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Mabch 10| 1910. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



19 



them, or become spotted, which makes 

 them look as though they were scalded, 

 and the roots have turned brown. In some 

 pots I notice a small white worm, about 

 one-fourth inch long and about as large 

 as a pin. I should like to know if the 

 cinders caused the trouble and what 

 kind of a worm it is. If it is the worm 

 that is doing the harm, kindly give me 

 a remedy. C. A. H. 



If the cinders were coarse, they may 

 have been partly responsible for the 

 trouble. Fine cinders, however, make a 

 satisfactory covering for the benches on 

 which bedding plants are growing. The 

 redness of the foliage would indicate 

 either . root starvation, or too dry con- 

 ditions of the soil. The spotting of the 

 foliage is not uncommon. Do not let it 

 alarm you. Perhaps you are in the habit 

 of playing the hose over the plants when- 

 ever you are watering or damping down. 

 If so, discontinue the practice. Geranium 

 foliage should be kept as dry as pos- 

 sible. Allow your plants to dry out well 

 between waterings. Carefully remove all 

 moldy foliage, weeds and scum from the 

 surface of the pots. Spread them out oc- 

 casionally so that they can get plenty 

 of sun and air. Bun the house 48 to 50 

 degrees at night and 10 degrees higher 

 in the day, and I think the plants should 

 soon pick up. 



In potting avoid using any fresh 

 animal manure. A little well decayed 

 hotbed manure and a 4-inch pot of fine 

 bone to each wheelbarrow-load of soil will 

 be found all right. Use some soot water 

 to color up the foliage. This is also 

 objectionable to worms. Lime water will 

 clean about any worms out of the soiL 

 We doubt if the worms have anything to 

 do \vith the condition of the plants. 



C. W. 



FAILURE WITH PHLOX. 



I have been growing bedding plants 

 for twenty years and get almost every- 

 thing satisfactory, but year in and year 

 out I fail with Phlox Drummondi. I 

 have fine, light, airy houses, twenty-fiye 

 feet wide, with '16x24 glass. I use only 

 the best seed in all cases and sow in 

 2^-inch flats, making the rows about 

 two inches apart and the seeds one-half 

 inch or more apart in the rows. They 

 are generally slow and straggling in 

 growth and most of them are weak. They 

 do not make compact, bushy plants, like 

 my pansies, asters, petunias, etc. Al- 

 most all of them are spindly and weak 

 looking; in fact, they never look right 

 while under glass. They do a little bet- 

 ter after putting them outside. They are 

 transplanted into similar flats when large 

 enough to handle. I use the same soil, 

 and space them the same as the other 

 plants. I have seen them in the same 

 kind of a house in the seed flats as thick 

 as they could stick and the picture of 

 sturdy health. At the same place the 

 other plants were not nearly so good as 

 mine. I have often wondered if they 

 needed richer soil than the others to 

 bring them on more quickly and strongly. 

 Can you tell me why I fail only with 

 Phlox Drummondi f W. C. 



riats two and one-half inches or three 

 inches deep are suitable for sowing 

 Phlox Drummondi and other annuals in. 

 Place the flats in a house where an aver- 

 age night temperature of 60 degrees is 

 maintained. In a cool house they will 

 germinate weakly and irregularly. When 

 transplanting or potting the seedlings, a 



J. F. Ammann, Edwardsvillet 111.^ and the Famous Automobile. 



common mistake is often made in giving 

 them too poor a compost. One-half de- 

 cayed hotbed manure, or spent mushroom 

 manure, and one-half loam makes a soil 

 they will luxuriate in; or, if you cannot 

 get these manures, use one-fourth well 

 rotted cow or horse inanure. In such 

 soil as this they cannot fail to make fine 

 growth. 



If sown thickly the plants will soon 

 become spindling and one pinching will 

 improve them. Do this after they are 

 established in pots. Phlox Drummondi 

 should be started somewhat warmer than 

 verbenas, stocks or asters to secure the 

 best results. It is one of the easiest of 

 annuals to grow. Poor soil and lack of 

 heat are probably your causes of failure. 



