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38 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



April 1, 1909. 



CUTTINGS FAIL TO ROOT. 



Can you advise me as to why I am un- 

 able to root cuttings of Enchantress and 

 Rose-pink Enchantress? I am using a 

 north side bench, under which there are 

 five 1%-inch hot water pipes. The front 

 of the bench is boarded up to within two 

 inches of the bottom and both ends are 

 boarded up. I have no trouble in rooting 

 White Perfection in the same bench in 

 three to four weeks. Enchantress and 

 Lawson do not seem to make any roots 

 at all. All the plants were forced pretty 

 heavily until about six weeks ago, when 

 I reduced the temperature from about 55 

 to 50 degrees. L. L. W. 



Your letter does not disclose any rea- 

 son why you should be unable to root 

 Enchantress and Rose-pink Enchantress 

 cuttings. If you are rooting White Per- 

 fection without any considerable loss of 

 cuttings, you ought to root the other two. 

 White Perfection is one of the easiest 

 varieties to root; in fact, we count on 

 rooting just about 100 per cent out of 

 every batch we put in. While the En- 

 chantress varieties are not quite as de- 

 pendable, yet they are counted among 

 the easy ones. Lawson, too, is rather an 

 easy one to root, though it does not, as a 

 rule, come out of the sand as nice as the 

 others. That is because the roots grow 

 very bushy and break off easily. 



The change in temperature should not 

 make that much difference, though the 

 higher temperature would likely cause 

 the cuttings to be soft and loss easy to 

 root. Cool growing ])lants always a;ive 

 the best cuttings. A. F. J. B. 



RUST ON ROOTED CUTTINGS. 



Will you kindly tell mo what causes 

 the rust on the carnation leaf enclosed? 

 The stock so affected consists of rooted 

 cuttings, about three inches apart in a 

 bed. Also tell mo what to do to prevent 

 the trouble. O. E. C. 



Some varieties which are troubled very 

 little with rust on the flowering plants 

 are frequently attacked by it in the cut- 

 ting bench, or while the young plants are 

 becoming established after they are taken 

 from the sand. The reason for this is 

 that in the propagating houses the at- 

 mospheric conditions which must be main- 

 tained to prevent wilting are also con- 

 ducive to the development of rust and 

 kindred diseases. Then, too, the cuttings 

 or young plants are naturally in a weak- 

 ened condition until they become well es- 

 tablished in the soil, and are less able to 

 resist disease. Estelle, Cardinal and Ju- 

 bilee were always difficult to get out of 

 the sand entirely free from rust. Some 

 growers have trouble with Victory. This 

 variety will frequently come out of the 

 sand clean, but will take rust badly be- 

 fore the young plants get under way 

 properly. After it gets a good start, it 

 soon outgrows the trouble. 

 ' Young plants so diseased should be 

 watered carefully, only on bright days, 

 and early enough so they will dry off 



before night. Pick off all the rusty 

 leaves and keep them dusted with Grape 

 Dust or lime and sulphur. The former is 

 preferable, because it not only contains 

 the latter two, but also other fungus-de- 

 stroying agents. A. F. J. B. 



USED OLD SOIL. 



N. Greivelding, at Merrill, Wis., is one 

 of those growers who does not believe it 

 necessary to renew the soil in his benches 

 every year. Last fall the Review^ printed 

 an illustration of a house of chrysautlio- 

 mums which were in soil two years on 

 the benches. The crop was entirely satis- 

 factory to Mr. Greivelding. In the illus 

 tration in the current issue one of his 

 houses of carnations is shown. This soil 

 has been on the benches three years. Of 

 it Mr. Greivelding says: 



"You see by the picture that the car- 

 nations have stems enough to satisfy any- 

 one; the carnations are about three 

 inches higher than the yardstick standing 

 in one of the plants. I have measured 

 some of the flowers, which are close to 

 four inches across. Most growers put 

 in new soil each season and think they 

 cannot grow carnations any other way; 

 they^^uld not plant a second year in 

 the same soil, but I shall not throw out 

 this soil this summer. You will note that 

 I have no benches, all solid beds a foot 

 high for the carnations, and the same 

 for chrysanthemums. 



"I recently noted someone asking if 

 gladiolus bulbs could be forced two years 

 in the greenhouses, and the answer wa; 

 that it would not pay. I had some that 

 were flowered inside last summer f(:r llie 

 second time and were just as good iis 

 for the first time. After flowerini*;. 1 

 dried them off and planted the sa:no 

 cornis in again this year. They now are 

 about ten inches high and doing nicely. 

 The variety is America. I think those 



who do net succeed keep them to© wann. 

 I plant in soil which is three years old 

 on all the beds, and planting them the 

 latter part of January, I get them in 

 bloom for Decoration day, when I get 

 25 cents a spike for them. ' ' 



CARNATIONS IN ENGLAND. 



The rapid progress which the carnation 

 has made in the few yeais since it was 

 taken up in England is nowhere better 

 shown than in the special carnation cat 

 aloguo recently issued by Hugh Low & 

 Co., who were among the first of the Eng- 

 lish growers to import varieties from 

 America. They now have something over 

 an acre of glass in carnations and propa- 

 gate over a million young plants each 

 year. The catalogue lists practically all 

 the varieties in general cultivation in 

 America, with some few raised else 

 where. Low & Co. have also turned their 

 attention toward hybridizing and have a 

 set of four now varieties raised from 

 crosses of the American sorts. Chief of 

 these is Black Chief, a seedling from The 

 President crossed with Harlowarden, 

 which it is said they are thinking of dis 

 seminating in America next season. The 

 color is deep, velvety crimson. Malmai 

 sons are having an exceptional sale in 

 Great Britain. Low & Co. recommend 

 the American perpetual-flowering carna- 

 -tions as summer bedding plants for use 

 in England. They say: "We have 

 found that the best results are obtained 

 from plants in 5-inch pots, which have 

 been wintered in a cool frame and, at the 

 time of planting, are electing to flower. 

 Plants which have flowered during the 

 winter in medium-sized pots will also pro- 

 duce excellent results. May is the best 

 month to plant. Almost any well-worked 

 soil is suitable. Allow six to nine inches 

 •between the plants and keep the Boil well 

 cultivated during hot weather." 



AMERICAN CARNATION SOCIETY. 



Dana R. Herron, Olean, N. Y., regis 

 tors Carnation Olean; parentage, Winsor 

 and an unknown seedling of Winsor 

 growth ; color, pink ; size of flower, three 

 and one-half inches; habit, long, stiff 

 stems, with perfect calyx, flowers very 

 full and fragrant. 



Albert M. Herr, Sec'y. 



Carnations at Nick Gretvelding's, Merrill, Wis. 



