Mai 19, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



25 



to be fine in the fall and early winter 

 months, but I hardly think they will hold 

 up as well through the season as young 

 plants will. Another objection is, that 



it cuts a most profitable six weeks off 

 your Season, which means much to those 

 who have a good demand for their blooms 

 all through June. A. F. J. B. 



*«^ 



•■ J. m 



mmmm 



WHITE FLY ON GERANIUMS. 



I send you a sample of some of my 

 flowers that are affected with some dis- 

 ease. My geraniums are nearly all like 

 the leaves I send to you. Scarlet sage 

 and even fuchsias are getting the same 

 way. The little white flies get under the 

 leaves, making them all curl up. Now, 

 what shall I do to get rid of them? I 

 smoke with tobacco stems and use snuff, 

 but it does not take any effect on them. 

 What shall I do to get rid of the flies f 



G. G. Y. 



The leaves sent were all badly attacked 

 by white fly, one of the worst pests at- 

 tacking greenhouse plants. Fumigation 

 with tobacco stems, or, in fact, any of 

 the nicotine preparations, is of little avail 

 against this fly. You can keep under 

 control somewhat by syringing with soap, 

 but the only thoroughly effectual remedy 

 is fumigation with hydrocyanic acid gas. 

 Use the gas on a cool evening; likelihood 

 of injury to foliage is much less in a 

 low than a high temperature. You will 

 find frequent articles in recent back num- 

 bers of the Review about the use of this 

 gas, and you can thoroughly clean out the 

 pest in no other way. 



Once you have used this gas and mas- 

 tered any little details regarding it, you 

 will find it not so difficult to use as many 

 think. It is deadly, and must be used 

 with care, but many hundreds of growers 

 now rely on it for controlling insect pests 

 under glass. C. W. 



BEDDING GERANIUMS. 



lu the cities of even quite northern 

 states geranium planting is now under 

 way. If -well hardened, a light frost will 

 not harm geraniums. A temporary 

 bronzing of the leaves will soon give 

 way to greener, luxuriant looking foliage. 

 In spite of the advance in the popularity 

 of cannas, there is no bedding plant yet 

 in sight which is a serious rival to the 

 geranium in popularity, and, in spite of 

 a steadily increasing supply each year, 

 there is rarely much of a surplus left. 



Nearer Memorial day, orders for bed- 

 ding come so thick that it is hard to 

 keep abreast of them. It is, therefore, 

 an advantage to have some early orders 

 filled, if this can be safely and satisfac- 

 torily done before the strenuous bedding 

 season starts. The taste for mixtures of 

 geraniums continues to decline. Blocks 

 or beds of one color are far the most 

 eflrective. Some there are who like to see 

 a bordering of some variegated geranium, 

 bke Mme. Salleroi, around a bed of 

 j^tt, Bicard or Grant, "just to show it 

 off.^ Leave the bordering out and you 

 wiL have a far more effective and pleas- 

 ing bed, but if your customers demand 

 the bordering, of course let them have it. 



A common error is to manure gera- 

 nium beds too heavily. This induces a 

 soft, rank growth at the expense of 

 flowers. Another mistake is in having 

 the bed raised considerably above the 

 walk or lawn. This may look well, but 

 it is bad for the plants. A level surface 

 pepmits the water to reach the roots bet- 

 ter. In planting, never set out any 

 which have the balls at all dry. We pre- 

 fer to have them well soaked. Press the 

 ground firmly around them. There is 

 then no need to water for some days, 

 even if the weather is dry. Too often 

 this watering is overdone and is a posi- 

 tive detriment to the plants. Night 

 after night the hose is played on beds 

 until the surface bakes like a macadam- 

 ized road. One thorough watering a 

 week, with a good loosening of the soil 

 the following day, will do a lot more 

 good than the persistent pouring of 

 water over the beds. 



grower and has large clusters of bright 

 red flowers. W. E. G. 



As near as can be told from specimen 

 received, the variety is Jacquerie, or one 

 nearly akin to it. C. W. 



NAME OF GERANIUM. 



Can you tell me tlie name of the en- 

 closed geranium? The plant is a stocky 



ORNITHOGALUM ARABICUM. 



Can you give me some information as 

 to the culture of Ornithogalum Arabi- 

 cum? I bought fifty bulbs last fall for 

 blooming in the greenhouse. I treated 

 them as I did the allium — kept them in 

 a dark place, away from frost, for two 

 months and then brought them into the 

 greenhouse, set the pots (deep azalea 

 pots) on the bench and watched them 

 grow. From the fifty bulbs I had just 

 two blossoms. All grew green leaves, but 

 only two bulbs bloomed. I have decided 

 that I need some instructions and shall 

 be grateful if you will inform me on this 

 subject. A. W. W. 



Ornithogalum Arabicum is a notori- 

 ously uncertain plant, being about as 

 capricious in its liature as any other 

 bulbous plant I know. There are gen- 

 erally supposed to be two varieties in 

 commerce, one free flowering, the other 

 the reverse. Possibly you have got stock 

 of the latter. The proper way to treat 

 bulbs is: 



Pot as soon as received in the fall. Do 

 not water them or place them in a dark 

 place, as you would alliums and other 

 bulbs, but stand on a shelf in full sun and 

 give the bulbs a good baking. Just as soon 

 as they show signs of growing, begin to 

 apply^water. With this treatment many 

 of the bulbs will flower. Like the nerines, 

 or Guernsey lilies, they must have a 

 thorough baking, or they will not bloom. 

 Some part of the trouble may also arise 

 from premature digging, the bulbs not 

 being properly ripened. C. 



THE PLANTING SEASON. 



Disposing of the Old Plants. 



The plans for planting should be com- 

 plete by this time and everything in 

 readiness for work, as general planting 

 can be started after Memorial, day. In 

 order to make as much out of the old 

 plants as possible, it is well to adver- 

 tise them in your home town at a reason- 

 able price, for planting out. These old 

 plants, especially Beauty, Chatenay, Reid, 

 Killarney and Richmond, make excellent 

 bloomers during the summer; As these 

 plants have to be thrown out anyhow, if 

 they can be disposed of at a price that 

 will pay for the work and leave a small 



SES 



margin, it is like finding money. Besides, 

 it advertises your place of business, for 

 a rose sale undoubtedly draws a good 

 many people to the establishment that 

 probably would never have come other- 

 wise. 



Our experience has taught us that June 

 planting is the most profitable, and the 

 planting should be pushed along so that 

 by July 10 every rose shall be planted. 



After the old soil has been removed 

 from the benches and all repairs have 

 been made, the house should get a thor- 

 ough cleaning, including the washing of 

 the benches, walls and glass, as there is 

 always an accumulation of scum and 

 dirt from the preceding year, which, if 

 not attended to when the house is empty, 

 is difficult to remove after the planting 

 is done, and then a great many times it 

 is put off, and in such cases you can 

 generally see it there the next year. 



All wooden benches should be washed 



