16 



The Florists^ Review 



Auousi 13, 1914. 



FISH GUANO FOB CARNATIONS. 



Will you please tell me, if possible, 

 what quantity of fish guano should be 

 used in a carnation greenhouse 24x150, 

 containing four beds? How often 

 should the fertilizer be used? 



M. M. M. 



I have had no personal experience 

 with fish guano, but others who have 

 used it recommend the following pro- 

 portions: As a top-dressing, use one- 

 half to one pound per hundred square 

 feet of bench space. I would suggest 

 that you mix it with about six times 

 its bulk of sifted soil and let it stand 

 a day before using. In that way you 

 will be able to distribute it more 

 evenly. Used as a liquid, it is recom- 

 mended that you use two poun<ls to 

 fifty gallons of water. 



This fertilizer is rich in nitrogen 

 and T would suggest that you use it 

 carefully. Its tendency will be to 

 soften the growth; so, at the least sign 

 in that direction, you must discontinue 

 it or at least reduce the quantity. The 

 nature of your soil and its fertility 

 must determine the frequency of the 

 applications. If you think it neces- 

 sary, you might apply it before bench- 

 ing the plants and rake it in well, but 

 I dislike the idea of adding any fer- 

 tilizer at that time if the soil is in 

 even fairly good condition. The plants 

 are not able to take up much food 

 until the roots become well established 

 in the new soil, and that takes about 

 two months. After that it is easier to 

 determine what the soil lacks and to 

 add it in the shape of liquid or top- 

 ilressings. Apply top-dressings not 

 oftener than once each month; liquid, 

 not oftener than once each week. 



A. F. .7. B. 



CARRYING OVER OLD PLANTS. 



Are there any varieties of carnations 

 of which you woul<l advise carrying 

 plants over in the benches from year to 

 year if new jtlants are not available? 

 if so, what varieties? If not, why not? 

 I have been told that this may be done 

 successfully, but would not care to try 

 anything quite so speculative without 

 your approval. C. L. 



Carrying over old carnations for a 

 second year's blooming is quite prac- 

 tical under certain conditions. To do 

 this successfully, however, careful 

 preparation must be made at the proper 

 time. It is too late now to do anything 

 along that line for the coming season. 

 If you have not the plants needed for 

 replanting your beds, the only • safe 

 thing for you to do will be to buy 

 them. To try to carry over plants that 

 have been allowed to grow and bloom 

 up to this time would be to invite 

 certain disaster. 



Whether it would pay you to carry 

 over your old plants would depend 

 almost entirelv on vour market. If 



you conduct a retail establishment and 

 • an use what blooms your plants will 

 give right up to July, you will do well 

 to forget all about the two-year propo- 

 ^ition, lest you attempt it under im- 

 possible conditions and only lose by it. 

 On the other hand, if you can spare a 

 part of your planting to use for this 

 purpose after May 1, without robbing 

 your trade of blooms that could be 

 disposed of at profitable figures, then 

 it might be worth your while to go into 

 the matter. 



It depends less on what variety you 

 use than on the condition of the plants 

 at the time you begin to prepare them 

 for the restaVt in the spring. They 

 should be absolutely free from dis- 

 ease or insects, and if the foliage is 

 alive pretty well down to the bottom, 

 all the better. We have used the fol- 

 lowing varieties in this way success- 

 fully: Pink Delight, Beacon, White 

 Wonder, Enchantress and Gloriosa. 



A. F. J. B. 



SEEN IN THE MARKETS. 



Taking tliem as a whole, the Beauty 

 growers did not take in much money 

 during the winter, for cuts were light 

 and quality j)Oor during the time ile- 

 iiiand usually is at its best, between 

 Thanksgiving and Ash Wednesday. 

 Lately there have been heavy cuts 

 and, in some markets, about as low 

 ])rices as ever have been known.- It 

 seems questionable if Beauty growing 

 ))ays the man who has no special talent 

 for handling this croj). 



The trade generally has enthused 

 again over Mrs. Russell rose. Last fall 

 it was fine and most of those who 

 bought stock of the introducer took 

 more money out of the first crop than 

 they had paid for the young plants. 

 Then, in the winter, there began to be 

 head shakings. But it appears that 

 everybody benched about all the plants 

 that were available. Now the rose is 

 fine — nothing equal to it in the market 

 — and cuts are heavy enough to make 

 it pay han<lsomely for its space. 



Mrs. Shawyer has taken the place of 



son. FOR PANSEES. 



I have two greenhouses without 

 benches, in which I grow pansies aiid 

 other crops. I have used the soil two 

 years and it is going off in spots. As 

 it is a great deal of work and expense 

 to remove the soil and replace with 

 new, I would like to know if there is 

 a means, chemical or otherwise, to 

 correct the soil without moving it. 



W. P. K. 



It is a mistake to use the same suil 

 year after year for pansies or ;iiiy 

 other crop. Soil needs rotation. Kor 

 instance, if you followed your pans^ies 

 with cucumbers, tomatoes, chrysantlie- 

 niums or some other crop, this would 

 give the necessary rotation. Soil ap- 

 pears to get sick of any one crop, with- 

 out this change, unless you sterilize 

 -your soil each season.- There is really 

 no necessity to remove your soil, jiro- 

 viding you adopt rotation or sterilize 

 by steam,, especially if your soil is iu 

 solid beds. If in benches, I would 

 strongly advise changing it each season. 

 Of course, your soil should be liberally 

 manured and trenched over each season. 

 The grower who wants to make money 

 plans to have his houses idle as little 

 as possible. For this reason I would 

 advise a rotation, following the pansies, 

 etc., with whatever crop you could ilis- 

 pose of to the best advantage. C. W. 



My Maryland in the esteem of tliosi- 

 interested in summer roses. Marylanil 

 is little seen — nearly all the growers 

 liave dropped it. Shawyer is gaining, 

 but it will be a long time before it 

 fulfills C. H. Totty's prediction th;it it 

 <lisplaces Killarney, although the latter 

 certainly does not compare with Sluiw- 

 ver at present. 



If Killarney Brilliant shows Kiilar 

 ney 's variation in color it will pass for 

 a red rose in bright winter weath-r— 

 it is as dark now as Killarney is a' it* 

 best. 



PRUNING OLD PLANTS. 



I have a house of Killarney and ( 

 mond roses, which I desire to ke» 

 the house for the second wintei 

 gave them a rest and have pruned ' 

 back sharply. Some of them, 

 ticularly Richmond, are quite weak 

 yellow branched. Will you kindly 

 me what to do to get them in - 

 shape? A. ' 



II 111 

 1 

 hem 

 par- 

 all'' 

 tell 

 ■ oo'l 

 I. 



The directions given in the rose ho*'^* 

 in the issue of July 9, in answer td tDf 

 inquiries of C. B. and L. G. S. & I'- ^"^ 

 will apply here. When old plants nay' 

 started to make new growth they sIh'uI' 

 be gone over and the small, "*'•'' 



