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XOVEMBER 9, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



17 



The more numerous the insects were al- 

 lowed to get, the more of these light 

 spots you may look for in your stock in 

 the future. So, you see, here is where 

 that old adage, about an ounce of pre- 

 vention being worth more than a pound 

 of cure, comes true. 



After your stock is once affected with 

 this disease, there is only one way to 

 combat it, and that is through a process 

 of elimination. You can not reach it 

 through outside remedies, such as the 

 spraying materials afford. In fact, you 

 can do but little to prevent its appear- 

 ance in your present stock. Growing 

 your plants normally, avoiding all 

 heavy feeding and, in fact, avoiding 

 everything which will tend toward soft- 

 ening the growth, should be your con- 

 stant aim in handling the plants on 

 your benches now. 



You can improve your stock for next 

 year by selecting your cuttings from 

 only such plants as do not show any of 

 these spots. After they are rooted and 

 potted, go over them occasionally and 

 throw out those which show these spots. 

 Only in this way can you hope to eradi- 

 cate the disease from your stock. If 

 there is much of it in your stock, you 

 will not likely be able to clean it out 

 in one season. It may take several 

 years to do it, but if you keep at it 

 you will be able to see an improvement 

 each season. It is, of course, needless 

 to say that you must keep the plants 

 free from insects right along, else your 

 work will go for naught, as they will 

 inoculate the plants faster than you can 

 cure them. 



In considering this disease one comes 

 to another pertinent question, and that 

 is: Will it pay to put several years of 

 hard work on a variety which may have 

 almost run its course? Consider this 

 phase of the question before you begin, 

 and satisfy yourself first as to whether 

 the variety, after it is restored to 

 health, will be as good as another one 

 which may be free from the disease. 

 Perhaps it would pay you better to dis- 

 card the diseased sort at the end of 

 this season and stock up with a new 

 variety, which still has its full measure 

 of vitality. A. F. J. B, 



WHAT IS BATING THE PLANTS? 



We are in trouble on account of some- 

 thing' that is eating our carnations. We 

 fir^t noticed its depredations about 

 three weeks ago, on two plants that 

 were growing side by side on a raised 

 bench. A great deal of the foliage is 

 gnawed off and is found lying on the 

 soil. Thinking the pests might be mice, 

 we tried the use of Paris green, in 

 bread and milk, on cheese, and in wheat 

 bran and milk. We also set two mouse 

 traps, but thus far we have not caught 

 anything. Later we got a rat trap, but 

 still there was "nothing doing." For 

 a while we thought the work of de- 

 struction had stopped, but it has started 

 again at two places in different parts 

 of the bed. This section of Montana is 

 a great country for mice, I am told, 

 but the traps baited with cheese ought 

 to get the mice. I have thought, too, 

 that our unwelcome visitors might be 

 moles, as we were bothered in the east 

 by them. Can some reader of The Re- 

 view tell us what to do? H. C. G. 



Bacine, Wis. — The new greenhouse re- 

 cently completed by Clark E. Adams, 

 on Washington avenue, has been for- 

 mally opened to the public. 



J. Otto Thilow. • 



(New President of Uie Florists' Club of Philadelphia.) 



A START IN ESICAS. 



Kindly let me know how to grow and 

 propagate ericas. Please state, also, 

 what are the best kinds for the mar- 

 ket. My location is southwestern Iowa. 



C. A. B. 



As ericas in general are not among 

 the easiest plants to manage, a begin- 

 ner would be safest in experimenting 

 with but a limited number and in only 

 two or three kinds. Briefly stated, the 

 ericas require a peaty soil, hard pot- 

 ting, good drainage and careful water- 

 ing. 



They are propagated by cuttings 

 made from young shoots about one to 

 two inches in length, which should be 

 planted in well packed sand in a propa- 

 gating frame or box, where the light 

 and ventilation are under full control. 

 Bottom heat is not necessary for root 

 ing the cuttings, and the plants, when 

 once established, prefer a night tem- 

 perature of 45 degrees. In summer the 

 ericas should be placed outdoorF, the 

 pots being plunged in ashes in order 

 to keep the roots cool and moist.' Par- 

 ticular care is required in watering, 

 from the fact that the root system of 

 these plants is a delicate one, and sub- 

 ject to injury from extremes of dry- 

 ness or moisture. 



Both species and varieties are nu- 

 merous in the ericas, but three of the 

 easiest to handle are E. hyemalis, E. 

 melanthera and E. persoluta, and these 

 three would come into bloom in succes- 

 sion from October to March or April. 



The most troublesome insect pests 



that may be met with on ericas are red 

 spider and thrips, but when grown un- 

 der the proper conditions of heat and 

 moisture and carefully syringed during 

 the hot weather there should be but lit- 

 tle difficulty from insects. 



One other peculiarity of these plants 

 that may be noted is the fact that ex- 

 tremely hard water is objectionable to 

 them; that is, water containing an ex- 

 cess of lime. W. H. T, 



J. OTTO THILOW. 



.T. Otto Thilow, the newly elected 

 president of the Florists ' Club of Phila- 

 delphia, is rapidly coming to the front 

 in the floral affairs of the nation. Mr. 

 Thilow is secretary of Henry A. Dreer, 

 Inc., of Philadelphia, has charge of the 

 trial seed grounds at Palmyra and at 

 Riverview, N. J., and on horticultural 

 topics is a lecturer of unusual ability. 

 Mr. Thilow 's early training was that 

 of a florist at Newtown, Pa., a training 

 that served him well when he joined 

 William F. Dreer, J. D. Eisele, Her- 

 bert G. Tull and their associates. Under 

 the name of Henry A. Dreer, Inc., their 

 fame is known the world over. Phil. 



Ballston Spa, N. Y.— A large new 

 greenhouse has been added to the range 

 on the John Schafer estate. Tie 

 four benches were planted to roses, 

 which are now giving a good cut. H. 

 W. Bensell, the manager, says some 

 good Golden Glow mums are also in 

 crop. 



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