42 



The Florists' Review 



March 13, 1013. 



A POOR CABNATION CROP. 



Our carnations are not doing well and 

 we shall be glad to have any sugges- 

 tions you can offer as to the cause of 

 the trouble. The plants look healthy 

 and have a good green color, but are 

 standing still or making only a little 

 growth. Our soil was from a compost 

 pile made in April, and containing one- 

 third cow manure to two-thirds thick 

 sod. It was turned twice and used in 

 September, when it was well rotted. 

 Was that compost too rich to use, with- 

 out any additional loam? Our varieties 

 are Enchantress, C. W. Ward, White 

 Perfection and Harlowarden. The few 

 flowers we have are of good size, with 

 strong stems, except the flowers from 

 White Perfection, which are poor and 

 weak, with the buds coming deformed. 



A green growth on the soil has been 

 troublesome, but we have given, since 

 September, two or three applications of 

 lime and two or three applications of 

 wood ashes. One application of wood 

 ashes contained a mixture of bone meal, 

 but as the roots have not half filled 

 the benches they cannot need feeding, 

 and we have given no liquid manure. 

 We are running the houses cool, be- 

 tween 50 and 55 degrees, with fresh air 

 every day. Our only insect pest has 

 been red spider, and we are able to con- 

 trol it with force of water. During con- 

 tinuously cloudy days in the fall, when 

 the spiders were more troublesome, we 

 tried granulated sugar and arsenic, 

 mixed with water to a syrup and 

 diluted. It did not kill the red spiders 

 and it badly burned the foliage, be- 

 cause arsenic does not combine chem- 

 ically with sugar, and in the free state 

 it is a dangerous remedy. How early 

 could we put those carnation plants out- 

 doors, in this New Jersey climate? We 

 have plenty of ground and we use the 

 benches for crops for Memorial day. 



G. V. W. 



Your letter discloses two bad fea- 

 tures, but I am not prepared to say 

 that they are altogether responsible for 

 your troubles. Two-thirds sod and one- 

 third cow manure is not a good propor- 

 tion for mixing your compost. I would 

 say one-fourth to one-fifth cow manure 

 and the balance sod, cut four to five 

 inches deep, would be better. The pro- 

 portion you have would have a ten- 

 dency to produce a rank, grassy growth. 

 You have applied lime or wood ashes 

 about six times since last fall. That 

 is much more than is necessary, and 

 the excess could not have a beneficial 

 effect on the plants. I seldom find that 



more than three applications are re- 

 quired in the whole season. 



As already stated, these factors may 

 have aided in bringing on the condi- 

 tion in which you find your plants, but 

 I doubt whether they are entirely re- 

 sponsible. It would not be practical to 

 transplant these plants to the open 

 ground. It would entail a lot of labor, 

 and I doubt whether the returns would 

 warrant the expense. A. F. J. B. 



BUINED BY SPIDEB. 



I am sending you some carnation 

 plants. The variety is Enchantress. 

 Kindly tell me the trouble. I am spray- 

 ing for red spider, but my pressure is 

 poor and my benches too wide, seven 

 feet, so it is hard to fight any pests 

 that may appear. Kindly advise me 

 what to do. F. H. D. 



The specimens forwarded were liter- 

 ally covered with red spider and if all 

 your plants are as badly infested as 

 these there is nothing you can do but 

 to throw them out. It is too late in the 

 season to try to rid them of the pest 

 and to get another crop of blooms from 

 them. A F. J. B. 



CABNATION BUST. 



Enclosed you will find some carna- 

 tion leaves which are spotted. This is 

 my first year in growing carnations. 

 They were doing well until a week ago. 



They have bloomed well and the plants 

 have looked fine. Can you tell me the 

 cause, and what will stop it? I have 

 used Grape Dust; is there anything bet- 

 ter? B. B. C. 



The specimen? forwarded were cov- 

 ered with the common carnation rust. 

 The only way to rid your plants of it is 

 to pick off the worst of it and then 

 keep the plants dusted with Grape Dust 

 or some such preparation. As the sea- 

 son advances and the sun increases in 

 strength, it will give less trouble. 



A. F. J. B. 



SOME MINNEAPOLIS SKETCHES. 



When the S. A. F. executive com- 

 mittee met at Minneapolis a few days 

 ago, the Minneapolis newspapers gave 

 them considerable attention, the car- 

 toonists finding an abundance of ma- 

 terial. Eeproduced herewith is one of 

 the pencil sketches by the cartoonist 

 of the Minneapolis Journal. The trade 

 at large will enjoy it as much as did the 

 gentlemen portrayed. There would be 

 no trouble in recognizing Harry Bun- 

 yard and John Evans without the in- 

 scriptions. President Farquhar also 

 might be guessed at, but the best 

 friends of August Poehlmann and W. 

 F. Kasting will have difficulty in be- 

 lieving that they were the subjects of 

 the sketches to which their names are 

 affixed. 





J.K. 





A06OSI '^ _ 

 He HAS A 



How the S. A. F. Officials Looked to a Minneapolis Newspaper Artist. 



