132 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



JUNE 28, 1900. 



Liquid Manure — Tomatoes. 



M. A. B. writes: "Please give me 

 some information on tlie subject of 

 liquid manure. What is tlie best to 

 start with — horse, cow, pig. or hen ma- 

 nure? What proportion shall I use? 

 Our greenhouse tomatoes have been 

 treated to liquid hen manure and the 

 plants show a vigorous growth, with 

 fruit well set, but the 'trouble' is they 

 do not make the size they should. 

 What shall I do?" 



We referred this inquiry to Mr. C. 

 Totty. an experienced grower of toma- 

 toes under glass, who replies: 



"The trouble can probably be laid to 

 the hen manure. Hen manure is pretty 

 strong and it has made the plants run 

 all to vine at the expense of the fruit. 

 It is never safe to feed tomatoes under 

 glass until two bunches of fruit are 

 set and swelling good. 



"In mid-winter the fruit sometimes 

 fails to swell to a large size, because 

 of imperfect pollination, but at this 

 time of year no such trouble should be 

 experienced. It can easily be ascer- 

 tained if the fruit is not swelling be- 

 cause of imperfect pollination by cut- 

 ting one open. If the fruit is perfect 

 the cells will be found well developed 

 all around and containing seeds in 

 each cell. If the fruit is imperfect one 

 side of it will have a few seed cells and 

 the other side will be merely a hard, 

 solid lump. 



"As to the manure to start with, i 

 would prefer cow manure, though I 

 don't know that it makes much differ- 

 ence so long as you use it very weak 

 to -commence and gradually make _ it 

 stronger as the plants will stand it." 



Has any other reader any views to 

 express in this matter? 



Keep ng Help. 

 F W. B. says: "In examining an ap- 

 plicant for a position, I first note 

 whether he is polite and of pleasing 

 address; second, whether he has the 

 appearance of being a man I can trust 

 when I am away; third, whether he is 

 clean and neat and uses good lan- 

 guage; fourth, whether he stands on 

 his "pins" or lops over against the 

 benches when he is talking to me; 

 fifth, whether he is built to do a heavy 

 day's work when the necessity arrives, 

 as it always does at times; sixth, 

 whether he is one of those observing 

 fellows who knows what to do in case 

 he has finished his task and the fore- 

 man happens to be busy or away for a 

 short time. 



"If you can get a man that will fill 

 the above bill, hire him, and treat him 



as if he was a man — not a dog. When 

 he asks a favor, if possible grant it, 

 and when you want the same from 

 him you will get it. A fair exchange is 

 no robbery. Pay him what he is worth 

 and you will find him at his post, al- 

 ways with a good word for you, and 

 he will take an interest in your busi- 

 ness; if he can attract a dollar's worth 

 of trade he will do it. You see, he is 

 satisfied, he has a steady job, he likes 

 his job. and he will not be hunting 

 something else. 



"If you do get hold of a shirker or a 

 man who does not suit you, don't pick 

 a fuss with him in order to get a 

 chance to discharge him, and thereby 

 make a lasting enemy, but go at him 

 in this way; 'John, I do not think we 

 can keep you after this week. I think 

 you are cut out for some other busi- 

 ness and would make a better success 

 at something else. I tell you now so 

 you can have a chance to look around 

 for another position between now and 

 Saturday. I would like to keep you if 

 I thought you would make a good man 

 in our business, but I do not think you 

 will.' That man will go away your 

 friend. 



"Treat your men fairly and justly, 

 demand an honest day's work, trade 

 favor for favor, and you will be able 

 to keep good men. Learn to overlook 

 little, petty faults. You have some of 

 them yourself. A torpid liver will 

 sometimes cause a man to be a little 

 out of fix and when he is in that shape 

 bear a little with him; he will be all 

 right in a day or two. You get that 

 yourself sometimes." 



This is a very Important subject and 

 we would be pleased to hear from oth- 

 ers. One large employer has said; 

 "Employes are the water-shed of suc- 

 cess and failure." And it is certainly 

 true that some men have the ability to 

 secure good, honest, generous and at 

 the same time cheerful service from 

 employes, while others are always in 

 the position of driving a balky horse. 

 What makes the difference? 



Employes. 



When you think you have sincere 

 employes, get better acquainted with 

 them and give them pointers on how 

 to grow. 



There is as much difference between 

 a machine of an employe and a grow- 

 ing employe as there is between a 

 hitching post and a live tree that is 

 bearing profitable fruit. 



It is possible for average employes 

 to grow greater in ability every week 

 by simply thinking about what they 



are trying to do and how to do it bet- 

 ter. 



Help them to think along the lines 

 that will be profitable to you. They 

 will be better employes and you will 

 get more in return for the wages you 

 pay them. 



In every department of this business 

 the thinking man is vastly more valu- 

 able than the machine. Misdirected 

 effort has cost employers far more 

 than lack of effort. 



Black Ants. 



N. H. says: My greatest trouble at 

 present is the black ant. The place is 

 overrun with them and I can devise no 

 way of getting rid of them." 



If you can find their burrows, pour 

 them full of hot water. Have you tried 

 trapping them with old bones and then 

 dropping the bones and the ants in hot 

 water? 



Ants are very intelligent insects, as 

 one florist discovered when he tried to 

 play an easy trick on them. He placed 

 a bone in the center of a piece of fly- 

 paper. But the ants were not to be 

 caught by any such palpable fake as 

 that. They began bringing sand and 

 soon laid a safe track from the margin 

 of the paper to the bone. 



What harm do the ants do other 

 than play tag and hold conventions? 

 Are there many greenfly around? You 

 no doubt know that ants herd greenfly 

 as we do cattle and "milk" them as 

 regularly to secure the sweet liquid 

 they secrete. Sometimes eradicating 

 the greenfly will remove the attraction 

 for the ants. 



Can any reader suggest a quick and 

 practical method of ridding green- 

 houses of black ants? 



The Best Coal. 



"Subscriber" wants to know "which 

 is the best and most economical coal to 

 use in the Exeter boiler (sectional) on 

 a place of 50,000 feet of glass, and 

 where a night fireman is employed?" 



Can any of our readers who are us- 

 ing this boiler give the desired infor- 

 mation? As freight rates often deter- 

 mine the question of economy in fuel, 

 we had better add that "Subscriber's" 

 place is in New Hampshire. 



Bedding Plants. 



"I want to grow more bedding 

 plants," writes H. W. "I now have two 

 houses for that purpose and no hot- 

 beds. I am troubled to decide which 

 would be cheapest and best — to add 

 another house, or put the same amount 

 of glass into hotbed sash and have hot- 

 beds in connection with the houses I 

 now have." 



If you desire merely to expand your 

 capacity for bedding plants only and 

 could not profitably use an additional 

 house for, say, chrysanthemums, fol- 

 lowed by lilies or Easter plants during 

 the winter months, the hotbeds would 

 undoubtedly be most economical. The 

 hotbeds can be used to as good advan- 

 tage as a house for most bedding 



