Decembeb 24, 1908. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



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13 



CARNATION NOTES.-EAST. 



Plants for Propaeation. 



While it is early to begin propagating, 

 it is time to decide what varieties are 

 to be continued. During the interval be- 

 tween now and the starting of propaga- 

 tion, the plants which are to furnish the 

 cuttings should be chosen. 



The hybridist, in selecting the parents 

 of a new variety, is very exacting in his 

 choice of both the plant which is to bear 

 the seed and that which is to furnish the 

 pollen. Every characteristic is consid- 

 ered — vitality, habit, leaves, distance be- 

 tween joints in stem, rigidity of stem, 

 bloom, etc. 



It is not enough to be guided by per- 

 fect blooms alone, as at times a small, 

 insignificant runt, or a plant below the 

 standard of excellence and health, will 

 produce a chance bloom or two of" high 

 quality. 



Keen Perception Needed. 



The grower, in selecting cuttings which 

 are to make the plants for his next year's 

 stock, must in a measure possess the keen 

 perception of the hybridist if he is to 

 hold any claim to the title of a skilled 

 propagator, which means that he should 

 not only perpetuate the good qualities of 

 his varieties, but aim to improve them. 



The mere act of taking cuttings pro- 

 miscuously from a lot of plants, and in- 

 ducing a large percentage to take root, 

 does not entitle a man to be called a 

 skillful propagator, although he may be 

 so considered by those whose interest in 

 the carnation is confined chiefly to the 

 sale of rooted cuttings. Success with 

 carnations depends on vitality. If the 

 plants lack vigor through the ravages of 

 insect pests, thus becoming peculiarly 

 liable to attacks of disease, or if they 

 have been pampered by rich food and too 

 high temperature, it is only courting fail- 

 ure to propftgate from such as these. The 

 evil effects of such conditions would, 

 however, be apparent to the most casual 

 observer. 



Vhere Many Fail. 



It is in the case of plants which have 

 produced an unusual number of blooms 

 early in the season that many propa- 

 gators are led astray and fall down. The 

 conclusion is immediately reached that 

 these early producers are the ones to in- 

 crease in preference to all others, when in 

 reality they are not true representatives 

 of their variety; we would define them 

 as being precocious. 



It is unreasonable to suppose, in propa- 

 gating from plants which during a short 

 period have produced a considerable num- 



ber of blooms, that the offspring will 

 prove profuse bloomers. We would, how- 

 ever, be safe in assuming that this ab- 

 normal yield was due to local conditions 

 or environment rather than to any in- 

 herent quality. It might, also, indicate a 

 cropper. 



The Ideal Plant. 



It is the plant which in the field was 

 conspicuous by its thriftiness and trim 

 appearance, and which, when benched, 

 took hold of the soil readily, but instead 

 of running prematurely into bloom, pro- 

 ceeded to fill the space allotted to it 

 with numerous strong flowering shoots in 

 various stages of development — this, to 

 my mind, is the style of plant from which 

 to propagate, provided, of course, that its 

 bloom passed inspection. 



It is true that, among a hundred, there 

 are not many plants of this description 

 to be found, especially in the case of new- 

 ly acquired varieties, and for this reason 

 I have always advised purchasing in 

 quantities large enough to afford latitude 

 for selection when propagating. 



Now, it would be unreasonable to ex- 

 pect to purchase in the market rooted 

 cuttings from such carefully selected 

 plants. Not only would the price be pro- 

 hibitive, but the supply would be inade- 

 quate. We must not expect too much 

 from the dealer in rooted cuttings; he is 

 not responsible for lack of care or the 

 abuse that his goods may receive at the 

 hands of the grower. 



There is much to be said concerning 

 this and relative subjects and I shall en- 

 deavor to treat them fully during the 

 next four weeks. Geo. S. Osborn. 



SUCCESS WITH CARNATIONS. 



[A paper by Edgar McConnell, of Wllkes- 

 barre, Pa., read before the Florists' Club of 

 Scranton, Pa., December 11, 1908.] 



Carnations are grown and sold in great- 

 er numbers than any other flower, not 

 excepting the rose. Millions of blooms 

 are produced every season and millions 

 of dollars are invested in their culture. 

 The large sized flower now produced 

 and its many beautiful colors, with its 

 good keeping qualities, make it the most 

 popular flower in the market. The ever 

 increasing demand each season for more 

 and better flowers is causing many car- 

 nation growers to ask the question, 

 "What is the best way to grow them?" 

 I shall, in answer, try to impart my 

 method of growing, with the success and 

 failures that followed. 



At this time of the year, when all 

 carnation growers are propagating new 

 stock or getting ready for that work, 

 it is well to remember that what you do 

 now in selecting cuttings and varieties 



will result in healthy or sickly plants, and 

 houses that will or will not pay. My 

 way, where possible, is to take cuttings 

 from blooming stems only, and from 

 plant* which are nearest the true type 

 of the variety used and which seem to 

 be perfectly healthy. In this way you 

 will improve your plants, for there is 

 no doubt that the cutting reproduces the 

 plant from which it was taken, in so far 

 as inherent health is reproduced. 



The Propagfatin^ Bench. 



The cutting bench is another thing 

 which requires careful attention. A 

 northern exposure is preferred, but any 

 bench with one or two heating pipes 

 underneath, with drainage, will do. Three 

 inches of sharp, clean sand, pounded 

 firmly down and level, will make a good 

 bed in which to insert the cuttings, pro- 

 vided you have applied to the bottom and 

 sides a heavy coat of whitewash. With 

 such a bench, failures are seldom made. 



A temperature of about 55 degrees 

 over the bench, and a few degrees warm- 

 er underneath, is about right. Water 

 the cuttings freely. Never allow them 

 to wilt. Keep the air fresh and pure, 

 without draughts. With such care, bench 

 fungus is not likely to appear. This 

 bench fungus, in my opinion, is the pri- 

 mary cause of the stem-rot that cuts the 

 plant off at the surface of the ground. 



An Experience With Bench Fundus. 



I will cite one experience that led me 

 to this opinion. Bench fungus appeared 

 in a portion of my cutting bench. Im- 

 mediately all cuttings infected, together 

 with a wide margin in the apparently 

 healthy cuttings, were removed. In 

 planting the rooted cuttings, a number 

 of the plants that surrounded the in- 

 fected spot were boxed by themselves. 

 As soon as they began to grow, stem-rot 

 developed. Late in March or early in 

 April, the boxes, with what live plants 

 remained, were set outside of the hous«s, 

 subject to such weather as is usual at 

 that time of the year. Stem-rot ceased. 

 At late planting time in the field, they 

 were apparently good, healthy plants. 

 Set in the field, all of them died with 

 that same disease before planting time 

 in the houses. The cuttings from other 

 portions of the bench were healthy plants, . 

 free from the rot. This experience, with 

 others of the same nature, leads me to 

 believe that bench fungus is at least 

 the primary, if not the immediate, cause 

 of this peculiar disease. For this and 

 for bench fungus there is no cure and 

 they must be exterminated by propaga- 

 tion from healthy plants and burning 

 all infected stock. 



