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12 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Sepxembeh 2a, 1900. 



STORING HARDY CUT FERNS. 



Will you please advise me through the 

 Review how to keep hardy cut ferns 

 through the winter? H. B. 



Probably there is no one question that 

 is asked oftener than the above, and it 

 is a question to which it is impossible 

 to give a categorical answer without the 

 danger that the results will disprove the 

 accuracy of the directions. The fact 



is, no one really knows how to keep 

 ferns in cold storage, for the oldest 

 and most experienced handlers sometimes 

 meet with severe losses. About all that 

 can be said is that they must be stored 

 in a temperature below freezing. Large 

 dealers have tried using a temperature 

 just below freezing and also as great 

 a degree of cold as the cold storage ware- 

 houses afford, Avith excellent results some 

 seasons and a large waste in others, un- 

 der circumstances exactly similar. No 



matter whether the ferns are stored at 

 28 to iiO degrees, or at a lower tempera 

 ture, it should be steady; freeze theiu 

 down and keep them frozen, then tha\ 

 out gradually. 



The ferns should be put up in cases oi 

 5,000 to 10,000, with auger holes bored u, 

 the sides, but the box should be linei 

 with moss, and there should be a little 

 moss between every few layers c 

 bunches. E. 



CARNATION NOTES.- EAST. 



Retarding Bloom. 



Conserving plant energy or, in other 

 words, retarding mature plants from 

 blooming at a time when the market is 

 inactive, requires somewhat different 

 treatment than when plant building in 

 the field. The main object then is to 

 direct growth into the construction of 

 plants bearing numerous shoots, while at 

 present the purpose is to prevent useless 

 consumption of energy and soil depletion. 



Instead of cutting back the shoots as 

 soon as stem formation can be plainly 

 seen between nodes or joints, the opera- 

 tion should be delayed until a bud has 

 formed and attained a diameter of about 

 one-quarter inch. If topped at a too 

 early stage there is great liability that, 

 instead of two or three strong shoots 

 taking the place of the one removed, 

 there will appear a mass of weak, 

 spindling growths. 



A Common Mistake. 



It is important to guard against the 

 common mistake of topping too high on 

 the stem. This is a habit that is easy 

 to fall into, owing to the desire to en- 

 courage as many side shoots as possible to 

 produce bloom, but it is obvious that if 

 the plants are to be kept within reason- 

 able bounds and symmetrical in shape, 

 we must prune accordingly. Besides, it 

 is impossible to produce stout stems, of 

 good length, except from shoots springing 

 from the lower part of the plant. 



The cutting back of more than two 

 shoots at a time is not to be recom- 

 mended, as the removal of a considerable 

 number at once tends to encourage crop- 

 piness in a variety otherwise having a 

 disposition to bloom continuously. By 

 bearing this in mind, the grower may 

 gain considerable advantage in the matter 

 of maintaining a continuous supply of 

 flowers. 



If relatively small when housed, the 

 plants may receive practically the same 

 treatment as practiced in the field, this 



to continue at least until a certain degree 

 of maturity is reached. 



Take note of those plants which have 

 made vigorous growth from the start, 

 which have naturally preserved a neat 

 habit, which have gone through reestab- 

 lishment without loss of foliage, or in any 

 way behaved particularly to your liking. 

 We will have a word to say about them 

 from time to time. Geo. S. Osborn. 



TO CHECK EARLY BLOOMING. 



I planted my carnations in the green- 

 house in the first part of August and 

 there are some that have started to bear 

 small flowers. Would you be so kind as 

 to let me know if it would not be better 

 to pinch the plants again? I do not need 

 the blooms before Christmas. L. V. 



The safest plan for you to adopt will 

 be to allow your carnation shoots to run 

 up to bud and let the bud develop until 

 it is almost ready to show color; that is, 

 until the petals are about to push out of 

 the end of the calyx. Go over the plants 

 about every third day and take off these 

 flower stems, the same as though you were 

 cutting blooms, but perhaps one or two 

 joints higher up. I would advise you to 

 leave every joint which will produce a 

 strong shoot. In this Avay you can 

 change your plans on tolerably short no- 

 tice, should you find at any time that you 

 can use the blooms to good advantage. 

 If you do not want blooms until Christ- 

 mas, you will begin to let the flowers de- 

 velop early in December. 



Of course you know your own business 

 best, but are you sure that you do not 

 want the blooms until Christmas? If 

 we had to cut October, November and 

 early December from our business season, 

 we would almost despair of making any 

 profit on the season. They are good 

 months with us, though of course Jan- 

 uary and February are better. So my 

 advice to you would be, not to work too 

 far ahead with your topping. 



A. F. J. B. 



SOW BUGS IN BENCH SOIL. 



We have a bench of carnation plants 

 that are infested with bugs like the one 

 enclosed, which roll up in a ball. They 

 feed on the leaves of the plants in the 

 night. The soil is new, sod soil, but is 

 on an old bench, which was not thor- 

 oughly cleaned off, only dusted with lime. 

 We have also another bench in the same 

 condition. Kindly tell us what would bo 

 an effectual and safe treatment. 



F. J. K. 



The bug you complain of is the well- 

 known and pestiferous sow bug or shot 

 bug or wood louse, or whatever other pet 

 name you may want to call him. Under 

 each and every cognomen his destructive 

 work is the same, and the best and quick 

 est means of extermination is none too 

 good for him. This bug is found mostly 

 where there is decaying wood or vegetable 

 matter, but he is also fond of many 

 plants, such as Rex begonias, ferns, etc. 

 He seems also to be fond of carnations, 

 though he attacks them mostly during the 

 time of reestablishment. After the plants 

 get to growing well there is little trouble 

 along this line. 



We use granulated sugar, with enough 

 Paris green mixed into it to give it a 

 lively green color. Drop a pinch of this 

 here and there on the edgeboard of your 

 benches, and if the Paris green is of good 

 quality you will find plenty of dead bugs 

 strewn along the path the next morning. 

 Keep this up until you are rid of the 

 pest. A. F. J. B. 



AMERICAN CARNATION SOCIETY 



Department of Resistration. 



A. C. Brown, Springfield, 111., regis- 

 ters the following new carnations: 



Sangamo — Mrs. E. A. Nelson x En- 

 chantress; brilliant pink; size, three to 

 three and one-half inches ; strong, healthy, 

 upright and rapid growth; breaks easily 

 from base of plant; flowers produced 

 very freely on extra long stems; calyx 

 never bursts. 





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