BROOKS: CHRYSANTHEMUMS the common insect pests and fungus diseases was determined for each grass. After several years of testing, a few of the most promising strains were planted in ob servational nurseries on different soil types all over Peninsular Florida where they were un der the professional eye of experienced golf course greenkeepers and park superintendents. Three fine textured strains of Bermuda were outstandingly superior to all other species under trial and to the remaining 123 selections. These three, which have since become known as the "Velvet Bermudas," are Everglades 1, Everglades 3, and Ormond. The "also rans" in these trials included each of the much publicized varieties of Bermuda such as U-3, from Beltsville, Maryland, and Tifton 57, from Georgia. The U-3 Bermuda is one of a series selected in the vicinity of Washington, D. C, because it was able to survive cold winters in which the ground was frozen. When U-3 was planted alongside the other Bermudas in South Flori da, it was surprising to observe that the leaves of this variety were more easily injured by a light frost than on several local selections. There is no relationship between winter hardi ness and frost tolerance. Both U-3 and Tifton 57 are of inferior ap pearance to the Velvet Bermudas because of the susceptibility of the former to leaf-spot fungi in the humid Florida climate. Velvet Bermuda is deep rooted while the common, seeded type is shallow-rooted. This deep rooting habit gives the lawn both drought resistance and the ability to continue some growth during cool weather. Although a hard frost will brown this grass, recovery be gins at once as nutrients and water move into 299 The chinch bug resistance of Velvet Ber muda is the characteristic which has endeared it to dozens of people who have lost their Bitter Blue lawns to these pests. Another characteristic, not shared by Centi pede or Bitter Blue, is the ability of Velvet Bermuda to recover without applications of chemicals after fall army worms, sod webworms, or fungi have attacked the lawn. Unfortunately, there is no perfect grass, and Velvet Bermuda is subject to these pests, which are easily controlled by any one of several chemicals when unsightly spots appear in the lawn. Velvet Bermuda falls short of being an allpurpose grass in two other respects. It grows well only in full sun and should not be plant ed in shade. Near the seashore it may be periodically browned by salt spray. For uniformly beautiful appearance, Velvet Bermuda requires more nitrogen than the other lawn grasses, and more air around the roots. It should not be recommended unless the lawn owner is willing to mix the soil ingredi ents properly before planting. For deep, healthy, drought resistant root systems with any lawn grass, about equal parts of weed-free muck and marl or clay should be thoroughly mixed with your sandy soils. If neither marl nor clay is available, 100 pounds of colloidal phosphate to each 100 square feet of lawn will act. as a fair substitute. On acid soils, the addition of lime, also, will add to the ability of your lawn soil to hold fertil izer and water. the root system in the deeper, warmer layer of soil. The golf course people have learned to speed up recovery of Bermuda after frost by spray applications of soluble fertilizer high In summary, a ground cover of Velvet Bermuda can be maintained without danger of destruction by insect pests and fungi, even if no chemicals are applied, but the appear ance will be variable. But, more than any other species, this grass has the ability to in nitrogen. respond to good treatment. CHRYSANTHEMUMS BECOME AN IMPORTANT CUT FLOWER CROP IN FLORIDA J. Hapgood Brooks, hi University of Florida Gainesville Any person, who has grown cut flowers in the northern sections of the United States, is only too familiar with the short outdoor grow ing season of the summer and the long, indoor 300 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1952 growing season inside the greenhouse during the fall, winter and spring. He is well ac quainted with the cold bone chilling winds, the ice and drifting snow, the mountainous pile of coal outside the boiler room door or the almost daily arrival of the fuel oil trunk. True, he can work indoors in a tropical at mosphere wearing a short sleeved shirt, ac quiring a winter's sun tan, while at the same time looking out on a winter wonderland where the sun shines on the glistening snow that decorates the pines and the hemlocks like little dabs of whipped cream sprinkled by mother nature on the tips of the feathery boughs. He sees no reason to go to Florida when he can have all the tropical atmosphere in the midst of winter. He sees no reason for leav ing his established business to move south ward until on one winter's night with the mercury outside hovering at eight degrees below zero, the northeast blizzard howling around the greenhouses, piling the snow high er and higher in the driveway, he sits in his easy chair toasting his shins in front of the open fireplace, soaking up the heat from the crackling logs, and dishing up buttered pop corn from a dish at his right hand and sip ping Carbonated Chrysanthemum Ale from a tall glass in his left. Lazily turning the pages of some current magazine he happens upon an article therein which is