14 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



Fi;i!1u:ai(y 21), 1912. 



sterile soil was ivcoiiimended, ■when 

 seed is to be sown under glass, as a 

 ])reventivo of damping off and of stem- 

 rot. Investigations at the Massachu- 

 setts College of Agriculture, some years 

 Jigo, showed that most of the destruc- 

 tive stem-rot. in the field comes from a 

 fungous infection in the seed bed. 

 Keeping the surface dry, well stirred 

 and aired was urged as the best pre- 

 ventive. 



For the September market it was 

 recommended that seed of late varie- 

 ties be sown in frames about the first 

 ]>art of May, or in sandy soil outside 

 from tlie middle to the last of April. 



Diseases and Pests. 



Passing to the troubles of the aster 

 grower, lantern slide pictures were 

 shown of jdants affected by the yellow 

 disease, and others showing injuries by 

 the tarnished plant bug. No remedy 

 has been found for the yellows. Main- 

 taining a nearly uniform condition of 

 soil moisture by thorough cultivation 

 seems to be the best preventive. Ama- 

 teurs ha\ ing small jdots that are sub- 

 ject to tliis disease were advised to try 



mulching the plants to preserve uni- 

 form moisture. 



The wide-spread injury caused by 

 the tarnished plant bug was declared 

 to be commonly attributed to other 

 causes. Attacking the tips of the 

 branches, it causes the blasting of the 

 terminal buds and the dwarfing of the 

 plant. These bugs can not be poisoned. 

 8i>raying with \Vhale Oil soap or kero- 

 sene emulsion renders the plants dis- 

 tasteful for the time being. Growing 

 in partial shade when possible was rec- 

 ommended, as these insects seldom 

 work in the shade. A trial of cheese- 

 cloth shading was suggested, where 

 the stunted growth caused by this 

 plant bug was prevalent. 



The question of growing asters for 

 cut flowers on muck land was brought 

 up and instances of successful trials 

 were cited, a really remarkable 

 growth having been obtained in some 

 cases. The soiling of the flowers by 

 the black dust in a dry time has proved 

 an objection in some cases. If that 

 could be overcome, there would appear 

 to be great possibilities in the growing 

 of this flower on muck land. 



fATION 



VARIETIES FOR A BEGINNER. 



I intend to grow a few carnations 

 next year. and. being a new hand at 

 the Imsiness, I should lik(> to aslc 

 which, in your estimation, are the best 

 \arieties of red, white and ]Mnk for 

 a bt'uinner to grow. F. W. B. 



Tht' Enchantress family does so uni- 

 \eisally well that I do not hesitate to 

 advise you to ]dant them. In addition, 

 I would recommend to you White Per- 

 fection, White Wonder, Ciloiiosa, Pink 

 Delight, Winona, Dorotliy (Jordon and 

 Beacon. All these are standard varie- 

 ties and any one of them is likely to 

 suit you better than anything else in 

 th • same line of color. Get some of 

 each and tlien s(d(>rt tliose that suit 

 vou best. A. F. .7. B. 



ons to use this gas during the winter 

 period, when firing must be attended 

 to and the temperatures watched. I 

 would advise you to wage a fierce war- 

 fare against this pest while the weather 

 is still in your favor. After warm 

 weather sets in you will find it uphill 

 work to get rid of it. You can employ 

 both the spraying ami fumigating 

 methods to advantage. A. F. J. B. 



PROBABLY THRIPS. 



In a M'parate co\ cr you \vill find a 

 bloom of a Perfection carnation. It 

 seems to be filled with small bugs, 

 hardly visible. Please tell me the name 

 of the i^est. its catise and a remedv. 



K C. 



'J"]ic >]icciiiien I'orwai'ded was badly 

 frozfu and 1 w;is unable to tind any 

 insects in it. FruTu your ilescri]ition. 

 howe\ er. I ;nn imlined to think that 

 your ]>lants arc being attadoMl by 

 thrij's. Look for a crawling insect, 

 about a sixteenth to an eighth of an 

 inch long and as thick as a thread. 

 The color is a yellowish brown, light 

 or dark according to the age of the 

 insect. Kicotine in the various forms 

 of application is the most effective 

 remedy for this pest. In the summer 

 mouths you can use hydrocyanic acid 

 gas with good effect, but it is danger- 



PLANTS HAVE TURNED YEULOW. 



