14 



rhe Florists' Review 



Sekibmbbb 3, 1914. 



SOIL FOE CARNATIONS. 



(Jan you giv^ me any information 

 about the proportion of wood ashes I 

 should use in soil for growing carna- 

 tions and geraniums? Could you also 

 give me a good formula for soil for 

 these plants? 8. J. T. & S. 



If you desire to use the wood ashes 

 on your carnation benches, I would 

 suggest that you apply them later on, 

 when you will be better able to deter- 

 mine whether the plants really need 

 them. Wood ashes are valuable for 

 stiffening the stems or for sweetening 

 the soil. If neither of these is needed, 

 then to apply wood ashes would be 

 quite superfluous. If you are preparing 

 a compost for potting young carnations 

 later on, or for geraniums, I would sug- 

 gest that you mix in about an 8-inch 

 potful of wood ashes to each barrow- 

 load of soil. There is little danger of 

 getting in too much if the ashes are 

 allowed to become thoroughly incor- 

 porated with the soil, but there is no 

 need of adding more than enough to 

 accomplish your aim, and the quantity 

 recommended will do as much good as 

 <louble the amount. 



Without knowing the texture of your 

 soil, it would be impossible for me to 

 give you a formula for mixing a com- 

 post. A safe rule would be to take the 

 same soil as you use on your benches 

 for the young plants. If it is inclined 

 to be too heavy, then add rotted ma- 

 nure and sand in such proportion as 

 seema necessary. The young plants like 

 a soil in which the young rootlets can 

 work freely. A. F. J. Baur. 



BAD CASE OF LEAF-SPOT. 



We are mailing you under separate 

 cover two of our carnation plants. 

 These were planted during the week of 

 August 3. They were in fine shape 

 when we planted them, but now they 

 seem to have a disease that we cannot 

 stop. 



The plants we are sending you were 

 cleaned off nicely five days ago and 

 were apparently in good shape. Please 

 let us know through The Eeview what 

 is the best thing for us to do. 



N. F. C. 



If all your plants are as badly af- 

 fected as the ones submitted, I would 

 advise that you pull up the whole lot 

 and replant with healthy stock. Even 

 if you have no plants of your own to 

 replace them with, it would pay you 

 better to lay out the necessary money 

 to buy them. It is not yet too late to 

 plant carnations and expect a good 

 winter crop, providing the plants are in 

 good condition and receive good care. 

 To try to doctor up these diseased 

 plants, badly affected as they are, 

 would be both wearisome and unprofit- 

 able. It would take the best part of 

 the season to get them in any kind of 



condition and you could hardly expect 

 any returns from them until toward 

 spring. 



The disease affecting them is the 

 common carnation leaf-spot. This is 

 brought on by too much heat and 

 moisture, caused no doubt by excessive 

 spraying right after the plants were 

 benched. Should you decide to try 

 doctoring up these plants, I would sug- 

 gest that you pick off all the bad 

 leaves and then spray the plants 

 heavily with Bordeaux mixture. .Re- 

 peat the application in ten days, and 

 again two weeks later if deemed neces- 

 sary. Keep going over th«" plants every 

 few days and remove any newly 

 affected leaves. A.. F. J. Baur. 



HINTS ON TRANSPLANTING. 



Many growers do not like to bench 

 carnations in dry weather, and will 

 wait for a rain. In this I believe they 

 are greatly mistaken. It has been my 



OWN-ROOT OR GRAFTED? 



custom for many years, when tran;.- 

 planting seedlings, to prepare for it Lv 

 allowing the plants to become quite dry 

 for a day or two. Then, when plantoi 

 and given water, they straighten i p 

 quickly and remain erect. The reason 

 is apparent. This season I lifted ca.- 

 nations in an unusually dry time, dii- 

 ping the root's in water as lifted. I 

 never before saw plants recover a , 

 quickly. In three days they showed n. 

 sign of the shift. 



I grow carnations in an old gardea 

 plot, in which the soil settles firmlj. 

 The plants have always done well, witl 

 practically no stem-rot. The benchin-,' 

 soil, being composted sod, is loose an! 

 lively. It occurred to me that if the 

 plants outdoors enjoyed a firm soil, they 

 would also enjoy firm soil inside. To 

 accomplish this, I take great care to 

 firm the soil immediately after plant- 

 ing, before watering. I have a 10- 

 pound bar with a 2-inch disk on one 

 end. With this I pound the soil firmly 

 between the plants, and as close to 

 them as possible. The results have 

 been highly satisfactory. 



An experience of thirty-eight years 

 in growing plants prompts me to say 

 that a large majority of florists, in pot- 

 ting, do not firm the soil as they 

 should, in the bottom of the pot, where 

 needed. S. C. Templin. 



An Interchange of Opinions. 



The Garden Magazine has recently 

 been conducting, in its columns, a sym- 

 posium or interchange of opinions on 

 "the ever new yet old question: Are 

 budded rose plants really better than 

 own roots?" As might be expected, 

 the majority of the participants in the 

 discussion agree in the belief that 

 grafted or budded plants are decidedly 

 preferable, especially for the commer- 

 cial grower, except in the case of cer- 

 tain varieties of roses which have 

 vigorous root systems of their own. But, 

 as might also be expected, a good deal 

 of doubt and disagreement are shown 

 as to just what sorts should be included 

 among these exceptional varieties, 

 which flourish well on their own roots. 

 Hence, even after as much enlighten- 

 ment as possible has been derived from 

 the views expressed in the symposium, 

 there is still plenty of opportunity left 

 for debate. 



Among the contributors to the discus- 



sion. Dr. W. Van Fleet, of the Depart 

 ment of Agriculture at Washington, is 

 perhaps more outspoken than any other 

 in favor of the own-root stock, for the 

 reason that he is naturally more inter- 

 ested in maintaining the distinct indi- 

 viduality of the varieties, and less 

 interested in the quick production of 

 marketable flowers, than is the ordinary 

 commercial florist. Yet even Dr. Van 

 Fleet admits that "of course there are 

 rose varieties, and fine ones too, that 

 do not form suflScient roots when propa- 

 gated by cuttings or layers to make vig- 

 orous plants, and these are best budded, 

 grafted or inarched on congenial stocks, 

 such as Manetti, multiflora, briar or 

 Rosa laxa." 



As Viewed by Mr. Eisele. 



Another contributor to the discussion 

 is J. D. Eisele, of Henry A. Dreer, lu'' . 

 Philadelphia, who recommends the use 

 of the grafted or budded stock by ama- 

 teurs as well as commercial growois- 

 His article reads as follows: 



"With the many years' experieme 

 which we have had in growing ros'S) 

 both on own roots and on grafted ''^ 

 budded plants, we, in every instaniO, 

 give preference to the budded stock, '^^ 

 it produces not only stronger plants, 

 better flowers and more of them, but, 



