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12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



XOVKM 



RUST ON CARNATIONS. 



I enclose some carnation leaves, whicL, 

 as you will see, have some disease or an 

 insect on them. -P-lease tell me what 

 it is and what to do with it. 



C. M. H. 



The specimens forwarded had a num- 

 ber of rust pustules on them, which, if 

 allowed to develop, would burst open and 

 free a brown, powdery mass, which con- 

 tains . the spores by which the disease 

 is propagated. 



We have had a number of inquiries re- 

 garding this disease this fall, and in the 

 Review of October 15 we gave full di- 

 rections for handling this disease. If 

 you are in the habit of saving the num- 

 bers, as many of our readers do, it will 

 be an easy matter to look up things of 

 this kind. You can find no better man- 

 ual to guide you, in times of trouble, 

 than the back numbers of the Eeview. 

 There are few subjects which are not 

 treated at one time or another during 

 a period of a year or two. In a ma- 

 jority of cases they are treated from an 

 advisory standpoint, oh account of trou- 

 ble. You can always learn more about 

 how to handle a plant when you hear 

 some expert tell what to do in case of 

 this trouble or that, than you can from 

 hearing of its character and behavior. Aa 

 long as things go along smoothly and 

 the plants apparently take care of them- 

 selves, anyone can grow any given plant, 

 but when diseases and insects make their 

 appearance, then is when experience 

 counts. The man who is most familiar 

 with the numerous plant diseases and 

 the best remedies therefor, is usually the 

 most successful. So save your Reviews, 

 which tell you how to handle plant dis- 

 eases. A. F. J. B. 



NITRATE OF SODA. 



Is nitrate of soda any better than 

 liquid manure for carnations? Please 

 teU how practical growers use it. 



P. W. M. 



Your query is a broad one and any 

 answer given in reply must necessarily 

 be more or less qualified. Whether ni- 

 trate of soda is better than liquid ma- 

 nure (and I assume you mean cattle 

 manure) will largely depend on the con- 

 dition of your plants. Under certain 

 conditions your plants may need a few 

 doses of nitrogen, which is the chief ele- 

 ment contained in nitrate of soda, and in 

 that case it would be the proper thing 

 to use. 



The three elements which go to make 

 a perfect plant food are nitrogen, phos- 

 phoric acid and potash, and it depends 

 on the nature of your crop, and the tex- 

 ture of your soil (which latter point will 

 be shown by the action of your plants) 

 as to what proportion is needed of each 

 of these elements in addition to what 

 the soil contains- Growers of mums and 

 other plants who depend largely on the 

 use of chemicals for feeding, get these 



elements from nitrate of soda, muriate 

 of potash and bone-meal. The latter is 

 sprinkled on, or mixed with the soil, while 

 the first two are applied in liquid form. 

 Other chemical compositions are also 

 made use of to give a change of diet, but 

 in the main those I have mentioned are 

 the three employed for general feeding. 



No experienced feeder would think of 

 using tlie nitrate of soda extensively 

 alone, without using the others, too. Ni- 

 trogen produces largeness of growth and 

 size of flower, but when given in excess 

 it will cause softness and tiabbiness. For 

 texture you want the potash, and so you 

 see the different elements must be nicely 

 balanced in order to get the best results. 



The usual amount which is considered 

 safe is one pound to fifty gallons of 

 water, of those applied in liquid form, 

 while of the bone-meal we consider that 

 one pound of bone applied in dry form 

 and in two or three doses is enough for 

 ten square feet of bench space for one 

 season of carnations. How often the 

 liquid forms should be applied must de- 

 pend on the crop, its condition and the 

 season. 



Carnations should not be fed highly 

 until after the turn of the new year, but 

 it would be impossible to give expert 

 advice along this line without knowing 

 the local conditions. Ordinarily I would 



begin with half-strength, once in two 

 weeks or so, and notice the effect before 

 giving any more. Then be guided by 

 the results. 



Cattle manure seems to combine in 

 almost perfect proportion all the elements 

 required by most plants and it is by all 

 means the safest thing for the novice 

 to use. By the addition of bone-meal 

 and wood-ashes he can usually make out 

 well and without endangering his crop 

 in the least. These high-strung chemicals 

 are safe only in the hands of the expert, 

 whose trained eye is quick to detect any 

 discord between the plant and its diet. 

 My advice to you would be to stick to 

 the old, safe and reliable, or to use the 

 others on a small quantity of your stock 

 only. A. F. J. B. 



EASTER AND MEMORIAL DAY. 



Will pinks set out during October 

 bloom for Easter and Memorial day? 

 Also, if 1 start sweet peas now, can I 

 get them in bloom for Easter? How 

 shalll proceed? A. E. N. 



Carnations planted in October should 

 give yon a heavy crop at both Easter 

 and Memorial day. It was rather late for 

 benching them, but if the plants were 

 not injured by early frost they should 

 give a good account of themselves. They 

 should also give you some blooms for 

 Christmas. A night temperature of 50 

 to 52 degrees should be kept, although 

 certain varieties do better 2 degrees 

 warmer. The Lawson and Enchantress 

 varieties should have the coolest end of 

 the house. 



Sweet peas sown now will bloom 

 some weeks before Easter, which comes 



Carnation Mrs. J. C. Vaughan. 



