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June 27, 1912 



The Florists' Review 



EttablUhmsnt of A. C. Caiifield, Springfield, III., with His New Early Aster in the Foreground. 



this year is new, bought from a whole- 

 saler, and was planted in fresh soil. 

 What can I do? I am located in north- 

 ern Alabama. F. J. W. 



The specimens of asparagus showed 

 the ravages of red spiders quite plainly, 

 and an examination with the microscope 

 disclosed some of the insects on the 

 foliage. The only way to keep these 

 pests down is by means of vigorous 

 syringing, and this should be practiced 

 not only in the warm weather, but also 

 on every bright day throughout the 

 year, in order to keep the asparagus 

 clean. W. H. T. 



CANFIEIJ>'S EAKLY ASTER. 



Semple's Shell Pink is an excellent 

 aster, but for the growers in central 

 Illinois it does not bloom until August. 

 Its stubbornness in this respect caused 

 A. C. Canfield, of Springfield, to take 

 particular notice, in 1908, when one 

 plant bloomed in July, long before the 

 rest of the patch. He staked that plant 

 and saved the seed. From it sprang 

 the variety he now grows in quantity 

 under the name Canfield 's Early Shell 

 Pink, 



March 2, 1909, Mr. Canfield sowed 

 the seed of that early pink Semple. He 

 had about 300 plants that year. The 

 first flowers were cut July 10. The 

 typical blooms were fine and double, on 

 stems twenty-four to thirty inches long. 

 The next season Mr. Canfield was away 

 during the spring and the aster seeds 

 did not go into the field until April 2. 

 It was a cold April and flowers were 

 not cut until about August 1. Deter- 

 mining to try it under glass, seed 

 started in January began to flower in 

 the greenhouse June 7; plants set in 

 the field April 25 came into bloom 

 June 15. Seed started October 3, 



1911, was ready to bench in March, 



1912, taking the place of carnations 

 that were off crop, and the first flowers 

 were cut April 29. The second crop 

 is now being cut from these bei*ches. 

 Seeds sown December 1 and trans- 

 planted to the bench gave a cut several 

 days ahead of May 30. The plants 

 were set 10 x 15 inches on the benches 

 and, as the variety does not carry dense 

 foliage, the second crop can be planted 

 between the first before the first is 

 cut off. 



This year Mr. Canfield has five sepa- 

 rate patches of the aster outdoors. One 

 of these, now in flower, is shown in 

 front of the greenhouses in the accom- 



panying illustration. The photograph 

 was taken June 19, 1912. These are 

 from seeds planted under glass in Jan- 

 uary and early February and moved to 

 the field April 10 to 15. Two of the 

 earlier patches have given a good cut 

 the last half of June and the others 

 will do so in July. 



Last year two fine plants of rose-pink 

 appeared, from which stock is being 

 worked up, and this year white has 

 shown, so it is likely there soon will 

 be an assortment of colors in this 

 strain. "This aster has so changed its 

 nature," says Mr. Canfield, "that it 

 does not know any special month for 

 flowering. ' ' 



A DAILY SUPPLY. 



The demand for lily of the valley in 

 June is always good and probably more 

 of this popular flower is used then than 

 in any other month of the year. From 

 now on the demand will be less robust, 

 but there are some florists who require 

 a supply of it right through the sum- 

 mer and prefer to grow it rather than 

 risk shipments in a cut state from a dis- 

 tance during the hot months. It will 

 be necessary for the next two or three 

 months to receive a fresh supply of cold 

 storage pips once a week to insure a 

 constant cut. Coldframes will answer 



better than greenhouses for growing it 

 through the summer, and as growth is 

 now rapid it is possible to have excel- 

 lent foliage with the spikes, which al- 

 ways pleases customers and makes the 

 flowers sell better. Where frames are 

 not at disposal, fill a number of boxes 

 and stand them on the floor of a cool 

 cellar, bringing them in as wanted. Do 

 not place them in a clear, sunny house; 

 a north lean-to house answers well in 

 summer, and wherever the valley is 

 placed it should have the same shade 

 as under the strong summer sun. It 

 will wilt down badly even when quite 

 moist at the root. 



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