The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1900-02-17

The prOpaSdtlng Ded SnOuId be sprayed
| with Bordeaux mixture Immediately
after the plants are. set. using the
atom;zer sprayer SO 1t will go to the
plants in the finest mist. 1t will de-
stroy every spore Of rust and leave the
| foliage as clear and waxy as the new
est growth.
For several years I tried to eliminate
this disease by selecting plants that
would resist it. We all know 1t is a
fungus growth and under favorable
climatic conditions will spread very
rapidly. Some varieties are more sus-
| ceptible to it than others and these are
our most productive sorts when kept
free from it. This yea: we nave
| sprayed every ten days, using a cart
| with an Eclipse barrel pump sp.ayer.
| with three nozzles, taking three rows
at a time.
The other day l offered a vislto: 4
dollar each for every leaf he could flnd
on the farm containing a live spot o.
rust. Although diligent search was
made he did not rcplenish his bank ac-
count by finding a single leaf. 1t is
we'll known that strong fruit buds or
roots cannot be secured without
healthy foliage and plenty OF 1t. Rust
is propagated by spores and If all these
are killed in the propagating bed we
shall have little fear Of gu crop being
lessened or destroyed by it in the fruit
ing field.
Another advantage of p~ropagatinS
plants in q special bed Is that they can
be kept dormant by mulching lightly
as soon as the ground is frozen slightly
and then in mid-winter when the
ground is frozen deepest, cover several
inches thick with fine chaf. You can
thus keep the frost in the ground and
prevent them from starting until your
beds are plowed and fitted. No matter
how hot the sun may be, a rman
plant set in the ground will grow Wig
orously, where one loaded with a mass
of green foliage would surely perish.
Another feature of the p~ropagating bed
is the blossom buds should be move
before they are open so as to prevent
the great strain of pollen secretions at
a time when they have no roots to sus-
tain them. Potency of pollen is OF the
utmost Importance in the development
of fruit and a plant once exhausted
does not soon recover. The cost OF re-
moving the buds is no more than when
done at a later time and you will n
results very satisfactory.-R. M. kel-
logg.
The Toilet Of . Chrysanthemum.
Probably few of the people who
attend the Chicago Flower Show,
realize that it takes three hours some
times to make the toilet of a single
rare specimen of the chrysanthemum.
One would hardly believe it, but here
is the process OF dressing a single flow
er, and imagine the care, patience and
gentleness of touch required. One look
at an ordinary chrysanthemum. or a
fine one in d%eshabille will show that
there is a hole at the center of the
blossom and that the petals struggle
in all directions, UP and down, right
and left. 1t looks like a lazy boy who
has forgotten to comb his hair. The
fower-hairdresser has his combs and
brushes, but, the combs are pincers OF
various sizes and the brushes Of the
softest camel's hair.
Suppose that the florist has sue
ceeded in growing some fine specimens
of that huge variety, my Lady," some
blossoms of which have measured four
teen inches in diameter. He cuts the
blossom with a long stem, SO that he
can handle it we'll. Then he places
it in a high glass vase with a broad
base. but over the top OF the vase is
what looks like the socket of a candle
stick with a hole in it. The stem
passes through this hole and down into
the vase until the lower petals of the
blossom rest on the zinc support, but
not too firmly. Before putting the
flower into the vase to keep it from
willing under the long operation, he
has performed the toughest part of the
work. This consists in pulling out
with the pincers enough petals around
the center of the blossom to permit the
others to close over that part. He is
careful tt remove any worms, or de-
fective, discolored petals and then he
begins the "combing process" the most
tedious part of all. With the less rare
varieties, which do not take so long,
this is all done rapidly, but gently,
while the stem is held in the hand, but
with my Lady," who is too aristo-
cratic to have her temper SO tried for
three long hours, this part of the work
is done while she drinks refreshing
moisture in the vase
One by one each petal is put in place
SO that the contour of the blossom will
be either a perfect circle or a star Of
many rays. II any petal prove too OBJ
durate to stay in place it is pulled out
by a gentle jerk with the pincers.
New Zealand Spinage.-At a meet
ing Of the Society for the Promotion
of Agriculture at Columbus, Ohio.
August 1919, Prof. H. c. Irish read a
paper on New Zealand spinage (some-
times called the ice-plant) as a garden
o This plant is more mucilaginous
than the common spinach, but is very
prolific. SO that half a dozen plants
grown on an area of a few feet will
keep a family in greens for the season.
It is but little known in America, but
as it will thrive in very hot weather.
when ordinary spinach will not, it
seems a desirable crop. Prof. Lazenby
said that his family like it SO we'll they
consume all that is raised at the. sta
ton.
-. r -. 80.