AuODSi 31, 1911. 



ThcWcckly Florists' Review^ 



16 



division, BOgginess of the ground and 

 planting at an unfavorable time, either 

 very late in the fall or at any time in 

 the spring. 



Another suggestion on the subject is 

 now offered by B. C. Auten, of Car- 

 thage, Mo., who says: "In addition to 

 the reasons given by Mr. Peterson for 

 peonies not blooming, I think that pos- 

 sibly another condition may upon oc- 

 casion be responsible, namely, exces- 

 sive winter drought. Mine bloomed 

 well last year where they bloomed but 

 poorly this season. I think it was the 

 same condition, too, which caused the 

 heavy loss of outdoor narcissi." 



THE TEACHEB-FLOBIST. 



Though W. B. DuRie, of Rah way, 

 N, J., has won wide prominence as a 

 florist, he has really spent most of his 

 life as a teacher — "teaching the young 

 idea how to shoot," instead of watch- 

 ing and tending the shooting of flower 

 buds. He is still principal of a school 

 in Jersey City and spends five busy 

 days of each week there, with seventy 

 teachers under his direction. 



His venture into the florists' field 

 was at first intended as a recreation. 

 Now his two sons and his foreman and 

 manager find enough local patronage to 

 utilize all the stock that can be grown 

 under his 10,000 square feet of glass 

 and on his ten acres of scientifically 

 cultivated land. He is still young and 

 mentally and physically active, though 

 over 70 years of age. He has been a 

 resident of Eahway for nearly two score 

 years. J. Austin Shaw. 



MITE ON CYCLAMEN ULA.VES. 



If A. W. F. & S., who ask for in- 

 formation regarding mite on cyclamen 

 leaves in the item on page 74 of 

 The Review for August 3, will try dust- 

 ing the plants and bulbs with dry to- 

 bacco powder about twice a week and 

 persist in the treatment until the leaves 

 appear in good form, they will be rid 

 of the mite for the season. It will not 

 injure the leaves or bulb in the least. 

 Give a good, heavy dusting and let them 

 stand twenty-four hours before using 

 the hose on them. E. B. B. 



PYLE IN EUEOPE. 



Commenting on the interview on 

 pages 18 and 19 of last week's issue 

 of The Review, Robert Pyle says: 



"The illustration of Mr. Lemoine 

 was taken, not in the Bagatelle gar- 

 dens, but at his home place in Nancy, 

 France, when and where his father, 

 past 80, was lying ill. The Crystal 

 Palace show was a part of the Festival 

 of Empire held throughout most of 

 the summer as a feature of Coronation 

 year. The best show from a rosarian's 

 viewpoint was not the Olympia show, of 

 the R. H. S., but the annual show of 

 the National Rose Society, held at the 

 Botanic Gardens in Regent's park. The 

 crowds at both would please the heart 

 of an American florist." 



NAME OF PLANT. 



Can you tell me the name of the 

 plant, a specimen of which I am send- 

 ing under separate cover T Also let 

 me know whether there are other va- 

 rieties. V. H. T. & B. 



The specimens forwarded were pretty 

 well withered when received, but one 

 flower freshened up in water and re- 



W. B. DuRie. 



vealed its identity. This is Achi- 

 menes longiflora major, a variety of one 

 of the most beautiful of greenhouse 

 summer-flowering plants. There are 

 many other varieties of achimenes. A 

 few good ones are: Margaretta, large, 

 pure white; Admiration, deep rose; 

 longiflora alba, white, markings in cen- 

 ter; Mauve Queen, mauve, a fine sort; 

 Scarlet Perfection, carmine scarlet, and 

 Pink Perfection, rich rose. The va 

 riety you have, longiflora major, is one 

 of the best in cultivation. C. W. 



watered, or if they are where there is 

 seepage water. Gypsum and similar 

 chemicals might be helpful, but should 

 not be trusted, as frequent renewal 

 would be necessary. If beds are to be 

 used, a better way would be to line the 

 bottom of the beds with hollow, flat 

 building tile. This would give excellent 

 drainage and would cut off the alkali 

 water from below. 



OB0X7ND BEDS ON ALELALI SOIL. 



We are building four greenhouses 

 here, in the southeastern part of Wash- 

 ington state. The plot of ground covered 

 by these houses contains' more or less 

 white and black alkali, and, as we will 

 use no benches, we intend to excavate 

 eight inches of this inferior soil and fill 

 in with first-class soil, absolutely free 

 from alkali. We will also use two runs 

 of 4-inch drain tile in each house, and 

 grow our products — that is, hothouse 

 lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and other 

 crops — on this ground bed. Is there any 

 danger that the alkali may come up and 

 damage our crops? If so, can you sug- 

 gest anything that we might use to neu- 

 tralize this alkali f The worst of the soil 

 which is to be removed is suitable for 

 some crops and we notice that wheat, 

 blue grass, corn, alfalfa, clover anO 

 weeds of various kinds seem to do quite 

 well on it, but chrysanthemums, lettuce, 

 tomatoes -and cucumbers seem to burn up 

 or make only a dwarfed growth on it. 

 Will gypsum neutralize alkali f 



W. W. F. C. 



There would be danger from the al- 

 ■Vali, especially if the beds are ever over- 



PLANTS X7NDEB PINES. 



I have quite a large pine grove that 

 1 have the care of every summer. Is 

 there any kind of grass, or any kind 

 of shrub;^ or any kind of plant that 

 I could get to grow under the pines t 

 F. C. 



If the pines are quite thick, it wil) 

 not be easy to grow either grass or any 

 variety of plants below them. The de- 

 caying needles seem poisonous to most 

 vegetation. If the location is not too 

 high and dry, try planting the native 

 cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, 

 below them. I have had quite good suc- 

 cess with this fern where the pines 

 were on rather low ground, and if the 

 soil is good, which is, however, often 

 not the case where white pines thrive 

 best, it might pay you to try them. 

 Where the branches of the pines do not 

 come too near the ground, you can get 

 a fair growth on Vaccinium corym- 

 bosum, blueberry, also on the Partridge 

 berry, Mitchella repens. Where the 

 trees are isolated or not too crowded, 

 grass will grow moderately well if the 

 needles are kept raked up. Rhode 

 Island bent seems to grow as well as 

 anything below pines, but Kentucky 

 blue grass will also succeed if it is fed 

 a little each year. 0. W. 



< 



^jk-MtJ' .'HfjJ^A-tL'.i 