illustrated with pictures in vivid natural colors of flowers in the arms of some pretty maids entitled "Flor- ida-The Flower Box of the World." Natural ly, he looks at the pictures of nature's beau ties, and, of course, reads the story. As our northern friend begins to dream of far-off Florida, having been soothed by the radio's often called "Mood Music" his thoughts are very suddenly and rudely interrupted by the announcer's voice saying "Another Coal Strike is Pending." That does it, and before the last flake of snow has settled to earth, he has already made up his mind, packed his bag, made train or plane reservations and has started for Florida. There in the land of perpetual sunshine, the waters of eternal youth, the citrus center of the universe, the salad bowl of the United States and the flower box of the world, all one has to do is to plant the seed, pick the flowers and ship them back to the land of the chilling winds, ice and snow. Thus it was, that 25 years ago men began to move to Florida to begin a new venture in Flori culture — to grow Asparagus fern, gladiolus, Easter lilies and many other miscellaneous flower crops. Today we are facing a new invasion of people from the North, witnessing a new era in the production of cut flowers both outdoors and in the greenhouse. Visitors from other states remark about the scarcity of greenhouses used for the produc tion of cut flowers and potted plants. They have been accustomed to seeing, in almost every community, at least one, if not many, greenhouses devoted to flower production. In the United States, cut flowers make up about eighty percent of the florist business with roses, carnations and chrysanthemums leading the list in that order as to popularity and as to the number of flowers sold. Most of our flowering plants bloom at specific times each year making them seasonal in their supply as well as their demand. Due to the results of plant breeding and careful selections, roses, carnations, sweet peas, snapdragons and or chids have long been available the year round in florist shops. Due to suitable climatic and environmental conditions here in Florida, gladiolus are now produced in some part of the state in every month of the year. Visitors to the state have usually connected flower growing outdoors with large acreage operations mainly because in travelling in cer tain areas they have seen large farms devoted to the growing of gladiolus. Gladiolus have been the major cut flower crop in the state of Florida because of the number of acres under cultivation, the millions of bulbs plant ed each year and the same large numbers of flowers being cut, and shipped annually to all parts of the country. Many other cut flowers have been produced annually, but due to their not being always out in the open where the average person can see them, have been considered as of minor importance even though the financial returns per acre have been high. The list given here of important cut flow ers being produced throughout the state and, in turn, being shipped all over the United States, and exported as well, is far from com plete, but does give some picture of the scope of the cut flower industry for the state. As paragus plumosis, although not a cut flower, is a very valuable florist's crop and the cen- BROOKS: CHRYSANTHEMUMS 301 ter of the production is found within the state. Statice, snapdragon, gypsophila, larkspur, del phinium, Easter lily buds and blooms, strawflower, candytuft, orchids, tulips, tuberoses, paperwhite narcissus, sweat peas, calendulas, gardenias, Fleur d'Amour (Ervatamias), an nual chrysanthemums, stephanotis, Dutch Iris, asters, roses, carnations and chrysanthe mums are a few of the cut flowers one finds being grown for florist use. Strange as it may seem, our economic system is such that some of the very same flowers we grow here and ship out are also being grown in the very area receiving Florida grown flowers and, in turn, shipping that same flower back to Flor ida for the use by the florists of the state. Potted flowering or foliage plants have not been discussed here, but in passing let it be noted that poinsettias, azaleas, hydrangeas, Easter lilies, Saintpaulias, Gloxinias, are only a few of potted plants which have up to now been considered as crops strictly for the north ern greenhouse operator. With greenhouses now being rapidly erected throughout the state, each month the picture of flower pro duction in Florida is rapidly changing. Since the beginning of 1952 the production of roses and carnations in hydroponics has be come big business. The number of Dutch iris bulbs being planted by one grower alone this year will amount to almost two million bulbs. Floriculture is the last of the three branches of horticulture to apply science to produc tion. Pomology and vegetable crops were using science to solve their problems many years ago. The fruit and vegetable markets have thought that various crops could be sold only at specific times because of seasonability. By means of transportation and a knowledge of scientific fundamentals of culture and stor age the housewife must now have citrus prod ucts every day in the year as well as tomatoes, beans, lettuce, potatoes and nearly any other food. The production of chrysanthemums out doors in Florida, and not inside greenhouses, is, at