J 380 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



.\IA\ I'.l. 1',III4. 



where, in fact, tlie same stock would 

 be replanted. If imported Holland 

 bulbs are planted every fall, then tlie 

 same bed and soil will produce the 

 grandest results for many years. Of 

 that we are certain from experience 

 close at home. Far more important is 

 the quality of the bulb you plant than 

 the te.xture or richness of soil. One 

 author says: "A light, deep loam with 

 leaf-mold added and some thoroughly 

 rotten cow manure" is the proper soil. 

 No doubt that would flower thorn 

 grandly, yet the best tulips the writer 

 ever saw bloom in this country, both 

 for size, height, color and durability of 

 blossom, were planted very late in No- 

 vember when the soil was almost the 

 consistency of mud with rain and snow. 



and the soil was a heavy clay loam, 

 such a soil as would delight a rose grow- 

 er. However that was not producing 

 tulip bulbs; it was merely flowering the 

 strong bulb and esibryo llower bud 

 stored up by the high cultivation and 

 scientific treatment of the frugal Dutch- 

 man. 



To allow tulips to grow up through 

 their winter protection of litter, which 

 is usually used in covering the beds, 

 and then from protection to suddenly 

 expose their stems and leaves to a hard 

 frost would be liable to hurt them. This 

 would not be a disease, but bad man- 

 agement, and all covering should be off 

 before much growth has started in the 

 spring. The "scald with greasy wa- 

 ter ' ' I cannot account for. W. S. 



HOUSE FOR CARNATIONS. 



Will you please tell me which root 

 you would advise for a carnation house 

 22 X 50 feet that must he set east and 

 west, whether three-quarter-span, with 

 the long span to the south, or even span? 

 What pitch of roof would give the best 

 light, what height of eaves and how 

 much glass on sides is needed? Wouhl 

 glass be needed on the north side .' 

 Would high beds, say a foot or more 

 from the ground, filled to within sis 

 inches of the top with brickbats, be any 

 improvement over wooden benches twcr 

 and one-half feet high? Should there be 

 any pipes under the benches for carna- 

 tions? I am a beginner and have re- 

 ceived much valuable information through 

 vour paper, and would thank vou for 

 this. G. W. P. 



In answering the questions regarding 

 plans for a carnation house many things 

 must be taken into consideration. Too 

 often too little forethought is given to 

 what the future may bring in the way of 

 expansion in business and the necessity of 

 adding greenhouses in a few years. If 

 you mean to build the one house and 

 have no intention of ever adding another 

 it should not be a difficult matter to plan 

 the construction of it, but since I sup- 

 pose it is to be used for commercial 

 growing it would be poor policy to buihi 

 so that you could not add onto it to 

 advantage in the future. In going about 

 among the greenhouses in our larger 

 cities you will find many old places of 

 which a birdseye view would remind you 

 of a crazy quilt, with the houses run- 

 ning in every direction. In those days 

 most of the florists started in a small 

 way and apparently most of them had no 

 idea of growing into such large estab- 

 lishments as many of them now are. 

 The two or three little houses were 

 squatted down wherever it seemed handi- 

 est to have them and when, after a 

 year or two of hard work and saving, 

 the business grew enough to demand an- 

 other house and the purse was able to 

 pay for one, it was often found that if 

 they had expected to add to their place 

 they would have built different houses or 



built on another place, etc. But another 

 house had to be built and it again was 

 stuck onto the original block somewhere 

 and some way, often without any con- 

 sideration for the future. 



It is not so these days. When a grow- 

 er plans to start a new range of glass-- 

 he lays his plans for many years into 

 the future, or at least he plans to - dn 

 nothing which may hinder him in luiild- 

 ing as he finds best in the future. Yor. 

 cau never tell ho^v well you may jirospei- 

 and it is well to set your aim and lay 

 your plans high enough. Then, again, 

 it is well to take into consideration what 

 you intend to grow. Is it to be mainly 

 cut flowers or is it to be mostly pot 

 plants? For pot plants you do not want 

 too lai-ge houses, but ratlier medium- 

 sized ones, and more of them, while for 

 cut blooms the tendency at present (and 

 I think with good reason), is toward 

 large houses, long, wide and high. These 

 large houses are lighter and roomier than 

 the smaller ones and with the same ef- 

 fort on the part of the grower will pro- 

 duce superior stock, but with the much 

 necessary shifting around and the many 

 different temperatures required by the 

 pot plants it is necessary to have sev- 

 eral houses and all jiarts convenient to 



the packing sheds. For pot plants the 

 houses must each be partitioned to itself, 

 which may in itself lead to different con- 

 struction from what may be employed in 

 building for cut flower growing. 



I'"or the latter at present the tendency 

 is toward building with gutters raised 

 from six to nine feet from the ground, 

 and no partitions between the houses, ex- 

 cept when another kiud of plant is to be 

 planted. These ranges are economical 

 to build, and are in every way desirable, 

 except that in localities where the snows 

 are frequent and heavy it cannot slide 

 off as it can from detached houses. If 

 there is plenty of land perhaps the most 

 desirable way to build is the long and 

 tolerably wide house each to itself with 

 enough space between the houses to pre- 

 vent the one from shading that next to 

 it, and a corridor running through the 

 center from one to the other. The 

 length, width and height of these houses 

 may vary according to the builders" 

 f aucy, the space between the houses vary- 

 ing according to the house next south of 

 it. lu these houses the eaves need not be 

 so high as the gutters in the connected 

 range, five feet being high enough, but 

 there should be glass in the sides both 

 north and south. The glass should come 

 down to a level with the top of the bed 

 or bench, or nearly so. You can provide 

 for side ventilators in these houses, too. 

 which is a great advantage for most 

 plants. 



The tendency now seems to be toward 

 the even-span roof, with a pitch of from 

 40 to 45 degrees, but where the houses 

 are detached, as last described, the ridge 

 may profitably be moved toward the north 

 side, so that three-fifths to two-th'irds of 

 the house will be south of the ridge. 

 This will let the sun strike the north wall 

 from under the ridge a little earlier in 

 the fall and keep it there later in tli- 

 spring, thus giving tlie north side of the 

 house better liirht when the days are 

 short. This must not be done, however, 

 when the houses are attached with gut- 

 ters on account of the shade the house? 

 will thrc:w on those next to them on thi^ 

 north. 



Another important point is the location 

 of the boiler shed or pit, as the case 

 may be. Of course, it should be on thp 

 north side of the houses and if at all 

 possible it should -be at the lowest point, 

 so that the natural flow will be toward 

 it from the houses. When this is the 

 rase 3'ou will find very little complaini: 



The Logan Berry Trained to Trellis. 



Phinls in Bloom in tlie Toper Picture.) 



