1879.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



9 



•classes of plants is graded by the number of 

 pipes in each house, as all the houses are of the 

 same size. That for tropical plants, such as Dra- 

 cenas, Crotons, Palms, &c., have ten pipes in each 

 house, giving an average night temperature of 

 70°; Bouvardias, Begonias, &c., eight pipes, 

 average night temperature 60° ; Tea Roses, such 

 as Bon Silene, Niphetos, Pearl des Jardins, and 

 ■others requiring high temperature, eight pipes, 

 average temperature 00'^' ; Pelargoniums and all 

 classes of tri-color Geraniums, six pipes, average 

 temperature 5o° ; Zonale Geraniums, Yerbenas, 

 and Petunas, five pipes, giving 50° ; Roses and 

 Carnations which are being kept dormant, four 

 pipes, giving an average of 40°; this grading the 

 number of pipes for the different temperatures, 

 greatly simplifies the work. These pipes are 

 placed under the side benches, which leaves the 

 large space under the centre table^ to be used 

 for placing bulbs and such plants as do well 

 in partial shade. In this new range are also the 

 propagating house for cuttings, and propagating 

 house for seeds. The cutting-house, 20x100, 

 is shaded by the French Lattice Shadings, 

 which are drawn up and let down by cords and 

 pulleys from inside. These work so satisfac- 

 torily that Mr. Henderson proposes to use them 

 next summer on all his houses needing shades. 

 One greenhouse, 20x100, is used exclusively for 

 seeds, and was to me, one of the most interest- 

 ing fetitures in the whole establishment, for I 

 never before saw such a variety of delicate seed- 

 lings, so entirely free from fungus and damp- 

 This exemption from damp, Mr. H. attributes to 

 the use of these large and airy houses, where 

 the air is never allowed to stagnate, for ventila- 

 tion, less or more, is kept on at all times. The 

 night temperature for both the cutting and seed 

 propagation averages 60° at night with ten de 

 grees higher in day time, slight ventilation be 

 ing given in both at night. On the right of the 

 mid-entrance are four greenhouses, three of 

 them 20x350 feet, and one for Summer propa- 

 gating facing north, 10x350. The three large 

 houses are built on the two-third span plan, that 

 is, the long southern angle is some eighteen feet, 

 the north angle nine feet. These houses are 

 now filled with Roses, Poinsettias, Bouvardias, 

 and such articles grown for "Winter flowers. In 

 reply to the question, whether he considered 

 these houses with the long angle to the south, 

 or those having equal span roof and with equal 

 slopes to east and west, were best, Mr. H. said, 

 that for choice he would prefer the houses with 



equal slope to east and west, though he did not 

 think it very material which were used. 



Although all of the greenhouses that are 

 heated have fixed roofs, yet a block of six houses, 

 each 100x11, are used without fire heat, in which 

 all kinds of half-hardy plants and bulbs are 

 heeled in sand, so that orders can be got at un- 

 der cover in all weathers. In these houses, too, 

 many plants are kept dormant until wanted to 

 forward in heat, in far better condition than 

 they would be if in sunk frames ; for kept in 

 these cold houses above ground they are kept 

 dry — an important point with such plants in the 

 Winter months. Although no vegetable mar- 

 ket gardening is now done by Mr. Henderson, 

 yet as a remnant of his old business, I found 

 over 1,000 sashes covering cold frames, in which 

 were planted hundreds of thousands of Cabbage, 

 Lettuce and Cauliflower plants, these are grown 

 to supply the smaller market gardeners, who 

 have not yet the facilities for wintering them- 

 selves. 



Large as Mr. Henderson's business now is, 

 he informs me that, though he personally super- 

 intends it all, it is now done with far more ease 

 than when it was only one-fourth the size. 

 Everything is so systematized, that the responsi- 

 bility is divided by the heads of the different 

 departments; for example, the propagating is 

 under charge of one man having three assistants; 

 the potting-off, by one man with two assistants. 

 One hand, specially attends to ventilating, one 

 to watering, one to firing, and one to labeling. 

 Then there is a corps of about twenty hands as 

 order clerks and packers, and the balance of the 

 hands are employed in the various duties per- 

 taining to such a place. About eight or ten 

 young men are always here under instructions, 

 and are mostly young men of fair education and 

 intelligence, for none others are received as ap- 

 prentices. These usually remain from two to 

 four years, and go out to take charge of some 

 florist's establishment, or to begin business for 

 themselves. It may be thought that this ap- 

 prentice system if generally adopted would have 

 a tendenc}^ to overstock the market with garden- 

 ers and florists, but if this standard of education 

 was always insisted upon, it would tend to elevate 

 horticulture, and thus popularize it in a way that 

 could never be done if the majority of its mem- 

 bers Avere mere diggers and delvers, which, it 

 must be confessed, is the condition of the ma- 

 jority of our so-called gardeners in America to- 

 day. 



