NOVBMBEB 3, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



19 



ent. The only supposition that seems 

 to me to explain the situation is that 

 the Golden Glow stock has died out 

 completely and some of the Pacific have 

 sported to white. As before stated, 

 it is against botanical history, unless I 

 greatly mistake, for a yellow to sport 

 to pink or white. Chas. H. Totty. 



FLOWERS FADING. 



Can you tell me what is the matter 

 with my Glory of Pacifies? We are 

 growing them outdoors, under canvas. 

 They were the most vigorous grower 

 among the fifteen varieties planted; 

 when about one-third open they were 

 a beautiful shade of pink, but when in 

 full bloom a pure white. In fact, the 

 most popular white among my custom- 

 ers. When in bud I gave them a 2-inch 

 mulch of horse manure. Could that 

 have affected the color? T. O. 



It is by no means unusual for Glory 

 of Pacific to fade, although it does not 

 often bleach out, as this correspondent 

 says, to a pure white. I do not con- 

 sider that the mulch of horse manure 

 affected the color, but the sun most cer- 

 tainly does, and in an autumn as bright 

 as this has been it would appear that 

 this is the solution of the problem. 

 Anyone who watches his flowers closely 

 in a greenhouse can see them fade from' 

 day to day, and especially with pink 

 varieties the color of which seems to be 

 of an evanescent nature. C. H. T. 



SCALE ON PLX7MOSUS. 



I am sending a leaf of Asparagus 

 plumosus and wish you would tell me 

 whether there is mealy bug on it. It 

 does not look like mealy bug, as the 

 specks seem to be finer. The foliage all 

 turns brown and dies after a time. Can 

 you tell me what the trouble is, and the 

 remedy? L. H, T. 



The asparagus in question is suffering 

 from white scale, a pest that is not 

 easy to eradicate on such a plant. Try 

 dipping in a solution of Ivory soap, the 

 solution to consist of one ounce of the 

 soap to one gallon of water. Two or 

 three applications of this remedy, at in- 

 tervals of about three days, should kill 

 the scale. After dipping, lay the plant 

 on its side to drain, as it would not be 

 good for the roots if much of the soap 

 solution should run down into the soil. 



W. H. T. 



FORMS FOR CONCRETE. 



Since freshly mixed concrete is a 

 plastic material, forms of some kind are 

 necessary to hold it in place and in 

 shape until the cement sets up and the 

 concrete becomes hard. Lumber is the 

 material most commonly used. 



The first requisite of good forms is 

 that they should be tight, so that the 

 liquid cement may not run out between 

 the cracks, cause pockets or hollows, 

 and thus ruin the looks of the work as 

 well as decrease its strength. Conse- 

 quently straight boards are most de- 

 sirable. Dressed lumber is usually 

 straightest and yields a neater finish 

 to the concrete. But for ordinary pur- 

 poses rough lumber is sufficiently good. 

 Naturally the siding must be stiff 

 enough not to bulge out of shape when 

 the forms are first filled with concrete. 

 This does not mean that heavy siding 



These Are the Little Liners That Do the Business 



is necessary. In fact, 1-inch boards are 

 usually sufficiently strong. The bulging 

 may be prevented by setting 2x4 stud- 

 ding from twenty to thirty inches apart, 

 according to the thickness of siding 

 boards or sheathing used. 



Most concrete work is built in what 

 is known as the box form, which, with 

 variations, consists of one box within 

 another, between which the concrete 

 walls are molded. See that the forms 

 are lined up properly before beginning 

 to fill them, as they must not be dis- 

 turbed aiter the concrete is in place. 



If new forms are wet, before the 

 concrete is placed, and allowed to re- 

 main in position until it has thorongUj 

 set, bits of concrete will seldom stick to 

 them. For particular work, or where 

 forms are to be used more than once, 

 it is advisable to coat them, previous 

 to erection, with soft soap or oil. Lin- 

 seed, black or cylinder oil is suitable, 

 but kerosene is not good. Upon taking 

 down the forms, immediately clean off 

 all bits of concrete clinging to them. 

 For this purpose a short-handled hoe 

 is convenient, but it must be used with 

 care, so as not to gouge the wood. 



All other things being equal, the 

 strength of concrete is dependent upon 

 its density or compactness. Where pos- 



sible, the easiest way to render con- 

 crete dense is by mixing and placing 

 it wet. For very wet concrete the 

 forms must be tight, so that the liquid 

 cement cannot escape. To give a neat 

 finish to the surfaces which will later 

 be exposed, force the larger stones back 

 from the outside by running a straight 

 spade or a wooden paddle down in the 

 concrete next to the wall forms and 

 working it back and forth. 



It frequently happens that very wet 

 concrete cannot be used. To make it 

 drier, mix dense and strong; tamp or 

 ram it into place with a heavy wooden 

 or iron tamper. 



Exposed surfaces of freshly placed 

 concrete should be shaded to protect 

 them from rain, dust and the hot rays 

 of the sun. Freezing injures freshly 

 placed concrete. Hot water and salt 

 are sometimes used to counteract the 

 frost action; but, on the whole, it is 

 better to attempt no outside work in 

 winter. During the early months of 

 spring and fall see that no frozen sand, 

 gravel or rock is used in the work. In 

 summer ordinary forms, for walls sup- 

 porting no loads, may be removed after 

 the concrete is three days old, but in 

 cooler weather they should not be 

 touched short of five days. 



