16 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



August 25, 1910. 



CARNATIONS FOE CHRISTMAS. 



Will you tell me how I should now 

 treat my carnations? I bought nice, 

 strong plants, that were pinched near 

 the ground, and have now three nieei 

 shoots to the plant. They are planted 

 in the greenhouse in solid beds and have 

 made nice growth. Shall I pinch them 

 back again, or let them go on and grow 

 as high as they will and bloom when- 

 ever they will? I want to cut them 

 for Christmas if possible. They were 

 benched about a month ago. 



L. M. S. 



If you have no special use for the 

 carnations until winter, they should be 

 pinched back. Let the shoots run up 

 until the buds just form before doing 

 this. They will then break away 

 stronger than if the soft growth is 

 pinched. The plants should be gone 

 over once a week and necessary pinch- 

 ing continued until the end of August, 

 if early flowers are not wanted, 



W.C. 



ON SUB-IEBIGATED l.ANJ>. 



Can carnations be grown on sub- 

 irrigated soil successfully preparatory 

 to benching, or is dry, high ground 

 preferable, and for what reasons? 



W. W. F. C. 



It is a generally accepted fact that 

 carnations grown on well-drained land 

 will lift best, and that if they go 

 through a moderate dry spell just prior 

 to being lifted they will be in the best 

 of condition to lift. The reason is 

 that under those conditions the plants 

 are hard, and will wilt but little as 

 compared with those which have had 

 an abundance of water. It matters but 

 little whether the water came as rain 

 or otherwise, as long as the plants made 

 a soft growth. Size of plant cuts little 

 figure with the expert grower, unless 

 it be coupled with condition. Any 

 undersized, well-matured plant, as long 

 as it is not a runt, is preferable to a 

 large, soft one, and will outstrip it 

 inside of a short time. A. F. J. B. 



TO PBEVENT BUST. 



What causes rust on carnations, and 

 is there any treatment that will effec- 

 tually check and remove it? 



W. W. F. C. 



Just where rust comes from, perhaps 

 no one knows, except that, like all dis- 

 eases of that nature, it is the result of 

 certain conditions. A lack of fresh air, 

 too much humidity, or any severe check 

 will start it. That accounts for the 

 fact that you so often see it start in 

 the cutting bench, or right after pot- 

 ting, or after the plants are housed. In 

 each instance a more or less humid 

 atmosphere is maintained for a few 

 days. 



To check it, conditions just as nearly 



opposite as possible must be produced, 

 according to how much of that sort of 

 thing the plants may be able to stand. 

 "Ventilate freely and dust around with 

 dry-slaked lime. If the plants are well 

 established, you need not be afraid to 

 dust plants and all, but if they have 

 not yet taken hold, you would better 

 not dust over them, else severe wilting 

 and possible loss of plants may result. 



A. F. J. B. 



and liable to produce a foul atmos- 

 phere. 



When cool weather sets in, you will 

 have less trouble in combating the dis- 

 ease. When you have steam heat you 

 can paint one of the pipes with sulphur, 

 which will help purify the atmosphere. 



A. F. J. B. 



FAIBT RING. 



Kindly give me some information as 

 to the disease of the enclosed carna- 

 tion leaves, and its remedy. I am 

 located in eastern Texas. M. L. 



The specimens forwarded are laf- 

 fected with fairy ring, and you will 

 have to get busy at once in vigorous 

 style. In your hot southern climate 

 you will find it an uphill job, as heat 

 and moisture are what these fungoid 

 diseases revel in. The fact is, too 

 much moisture is really what starts 

 it, and at this time of the year, when 

 one will do almost anything that will 

 afford relief from the intense heat, it 

 makes it doubly hard to fight a dis- 

 ease of this nature. You will have to 

 cut out spraying as a means of reducing 

 the heat in your houses, for a time at 

 least. 



Pick off all you can of the affected 

 leaves; then spray with Bordeaux mix- 

 ture about twice each week. Water 

 carefully, but not too sparingly, and 

 only at the roots unless you see signs 

 of red spider. Do everything you can 

 to promote a strong, sturdy growth, but 

 avoid any manure that is at all rank 



METHOD OF BUBNINO CAYENNE. 



Kindly let me know what method is 

 used for burning Cayenne pepper to de- 

 stroy thrips on American Beauty roses. 



R. T. 



The usual method of burning Cayenne 

 is to place one-quarter of a pound on 

 the top of tobacco stems when fumigat- 

 ing. 



Another plan is to heat as many 

 bricks as will suffice and place as much 

 pepper on each brick as will cover it to 

 the depth of half an inch. For instance, 

 if the house is twenty-five f oet wide, one 

 brick would be needed for about every 

 twenty feet of the length of the house. 

 The bricks should be nearly red-hot. 

 Repeat this twice a week. Keep the 

 ventilators shut for one and one-half 

 hours after operating. Eibes. 



INSECTS ON DAHLIAS. 



The ants, black potato beetles and 

 other bugs are spoiling my dahlias as 

 fast as they open. Please give me some 

 remedy. E. F. 



Spray your plants with a weak solu- 

 tion of Paris green for the beetles. One 

 ounce will make ten gallons of liquid. 

 This will not be strong enough to burn 

 the foliage. This may not clean out 

 the ants. A little cyanide of potassium, 

 mixed in molasses and laid on pieces of 

 paper here and there, will prove a po- 

 tent attraction to them and will poison 

 thousands. Use care in breaking up the 

 cyanide crystals and be sure you have 

 no cuts in your hands. It is a deadly 

 poison and should never be placed 

 where children, by any possibility, can 

 reach it. C. W. 



Rochester Convention Exhibit of Kroeschell Bros. Co., Chicago. 