the present time, attracting considera ble attention throughout the country. In fact, the interest in their production has been so great that many greenhouse operators have sold out completely in the north and moved to Florida hoping to cash in on the "Gold Rush of Chrysanthemums." Within the past decade experiments deal ing with the effect of day length and tempera ture upon the growth of plants have shown that crops previously not considered com mercially possible or profitable in Florida are now very much in the foreground. Only within the past two years has there devel oped a tremendous increase and interest in the production of asters, chrysanthemums, roses, bulbous iris, and carnations. At the start, doomed to fail in the opinion of some individuals, the interest as well as the quan tity of flowers being actually cut and shipped has increased by leaps and bounds. So great has been the interest shown that since the first of the year the number of individuals engaged in the production of the above five crops has increased too fast to be counted. Whether or not any or all of these mentioned cut flowers will in time rival, equal or sur pass the gladiolus is a question open to seri ous debate. It is rapidly becoming evident, however, that Florida is capable of producing many cut flowers and potted plants hither-tofore considered as impossible. Not long ago, the chrysanthemum was con sidered only as a fall flower. With the dis covery of the daylength and temperature re quirements of the chrysanthemum it no longer has remained in the seasonal group, but has become a year 'round, 365 day flower. Since 1946 it has appeared in markets every month. Possessing the knowledge of how to manage the life of a chrysanthemum, the grower can produce cut flowers as well as potted plants for any day in the year. Continuous flower of 'Mums is rapidly becoming as common place as the production of roses, carnations and gladiolus. To give an estimate of the number of acres actually now in production is difficult to do. A fair guess would be one approximating thirty acres this year. Chrysan themums are a concentrated crop in that they are usually spaced eight inches both ways and grown in beds usually four feet wide and from one to two hundred feet long. The few plantings which have been under per sonal observation so far, if increased annually as they have the past year, will soon triple the above estimation as to acreage. To grow chrysanthemums around the year it is very necessary that one know exactly how to handle the plant in order to make it produce when you want it to. Having 302 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1952 learned the factors which control the growth, bud formation and flower development, one still has much to learn about how the chrysan themum grows in Florida. Chrysanthemums are grown in Florida to flower normally in October, November, and December without the assistance of added light or the reduction of daylength. To produce cut flowers dur ing the period of from Christmas to Easter does require lighting equipment in order to prevent bud set at the wrong time and to keep the plant in a state of vegetative growth in order to produce the proper length of stem before buds and flowers form. The techniques involved and the procedures followed are too lengthy for a discussion of this kind. Besides, the schedule of operations for year around production of chrysanthe mums is readily available from all of the commercial florist seed and plant suppliers who handle rooted chrysanthemum cuttings. However, there is one difficulty which is soon apparent when attempting to use the grow ing schedules at present as printed. That is that the schedules are for the area within 40 to 45 degrees north latitude. The area where most of the chrysanthemums are now being grown in Florida is between 26 to 28 degrees north latitude. This accounts for the differences in the day length between say Ohio, Massachusetts and Florida. The big difference is that Florida does not have the large differential in day length between sumrrier and winter that the northern latitudes have. In winter we have a longer day than they do and in summer a shorter day. It is going to be necessary to work out growing schedules for this area alone as far as daylength requirements of the best commercial varieties are concerned. In order for a grower to have a plan for the flowering of his crop, he must have some knowledge of the nature of the chrysanthe mum plant. A few of the most important factors to be considered are as follows: It is a "short-day" plant in that it sets its buds during the shorter days of the year. It takes 14 hours or less to set the bud and 13/2 hours or Jess to develop the bud. Thus, if you want to delay or prevent bud set during the short days of the year, one must use electric lights to delay the Lowering. Actually, the chrysan themum is a long night plant rather than a short day plant for flower buds can be pre vented from forming by interrupting the hours of night even though the days are short. To prevent the flower buds from forming, the light intensity must be a minimum of 10 foot candles and the lights are turned on at 10:00 p. m. for the number of hours listed below. 3 hours additional lights for months of Au gust, September, October, March, April and May. 4 hours during the months of November and February. 