12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Decbmbsb 23, 1909. 



5-iiich azalea size, then plunging them 

 outdoors in frames until wanted to re- 

 place old plaiits? This would be 1^ ex- 

 pensive to grow than under glass all sum- 

 mer" and would permit us to cut through 

 the month of June, when there is a great 

 demand for them, and give us the same 

 results as though they were grown under 

 glass all summer. 



WEAK STEMS. 



Will you please tell me through the 

 Eeview the trouble with my carnations? 

 They have weak stems. The flowers are 

 gooS in size and color, but the stems are 

 so weak they will not hold the bloom up 

 as they should. I would like to know 

 what the trouble is, and what can be 

 done for it. We have a black loam here 

 and it is rich, but I took well decayed 

 sod and put about one-sixth well rotted 

 stable manure and about one quart of 

 hard-wood ashes to a wheelbarrow full of 

 ,the compost, with a sprinkling of bone 

 meal. The house runs east and west, 

 with another house on the south pide, 

 with eighteen inches of glass in the parti- 

 tion wall. I have them on benches with 

 4-inch tile bottoms and keep the house 

 at 52 degrees at night. I have hot 

 water heat. K. A. E. 



Your trouble is most likely caused by 



the unusually mild weather during No- 

 vember. If November and October had 

 been clianged around it would have been 

 better for the carnation grower^ gen- 

 erally. There is much complaint of soft 

 blooms and weak stems, wiere special 

 precaution has not been taken to coun- 

 teract the effects of the mild weather. 



Your soil should be all right, judging 

 by your descTiption, though it may be a 

 little light for producing strong stems. 

 The wood ashes you added, however, 

 should have remedied any such defect. 

 It is possible that you have not been 

 liberal enough with the fresh air. Car- 

 nations enjoy an abundance of fresh air, 

 providing it does not blow in on the 

 plants at too low a temperature. Noth- 

 ing will weaken the stems and soften 

 the blooms quicker than a close atmos- 

 phere accompanied by liberal watering. 

 If you have done any feeding, it would 

 also aggravate the trouble. 



• I would suggest that you spray your 

 plants with salt water twice, one week 

 apart. Dissolve a two-inch potful of 

 table salt in three gallons of water and 

 apply with a sprayer. Then follow the 

 above suggestions regarding ventilation 

 and watering. Cooler weather will likely 

 bring relief, for the carnation usually is 

 at its best in all respects in bright, cold 

 days of winter. A. F. J. B. 



CUPRUM FOR BLACK SPOT. 



I notice in a recent issue of the Eeview 

 that a writer recommends the cuprum 

 solution as the cure for black spot on 

 roses. Will you please advise me where 

 this solution may be obtained, also what 

 proportion of water to add to it and 

 when to spray to cure or prevent the 

 black spot? I shall be very grateful for 

 your early advice in this matter. 



A. G. L. 



The copper solution (cuprum) can be 

 had of any dealer in florists' supplies 

 who handles a general line of insecti- 

 cides. Directions for use accompany 

 each purchase. Bibes. 



MILDEW ON ROSES. 



Will somebody tell me what is the 

 cause of my roses drying up, as the sam- 

 ple I send you shows? I have been fight- 

 ing mildew since the first part of October 

 and seem unable to get rid of it. Sul- 

 phur seems to check it, but in a few days 

 it is back again as bad as ever. It started 

 on my Brides and Maids and I have had 

 no good flowers at all on either on ac- 

 count of spoiled foliage. I keep a night 



fireman and a recording thermometer and 

 am sure the temperature is not to blame 

 for much of the trouble, at least, for it 

 has been kept nearly right. The mildew 

 finally spread to my Killarney and a lit- 

 tle on Eichmond, but Smiths and Perles 

 in the same house are clear of it. I even 

 have two or three Smiths planted in 

 vacant places, where Maids were misiing,- 

 and while the Maids are full of mildew, 

 there is none whatever on Smiths and 

 Perles, and Eichmonds on side benches 

 do not show it. Now the mildew is a 

 little better, but the buds dry up on the 

 outside. It looks to me as if I had used 

 enough sulphur to kill the mildew in a 

 dozen houses. I have used the bellows 

 freely and have used Bordeaux mixture 

 with an additional amount of sulphur 

 and arsenate of lead in it. I also keep 

 a good supply of sulphur painted on the 

 hot water pipes all the time. I use 

 hydrocyanic acid gas to keep down in- 

 sects and do not believe I use it too 

 strong, as I have used it two years and 

 have never injured any foliage with it. 



