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May 1, 1013. 



The Florists' Review 



Greenhouses of Warren G. Matthews, Dayton, O., Probably the Heaviest Loser in the Recent Flood. 



MATTHEWS FLOOD BUINS. 



The accompanying illustration shows 

 the ruins of Warren G. Matthews' 

 greenhouses at Dayton, 0., following 

 the disastrous flood of March 25. Mr. 

 Matthews was the heaviest loser in 

 Dayton, his stores and residence, as 

 well as his greenhouses, being damaged. 

 The loss on his property and stock, it 

 was estimated, amounted to $30,000. 

 Mr. Matthews and his family narrowly 

 escaped with their lives, and for some 

 days following the flood he was in a 

 critical condition as a result of the 

 shock. 



MOLES AND CUTWORMS. 



This spring I am confronted with 

 two afflictions new to me. One is the 

 mole, which has established several 

 underground routes to his satisfaction, 

 but to my discomfort. 



In digging up a section of the lawn 

 in which I set out some bedding plants 

 I encountered cutworms, looking hun- 

 gry and greedy. Can you give me any 

 practical suggestions in the line of 

 eliminating these pests! And can you 

 satisfactorily explain why weeds, more 

 especially the particularly noxious kind, 

 by some dispensation of Providence 

 are immune from disease! Could it be 

 connected with that apple transaction 

 at a remote period in the garden, and 

 was it intended to provide a generous 

 supply of sweat for the brow if other 

 avenues failed to give sufficient oppor- 

 tunities? W. A. S. 



To get rid of moles, the best plan is 

 to secure one or two special mole traps, 

 "f which I have found the Eeddick to 

 '"^ the best. Set these right in their 

 'uns and they cannot pass through them 

 without being caught. Poisoned bait 

 lias be6n tried successfully in some 

 '•ases, but I think you will find traps 

 the most eflfectual. 



Cutworms do a great deal of damage 

 'iinually. The use of lime and soot 

 'II the soil is distasteful to them, but, 

 low that you have them, there are sev- 

 ral ways of fighting them. Cutworms 

 ■tre nocturnal workers, and if you have 

 '»nly a few plants, by digging away a 

 little soil with the hand around the 

 '^tems of the plants you will find them 

 v'urled up there and can destroy them. 



Poisoned mash made of fresh shorts 

 (bran), sweetened with molasses, moist- 

 ened with water and sprinkled with ' 

 Paris green until it ^hows a light 

 green tinge, laid about their haunts in 

 the evening, will be eagerly devoured. 

 Another plan is to lay shingles or rhu- 

 barb leaves among the plants in the 

 evening. The cutworms, or many of 

 them, will crawl under these instead 

 of burying themselves in the soil dur- 

 ing the day, and can thus be picked up 

 and destroyed. 



All weeds are not free from disease, 

 but it is a distressing fact that about 

 all the more noxious ones seem to be 

 practically disease-proof. Whether 

 Providence so ordained it after the 

 apple theft you refer to, I am unable 

 to state, but it is certainly a fact that 

 between insects, diseases and weeds, to 

 mention no other sources of discom- 

 fort, the tiller of the soil has ample 

 opportunities to keep busy. 



On further considering your query 

 relative to cutworms, I think that prob- 

 ably what you found in the lawn were 

 not the true cutworms, which are dark 

 in color, but the larvae of the June bug 

 or May beetle. These are larger than 

 cutworms, have dark heads and light 

 bodies and are usually found curled up. 

 They live on roots of grass and other 

 herbage, but will also eat roots from 

 many other plants. They do not come 

 to the surface, as do the true cutworms. 

 Turn up thie aflfect'ed ground and let 

 the birds make a feast on the grubs. 

 Lime the soil well. Carbon bisulphide 

 will destroy them without digging up 

 the ground. Bore holes six inches deep 

 and twelve to eighteen inches apart 

 each way. Pour in half a teaspoonful 

 of the carbon, cover the holes with 

 earth and the fumes will penetrate and 

 destroy the grubs. Heavy rolling and 

 pounding of the soil will also kill a 

 large number. C. W. 



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^ SEASONABLE 



I ^ SUGGESTIONS ^ 



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Asters. 



The earliest aster plants should now 

 be gradually hardened off, and they 

 can be planted in the field from the be- 

 ginning to the middle of May, ac- 

 cording to location. Land which has 

 been liberally manured and kept well 

 harrowed right up to planting time, 

 and which is persistently cultivated, 

 should grow good asters. Light soil 

 can be improved by using cow manure 

 freely. Heavy land, if treated before 

 plowing with a surfacing of road grit, 

 fine coal ashes, sand or similar mate- 

 rial, in addition to some lighter ma- 

 nure, such as horse manure and de- 

 cayed leaves, will be put in an 

 improved mechanical condition for 

 asters. Of course, they need an 

 ot)eri, sunny spot. Bottom lands, which 



are naturally moist in a dry summer, 

 are suitable if we are fairly sure the 

 land will not become sodden, as often 

 happens even in summer. It is sur- 

 prising what fine asters can be grown 

 even in a light, sandy soil, if 

 plenty of humus has been added and 

 the cultivator is kept constantly at 

 work all the growing season. 



This is a suitable time to make suc- 

 cession sowings of asters in a cold- 

 frame or even outdoors. There is far 

 less liability of plants developing stem- 

 rot and yellows if the seed is sown out- 

 doors. 



Memorial Day Crops. 



Memorial ■ day, the great harvest 



time of the ye*,i^foT many country 



florists, will soon be here. In volume 



I of business it far exceeds Easter with 



