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46 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



May «, 1009. 



Vegetable Fordng. 



The U. S. Department of Agriculture 

 has issued Farmers' Bulletin No. 354, 

 "Onion Culture," by W. R. Beattie, as- 

 sistant horticulturist, Bureau of Plant 

 Industry. 



GREENHOUSE VEGETABLES. 



Chicago, May 5. — Radishes, 15c to 40c doz. 

 bunches; cucumbers, 50c to $1.25 doz.; lettuce, 

 15c to 22c case; mushrooms, 30c to 60c lb. 



BoetoD, May 3. — Tomatoes, 25c to 30c lb.: 

 cucumbers, |3 to $6.50 box; beets. $1 to $1.50 

 doz. ; carrots, 50c to $1 doz. ; lettuce, 75c to 

 $1.50 box; parsley, $1.25 box. 



New York, May 3. — Cucumbers, 50c to $1 doz.; 

 mushrooms, 25c to 65c lb.; mint, 30c to 40c 

 doz. bunches; -radishes, $1 to $2 per 100 bunches; 

 rhubarb, $2.50 to $5 per 100 bunches; tomatoes, 

 10c to 20c lb. 



MANURE GNATS. 



Sciara or Fickle Midge. 



A few days ago I received a letter 

 from a cucumber grower and also a pack- 

 age containing the root and stalk of a 

 cucumber vine, with some of the soil 

 hanging about the roots. This soil and 

 the stalk and roots just below ground 

 were simply alive with tiny white worms. 

 The writer stated, as many others have 

 written recently, that the vines were just 

 beginning to bear and were nice and 

 healthy, but suddenly began wilting. 

 A few died immediately; others held out 

 several days, but in a short time the en- 

 tire crop was ruined. What few plants 

 remained standing were evidently badly 

 injured, because they stopped growing 

 and looked dark and sickly. Upon pull- 

 ing up some of the dead plants, great 

 numbers of tiny worms were found at 

 the roots of each.- 



These worms or grubs are the larvae of 

 the manure gnats, which are found so 

 thick around stables and piles of fresh 

 manure in hot weather. Sometimes they 

 swarm about the barn so thickly as to 

 necessitate dodging the swarm to keep 

 from getting eyes, nose and mouth full 

 of them. 



How They Enter the Greenhouse. 



They lay their eggs in the fresh 

 manure, and when they hatch they are 

 tiny white worms. When fresh stable 

 manure is used to spade into the soil in 

 the greenhouse benches, which is usually 

 the rule in growing cucumbers, the eggs 

 are taken in with the manure, and while 

 in the larval state they do the injury that 

 kills the vines. 



This pest can be avoided by using 

 other kinds of manure, but there is no 

 other manure as good or satisfactory as 

 fresh horse manure for cucumbers, both 

 to warm the soil and to furnish a good, 

 well balanced fertilizer for a perfect 

 crop. Then, too, the damage is usually 

 done before the grower has any warning 

 of the approaching disaster, and when 

 it comes it i* too late to save the crop 

 without much injury. The eggs are slow 

 to hatch and the larvae slow to loature, 

 so it is seldom that they do any damage 

 for a month after placing the fresh 

 manure in the houses. 



The Period of Greatest Danger. 



The period of serious destruction is 

 not long. They seem to hatch out, fly 

 against the glass and get stuck wherever 

 it is wet, and die off as fast as they hatch 

 out, so that the next generation is not 

 aumerous enough to be of serious in- 



MODEL TOMATO SUPPORT 



For Dahlias, Peonies, Chrysanthemnms and other Urge 



plants. Made of heavy Galvanised Wire and will not rust. 



Height complete 84 inches 



Height of bottom section 24 inches 



Height of top section 12 inches 



Diameter of circle 14 inches 



■ #>^V1D 1^P^%^^C^ Manufacturers of 



■ ■ ■■ ■ F WmmtwW^^m carnation supports, rosb 



■ ^^^^ »i* »^ "^ ^^ WJ'* STAKES find TYING WIR£ 



Write for Catalogue. 63-71 Metropolitan Ave., BROOKLYN, N. Y. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



filANT AQPADAfillQ onil DUIiniDR ^ have roots of the Imperial Palmetto Asparagus 

 Olfini florfinflOUO dllll nnUOAnD that cuts seven stalks to a bunch and seUs at $5.00 to 

 $6.00 per dozen bunches, wholesale. Will biing you in 9100.00 to $500.00 per acre. Also great 



?oui"men"eTro?DexTsi,rffi WARREN SHINN, Nufscryman, WOODSTOWN, N. J. 



^ Ment'OD The Review when you write. 



Vegetable Plants 



BEKTB-Orosby. Egyptian and Eclipse, $1.25 

 per 1000. 



