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24 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



Jan'DABy 28, 1809,,. 



George Wiegand. 



(Member Finance Committee for Carnation Convention. ^ 



as in your caae. Wrong methods of cul- 

 ture will more frequently, and in fact 

 usually, show themselves in poor texture 

 of the petals. Overfed blooms will be 

 soft and unable to withstand the knocks 

 received in the handling of the stock. 

 In such cases the blooms are used up, but 

 not asleep. 



It strikes me, however, that you might 

 have gone a trifle strong on the feed. 

 But if you are experienced in growing 

 carnations you would be able to see that 

 yourself in other ways. However, it 

 might help just a little in aggravating 

 the trouble if it already existed. We find 

 tnat all the Enchantress varieties are in- 

 clined to soften when a little overfed. 

 Your habit of not placing the stems in 

 water for two hours after picking is a 

 bad one. It would be better to hold them 

 in water twenty-four hours, if it were 

 necessary, in order to make certain trains, 

 or for some other reason. Give this a 

 trial. A. F. J. B. 



THE CARNATION MITE. 



I have a bench of a white carnation 

 seedling which I selected as a good com- 

 mercial sort three years ago. I think 

 enough of it to drop White Perfection, 

 White Lawson and Queen Louise, and 

 grow no other white than the seedling. 

 Now, this year almost every bloom looks 

 queer when it opens. I have examined 

 them and find what I suppose is thrips, 

 or some kind of mite that hops. In the 

 same house I have Enchantress and 

 Winsor, which are not affected whatever. 

 I am a little afraid to use the gases that 

 I have read about in the Review. Would 

 you please let me know if there is any 

 way of killing these pests, besides the 

 gases? I think that I should do away 

 with them, if possible, before I start 

 rooting cuttings, as I think they might 

 possibly cling to them and I would have 

 them next year. 



I have put red pepper in the tobacco 

 two or three times when fumigating, but 

 it does not seem to bother them much. 



K. W. W. 



open properly, it is more probably due to 

 the ravages of the carnation mite than 

 to thrips. If I had a specimen for 

 examination, it would be easy to tell 

 which it is. When thrips attack the 

 buds, the bloom usually develops nor- 

 mally, but there will be discolored spots, 

 mostly around the edge of the petals. 

 These spots are usually the first sign the 

 grower notices of their presence. Some- 



times, in isolated cases, the injured petals 

 will stick together, but not often. The 

 injuries inflicted by the mite, however, 

 are quite different. Instead of attacking 

 around the edges of the petals, they seem 

 to work in the very heart of the bud. 

 The outside petals will frequently de- 

 velop normally, but the center petals 

 remain folded andr finally rot. In aggra- 

 vated cases none of the petals will de- 

 velop, and the whole bud decays. What 

 little experience we have had with this 

 pest would indicate that it discriminates 

 between varieties considerably more than 

 thrips does, which is another indication 

 that it is this pest which is causing your 

 trouble. Enchantress and Winsor are 

 both favorites of thrips. 



The hydrocyanic acid gas is supposed 

 to be the best agent for destroying this 

 pest and I would advise you to resort to 

 it. Use it according to the directions 

 which have frequently appeared in these 

 columns, and there is no danger to your 

 plants. The most important precaution 

 will be to allow no one to be exposed to 

 the gas, as it is very deadly. 



Inasmuch as the variety under con- 

 sideration is a seedling of yours, it may 

 be pertinent to say here that in placing 

 a value on ihe variety /its ability to reaist 

 the attacks of both ftsects and diseases 

 is ^ of great importance. Your variety 

 may be fine in every ^aj, but if it i^ a 

 special favorite of ofle of the common 

 pests, no grower will want it on /his 

 place. As between a variety of this kind 

 and one of those which are only average 

 in quality, but able to make a good, c^ean 

 record year in and year out, without giv- 

 ing the grower any worry, the grower 

 will always select the latter to constitute 

 his main planting. That is why so many\ 



If the buds on your seedlings fail to 



\ 



iiM< 



Peter Veiland. 



(Member Finance^ Committee for Carnation Convention.) 



