FEBRUARY 24. ISilS. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



541 



on account of the upward movement of 

 the water through it. This is in 

 marlied contrast to the compacting 

 that follows every application of water 

 to the surface. Surface watering 

 drives out the air from the soil at eacii 

 watering, keeps the upper layers wet- 

 ter than beneath, and makes it diffi- 

 cult to provide for the needs of the 

 deeper roots. 



Besides the advantage of sub-water- 

 ing which I have mentioned, there are 

 others which are incid?ntal features, 

 but by no means unimportant. One of 

 these is the freedom of the surface of 

 the soil from w-eeds. moss and slime. 

 The surface layer can be kept quite 

 dry, and act as a mulch, if desired, 

 and at any rate it will be the dryest 

 soil in the bench. The dryness of the 

 surface of the benches, and ct the air 

 throughout the greenhouse, will have 

 a marked cffe;-t in preventing and hold- 

 ing in check all k.nds of parasitic dis- 

 eases, both fungous and bacterial — a 

 desirable result that the carnationists 

 are fully able to apprecate. The 

 causes which prevent the inroads of 

 germs, promote the functional activ- 

 ity of the leaves on the lower parts of 

 the plant, and they remain green and 



General Maceo. 



healthy much longer than usual, great- 

 ly to the advantage of the plant. 



It is evident that the writer believes 

 that the proposed system of sub-water- 

 ing is in many ways a good thing, and 

 nowise injurious. He also believes 



that it can be made commercially 

 profitable. A trial bench at the Indi- 

 ana Experiment Station, which has 

 been in use two years, chiefly for let- 

 tuce, is fitted with a water-tight lin- 

 ing of zinc, on which soft building 



brick are placed edgewise, their lower 

 angles having been ch pped off to per- 

 mit freer movement of water between 

 I hem. On this layer of brick the soil 

 is placed in the usual manner. The 

 water is run into the battom of the 

 bench through vertical tubes at in- 

 tervals along the front, and at the 

 rear overflows are provided at an inch 

 above the bottom to guard against 

 accidental flood. ng. Gauges, cons st- 

 ing of a simple bent tube, show when 

 the water is exhausted. Tlie bricks 

 take up tlie water and pass it on to 

 the soil above, slowly and uniformly. 

 By running a water pipe along the 

 bench, opening into each vertical 

 tube, the who e bench, or the whole 

 greenhouse, can be watered at once 

 by turning a single stop-cock, and 

 thus do away with one of the time- 

 consuming features of greenhouse 

 work. Whether this be the best way 

 in which to provide for sub-watering, 

 time will reveal, but it is efficient, 

 lasting and not expensive beyond prof- 

 itable returns. 



I have po.nted out that the plant's 

 greatest need is water; that three- 

 fourths of its substance is made up of 

 water; that it directly controls growth 

 by maintaining internal pressure; and 

 that a constant stream through the 

 plant is required for healthful devel- 

 opment. I have called attention to the 

 disadvantages in supplying the plant, 

 especially carnations under glass, Wi..i 

 water in the usual manner, and not 

 wishing to be opprobriously called a 

 theorist, lacking practical ideas, have 

 pointed out a better method, which 

 has had some preliminary trial, I 

 shall feel that I have not misjudged 

 the importance of the matter to com- 

 mercial growers, if any members of 



