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NOVEMBEB 5, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



13 



the second week in April next year. They 

 will be yielding strong stems by April. 

 Plant in a solid bed for best results, al- 

 though benches will give you. quite good 

 flowers. C. W. 



RUDD'S NEW WHITE. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 W. N. Eudd 's white seedling carnation 

 to be disseminated this season. This 

 is the variety which, shown at last year's 

 Chicago exhibition, was first among the 

 white seedlings, scoring 89 points. It 

 scored 86 at Washington, when exhibit- 

 ed to the American Carnation Society last 

 .January. Mr. Eudd has named the va- 

 riety for Mrs. J. C. Vaughan. It is 

 understood it will be disseminated joint- 

 ly by Jensen & Dekema and Mr. Eudd. 



WEATHER PLANT. 



Please let • me know how to raise a 

 weather plant and how to take care of it. 

 I have planted the seed in a 2-inch pot 

 for a year. The seed looks the same as 

 the day I planted it. I kept it warm 

 and moist. O. J. B. 



The so-called weather plant, or crab's 

 eye vine (Abrus precatorius), being a 

 native of the tropics, requires strong 

 heat to germinate its seeds, and to grow 

 the plant well a warm house is required. 

 If the seed remains fresh, soak for a 

 few days in warm water and then place 

 in moist sand. Place the seed pan over 

 your hot water pipes to ensure a con- 

 stant warmth. C. W. 



THRIPS ON CYCLAMEN. 



Under separate cover I am sending you 

 a sample of cyclamen leaves. Will you 

 kindly inform me what the trouble is 

 and how best to remedy itt The plants 

 are the best I ever grew and are almost 

 ready for market, but this pest, together 

 with the small, common gray spider, is 

 doing considerable damage. C. F. M. 



We at first thought your leaves were 

 aflfected with the dreaded nute, but closer 

 examination showed the marks to be 

 those of yellow thrips. This is a bad 

 pest, but can be controlled by persistent 

 work. Fumigate every other night for 

 a week. As smoking does not always kill 



WilUs N. Rodd. 

 (It seems also necessary to add, from a photograph made within the last few days). 



thrips, if you can spare the time dip 

 the plants in a pail or tub of water con- 

 taining a solution of some one of the 

 several tobacco extracts. Be sure the 

 foliage gets thoroughly wet all over. If 

 you cannot spare time to dip the plants, 

 spray the juice on with a force pump or 

 hand syringe, getting as much under the 

 leaves as possible. Bed fresh tobacco 

 stems among your plants every fortnight ; 

 this will act as a protection to the plants 

 from thrips and aphis. C. W. 



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SUGGESTIONS 



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Mignonette* 



The passing of the unseasonably warm 

 weather experienced during the month 

 of October will improve the quality of 

 the mignonette. During hot weather it 

 becomes weak and the flower spikes are 

 thin and puny as compared with those 

 produced under cooler conditions. The 

 attacks of green worms have been un- 

 usually severe this season. These now 

 are happily gone and there should be 

 nothing further in the worm or insect 

 line to trouble the plants. 



To secure fancy spikes, disbudding is 

 a necessity, leaving three or four to a 

 plant. These should be carefully sup- 

 ported to keep them straight. Bent or 



twisted stalks are of little value. Many 

 growers prefer to leave on all the shoots 

 and are satisfied with medium spikes. 

 This is especially the case with those 

 having a good local trade. 



Mignonette should never approach dry- 

 ness at the root. To assist in keeping 

 the surface soil moist, a light mulch- 

 ing of old hotbed manure can advan- 

 tageously be used. Feeding should not 

 yet be necessary. Avoid any but light 

 fumigations, as the foliage burns easily, 

 and hold the night temperature as near 

 40 degrees as possible, with abundant 

 ventilation whenever conditions allow. 

 The ventilators are better open aU night, 

 unless the temperature is unusually low. 



Callas. 



Callas are now well established in the 

 pots and a little liquid manure once a 

 week will assist them. Plants growing 

 in benches will not require any feeding 

 for a month yet. Ply the hose freely 

 among the plants to keep insects in 

 check and. do not allow aphis to get any 

 foothold, or it will badly disfigure the 

 flowers. Callas will grow and flower 

 in quite a low temperature, but we pre- 

 fer to give them 55 to 60 degrees at 

 night, the flowers opening much more 

 quickly than in a cooler house. 



Primulas. 



Chinese primroses are useful Christ- 

 mas plants, and the fact that they can- 

 be grown and sold profitably at a com- 

 paratively low price makes them popular 

 with flower buyers whose pocketbooks 

 lack the wherewithal to purchase azaleas 

 or poinsettias: Some of the earliest flow- 

 er trusses will now be well above the 

 foliage and every effort should be made 

 to have them as well bloomed as pos- 

 sible for the holidays. While red shades 

 sell the best, there is a fair call for other 

 colors. 



It is unwise to attempt any forcing 

 with primulas; it only results in weak, 

 drawn plants. A night temperature of 

 45 to 50 degrees should not be exceeded, 

 and the plants should be as near the glass 

 as possible. The old-fashioned narrow 

 span houses with a path down the center 

 and a bench on each side have never 

 been improved upon for the culture of 

 primulas and cyclamens. As the pots 

 will now be well filled with roots, some 

 weak cow manure water once a week will 

 [Continued on page 60] 



