May 12, 1906 



horticulture: 



61 



UNCLE JOHN ON MECHANICAL 

 WATERING. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Dear Sir:— If the interest in 

 "Mechanical Watering" continues, 

 HORTICULTURE will have to set 

 apart a department under that head 

 where the pros and cons may have 

 full sway. To me, the Wittbold 

 system of mechanical watering (I am 

 not sure whether this is the best title 

 for it) possesses so much merit and 

 appeals so directly to progressive 

 horticultural work, that it must un- 

 doubtedly be appreciated. Sumehow 

 or other, some of the gentlemen seem- 

 ingly believe that the "system" has 

 not one title of desirability in it's 

 make-up, which is assuredly wrong, 

 as if to-day the hose shall be con- 

 demned as being in its general use, 

 detrimental to the best culture. The 

 man who uses the water can, the man 

 who uses the syringe (.the revolver of 

 water arms), the man who uses the 

 hose, has to mix the water he uses 

 with brains, or he cannot be success- 

 ful. The man with the mechanical 

 watering apparatus must also mix 

 brains with this system. 



Watering cans, syringes and hose 

 will be necessary implements, in good 

 culture even where mechanical water- 

 ing is used. 



In the Wittbold establishment the 

 system is installed in a series of 

 houses (where palms of various sizes, 

 ferns of various sizes, rubbers and 

 miscellaneous plants — coleuses, begon- 

 ias, geraniums and other bedding 

 plants) all of which are well .grown 

 and in fine condition. There is a 

 difference in each of these houses in 

 the manner the water is distributed; 

 in some the water is distributed over 

 the general surface, in others it is 

 distributed so as to completely wash 

 the under surfaces of the plants — 

 again, only the pots are watered. In 

 one house where nephrolepis are 

 grown in hanging baskets suspended 

 from the roof, the system is so ar- 

 ranged for the perfect watering of 

 these ferns that, it nothing else had 

 been attempted, this alone is worth 

 all the work and thought Louis 

 Wittbold has put in it. The manipu- 

 lation of the actual watering must in 

 itself recommend it as a saver of time 

 and of labor. The first cost is not 

 more than the cost of rubber hose 

 would, be for at most three years. 

 Its uses will be so numerous as it 

 gets known that they will be greatly 

 appreciated in many ways not now 

 thought of. 



In conclusion permit me to say that 

 I am sure the many readers of 

 HORTICULTURE greatly appreciate 

 that a subject so important as water- 

 ing (whether mechanical or hosey 

 or otherwise) has been given so much 

 space in its columns. Not forgetting, 

 that brains must be mixed with 

 water, however applied (whether it be 

 by McGorum, McHutchison, Finlay- 

 son, Wittbold, or "any other man") 

 to obtain the best results. 

 Very truly yours, 



JOHN THORPE. 



OUTDOOR ROSES AND MECHANI- 

 CAL WATERING. 



To be reasonably sure of getting 

 good roses outdoors the plants have to 

 be carefully attended to from now on. 

 They require to be kept clean and 

 growing vigorously. Dust the plants 

 early and often with hellebore powder, 

 and by and by if the soil gets dry it 

 will pay to water thoroughly. If 

 watering is done in the late afternoon 

 or evening let the water flow at the 

 base of the plants. I sometimes think 

 this much-talked-of mechanical water- 

 ing apparatus might be just the thing 

 for this and other purposes, argu- 

 ments of certain worthy men notwith- 

 standing. In time it may be called 

 irrigation in close quarters, and who 

 knows but what irrigation has already 

 accomplished for the arid lands of the 

 West, this new-fangled mechanical 

 watering business may also do for the 

 enlarged horticultural establishments 

 of the West and East. Don't con- 

 demn anything until by a just trial 

 you have been convinced that con- 

 demnation is deserved, because it may 

 be possible that a just and fair trial 

 may reveal the fact that what would 

 have been said in condemnation would 

 be unjust in more ways than one. 



d. Mcintosh. 



THE SEEDSMEN'S STANDPOINT. 

 Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Dear Sir: — You have doubtless 

 noticed in the press dispatches and the 

 Congressional Record the harsh and 

 unwarranted charges against the 

 Agricultural Press of the country, 

 made by the friends of "Free-Seeds" 

 during the debate on the Agricultural 

 Appropriation bill. Angered by the 

 contenptuous criticism of this graft 

 by the press as a whole, its friends 

 charged that the press opposed it not 

 from principle but because it was con- 

 trolled by the seed merchants through 

 their advertising — an infamous insult 

 which should be resented. 



The Senate Committtee on Agricul- 

 ture has granted a hearing on "free 

 seeds" to be held shortly, at which 

 some of the prominent seed merchants 

 will explain why they are opposed to 

 the government interfering with their 

 business by giving away products 

 which they sell. If you are sufficiently 

 interested, will you drop a line to 

 Senator Redfield Proctor, Chairman of 

 the Committee on Agriculture, stating 

 that you are opposed to the distribution 

 on principle and not because of any 

 influence of advertisers. Or, if you 

 prefer it, I would be pleased to present 

 to the committee at the hearing, any- 

 thing you may send me on the subject. 

 For your information I may say that 

 the seedsmen are not opposed to a 

 distribution of new, rare and valu- 

 able seeds within the meaning of the 

 original act, but they object to the in- 

 discriminate distribution of turnip, 

 radish, corn, beans, peas, spinach and 

 other of the commonest kinds of gar- 

 den seeds simply that a Congressman 

 can make a showing with his constitu- 

 ents. 



Trusting to have your cooperation 

 in this undertaking, I am. 



Yours very truly, 

 WILLIAM WOLFF SMITH. 



Washington Representative, Whole- 

 sale Seedsmen's League. 



WHOLESOME CHESTNUTS. 



Bedding out will from now on take 

 up a considerable part of the garden- 

 ers' attention. Geraniums that have 

 been sufficiently hardened may be 

 planted out in many locations in a 

 week or ten days, but tender things, 

 such as alternanthera, coleus, helio 

 trope, etc., are safer where protection 

 is available up to the first of June. 



If alternanthera persists in damping 

 off in the greenhouse water only when 

 absolutely necessary, and then in the 

 forenoon; avoid sprinkling. Water 

 thorougnly when required at the root 

 as much as possible. Alternanthera 

 will not color up well when growing 

 rank; for that reason shallow flats are 

 preferable, and even when the plants 

 are in hot-beds it will be found advan- 

 tageous to lift them two or three 

 weeks before planting and put them 

 into flats or small pots. 



Herbaceous borders should now re- 

 ceive attention in the way of regulat- 

 ing and keeping clean; each kind 

 should stand distinct and any other 

 kind encroaching should be dug out 

 sufficiently to allow each plant or 

 i lump to show up. The parts dug up 

 for this purpose can be utilized ii. 

 filling blank spaces where deaths have 

 occurred. 



Hollyhocks and all tall growing 

 plants should be staked in time and 

 the sooner this is done the less ob- 

 jectionable the stakes will appear 

 later on. 



Some people take great care to have 

 the ground for vegetables thoroughly 

 manured, but when it comes to the 

 flower beds and borders they seem to 

 think that for them little if any 

 manure or fertilizer is needed. This 

 is for obvious reasons a serious mis- 

 take; ground planted year after year 

 with flowering plants gets exhausted 

 unless something is added to counter- 

 act the action of the roots on the soil. 

 Impoverished soil is in many cases the 

 cause of scraggy plants with but few 

 blooms, often seen towards the end of 

 the season. 



Get dahlias hardened before plant- 

 ing; this of course refers to potted 

 plants from cuttings or division. 

 Dahlia roots are better in the oper. 

 ground now than anywhere else. 

 Don't plant them too closely; leave 

 room between the rows to be able to 

 walk and work comfortably. Put 

 istakes in for each plant at planting 

 time, and have labels handy to tack 

 on the stakes. 



Rock gardens are very pretty and 

 are sources of much delight and en- 

 joyment. At this season every plant 

 should be carefully gone over and 

 freed from weeds. Look out that 

 ferns are not smothered by either 

 weeds or plants. A certain amount of 

 carelessness in appearance perhaps 

 adds to the beauty of a rock garden, 

 but weeds are nothing but a menace 

 even then. 



HORTICULTURE:— Please cut out 

 my advs. in your paper as all my stock- 

 is sold out. Send me the bill. Yours 

 truly, S. A. PINKSTONE. 



