DOl) 



HORTICULTURE 



April 28, 1906 



MECHANICAL WATERING EX- 



PLAINED. 



In answer to Robert McGorum's 

 questions, etc. in HORTICULTURE 

 page 494, April 14th. will say, that I 

 do not wish to be quoted as advising 

 the use of mechanical watering in a 

 private place where miscellaneous 

 plants are on display; possibly bloom- 

 ing and foliage plants in one grand 

 conglomeration; except, possibly, as an 

 auxiliary to the hose or can. I also 

 understand that mechanical watering 

 is in opposition to much that we have 

 accepted as necessary to successfully 

 grow plants under glass, and 1 wish to 

 have it understood that we must modify 

 conditions to a certain extent so that it 

 can be successfully applied. The most 

 advanced places, at the present time, 

 do not grow a mixture of all different 

 kinds of plants in one house, but give 

 whole houses or sections of houses, to 

 the growing of one kind of stock. 

 These are the places where a water- 

 ing system is practical, as an even 

 amount of water given the full length 

 of the house will be evenly absorbed 

 by the plants; providing, of course, 

 that the ventilation and heatmg pipes 

 are the same throughout. 



Let it be understood that where 

 heating pipes are in closer proximity 

 to one part of the bench than to the 

 other, thereby producing dry spots, 

 these conditions should be remedied, 

 also the ventilation should be studied, 

 that the effect of the air will be the 

 same throughout the full length of 

 the house. Conditions being equal, the 

 necessity lor water also becomes equal, 

 and the result is simply this: that a 

 whole bench of plants can be watered 

 or syringed, just as quickly as one 

 plant can be cared for with the hose 

 or can. I am aware that some plants 

 will be injured by spraying from over- 

 head, and for this kind of stock we 

 must place our system underneath the 

 plants, so that we can water them 

 from underneath. Geraniums, for in- 

 stance, where the flowers will be in- 

 jured after they begin to bloom, can 

 be watered from underneath, by hav- 

 ing lines of system placed just above 

 the pots, close enough together so that 

 the water is evenly distributed. With 

 reference to watering shelves, will say, 

 that if Air. McGorum has one the full 

 length of his house, he would find 

 a sheet of spray the full length of 

 house just above his shelf would be 

 very convenient. By running line 

 over rows of Boston fern baskets the 

 full length of house, by simply pulling 

 a lever a sheet of water is produced 

 the full length of house and the entire 

 row watered just as quickly as one 

 plant can be watered with the hose, 

 and with only one-half as much effort. 

 I now have houses where I water ten 

 rows of Boston ferns side by side hang- 

 ing from rafters of houses with one 

 line of system just over the center of 

 these rows of Boston ferns. 



About seedlings in cold frames will 

 say; that a line of system- just in the 

 center of frame underneath the sash 

 will water the frame instantly, and 

 without the necessity of lifting up the 

 sash the spray can be directed to any 

 part of frame desired, that is, one 

 side or the other, always, of course, 

 the full length of system. 



With reference to growing pot lilies 

 or pot roses for Easter trade, will say, 

 that these can be watered from over- 

 head or from underneath, just as the 

 operator may desire, by having the 

 system placed both overhead and un- 

 derneath the foliage. It is, of course, 

 understood that all plants will re- 

 ceive the same amount of water, and 

 that the grower must use just as much 

 judgment in using a system of this 

 kind as in any other mode of water- 

 ing. The drainage must be watched 

 and kept open, or the pots and plants 

 potted as near alike as possible, and 

 everything done to equalize the con- 

 ditions as much as possible. 



Mr. McGorum's offer to put up a 

 line of system in one of his houses is 

 certainly very kind of him, and I hope 

 to be able to take advantage of his 

 offer. I am thoroughly in accord with 

 Mr. McGorum's advice to keep cool 

 and talk over our ideas in a friendly 

 way and therefore refrain from 

 answering anything that does not per- 

 tain to question in view. 



Although I have very little time to 

 put into this mechanical watering 

 business, as my duties to the Geo. 

 Wittbold Co. take up my entire time, 

 I will be glad to answer any questions 

 the readers of HORTICULTURE may 

 ask, and will advise and give my hon- 

 est opinion where mechanical water- 

 ing would be adaptable, if given the 

 facts in the case. 



Let us not ridicule or criticise, but 

 ask your questions for a purpose, and 

 I will be glad to answer same. 