5 hours during the month of December and January . It is to be noted, though, that for the month of August and April, some growers are using only two hours of added light and 2% hours for September while others are using 3 hours right straight through for all the months con cerned. This latter procedure is not recom mended, however, as being the correct one to follow. Through the manipulation of the length of the light periods into short days and then followed with a period of long days, followed again by short day periods, one can control the spray formation of pompons, but this con trol requires more work and planning and is too complicated for the grower who is not a mum specialist. Providing the additional light needed to prevent bud formation is a problem which you will have to study for the proper ar rangement of the lights and for the proper equipment to provide the electric current without disastrous results. Reflectors must be used and the general spacing of the bulbs, wattage to use, and height above the plants is given in the foLowing table. Bulb Wattage 60 100 200 watts watts watts Spaced Apart Hgt. Above plant 4 feet 6 feet 8 feet 2 feet 3 feet 4 feet One precaution must be observed and that is a barrier must be erected between the lighted and unlighted portions of plantings to prevent any light from striking the plants which are not being given additional light. If this precaution is not heeded, the plants on the adjacent beds will be affected and result in blooming at the wrong time. BROOKS: 2nd — Another factor which is not always generally recognized is that the varieties of chrysanthemums vary widely in their response to shade or "short-day" treatment. This socalled "short-day" treatment may be the ap plication of black cloth to shorten the day or allowing mother nature to do it naturally for you when the days become short enough to form buds. This variation in the time it takes the various varieties to mature or flower from the date of bud formation varies from 55 days in some varieties to 100 days in others. Most all varieties of chrysanthemums set their buds at approximately the same time. In latitude 40-45° this takes place naturally at some time between August 15 and Sep tember 5 although some of the late blooming varieties for Christmas may set their buds as late as the first of October. The difference between an early and a late variety is not so much in the difference in the date the buds set as in the difference in time that an early variety takes to develop the buds as compared to a late variety. The early varie ties flower early due to the rapid bud! de velopment. The later the variety, the slower the bud development. 3rd — Response Groups. This variation brought about the necessity for classifying all varieties of chrysanthemums as to their response to short days. Some variety listings segregate the varieties as 56, 66, 76, 86, and 96 day varieties, while the more common method is to list them as 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 weeks varieties. For example, those varieties that normally bloom at or about the following dates require the given weeks from shade to maturity. Normal date of bloom Oct. 20 requires 8 weeks from shade to maturity. Nov. 1 requires 9 weeks from shade to ma turity. Nov. 10 requires 10 weeks from shade to maturity. Nov. 20 requires 11 weeks from shade to maturity. Dec. 1 requires maturity. 303 CHRYSANTHEMUMS 12 weeks from shade to Dec. 10 requires 13 weeks from shade to maturity. Dec. 20 requires 14 weeks from shade to maturity. Keep in mind that the above table is only general and that varieties will vary in their response in different growing areas and un der different environmental and climatic con ditions. "Maturity Date" means the time when it is possible to harvest at least 60 per cent of the crop at one cut and not when just a few flowers show enough color to be cut. 4th — Light and shade are combined to pro duce an accurately timed mum crop for some specific market, such as for Christmas. In order to do this, it is necessary to use both lights and shade on certain varieties at cer tain seasons of the year. By shade one means the use of a good durable Black Cloth which when applied will reduce the light intensity If more light in to 2 foot candles or less. tensity than this is allowed to reach the chrysr anthemum plants there will result a definite delay in flowering and an unevenness of bloom. The cloth is usually applied at 5:00 p. m. and removed at 8:00 a. m. and it is necessary that the covering be complete around the plants for any leaks of light will cause uneven spots in the bench at bloom ing time. The black cloth should be applied each evening, although if one night is missed in a week the results will be fair, but delayed flowering will be the result if the cloth is not applied religiously each night. One precaution regarding temperature must be observed. Excessive high temperatures will prohibit the bud development and if at any time the night temperatures are above 90 degrees, it is best that the black cloth be raised after sunset and lowered again in the morning before daylight. 