C. W. 



OBITUAHY. 



ASTERS IN SOD LAND. 



We noticed in the Eeview of February 

 24 your suggestion to persons asking 

 about asters on sod ground, etc. You tefi 

 of manner of preparation, probability 

 of success under the conditions, but make 

 no reference to the danger of cut-worms 

 or grub-worms, etc. We have a rich 

 loam sod we plowed last fall, lying under 

 snow all winter, which we have hesitated 

 to plant in asters for fear of cut-worms, 

 etc. Do you think they would bother 

 much more there than in stubble? We 

 have thought this sod would be better for 

 gladioli or dahlias. What would you ad- 

 vise as the best flower for sod land, as in- 

 dicated? S. F. G. 



If you are much troubled with either 

 cut-worms or grub-worms (the latter the 

 larvae of the May beetle), the mere fact 

 that your land was plowed up in the fall 

 and has been allowed to remain rough 

 over winter, will do much towards lessen- 

 ing the numbers of these pests. Give the 

 land a dressing of air-slaked lime before 

 harrowing it in the spring. Also scat- 

 ter any soot from your boilers on the 

 land. The cut-worms do not like either 

 lime or soot. 



There is no reason why asters should 

 not succeed well on your ground, just 

 as well as gladioli or dahlias. Frequent 

 harrowing before the planting time will 

 destroy large quantities of the worms. 



0. W. 



SPBiNGPiEiiD, Mass. — John M. Morse, 

 a florist at 32 Besse place, and Margaret 

 F. Keegan, of 30 Besse place, were re- 

 cently married. 



Lawrence Newell Van Hook. 



The death of Lawrence Newell Van 

 Hook, a jrrQwer of violets and carna- 

 tions in Ferguson, Mo., occurred Mon- 

 day night, Marclt 7, after a brief ill- 

 ness. Mr. Van Hook was, at the time 

 of his death, lecretary of the Cotton 

 Exchange. His flower business was at- 

 tended to by hi| family. He was a 

 member of the St. Louis Florists' Club 

 and leaves a wife and daughter to mourn 

 his loss. The funeral took place 

 Wednesday, March 9, at J^guson, and 

 many in the trade attended. The club 

 sent its usual floral wreath, extending 

 their sympathy to the bereaved family. 



Francis G. Dwisht. 



Francis G. Dwight, a veteran seeds- 

 man, died recently of paralysis, at his 

 home, 1574 Mineral Spring road. Bead- 

 ing, Pa., on his eighty-second birthday 

 anniversary. He was born in Beading, 

 in a small two-story frame dwelling, 

 which stood on the ground now occupied 

 by a department store, at Sixth and Penn 

 streets. 



He was engaged in the seed business 

 in Beading for over thirty years. He 

 started in the small building at 903 Penn 

 street, which is still standing. Later he 

 moved to 518 Penn street, known at that 

 time as the Yellow Front. For several 

 years he was associated with W. A. Shoe- 

 maker in the seed and implement busi- 

 ness. Following this he moved to 528 

 Penn street, after which his place of 

 business was located at 843 Penn street, 

 where he remained until five years ago. 

 Failing health compelled him to give up 

 active life at that time. 



He resided in Beading most of his 

 life, except for a few years spent on a 

 farm at Exeter. At the close of the 

 Civil war he went south with Baymond 

 Heizmann and settled in Georgia, where 

 they endeavored to raise cotton. Their 

 plantation was burned out by southern- 

 ers. Giving up the project they returned 

 to Beading. 



Mr. Dwight was graduated from the 

 Georgetown College at Washington, D. C. 

 He was well known throughout the coun- 

 try districts for his seeds. He leaves a 

 wide circle of friends. 



White Mabsh, Md. — E. Vincent, Jr., & 

 Sons Co. reports an excellent business in 

 2^ -inch geraniums, keeping the supplj 

 of stock closely sold up. 



