April 16, 1903. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review. 



873 



A feature of the Easter Window of C. A. Samuelson, Chicago. The plants liad 

 numerous electric lights interspersed among them. 



that in my opinion the method of grow- 

 ing carnations continuously under glass 

 is not practical" and in using the term 

 "indoor," I refer to the compromise as 

 above. 



We know that some varieties do not 

 take kindly to the indoor method, then 

 again none of us can say that we have 

 as yet found the true way of field or 

 indoor culture, but each year brings an 

 improvement in some direction, so then 

 I would certainly advise a trial of the 

 indoor method, clioosing varieties of vig- 

 orous growth and strong constitution. 



Strong plants in 4-inch pots given 

 from four to six weeks in open frames 

 provided with ample drainage is one of 

 the necessary conditions to produce 

 plants equal to well grown field plants. 

 Some varieties will need covering with 

 sash during a long rainy period, of 

 course only enough to shed the rain with- 

 out interfering with abundant ventila- 

 tion. It seems absolutely necessary for 

 their salvation to allow them nothing 

 but the blue sky over them and the 

 pure air around them for a period long 

 enough to regain that perfect health 

 which has been somewhat impaired by 

 continual forcing. 



You may say your young stock has not 

 been forced or any demands made upon 

 it, having been kept very cool, a state- 

 ment I hope you can all make, but con- 

 fined as the plants must generally be in 

 rather narrow quarters, also more or less 

 under the influence of artificial heat and 

 conditions, it is obvious that any rela- 

 tives of the dianthus family (naturally 



hardy) will resent to a certain degree 

 continuous confinement. 



After giving mucli thought to this 

 subject I have about come to the con- 

 clusion that if the point is ever reached 

 when carnations can be grown continu- 

 ously under glass we shall find their na- 

 ture or constitution so changed that the 

 divine flower will be susceptible to many 

 more diseases than it now is and you all 

 know the list of those with which it is 

 already beset is long enough. It would 

 seem this is a matter for the hybridiz- 

 ers to consider; I may be all wrong but 

 these are my thoughts, and trust to give 

 you more next week on exijeriences with 

 several varieties. Geo. S. Osborn. 



SOLID BEDS FOR CARNATIONS. 



In the JIarch 26th issue of your paper 

 we notice an item by Mr. Baur on solid 

 beds in greenhouses. We are expecting 

 to put up ten additional greenhouses 

 this season, and part of the ground is in 

 such shape that we will be obliged to 

 either leave it in solid beds or haul the 

 soil away. Houses will be 18 feet wide 

 to match balance of range. We would 

 like to know how you would advise ar- 

 ranging the heating pipes for solid bench 

 houses. We heat with steam using two 

 fiftv horse boilers. C N. P. 



If I could see your houses, etc., I 

 could tell you in a few minutes just how 

 I would arrange your heating system, 

 but I will possibly be able to tell you 

 what you want to know. In all our old 

 houses we have the old flow and return 



^y■^teul and it works perfectly. Our 

 How pipe is up overhead and at the far 

 end it branches out to as manv return 

 pipes arc you wish to put in. ' llie re- 

 turn pipes run part of them along the 

 side wall and part of them along the side 

 of the paths, just the same as vou run 

 them under your benches. 



In our new house we have the new sin- 

 gle pipe system. Tlie steam goes and the 

 water returns in the same pipe and there 

 aye no flows and returns, but only How 

 pipes, Tlie main raises as it travels 

 away from the boilers and runs across 

 the end of the house, and from this main 

 wc run two inch pipes to the other end 

 <•{ the house, raising about one-fourth 

 inch to the foot as we go, and at the far 

 ind we have only a thumb cock to let 

 (he air out as the pipe fills with steam, 

 A valve next to the main in each pipe 

 serves to shut the pipe off or turn it on 

 at will. The water returns in the bottom 

 iif the pipe to the main and back to the 

 boilers. This is as it is supposed to be 

 arranged, but our system differs just a 

 little. We raised our main until we 

 reached the near corner of the house 

 and from there we began to drop as we 

 ran across the end of the house. In the 

 far corner we tapped the main and ran 

 a small return pipe back to the Ixjiler. 

 The level of the ground made this de- 

 sirable, but otlierwise there would be no 

 difference as far as the working is con- 

 cerned. These pipes can be laid in the 

 walks or they can be hung overhead 

 just as you choose, but always remember 

 that there must be no places for the 

 water to stop. It does not take much 

 fall in the pipes, but there must be no 

 dips or pockets anywhere. 



We like this system very much indeed. 

 There is far less danger of breakage of 

 joints from expansion in the pipes be- 

 cause one end of every pipe is free to 

 move forward or backward as much as 

 it chooses. We get live steam througli 

 all our pipes, as it has to travel only 

 one length of the house, while with the 

 old system it has to travel twice as far 

 and if your houses are very long it is 

 nearly condensed when it" gets" back 

 to the near end again. If I have not 

 made myself clear on the points Mr, P. 

 wishes explained I shall be glad to an- 

 swer any further inquiries he mav wish 

 to make, A. F, J, Baur, 



SOIL FOR CARNATIONS. 



Please tell me the best compost for 

 carnations — that is, the kind of soil, 

 proportion of manure and bone meal, I 

 expect to have the beds rcadv bv July 

 1st. Will that be late to plant the car- 

 nations from Hats, or had they better b« 

 planted in the field first? 



Constant Reader, 



Carnations like a fairly heavv friable 

 soil and above all it should be well rot- 

 ted. If you have not prepared it yet 

 you should get at it just as soon as you 

 can. We like to cut the sods off of a 

 good rich picix> of ground about four 

 inches deep, but you are too late to do 

 that now. The sods would not rot well 

 enough by July 1st for carnations. If 

 you can get your soil from a field that 

 was under cultivation last year it will 

 Im" better than the sods in so far as it 

 will be in a better mechanical condi- 

 tion. It will take a little more manure 

 than the sn<l soil would to produce the 

 .same fertility, but otherwise it will give 

 good results. Use four parts of soil and 

 one part of cow manure and add a good 



