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40 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



January 20, 1910. 



CARNATION NOTES— EAST. 



Care of New Arrivals. 



Whether introductions of this year or 

 of standard varieties, cuttings received 

 from distant sources require somewhat 

 closer attention than those rooted on 

 one's own place. The handling which 

 they must necessarily receive in packing 

 and unpacking, and the fluctuations in 

 temperature which they are obliged to 

 undergo while in transit, are attended 

 with more or less risk of injury. Then 

 it must be remembered that different soil, 

 water, air and houses constitute a com- 

 plete change of conditions and environ- 

 ment. The care bestowed on a new ar- 

 rival, therefore, in many cases determines 

 its success or failure in a locality. 



It is our practice, when possible, to 

 purchase cuttings unrooted, by this means 

 eliminating the chances of injury to deli- 

 cate roots. Besides, it is our experience 

 that a variety becomes acclimatized sooner 

 under home propagation. This is not at 

 all surprising when we consider the fact, 

 known to all growers, that plants propa- 

 gated and grown in one's own establish- 

 ment almost invariably give the best re- 

 sults. 



Booted cuttings boxed and sent on a 

 journey lasting from two to five days are 

 apt to be a little soft and, when potted, 

 are more inclined to wilt than those taken 

 from the sand and potted at once. This 

 inclination is, of course, partly due to the 

 necessary handling already alluded to. 



Pottine the Cuttings. 



We must be particular to have the pot- 

 ting soil in ideal condition as regards 

 moisture. If too dry, the cuttings' sup- 

 ply of sap is quickly depleted ; if too wet, 

 the operation of potting transforms the 

 soil into a pasty mass, in which the deli- 

 cate roots cannot thrive. Let the first 

 watering be scant rather than liberal, and 

 by all means provide clean drainage ma- 

 terial on which to stand the pots. 



Having, as stated, a tendency to wilt 

 quickly, these young plants will need 

 careful shading and ample protection 

 from drafts. 



In a shipment of rooted cuttings we 

 sometimes find a number which were 

 either behind the others in emitting roots, 

 or the roots have been torn off. These 

 are set aside when potting and are al- 

 lowed to stand on the sand in the propa- 

 gating bench for a week, where the gentle 

 bottom heat generally brings them along 

 to keep pace with the rest. 



Wilting is not always to be remedied 

 by applying water to the soil or spraying 



overhead. Many times a light covering 

 with paper is all that is needed. 



Now, it must not be inferred from the 

 foregoing that cuttings of our own prop- 

 agation will prosper under careless atten- 

 tion. On the contrary, the treatment here 

 recqpfimended will apply in any case, 

 though we have a little more latitude in 

 dealing with home-rooted stock. 



One cannot expect much from a variety 

 the first year it is grown. We feel repaid 



Special 



Carnation Number 



Next Week 



Our carnation advertisement In the Review 

 has brought good returns ; we cannot get 

 them rooted fast enough. — Henry Jesper- 

 soN, Foreman Newburgh Floral Co., New- 

 burgh, N. Y., January 11, 1910. 



The Special Carnation Number is an extra 



good issue for advertisers. 



FLORISTS' PUBLISHING CO. 



334 Dearborn Street, CHICAGO 



if we succeed in propagating a healthy 

 lot of cuttings for the year following. 



Geo. S. Osbobn. 



THRIPS. 



Will you please tell us what is the mat- 

 ter with the enclosed plumosus, and also 

 with the carnation bloom f We notice 

 these spots only on our reds. 



M.&J. 



The carnation bloom shows the effects 

 of thrips. Nicotine is the most deadly 

 enemy yet found for thrips and you can 



apply it in various ways. Our favorite 

 way is to spray on the liquid regularly to 

 keep them down, and to apply a few 

 extra doses in case they seem to get too 

 obstreperous. These little pests seem to 

 be everywhere and it^ seems almost im- 

 possible to get rid of them permanently, i 

 so you must simply keep them under by 

 a constant warfare against them. 



Dusting with tobacco powder, and 

 fumigating with fumes from burning 

 tobacco powder or the prepared nicotine 

 papers, are other methods of extermina- 

 tion in use. 



The plumosus was too dried up to re- 

 veal anything as to the cause of the 

 trouble. A. F. J. B. 



FAIRY RING. 



I am sending under separate cover a 

 diseased sample of one of our M. A. 

 Patten carnation plants. Will you please 

 state what the trouble is? The plants 

 were set in raised benches in the last part 

 of August, in a light loam, with a small 

 amount of well rotted horse manure. 

 They were given a light dressing of bone 

 meal about the middle of November and 

 a dressing of wood ashes nearly three 

 weeks later. The night temperature was 

 kept at 50 degrees. 



There are a few plants similarly af- 

 fected in one of our other houses, but 

 this particular bed is nearly all affected. 

 However, five other beds in the same 

 house are comparatively free from the 

 trouble. Would you think it was caused 

 by overfeeding! H. E. M. 



The specimen forwarded had consider- 

 able fairy ring on it, and you will have 

 to get busy with your preventives to keep 

 it from spreading during the cloudy 

 weather which seems to prevail all over 

 the country. This disease, like all the 

 spot diseases, is usually brought on by 

 too much humidity in the atmosphere. In 

 combating it you must strive to maintain 

 just the opposite conditions from those 

 which brought it on. 



Stop the feeding and try to get your 

 plants hardened off, even if you check 

 the development of the blooms somewhat. 

 The quality will not likely suffer, but 

 you will cut less. 



Run your house cool — about 50 degrees 

 — by giving plenty of air and firing at 

 the same time. Water carefully, though 

 not too scantily, at the roots, and elim- 

 inate all syringing unless you see red 

 spider about. To destroy red spider, use 

 salt water and wash it off, but only on 

 bright days. Dust the plants with Grape 