Thanking the Editor, and readers of 

 HORTICULTURE. I am, 



Yours very truly, 



LOUIS WITTBOLD. 



MORE ABOUT MECHANICAL 



WATERING. 



"A duel's annum- ye takin' notes 

 An' faiili he'll prent it." 



In looking over last week's HORTI- 

 CULTUE I see the latest convert to 

 the mechanical watering idea is Mr. 

 McHutchison. It's wonderful what 

 old Time does accomplish. We all 

 know Mr. McHutchison to be a globe 

 trotter, and a genial gentleman, but 

 his ideas have taken a sudden change. 

 "I wonder why." Some time ago while 

 in a visit here, I suggested it would 

 be a good thing if there were more 

 hose used on the other side, having 

 worked at only one place where a 

 hose was in use. He jumped on me, 

 and said he was glad they didn't, for iu 

 using the can it gave employment to 

 an extra number of men. Now he 

 jumps on the English gardener, and 

 calls him old-fashioned, the very per- 

 son he upheld not long ago. "We are," 

 he says, "to see it in our midst." I 

 wonder if he has converted his father- 

 in-law, Mr. Edgar. If it is so and the 

 latter gentleman takes the conversion 

 seriously, and sells every hose and can 

 he has on the place to the junkman, 

 after having installed the mechanical 

 man. growing as good product as for- 

 merly, I will say the mechanical man 

 is a wonder; the rush for the apparatus 

 will be great. Numbers of men will 

 be looking for different employment, 

 and the payrolls of the poor florist 

 will be perceptibly decreased. Get it in 

 quick, Mac, I will go over and take a 

 peek at it. 



Your other correspondent writes a 

 very nice letter, having used it a few 

 months, growing vegetables, but 

 wouldn't monkey with a house of 

 Farleyense or Lorraine. What we 

 would like is a true statement from 

 a carnation grower, a private gardener 

 and a rose grower — men who have a 

 reputation of growing good products — 

 that they have used the machine for 

 one year and find it better, or just as 

 good as the can or hose, growing as 

 good stock and keeping the plants in as 

 healthy condition; then, and not till 

 then, we will be getting information. 

 This will be the best test that Can be 

 made, as some persons are so much 

 carried away with something new that 

 they forget themselves and give state- 

 ments that sometimes cannot be backed 

 up with cold facts. I think that the 

 hose and the can manufacturers will 

 remain in the business for some time 

 yet until they or we get facts that will 

 make them stop their production. 



R. T. McGORUM. 



A SCHOOL GARDEN INSTITUTE. 



The Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 

 lege held a "school garden institute" 

 at Horticultural Hall, Boston, April 21, 

 when the various aspects were dis- 

 cussed. 



F. A. Waugh, professor of horticul- 

 ture and landscape gardening in the 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College, 

 presided. 



Henry S. Adams spoke on "How 

 Successful School Gardens Are Man- 

 aged." He said that one reason for 

 the difficulty in establishing them is 

 that many suburban towns do not see 

 any necessity for such work. 



Mr. Waugh spoke on the "Selection 

 of Sites and Preparation of Soils," and 

 M. A. Blake, instructor in horticulture 

 at the Massachusetts Agricultural Col- 

 lege, gave a practical talk on the "Cul- 

 tivation and Care of Soil, and the Care 

 and Use of Tools." 



Herbert D. Hemenway, director of 

 school gardens in Hartford, Conn., 

 urged that individual gardens should 

 be apportioned out to the pupils. 

 There were other short addresses. 



About 100 school teachers and other 

 persons interested in horticulture were 

 present, and manifested great interest 

 in the addresses. 



The general opinion was that school 

 gardens are a good thing, but that 

 proper methods for their establishment 

 and care are not always easy to find. 



AN OUTDOOR CLASS. 



J. G. Jack began, on April 21, his 

 15th year of informal outdoor talks on 

 plants, trees and shrubs, in the Arnold 

 Arboretum, Boston, with a class of 28 

 women and three men. 



Different botanical groups will be 

 examined. No technical knowledge or 

 special preparation is required in or- 

 der to join the class, as the instruction 

 is intended to be simple in character, 

 affording opportunities for questions 

 and answers. 



The class will meet each Saturday 

 morning at 10 o'clock, continuing until 

 June 23. 



I congratulate you on the excellent 

 issue you turn out every week, and 

 am pleased to see that it has become 

 quite a popular paper. — H. J. 



