trichina of pork, the 

 tapeworm, liver fluke and other creatures 

 of bad repute. 



Its work is confined to the root sys- 

 tem and the most serious injury comes, 

 not in a direct way, but through its in- 

 terference with the absorptive function 

 of the roots; hence the wilting of the 

 leaves. As a result of their presence, 

 the plant becomes weakened and enfee- 

 bled and is therefore liable to become 

 affected with other diseases. 



The range of plants aflfected by the 

 •ematode is quite large, and in onr own 



experience the cucumber seemed to be 

 affected worst and the tomato next. 

 Lettuce was not troubled. A number of 

 the flowering plants, such as roses and 

 carnations, are also inhabited by it. 



Methods of Treatment. 



j^s to methods of treatment, which is 

 perhaps the point of special interest to 

 you, we first tried impregnating the soil 

 with certain chemicals, such as nitrate 

 of soda, lime, etc. These had but little 

 effect and were not to be relied upon. 

 We then tried a method recommended 

 by Professor Stone, of the Massachu- 

 setts Experiment Station, namely, that 

 of steaming the soil. The term "ster- 

 ilization," which has been widely used 

 to designate this process, is really a 

 misnomer. The term "steaming the 

 soil ' ' would really be more appropriate. 

 In applying the treatment, the soil is 

 placed in a tank, through which a num- 

 ber of steam pipes are run. These 

 pipes are perforated every foot or less. 

 After the tank is filled with soil and 

 covered, a pressure of about fifty pounds 

 of steam is turned into it for a period 

 of about two hours. Through the accu- 

 mulation of heat, a temperature of from 

 180 to 200 degrees is secured. This ex- 

 cessive heat destroys the eggs and live 

 nematodes. 



Other Benefits from Sterilization. 



There are also certain other benefits 

 accruing from this treatment. Eggs of 



plant lice and other insects are de- 

 stroyed, as are also weed seeds. Certain 

 spores of fungous diseases, such as 

 mildew, are also killed, though it should 

 be noted in this connection that the 

 temperature is not sufiScient to destroy 

 the spores of some of the worst diseases 

 the florist has to deal with, . such as 

 damping off. 



The treatment also has a good influ- 

 ence in rendering more available the 

 plant food of the soil. Heat accelerates 

 chemical action, and it has been noticed 

 that when soil has been treated the 

 growth is more vigorous, due to the fact 

 that the organic matter in the soil is 

 more rapidly broken down and rendered 

 available as plant food, 



O>nstruction of the Tank. 



The cost of a tank such as we are 

 using is as follows: 



2% barrels cement f 4.0IF 



2^ yards gravel SB- 



4 16-foot planks 3.8& 



23 feet 46-ineh woven wire fencing 6!S 



135 feet 1%-lnch wrought Iron pipe 14.85 



3 feet 2-lnch wrought Iron pipe 6fr 



6 1%-lnch tee connections 66 



2 1^-lnch tee connections 22 



1 1 ^-Inch tee connection 22 



17 1%-lnch plugs 85 



9 2-lnch caps 90 



$28.30 

 The figures are for a tank 14x4x4 feet. 



The tank we are at present using is 

 made of wood, though in the sketch on 

 page 7 I have suggested the use of con- 

 crete instead. The top may be cov- 

 ered with hotbed sashes, as the work i» 

 done during the summer, when these are 

 idle. It will be noticed that on one 

 side plank are used. This is quite a 

 convenience, as they may be lifted and 

 the soil shoveled out from below. A con- 

 crete tank of this kind may be readily 

 constructed by anyone. Ordinarily,, 

 woven wire fencing is used for rein- 

 forcing the walls and %-inch piping at 

 the corners for reinforcement. 



A. T. Erwin. 



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SEASONABLE 



SUGGESTIONS 



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Zr^ HB r~^ I Cyclamens. * ^H^^IS 



Do not be in a hurry about housing 

 the cyclamens now growing in the cold- 

 frames. They will be better where they 

 are until the end of September, and if 

 you cannot give them a good, light posi- 

 tion, it will be just as well to hold them 

 in the frames until the early mums are 

 out of the way. The sun's rays, while 

 strong, are steadily declining and there 

 will be no need to run shades over the 

 plants before 10 o'clock in the morning, 

 and they should be removed by 3:30 in 

 the afternoon. The evening sprayings 

 will have been discontinued for some 

 time. The increasingly heavy night dews 

 arc, however, of decided benefit to the 

 plants. They now grow fast and seem to 

 revel in the cooler atmospheric condi- 

 tions. 



Do not forget to keep some fresh 

 tobacco stems packed between the pots, 

 to keep thrips away. Water now with 



greater care. Do not give any unless 

 the soil is fairly dry. Plants should 

 now go into their flowering pots a» 

 soon as possible. As growth is now 

 rather rapid, the pots will require spac- 

 ing once a week. Do not allow the 

 leaves to touch if you want good, shapely 

 plants. 



If seeds for next season's plants are 

 not yet sown, no time should be lost 

 in getting them started. Those sown 

 early in August are now germinating 

 nicely. Watering must be done care- 

 fully. On no account let the soil be- 

 come dry and do not let the sun's rays^ 

 strike the little seedlings. 



Primulas. 



Treatment such as is recommended for 

 cyclamens will also suit primulas to a 

 nicety. The plants should all be in 

 their blooming pots by this time, and 

 careful watering, especially of the Chi- 

 nese section, is needed to preserve good 