E. M. H. 



As I have frequently pointed out, no 

 amount of sulphur will keep mildew from 

 spreading if conditions in the house are 

 favorable to the germination and growth 

 of this parasite. 



While temperatures may be all right, 

 as indicated by recording thermometers, 

 it is clear that some other condition is 



wrong, as if all conditions are right this 

 amount of sulphur would surely kill 

 mildew. 



It appears to me, from the condition 

 of the flowers and foliage, that the house 

 is kept too close and the atmojsphere too 

 moist. The blasting of the Iwds seems 

 to be the result of the hydrocyanic acid 

 gas or some other compound being used 

 too strong. 



Keep the day temperature at a max- 

 imum of 75 degrees, minimum 60 degrees j 

 night temperature, maximum 59 degrees, 

 minimum 56 degrees. Now, this is the 

 most important part. These tempera- 

 tures should be maintained with ventila- 

 tors partly open whenever it is possible. 

 This is one of the points essential to the 

 health of the rose. 



Some varieties, because of their lower 

 vitality, are more susceptible to disease 

 than the more robust sorts, and weak 

 plants invariably are the flrst to be at- 

 tacked. I think it would also be wise 

 to refrain from using Bordeaux mixture, 

 arsenate of lead, etc., and rely on the 

 fumes of sulphur for efficacy. It is also 

 necessary to bear in mind that the 

 foliage should be dry befdre sundown, so 

 the syringing should be done early in 

 the day. 



If the piping is under the benches, 

 make examination frequently to see if 

 the roots are not suffering from want of 

 moisture. This sometimes happens when 

 the surface of the bench and the upper 

 part of the soil are moist enough. 



ElBES. 



CARE OF CUT STOCK. 



From Greenhouse to Shippingf Roopi. 



The greenhouse is an extremely im- 

 portant feature to the grower, but the 

 packing room is just as much so. The 

 first consideration is, of course, to pro- 

 duce the material. But don't you think 

 it just as important to have your con- 

 signments arrive in good condition? 



Cut stock should not be allowed to re- 

 main long in a warm atmosphere, for it 

 soon shows an inclination to wilt. The 

 stock should be placed in a room having 

 a temperature of from 48 to 52 degrees 

 as soon as possible. 



At the approach of all holidays a great 

 many of the growers are inclined to save 

 the stock, so that they may be able to 

 meet the increased demand. This system 

 should be done away with, as it does a 

 great deal of harm, for after cut blooms 

 are held thirty-six hours they begin to 

 show the effects, such as weak stems, 

 soft petals and change of color. 



Where a great many blooms are spoiled 

 is on the sorting table. In sorting the 

 blooms into different classes, there is a 

 tendency to toss the blooms, instead of 

 laying them down carefully. This is sura 

 to bruise the blooms and therefore de- 

 preciate their value. 



Packing; the Blooms. 



Great care should be given each indi- 

 vidual bloom, when placed in the ship- 

 ping box, so that the petals may not be 

 injured and the necks broken. 



A roll of tissue paper should be placed 

 between each row, so as to prevent bruis- 

 ing. A good way to pack is to lay four 

 rows, then a sheet of tissue, then two 

 rows over the last two rows in the first 

 tier, another sheet of tissue, then four 

 rows, starting even with the first row 

 in the second tier, and then a cleat 

 wrapped in newspaper to keep the stems 

 from injury. It is essential that the 



