GROWING CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 83 



It is simply made from an old globe valve, which I filed the threads off 

 from, and we pipe it over the place. We throw off the clear water, and 

 throw on the liquid manure pump. 



Mr. Frey: I hear so often about chrysanthemums being spoiled. As 

 I\Ir. Henderson says, if you do not happen to be there and somebody hap- 

 pens to be careless, it does not take much of an overdose to spoil the 

 chrysanthemum, at the right time. 



Mr. Chairman: It is better to havo too much than not enough; that 

 is my experience. We can take the dumbest boy on the place, and he 

 can go ahead and feed the roses by putting the hose in his hand, and 

 saying, "Go ahead and soak them good." He can't go wrong; it's me- 

 chanical, instead of expert work that is required. We start to feed as 

 soon as the buds show, and' stop when they show color, and when we stop 

 with the liquid we stop. We are done feeding when we 'discontinue the 

 liquid. 



Mr. Dole: Would you advocate raised or solid benches? 



Mr. Frey: We used to grow in solid benches, but never got the suc- 

 cess from them we did from the others. 



Mr. Dole: We do use solid benches with good success. We grow 

 ours altogether in solid benches by themselves. In fact, we pulled down 

 one bench to make a solid bench to grow them on. And the flower and 

 the stem and the foliage were all that could be desired; in fact it was a 

 revelation to some of the Omaha fellows. Mr. Henderson was there, and 

 he can tell you it was good. 



Mr. Frey: That would make them practically the same if you had 

 enough drainage in the bottom, for all of the superfluous water to drain 

 off. 



The Chairman: Is there anything else you want to bring out on this 

 subject before we pass it? 



Mr. Atkinson: In regard to the statement that the larger flower is 

 the more salable. There are quite a number of country florists with 

 whom the larger flower is not so desirable. 



Mr. Frey: If my trade demanded a larger flower, I would grow prac- 

 tically all pot plants, since the profits would be the same practically from 

 the same amount of room. 



The Chairman: Was there anything further? I would like to say 

 one word. That is the reason I did not want to get up here — I want to 

 do too much talking. Why grow a small flower in the bench, when you 

 can grow a big one just as easily, and sell it a whole lot easier, and for 

 the same money? So why grow a little one? There is not a customer 

 anywhere that would not want to have a big flower at the same price. 

 You can plant them the same distance apart, and you can get them any- 

 where from a good sized up to a great big one just as easily as you can 

 a little one. So why in the name of common sense grow a little one? 



Mr. Atkinson: There are a great many reasons for which a rosebud 

 is better adapted to certain places, certain times, and certain conditions 