CABBAGB-Pield-grown, all leading varie- 

 ties, $1.00 per 1000; 10,000 and over, 86c per 1000. 



CBUCRT- White Plume, Golden Self Blanch- 

 ing and Giant Pascal. $1.25 per 1000. 



■GG PI.ANT-N. Y. Improved and Black 

 Beauty, $3.00 per 1000. 



LBTTDCE-Big Boston, Boston Market, Ten- 

 nis Ball and Grand Rapids, $1.00 per 1000. 



P«PPER8-Ruby King, Bull Nose. Sweet 

 Mountain and Neapolitan, $3 00 per 1000. 

 ChiQese Giant and Cayenne, 50c per 100. 



Gash with order. * 



R. Vincent, Jr., & Sons Co ,''"•;?.""' 



Mention The Review when you write 



jury, if any at all. It is before they 

 get the wings that they do the damage. 



The worms resemble the larvae of the 

 striped cucumber beetle, but are smaller. 

 They are often mistaken for these, and 

 thus their true identity is often unknown. 

 A grower who has once had them, how- 

 ever, can easily tell when he is getting 

 them again, by the foul smell that is so 

 noticeable upon entering the house. 



Fumigating to kill the old or mature 

 ones is a waste of time and money- they 

 will die quickly enough in the green- 

 house. Sometimes they darken the glass 

 and pile up an inch deep along the sill, 

 where they get stuck in the wet. Spray- 

 ing the plants would not be of the slight- 

 est benefit, because they do not go on the 

 foliage. 



How to Fi£ht the Pest. 



The only effective method is either to 

 kill the larva; in the soil before they get 

 to doing much damage or to avoid the 

 use of horse manure. Many preparations 

 have been tried, usually doing more or 

 less injury to the tender roots and not 

 as much injury to the larvae as desired. 



A new soil insecticide called Vermi- 

 cide, has recently been put on the mar- 

 ket especially for this purpose. Any of 

 the nicotine products, diluted, will kill 

 some of the vermin, but the cost is high. 



H. G. 



CALCEOLARIA FOR EASTER. 



In the Seasonable Suggestions in the 

 Review of April 22, I noticed a refer- 

 ence to Calceolaria rugosa, variety Golden 

 Gem, as being a useful plant for Me- 

 morial day. I have often wondered why 

 this beautiful plant was not grown by 

 florists for Easter. As a yellow plant 

 it is, in my opinion, away ahead of a 

 genista, and in a cool rooqj will last much 

 longer in flower. Cuttings taken about 

 March 1 will root in about three weeks, 

 and if kept potted right along, pinching 

 the hearts out of the shoots when they 



There are no Dry Spots 



with The Skinner System 

 of Oaxden and Greenhouse 

 Irrigation. =^^=^^8=== 



The Skinner Irrigation Go. 



TROY, O. 



CONNOVER 



l-yr.-old Asparagus plants, extra fine, 



$3.60 per 1000. 



DRACAENA XNDIVISA PerlOO 



2-in $2.00 



Phoenix Canariensis Palms, 8-in 8.00 



Ohamserops Excelsa. 2Vin 8.00 



Asparagus Sprengeri, 3-in 6.06 



Asparagus Plumosus. 8-in 6.00 



Ooleos, 4 varieties, rooted cuttings 60 



Geraniums— S. Nutt, Double Ivy and Miss 



Perkins, 2i«-in 2.60 



W. E. Trimble Greenhouse Co., Princeton, III. 



VERMICIDE 



Insecticide 

 and Fun^cide 



Kills all worms, insects, etc., in the soil with- 

 out injury to the roots. Cucumber growers 

 particularly will And it invaluable. A gallon 

 diluted makes several barrels of solution to 

 sprinkle on the soil with watering can. Price, per 

 gallon, $2.00. Cash must accompany all orders. 



GREENHOUSE SUPPLY CO., Aurora, III. 



make three or four joints, one can have 

 them in 6-inch or 7-inch pots by the 

 end of September. I would not give 

 them a shift or pinch them after that 

 month. 



A north house or frame is a good pl.ace 

 to summer them in. After September 

 they will stand the full sun. Give them 

 frequent waterings with liquid manure 

 during the winter. A temperature of 

 50 degrees during the night is about 

 right, but if one wants to hurry them 

 a little, 5 degrees more will not hurt 

 them ; 60 or 70 degrees in the daytime 

 will be all right. 



We had them in flower here, in Med- 

 ford, Mass., the last week in March. 

 Of course, look out for greenfly. Cal- 

 ceolaria Stewartii takes the same treat- 

 ment. George F. Stewart. 



Peoria, III. — Joseph Cole has begun 

 suit to break his father's will, which 

 divided an estate said to be worth $115,- 

 000 between his two brothers and left 

 Joseph unprovided for. 



