OCTOBER 7, 1S)00. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



u 



NEPHROLEPIS. 



j-lants of nephrolepis which have been 

 ill 'he benches during the summer have 

 iiKuio an excellent growth. Many of 

 tlicse are already in pots and pans, as 

 th'' fall demand for pot plants has com- 

 menced, and it is always well to get the 

 fenis established a little before they are 

 sold. Provided a nice ball is lifted with 

 ea<h plant and some shade given for a 

 week or two, the plants will show no 

 sit;iis of wilting, but will start in to grow 

 with vigor. For compost, loam, leaf- 

 molcl and sand is suitable; any manure 

 used should be old and thoroughly de- 

 cayed. 



Elevate the best specimens of nephrol- 

 epis, in order to make as perfect speci- 

 mens of them as possible. It is impos- 

 sible to get presentable plants where 

 they are crowded on a bench. Be careful 

 to avoid wetting the foliage on the dense 

 growing sorts, like "Whitmani, Elegantis- 

 sima and Todeaoides, or decay of the 

 pinnae will probably result. The plain- 

 frondcd varieties, such as Bostoniensis 

 and Scottii, can be freely syringed. Look 

 over the old fronds, and any badly en- 

 crusted with scale should be cut off and 

 burned. It does not pay to clean them. 



Any plants which have been carried 

 over summer in pots and pans and look 

 somewhat starved can be much improved 

 by affording them doses once a week of 

 soot or liquid manure water, or some 

 such special fertilizer as Bon Arbor. It 

 is surprising how quickly these will 

 darken up the fronds and impart vigor 

 to the plants. Much of the shading on 

 nephrolepis can now be removed; on 

 well established plants little is necessary, 

 but newly potted stock will need cheese- 

 doth or glass shading for a few weeks 

 linger. 



SCALE ON BOSTONS. 



I enclose part of a frond of the Boston 



I'TD, which is, as you will notice, badly 



iffected with a white scale or insect of 



-ome sort, also with another variety of 



-.ale. We have quite a stock of Bostons 



u fine shape, but a good many of them 



•ive a little of these scales on them and 



c do not like to sell them, as we notice 



lie scale increases rapidly in the house. 



i you could give us a little information 



n the best method of treating these 



■ests, it would be quite a help. The ferns 



re out of doors, in frames now, and 



ould be dipped or sprayed conveniently 



hile housing them. C. S. D. 



Both kinds of scale on the fern frond 

 re of the same species, but in different 

 tages of growth, and it is the most trou- 

 ijlesome pest the grower of Boston ferns 

 'las to contend with, being unfortunately 

 widespread. Cut off the worst fronds, 

 iind then dip the plants in a solution of 

 •'xtract of tobacco, using one part of Rose 

 Leaf extract to fifty parts of water. This 

 will not kill all the mature scales, but 



will kill the younger generation, and is 

 as strong as the ferns will stand. 



Protect the plants from the sun after 

 dipping, for a few hours at least, and 

 repeat the dip two or three times at in- 

 tervals of one week. 



Some of the tender tips of the fern 

 fronds may be damaged slightly by the 

 tobacco, but this is likely to occur with 

 any remedy strong enough to kill the 

 scales. W. H. T. 



TEMPERATURE. 



Can you give us some information 

 about ferns, Whitmani, Piersoni, Scottii 

 and Boston? What temperature should 

 they be kept in at night? Also pteris 

 ferns, some in 2-inch pots and some in 

 3-incli. What night temperature do they 

 require to thrive properly? All our ferns 

 have done remarkably well in the last 

 three months, but the weather as a rule 

 has been warm. We have cool nights 

 now and without fire heat the tempera- 



ture in the fern houses drops as low as 

 50 degrees at night. Is this too cool for 

 them? S. &S. 



A night temperature of 58 to 60 de- 

 grees is most satisfactory for the ferns 

 in question, though a drop to 50 degrees 

 for a few nights will do them no harm, 

 except to check the growth slightly. But 

 if this temperature is likely to continue 

 it would be better to use a little fire heat 

 and keep on plenty of ventilation at 

 night, this treatment providing a better 

 growing atmosphere than the cold, damp 

 air found in an unheated house of nearly 

 the same temperature. W. H. T. 



INSECTS ON BOSTONS. 



Enclosed I am sending you a few fern 

 leaves. What kind of insect is it that is 

 on it, and is there any remedy for it? 

 At present it is doing great damage 

 among our plants. A. L. 



This insect is, unfortunately, a common 

 one on Boston ferns, and does them much 

 injury. It is a scale insect, the mature 

 specimens of which may be seen in num- 

 bers on the fronds in the form of brown, 

 irregular dots. The white spots cover the 

 young insects, the latter frequently being 

 found crawling about, on examination 

 with a microscope. 



Dipping or spraying with solution of 

 Rose Leaf extract of tobacco will kill the 

 young insects, but the mature insects can 

 stand as much or more than the plants. 

 The solution should be one part extract 

 to fifty parts water. W. H. T. 



STIGMONOSE. 



By this mail we are sending you a 

 carnation plant. Can you tell us what 

 the disease is and a cure for it, if there 

 is any? The plants of the same variety 

 were badly affected last year and many 

 died. These cuttings were taken from 

 the healthiest ones and did not show the 

 disease until a few days ago. They were 

 benched August 25. We have 500 and 

 should like to save them if possible. 



E. & B. 



The specimen forwarded is badly af- 

 fected with the disease called stigmonose, 

 formerly known as bacteriosis. This is 

 one of the oldest diseases affecting the 

 carnation, but only in recent years has 

 the cause of the disease been definitely 

 known. It is caused by certain bacteria 

 which enter and destroy the leaf cells 

 through the punctures made by such in- 

 sects as red spider, aphis and thrips. 

 Since the aphis is the largest of these 

 pests and makes the largest punctures, 

 and also ravages the plants more than 

 the other two, we are inclined to blamp 

 it mostly for the trouble. Some varieties 

 seem less subject to this disease than 

 others, but all of them will sooner or 

 later succumb to its attacks if not kept 

 comparatively free from these pests. 

 The more succulent growing ones are, of 

 course, the most liable to suffer. 



Once a variety is badly affected, it is 

 a hard matter to free it again. At best 

 it is a long and tedious task. Selecting 

 cuttings from the healthiest plants for 

 several seasons, coupled with careful 

 growing, ijiH bring some varieties out 

 clean, but some varieties will not respond 

 even to the best of care. Growing the 

 plants slowly, so that the growth will be 

 hardy and covered with that grayish 

 bloom, is what you should aim for. Water 

 carefully, though not too sparingly, and 

 avoid all feeding unless the weather is 

 right and the plants are right to take 

 it up. A light sprinkling of dry-slaked 

 lime about once in a month will help 

 some, by hardening the plant tissue. Do 

 everything you can to promote a steady, 

 sturdy growth when the plants naturally 

 make their growth, and do not try to 

 push them when growth is naturally 

 sluggish. Give all the ventilation pos- 

 sible and keep off all insect pests. 



Do not be misled if you see the yellow 

 spots disappear in the spring. That does 

 not indicate that the plants are freed 

 from the disease. The poison remains in 

 the plant, and will make its appearance 

 again as soon as the growth becomes 

 sluggish again. Thus it is a continual 

 fight between the plant and the disease 

 until one or the other gets the upper 

 hand, which is usually the disease, sooner 

 or later, according to the amount of aid 

 given the plant by the grower. 



Propagate such varieties as late in the 



