GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



OF AMERICA 



DEVOTED TO THE SCIENCE OF FLORICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE 



ADOPTED AS THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF 

 THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GARDENERS 



Vo\. X\"II. 



DECI'.MBF.K, 1913. 



No. 2. 



Horticultural Whys and Wherefores 



By Edwin Jenkins. ■ 

 "Every Why Hath a Wherefore." — Shahcst'carc. 

 The title of my topic is a little strange and unusual, 

 I must admit, but my plea this evening is for thought, 

 meditation, and observation, for is it not true that 



"To obserz'ations ivhich onrsckrs zee make, 

 We grow more partial for th' observers' sake" 



a plea to every one to satisfy himself with the reason for 

 his every act connected with his work. Many men, as 

 they rise in the ranks of horticulture advance seemingly 

 without knowing or caring very much to know why they 

 perform many of even the simplest everyday operations ; — 

 in other words, they neglect the "Whys and Wherefores." 

 That some of these men are quite successful growers I 

 am willing to concede ; but I tliink you will all agree with 

 me when I affirm that did they but add deep and correct 

 soning to their practice — they would be still better culti- 

 vators, broader minded men — and further advanced on 

 the road to the respect of their employers and associates. 



In the development of my topic I have asked some 

 questions and I have answered them to the best of my 

 knowledge, realizing — I trust with becoming humility — 

 that there is more than one side to most questions, and 

 that the other side may be more nearly the correct one 

 than the one the speaker advances, for 



" 'Tis zvith our judgments as our watches — none 

 Go just alike, yet each believes his ozvn." 

 Here and there I ask a ijuestion but attempt no answer, 

 trusting to learn from ymi, or, at the very least, to set 

 someone thinking. 



Some may regard my "Whys" as trivial, but to those 

 I would say remember this is a plea for thought applied 

 to the simplest actions and operations, with the idea of 

 forming such a habit of mind that we shall be everlast- 

 ingly questioning — believing that such a habit of mind 

 once developed would not only result in better, more in- 

 tensive, and more intelligent work, but would add interest 

 and incentive to the mutual benefit and advantage of em- 

 ployer and worker. 



Let us commence with the simplest kind of questions 

 — Why do we water plants? Because they need water 

 or moisture, you will say — and this is perfectly true — 

 but does that tell it all? Is there not something deeper 

 that the man with the watering can (or the hose) should 

 have a thorough grip upon before he can water with 

 brains as well as water ? Should he not realize that the 

 roots of all plants are of the nature of a sponge? that 

 the plant can take up no food whatsoever except that 

 which is held in solution in water? He should under- 



stand tliat before the plant reaches the dust-dry stage 

 the roots have ceased to take up water, for the soil par- 

 ticles have the power of withholding from three to ten 

 per cent, of water from the plant, and, therefore, this 

 quantity of water may as well be non-existent as far as 

 the plant is concerned. He should know, too, that the 

 vital actions of the roots cease near the freezing point ; 

 hence, one of the reasons for shading frozen plants, as 

 they will perish of starvation should the sun or a drying 

 wind have free access to them during the time the roots 

 are inactive through low temperature. He should further 

 realize that among the other evils of letting plants get too 

 dry is the production of cracks in the soil, and this crack- 

 ing will break many of the fine root-hairs which are the 

 feeders ; and, needless to say, will give a severe check to 

 the plant. And so this very subject of watering might 

 be so enlarged upon as to fill a volume, but enough. 



Why do we ventilate the greenhouses? First, to regu- 

 late the temperature : and second — but no less important 

 — to set the air in motion, this motion of the air having 

 an invigorating, stimulating, life-quickening eflfect upon 

 plants as it has on animals. Heretofore taught that air 

 which had been used was to some extent chemically im- 

 pure and therefore injurious to plants and animals, the 

 latest and best scientific data assures us that this teach- 

 ing is in error; the process of cooling and setting the air 

 in motion being the only corrective necessary. This be- 

 ing the case while there are times when we might regu- 

 late the temperature of the greenhouses without the use 

 of the ventilators, still for the well being of the plants it 

 is desirable to operate the ventilators and keep the tem- 

 perature to its proper level by fire heat. 



Whv wet greenhouse walks and floors? — or, in green- 

 house parlance, "\\"hy damp down ?" Not to keep down 

 red spider, T hope : nor because we are so bid or enjoined 

 during our apprenticeship days. There is sound good rea- 

 son for damping down such houses as are occupied by 

 plants whose native lial)itat is the shady, humid, tropical 

 forest — because as we must supply the heat which they 

 need (usually no negli.gible quantity) by artificial means, 

 and this heat in turn dries the air, so the supply of humid- 

 ity must be increased by artificial means. Again, though 

 tliis be true of some plants and some greenhouses, it 

 does not follow that damping down is desirable in all 

 greenhouses. Far from it. It may be stated as a gen- 

 eral nroposition that rose, carnation and chrysanthemum 

 houses are artificiallv supplied with atmospheric moist- 

 ure by regular watering and syringing; in fact, we would 

 be glad to dry the air to some extent at times. 



Greenhouse t< ;nalo diseases, and all the varoius 

 fungoid diseases atTecting other plants, are more easily 



