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Dbcdmbbb 7, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



25 



be diluted with water half and half, 

 but after that it can be used without 

 diluting. The same manure will be 

 good for four barrels of water. Give 

 such a dose not oftener than once in 

 each month, using cattle manure be- 

 tween. A. F. J. B. 



SFSAYING IN AFTERNOON. 



Please state what is your opinion of 

 watering carnations in the afternoon 

 between 4 and 5 o'clock. Is it prop- 

 er to sprinkle them every afternoon 

 between 4 and 5, when not water- 

 ing the roots! Our grower insists upon 

 this method, which I do not agree with. 

 A word from a competent man would 

 be greatly appreciated. J. A. & S. 



The idea of spraying carnations over- 

 head between 4 and 5 o'clock in the 

 afternoon is certainly not in accord 

 with the most modern methods of grow- 

 ing these flowers. Nowadays we spray 

 overhead perhaps on an average of 

 once each week, and then it is done in 

 the morning of a bright day, so that 

 the plants will be sure to dry off be- 

 fore evening. Your grower is con- 

 stantly inviting trouble and it would 

 be wise to get him headed off as 

 quickly as possible. Spray only to 

 keep spider in check or to keep it away, 

 and water only the ' soil between the 

 plants. A. F. J. B. 



STRONG PLANTS, BUT FEW BUDS. 



My carnations were planted from the 

 field in July and the early part of 

 August.^ The' soil was prepared in about 

 • the same way as in other years, when 

 the plants did well. This season, how- 

 ever, they do not make roots well and 

 they make no headway in growth. They 

 look healthy and strong, but make few 

 buds. I shall be pleased to hear from 

 someone who has had experience of 

 this kind. H. B. 



Without seeing the plants, it would 

 be difficult for anyone to form any idea 

 of the cause of your trouble. We have 

 seen individual plants act in this man- 

 ner, and in at least one instance have 

 seen fully seventy-five per cent of a 

 house behave in a like manner. In 

 these instances it was simply a case of 

 wild growth, such as you have no doubt 

 seen in your Lawson plants occasional- 

 ly. Such plants will produce a rank 

 growth without throwing any buds. I 

 know of no remedy for this, but have 

 heard it suggested that to cut the 

 plants back hard would cause them to 

 return to a normal growth. 



Is it not just possible that your crop 

 of buds is merely late, a condition pro- 

 duced, perhaps, by late topping on ac- 

 count of the smallness of the plants, 

 which was general all over the country 

 this year? Make sure of this point be- 

 fore you adopt any drastic measures. 

 If the plants appear strong and healthy, 

 it is not likely that there is anything 

 wrong with your soil. A. P. J. B. 



STEM-BOT. 



Having read much of the stem-rot 

 in The Eeview, I would like those who 

 have the rot in their plants to examine 

 the root of the plants, as I think it is 

 caused by sour soil or manure too 

 fresh. I have only had a few carna- 

 tion plants aftected, so that I have been 

 unable to test it thoroughly, but I 



Carnation Rainbow. 



found when the plant was quite dead 

 with the rot the root was dead, but 

 when the plant was partly affected the 

 root was only partly affected, so that I 

 think the trouble is below the soil and 

 not above. Would like others who find 

 it so to give an answer in The Keview. 



E. S. 



CARNATION EAINBOW. 



Variegated carnations were much to 

 the fore at the National Flower Show at 

 Boston last spring and one of the fea- 

 tures noted of them was that the origi- 

 nators had chosen, departing from the 

 practice of giving names of persons, 

 titles more in keeping with the char- 

 acter of the flowers. Por instance, the 

 Wanoka Greenhouses, Barneveld, N. Y., 

 gave to its medal winner the name of 

 Rainbow. The variety is the itesult of 

 crossing a seedling with Lawson, the 

 seedling having originated from a cross 

 of Morning Glory with Lawson. The 

 color is a delicate shading from deep to 

 light pink, on the order of Prosperity. 

 The character of bloom is shown in the 

 accompanying illustration. 



THAT CALYX SUPPORT. 



In my trip south last month I came 

 via Cincinnati, and as I had a short 

 time to wait at that point I thought I 

 would take a look at some of the flower 

 stores, having never been there before. 

 In conversation with several different 

 persons I found to my astonishment 

 that they are all still relying on what 

 we consider a much out-of-date method, 

 and that is sewing up or in some sim- 

 ilar way fixing burst carnations. I 

 voiced my astonishment and only met 

 with incredulity in most cases when I 

 told them that there is a neat little 

 inveirtion on the market that obviates 

 having split blooms. This little inven- 

 tion we have used for several years to 

 our great satisfaction and profit, as it 

 is made of brass and lasts as long as 



you take care of it, making it really 

 the cheapest as well as best way of 

 overcoming the split flower difficulty. 

 It makes a perfect natural bloom, with- 

 out defect, and so salable at the top 

 price. The statement was made that 

 one could sew them quicker. This is 

 supremely ridiculous, as the calyx, as 

 it is called, is clajped about the stem 

 and shoved up over the bud before it 

 is fully developed, all in one motion, 

 and they should be placed by the per- 

 son disbudding a bench, in this way 

 really taking no extra time to place. 

 Anyone familiar with carnation grow- 

 ing knows how readily he can tell a 

 bud that is going to burst, so that you 

 know just which ones to place it on. 

 At the same time they can mostly be 

 removed from those that they are no 

 longer needed on, as after the petals 

 of the flower have stretched out of the 

 calyx there is no further danger of 

 splitting. 



This little invention came from 

 Rhode Island, I believe, at first, but 

 as the inventor died, it now is owned 

 by Morton F. Tank, of Chatham, N. Y. 

 I have written at length about this, as 

 I believe that when one runs across a 

 really good device or labor saving in- 

 vention it is but right to call our 

 friends' attention to the same. 



K. E. Sbuphelt. 



New Philadelphia, O.— T. B. Stroup 

 reports Thanksgiving trade quite an 

 advance over last year. Business has 

 been active ever since autumn arrived, 

 with many quite large wedding decora- 

 tions. 



Enid, Okla. — About five o'clock 

 Thanksgiving morning, fire attacked 

 the greenhouse establishment of J. B. 

 Detwiler, consuming the boiler room 

 and nearly one-quarter of the houses. 

 The loss was about $1,500. Tarpaulins 

 were used to protect the openings and 

 oil stoves were set up, thus saving the 

 remainder of the plant. 