5th — Temperature control. One of the most important points in growing and timing a 'mum crop is temperature. For the best bud formation a minimum of 60-65° should be maintained and during the growing period a night temperature of 60° is ideal. After the color shows, the temperature can be dropped down to 52-55°. If the proper temperature is maintained, one will go a long ways towards producing a uniform bud set, a uniform ma- 304 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1952 turity of bloom, resulting in the cutting of a profitable crop which has been timed for a given market. 6th — effect on crowded, be slow Spacing and pruning also have an the timing of a crop. If plants are they will result in weak stems, will to respond to shade and lights, be uneven in maturity and of poor quality. Plants are generally spaced 8 by 8 inches each way and pruned to 2 or 3 stems per plant. Some growers are now growing only one stem per plant with a spacing for this no-pinch method varying according to the season of the year. Spacing Flowering date May 15 Sept. 15 Nov. 15 Mar. 15 -- Sept. -- Nov. -- Mar. --May Pompons 15 15 15 15 4 4 4 4 x X X X Standards 6 7 8 6 6 6 6 7 X X X X 5 6 7 6 7th — Disbudding is also very important in the well-timed 'mum crop. Follow the standard method of disbudding which is best suited to the variety. When growing dis budded sprays, one waits until the crown bud forms and then removes all but three vegeta tive shoots. Later when terminal buds ap pear, disbud each shoot similar to the normal disbudding of standards. Some growers allow three flowers to mature on each spray re sulting in a slight increase in size over the normal procedure of allowing all the buds to reach maturity. 8th — Pinching. For many years the reason for pinching was to regulate the number of CHRYSANTHEMUM stems on the plant. We have learned that in the case of pompons and singles, the time of pinching determines the type of spray for mation. With the standards, the time of pinching determines the type of bud forma tion whether it be a crown or terminal bud, which will in turn produce a much stronger, straighter flowering stem. After the rooted cuttings have been planted out and become established, they are more often soft pinched. This usually is done from 5 to 25 days after planting. The date of the pinch should be timed to allow from 25 to 50 days from pinch ing to the short-day treatment depending upon the time of the year. If the plants are grown single stem, the date of planting should be 25 to 50 days from short day treatment. Precision culture of 'mums is set up around the so-called "Last Pinch." To grow a top quality pompon, the rooted cuttings should be planted in the permanent location approxi mately three weeks before the date given in the lists of varieties as "last pinch." The exact pinching date for many varieties has been worked out and the table below will show the time to pinch after planting accord ing to the various planting dates. Dates of Planting Nov. 15 — Feb. Feb. 15 — May May 15 — Aug. Aug. 15 — Nov. Allow 15 15 15 15 from plant to pinch 5 weeks 4 weeks 3 weeks 4 weeks Whatever the time used, it must be corelated with the shade and maturity dates in order to obtain the maximum results, for FLOWERING SCHEDULE Bloom January 12 Latitude 40-45° 35-40° 30-45° 25-30° Plant Pinch* Aug. 11 Aug. 11 Aug. 11 Aug. 11 Aug. 11 Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Sept. Aug. 18 Aug. 18 Aug. 18 Aug. 18 Sept. 8 Sept. 8 Sept. 8 Sept. 8 1 1 1 1 1 Aug. Aug. Aug. 18 18 18 Sept. 15 Sept. 15 Aug. 25 Sept. 22 Aug. Aug. 25 25 Sept. 15 Sept. 22 Sept. 22 Lighting Sept. Sept. Period 8 — Oct. 6 1 — Oct. 13 Aug. 25 — Oct. 2 0 Aug. 18 — Oct. 2 7 Aug. 11 — Nov. 3 Sept. 8 — Sept. 1 — Aug. 25 — Aug. 18 — Oct. 6 Oct. 13 Oct. 2 0 Oct. 27 Start Shade no no no no no no no no Response Group 14 13 12 11 10 Week Week Week Week Week 14 13 12 Week Week Week no 11 Sept. 1 — Oct. 13 Aug. 25 — Oct. 2 0 Aug. 18 — Oct. 27 no 13 no 11 Aug. 25 — Oct. 20 Aug. 25 — Oct. 27 Aug. 25 — Nov. 3 no 12 ♦For No Pinch Method: no no no Plant and Light on Pinch Date 12 11 10 Week Week Week Week Week Week Week BROOKS: CHRYSANTHEMUMS time pinching is an important part in accu rately timing your 'mum crop. If the pinch is too long before maturity, the result is sprays which tend to sprawl and are difficult to dis bud and bunch. A short pinch will produce clustered sprays which results in a loss of production due to the greater number of stems required for a bunch. This brief discussion by no means covers the growing of 'mums in Florida for their culture has become one of scientific, exact procedure if one wishes to grow a profitable crop for a given market. In closing, I would like to point out some of the problems con fronting the Florida growers which I have observed over the past few weeks, and a few of the things he must know in order to over come them. 1—A good thorough knowledge of how the 'mum plant grows. 2—The local environmental conditions such as rain, light (sunshine) wind and temper ature. 3—Soils and how to prepare them in order to obtain the best results under concentrated culture conditions. 305 4—Provide adequate drainage which is suf ficient to remove heavy rains quickly and completely. 5—Provide a water source large enough to maintain a constant supply for optimum growth. 