cloth shade cutdoors are less subject to damage because of the use 
of wilt-free stock and soil rotation or disinfestation. 
Carnations 
Continuous greenhouse culture of carnations, now gaining in favor, 
reduces the danger of loss from alternaria blight and rhizoctonia 
stem rot. Steam treatment of soils and the use of disease-free 
cuttings should control bacterial wilt, fusarium wilt, and rhizoc=- 
tonia stem rot. However, not enough disease-free cuttings are pro= 
duced to supply the industry, and steam is not always available or 
not effectively applied, to prevent heavy losses. from these diseases. 
Alternaria blight causes leaf spots and branch and stem rot, the 
affected areas being dark with fungus growth. Plants set outdoors 
for the summer are severely injured in wet seasons and remain unpro=- 
ductive for months after benching in the greenhouse. Spraying out- 
door camations with ferbam or ziram gives partial control. In the 
greenhouse this blight is not a problem if water is kept off the 
carnation leaves. 
Bacterial wilt in carnations may be recognized by grayish-green 
leaves, wilting and root rot, yellow streaks in conductive tissues, 
and stickiness of the diseased tissues. The causal bacterium is 
carried in cuttings and persists in contaminated soil. Damage is 
light in cool weather, but sudden and destructive in warm seasons. 
Heavy losses still occur in commercial production, but soil disin- 
festation between crops and use of wilt-free planting stock provide 
control. Shortage of wilt-free stock and recontamination of treated 
soil by tools and handling operations still keep this wilt in the 
front rank of carnation diseases. 
Fusarium wilt causes young plants to die slowly and old plants to 
die a branch at a time. Brown streaks are found in conductive tis- 
sues, but the tissues are not sticky as in bacterial wilt. The 
fusarium may be carried in cuttings and, like the bacterial wilt 
agent, can persist in soil. Losses are most severe in warm soils, 
Soil disinfestation and the use of cultured wilt-free cuttings or 
of cuttings from wilt—free plants provide control. 
Stem rot appears as soft, moist decay of the stem near the soil 
line. Carnation plants of all ages are attacked when the soil is 
warn and moist. The causal fungus is encountered in virgin soils. 
Indoor cvlture of carnations, soil disinfestation, and shallow 
Planting to keep the stems dry are control measures. 
Gladiolus 
In recent years the gladiolus industry has expanded in spite of 
heavy losses due to disease. Large expenditures are involved in 
post-harvest and preplanting sorting and chemical treatment of 
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