Can you tell me what might have 

 caused my carnation plants to turn a 

 pale yellow? The plants seem to grow 

 and they even bloom quite well. My 

 soil is two-thirds well rotted manure 

 and one-third sandy loam. The color of 

 the plants seems to indicate sour soil, 

 but I have not found it so upon exami- 

 nation. I have used wood ashes and 

 li(|uid manure, but quite sparinglv. 



M. N. A. 



I would have to see a specimen of 

 your plants before I could suggest the 

 cause of the yellowness in them. It 

 might be caused by too much manure, 

 and again, it might be caused by stig- 

 monose or something else. If you used 

 two-thirds manure and one-third soil, 

 you surely have too much manure, ac- 

 I'ording to our wav of prep.aring soil. 



A. F. ,T. B. 



FAIRY RING. 



Will you please tell us what is the 

 trouble with our carnation plants of 

 the Boston Market variety? About 

 one-fourth of the house is planted with 

 these and the other three-fourths with 

 Sangamo. All receive the same treat- 

 ment and yet the Sangamo plants are 

 as fine as can be. The plants were 

 bought last November, and, although 



housed late, they took hold at once vu [ 

 began to grow and bloom by Chris- 

 mas. They were fine field plants — that 

 is, the Sangamo were — but the Bosto , 

 i\[arket were little plants from insidi 

 Any information will be appreciated. 



L. M. S. & C. 



Your plants are aftlicted with th 

 dread disease called fairy ring. Yo 

 will find this subject treated in Tli 

 Keview of February 8, page 16. I wi 

 merely add that if your plants are ik 

 too badly affected, you may be ab 

 to save them, as the weather from no 

 on is likely to be in your favor. B' 

 go to work on them at once with a 

 your might. A. F. J. B. 



THIRTY PER CENT SPLIT. 



Will you kindly give me any inform; 

 tion you can as to the cause of th 

 splitting of my carnations, a sample > i 

 which I am sending? Our method i • 

 culture has been as follows: The plant- 

 were benched in the second week i; 

 July, 1911, and all flowers were pinchel 

 off till September 1. The house is u\ 

 recent construction, running north an: 

 south. By the middle of November tic 

 roots were showing on the surface, 

 when a light top-dressing of dccayc'l 

 cow manure was given. Six weeks later, 

 as the roots were again appearing, u 

 watering of weak cow manure wa- 

 given. As the stems showed weakness, 

 a top-dressing of wood ashes wa- 

 given January 25. Care has been taker 

 in watering and ventilating. The nighi 

 temperature has been 50 degrees, ris 

 ing 10 to 15 degrees on bright days 

 On one occasion, in January, the teni 

 perature, owing to an unexpected frost, 

 dropped to 35 degrees for an hour or so. 



At present thirty per cent of the 

 plants are splitting before opening, 

 and the blooms and stems show weak 

 ness, while the plants otherwise arc 

 healthy. Our soil was stacked in the 

 spring — four loads of loam to one oi 

 rotten cow manure. We were not botli 

 ered with stem-rot, except in the case 

 of ('. W. Ward. Has that variety :i 

 tendency to rot? Please give your 

 opinion also on the sample of soil et. 

 closed. O. A. H. 



Neither your letter nor the specimen 

 forwarded disclosed any reason why se 

 large a percentage of the calyxe 

 should split. Your treatment seems t 

 be all right and the soil has the aj 

 pearance of being about as good a 

 anyone could wish for. That drop ii 

 the temperature last November ough 

 not to have any effect this late. Y'o'. 

 understand, of course, that splitting i 

 not always caused by variable teni 

 perature. During the short days o 

 midwinter any check will manifes 

 itself first in the splitting of th 

 calyxes if a full crop is on. A stron; 

 dose of feed, or letting the soil dry ou 

 excessively and then flooding it, wil 

 have that effect. Taking off a larg' 

 crop of cuttings will do the sami 

 Hence one must be careful to avoi 

 anything which might cause a suddei 

 check or spurt in the growth durin; 

 these winter days. 



Varieties also differ greatly in thi 

 respect. Beacon is usually one of th> 

 worst offenders and I notice that mos' 

 of the specimens forwarded were oi 

 that variety. Sometimes, however, w< 

 find a reversal of the reasonably ex- 