6—Knowledge of the daylength for the given locality for all times of the year. 7—Provide protection from winds which dry out and blow down plants, injure flowers and chill the plants when temperatures are low. 8—Provide a program of dusting and spraying to control insects and diseases which are so prevalent due to the combination of high humidities and with high or low tem peratures. 9—Manipulate lights and black cloth at the proper times. 10—Work out growing procedures for each variety as to the planting date, date of "last pinch," time for "lights on" and "lights off," how and when to combine short and long day periods for interrupted shad- VARIETIES IN RESPONSE GROUPS 14 week 13 week s WHITE Snowcrest P Silversmith Snowcap Satellite Cameo Acclaim Cotillion Snowdrop P Yel. Snowcrest Shamrock Vibrant Sunrise Siren Brandywine Cameo Goldtone Yel. Corsair S BRONZE & RED P 11 Chattanooga Mefo Ind. Belray Fortune Monarch Sculpture Eskimo Priscilla Paramount Shasta Dynamo Little America Matchless Snow Queen S YELLOW 12 week B. Riviera Poinsettia Harlequin Holiday Crist. Star Br. Minstrel Harvester Yellow Mefo Yellow Queen Ind. Yellow Goldenrod Highlander Omega Nosegay Thorobred Lollipop Pippin Klondike; Brigadoon Crescendo Yellow Shasta P Bojangies Leaf Indian Head Amberina Galaxy S PINK Tnd. Bronze Thelma Bourbon S — STANDARD Debutante Minstrel Princess Heritage Beauregard Rubicon Br. Masterpiece Paragon Red Rust Festival Thanks. Riviera Rosalind Medallion White Gold. Pearson Yel. Chat'n'ga Oak Topaz Crist. Greeting Merrymaker 10 week week Mermaid Pink Brocade Grand Slam Pinky P — POMPONS Ind. Pink Dk. Orchid Queen Orchid Queen Soprano Linda Lou Pandora Memorial FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1952 306 ing and lighting to control pompon spray controls, formation. frost protection, etc. The Florida 'mum grower is confronted with several problems and situations, which make growing interesting as well as difficult. Here are some of the difficulties with which he must contend: 1—Weather (rain, sun, wind, temperature). There is not much that he can do about regulating these factors, especially the tem perature. If a minimum of 60° cannot be maintained at the time for bud formation, the result will be a maturing of the blooms off schedule. 2—Insects and Diseases. These two troubles are very prevalent and some are not easily and economically controlled. Nematodes are the number one headache. As for disdiseases, to date the growers have been, for the most part, free from any serious trou bles. This has been due to the veiy short time that 'mums have been grown in the same location. It is amazing to see the number of men who are now growing the same crop in the same soil for more than the second time without taking the precau tion to sterilize the soil. The near future may bring some serious setbacks to many a present day grower. 3—Hurricanes are not only a nuisance but a calamity. 4—Torrential downpours can be as damaging as hurricane winds. 5—Costs of production from the amount of electric current consumed, growing struc tures and equipment needed, such as sup ports for the flowers, electrical wiring and overhead shading, windbreaks, 6—A lack of trained labor capable of handling such a specialty crop. 7—Transportation problems brought about by the ever increasing shipping rates, restric tions, bottlenecks, and handicaps of the rail way express, trucking companies and air lines. 8—Markets must be found that will consume the flowers produced at a profitable return to the grower. We are still in the age where the grower produces and produces and does nothing to sell his product. All of us have a little of the soothsayer in us in that we like to dream and to peer into the crystal ball of the future. I firmly believe that the surface has hardly been scratched when it pertains to the commercial production of cut flowers in Florida. Many flowers will be pro duced in the open without the benefit of glass protection, but we are going to need green houses specially designed for our climatic con ditions if we are to grow many of these crops economically and profitably for local or dis tant markets. Competition with northern greenhouses and California outdoor grown stock will become very keen. It has already reared its ugly head in that large flowered standard 'mums are to day being shipped into Florida to florists with in sight of 'mum growers nearly at a cost less than the locally produced flowers. However, I believe that the future holds much for those who will seriously study the requirements for good cut flower production and who will not leave success and fortune to mere chance. SALT TOLERANT PLANTS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA Catherine Rae Ferguson Sarasota In the United States a set of unique ecolog ical conditions is found along the sea coasts of south Florida. The environmental situation is so extreme that few ornamental plants are able to successfully survive. This problem was of no great concern until recent years when many homes were built on the beaches. As more people began to construct permanent residences, a need arose for grass, shrubs, and trees that would give cover, stop erosion, pro vide shade, windbreaks, and break the monot ony of the long, hot expanses of sand. Little has been written concerning the plants that
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