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12 



The Florists' Review 



•October 10, 1012. 



SPOT DISEASE. 



I am sending you a carnation plant 

 and should like to know why the shoots 

 are dying and what is a good remedy. 

 I sprinkled lime on the bed and some 

 of it got on my plants. Would that 

 cause the trouble? A. J. S. 



Your plants are affected by one of 

 the spot diseases, apparently the same 

 one that gave so much trouble on the 

 Mrs. Lawson variety a few years ago. 

 I would suggest that you go over the 

 plants, carefully cutting out all the 

 diseased shoots. Then spray heavily 

 with Bordeaux mixture twice a week 

 for two or three weeks, and then once 

 each week for a time, until you see 

 that you are getting the upper hand. 

 Wash the Bordeaux off each time be- 

 fore putting on the next application. 

 The lime you sprinkled on the benches 

 could have only a beneficial effect on 

 the diseased plants. A. F. J. B. 



IN NEBRASKA. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 the new house recently completed by 

 Charles Winkler, of Hastings, Neb., who 

 planted it in July with 5,000 carna- 

 tions and already is getting a good cut. 

 Mr. Winkler and his men did all the 

 work of erection on the house. The 

 material was supplied by the John C. 

 Moninger Co., Chicago, including iron 

 gutters and pipe-frame benches, and 

 the erection was done by the green- 

 house employees. 



Mr. Winkler recently purchased two 

 lots just west of the post-office, on which 

 he is erecting a building for a retail 

 store. A new 6-8tory hotel is being 

 built on the opposite corner. Mr. Wink- 

 ler paid $6,000 for the site, and within 

 one hour was offered $7,000 for his bar- 

 gain, but he refused to sell. He intends 

 to make the place his permanent retail 

 headquarters. 



WHEN TO STOP PINCHING. 



Will you please tell me when to stop 

 pinching carnations back on strong 

 plants, to have them in crop in Decem- 

 ber? W. B. F. 



To be able to tell you just when to 

 stop pinching carnations to get them 

 into crop at a certain time, one would 

 need to know how you pinch. At this 

 time of the year it takes from six to 

 eight weeks from the time the bud 

 appears until the developed bloom can 

 be cut. The time will vary somewhat 

 according to variety and weather con- 

 ditions. The time required for a 

 new break ' to progress to the bud- 

 ding stage will also vary according to 

 the variety and the weather conditions, 

 as well as the general condition of your 

 plants. 



Growers do not always agree on what 

 constitutes pinching, and for that rea- 

 son it is not always safe to use the 



word without qualifying it. What we 

 understand by pinching is to remove 

 the top from a shoot which has begun 

 to run up, but does not yet show a bud. 

 This we frequently do during the first 

 few weeks after the plants are benched, 

 but never later than September 1. After 

 that time we merely remove the buds 

 we do not wish to bloom, taking off 

 the stem to where we want the breaks 

 to come for the next crop. This method 

 tends to promote a steady cut through 

 the season, and we are able to work 

 closer to the time we want to begin cut- 

 ting blooms. A. F. J. B. 



STEM-BOT AND STIGMONOSE. 



Can you tell me what ails my carna- 

 tions? We never had a finer lot of 

 plants, but I am afraid we are going 

 to lose the whole bench. Some of the 

 plants, from which we are cutting 

 blooms and which seem to be in first- 

 class, healthy condition, die and wither 

 away like hay in twenty-four hours. 

 The enclosed cuttings are from one 

 plant which is dying. The plants die 

 in patches of six to ten. A. C. 



Your trouble is unquestionably caused 

 by the common carnation stem-rot, and 

 if it is so bad that the plants are dying 

 in patches of six to ten plants, I fear 

 there is not much chance to save any 

 kind of a decent stand. Without seeing 

 the plants, it is difficult to suggest what 

 might be the cause of it, as there are 

 many ways in which the disease is 

 started into activity. Perhaps the best 

 course would be to throw out all the 

 plants, refill the benches with new soil 

 and replant with new plants. I would 

 advise giving the benches a good coat 



of hot limewash before- putting in tlie 

 new soil/ to.killwiiat spores might he 

 hangiiig around. 



The shoots enclosed showed = another 

 disease, which, however, has no connec- 

 tion with the ptem-rot. The numerous 

 light spots in the leaves show the pres- 

 ence of stigmonose, in an advanc(!d 

 stage. If the general run of the stock, 

 is like these shoots, then by all means 

 replenish your stock with new, healtliy 

 plants. A. F. J. B. 



BEMOVINa THE FLOWEB STEMS. 



I recently counted twenty-five bloom 

 stems on one carnation plant before I 

 had cut any blooms for market. 

 Should those plants be thinned or let 

 go? Is there anything that would- help 

 to make the stems stronger? The soil 

 is. a good, heavy, black loam. The vari- 

 eties are as follows: Alma Ward, Mrs. 

 C. W. Ward, Enchantress, White En- 

 chantress, Dorothy Gordon, Victory and 

 Beacon. F. E. W. 



There are a great many factors which 

 might have more or less bearing on the 

 question of whether you should allow 

 your carnation plants to develop all 

 the blooming shoots they carry at this 

 time. If I knew just what you are 

 working for, it would not be a difficult 

 matter to advise you. I shall discuss 

 the question from several angles and 

 trust that you will find the information 

 you are seeking among the various 

 suggestions offered. 



Is it your object to secure as steady 

 a cut of blooms throughout the season 

 as possible? If so, then do not allow 

 your plants to develop a heavy crop 

 during October and November. In- 

 stead of allowing the buds to develop 

 into blooms, go over the beds about 

 twice each week, or even once each 

 week, and take off a portion of the 

 blooming shoots which carry buds of a 

 certain size, say about the size of a 

 pea. Cut the stem down to where you 

 may expect good, strong breaks. This 

 will cause these stubs to break several 

 days sooner than those on which you 

 allow the blooms to develop. In other 



New Gunalion %use of Charles Winkler, Hastings, Neb. 



