October 'r.\, 1909 



HORTICULTURE 



7S- 



solid beds with concrete walls cost less 

 than the other two forms of construc- 

 tion and are for all practical purposes 

 permanent. 



The soil for the entire house was tbe 

 same, being made from good fine sod 

 composted at the rate of three parts 

 soil and one part of well-rotted ma- 

 nure. The soil and manure were mixed 

 thoroughly and worked over several 

 times before being brought into the 

 house. The raised wooden bench and 

 tile bench were tilled in the usual way. 

 The solid bed was filled to a height of 

 12 inches with cinders, then two inches 

 of straw was put on to prevent the soil 

 from washing into the cinders. On top 

 of the straw four inches of compost 

 was added, this bringing it up flush 

 with the top of the concrete walls. 



With a view to getting definite in- 

 formation regarding the effect of the 

 character of the bed, if any, on vigor 

 and productiveness, the house was 

 divided into five sections, a different 

 variet.v of carnation being planted in 

 each. Section one, for example, was 

 planted to Winsor; that is, a portion 

 cf the wooden bench constituting about 

 one-fourth of the entire length was 

 planted to Winsor, the same variety 

 being used for one-fourth of the tile 

 bench and one-fourth of the solid beds. 

 There were 1126 Winsor plants in- 

 volved in this experiment — a sufficient 

 number to give us a fair commercial 

 test. The same methods were followed 

 in the next section which was planted 

 with White Enchantress, the next sec- 

 tion with White Perfection, the next 

 with Beacon, and the next with Pink 

 Enchantress. A careful record was 

 kept of the rrumber of flowers cut from 

 each section and the value of the cut 

 estimated from the prevailing prices of 

 carnations during the season. With- 

 out going into the details of this work 

 it suffices to say that the records kept 

 as described were for five months, in- 

 cluding November, December, January, 

 February, and March, and show prac- 

 tically no difference in the yields from 

 the beds of different construction, if 



anything the solid beds giving slightly 

 better results. Our records show, for 

 e,\ample, that the average yield per 

 plant from the Winsor plants on the 

 raised wooden benches was 14 flowers 

 for the period indicated. The average 

 yield on the solid beds was 12 flowers; 

 on the tile bench 11 flowers per plant. 

 The average yield of the Beacon on 

 the raised wooden bench was 13 flow- 

 ers, on the solid beds 13.9 tlowers, and 

 on the tile bench, 9.9 flowers. The 

 average yield of Enchantress on the 

 raised wooden bench was 10 flowers, 

 on the tile bench 10, and on the solid 

 beds, 13 flowers. 



It should be borne in mind that rec- 

 ords were kept for five months only. 

 If they had been kept the whole season 

 through, the average yields would have 

 been about doubled. 



The plants in the solid beds, how- 

 ever, were decidedly more vigorous, 

 the stems being stronger and the flow- 

 ers larger than in either the wooden 

 or tile benches, consequently were 

 worth more money. This is due to the 

 fact that there is much better drainage 

 in the solid beds. The soil never be- 

 comes soggy when an over-supply of 

 water is put on as has been found tD 

 be the case with the wooden and tile 

 benche.s. The plants in the tile bench 

 were the least vigorous. It has been 

 our experience that it takes about the 

 same time to work the solid beds as 

 the raised wooden benches. We have 

 found, further, (hat the solid beds do 

 not require watering as frequently as 

 the other benches. It has been our 

 practice to water the solid beds once a 

 week, while it has been necessary to 

 water the tile and wooden benches at 

 least three times in two weeks. 



The cuttings for this e.xperimenr 

 were made about January 1 and pot- 

 ted in two-inch pots when well rooted. 

 Early in March they were shifted to 

 three-inch pots where they were kept 

 until the last week in April, when they 

 were transferred to the benches. No 

 field-grown .stock was used in the ex- 

 periment. 





"WIRELESS" FROM FALL RIVER. 



Paul de Nave's orchid-growing en- 

 terprise, begtin eighteen months ago, 

 gives every evidence of panning out 

 successfully from now on. Cattleya 

 labiata is beginning to bloom abun- 

 dantly and there will be a succession 

 of the different species and varieties 

 in their season to keep up the con- 

 tinuous supply so essential in com- 

 mercial orchid growing. The flowers 

 are sold through Welch Bros., Boston. 

 Mr. de Nave grows the greater part 

 of his cattleyas in osmunda fibre, 

 \\ired to flat boards about five feet 

 long, a method similar to that fol- 

 lowed by Lager & Hurrell. Besides 

 the cattleyas there are oncidiums. 

 vandas, cypripediums, dendrobiums, 

 etc., that always useful and profitable 

 white orchid, Dendrobium formosum, 

 figuring prominently. This establish- 

 ment will help fill a gap in the New 

 England cut -flower market which has 

 often been shy on orchids when thev 

 were most wanted, and the demand is- 

 sure to increase as facilities for pro- 

 duction are enlarged. 



C. Warburton, a few rods distant, 

 still makes the carnation his special 

 hobby regardless of the Cressbrook re- 

 buff of a few years ago. There are ten 

 thousand carnations in the benches. 

 White is the winning color in Fall 

 River, and hence predominates. One 

 house of White Perfection planted in 

 late July is a sheet of bloom, now. 

 A I'.ouse of AVhite Enchantress planted 

 three weeks later is just about three: 

 weeks behind the other, and it is a 

 credit to its name. There is a white 

 seedling now in bloom which gives, 

 promise of a brilliant future, but it 

 will be given two years further op- 

 portunity to show its quality before it 

 even gets the honor of a name. The 

 chrysanthemum houses are an attrac- 

 tion at present. Three blooms to the 

 plant is the most profitable method in 

 Mr. Warbiirton's experience, where lo- 

 cal retail trade is the mainstay. 

 Early Snow is the favorite white and 

 it would be hard to beat it as a clean, 

 uniform, shapely and healthy flower. 

 A \ellow of equal value to follow Gold- 

 en Glow is wanted. 



CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 



Andorra Nurseries, Chestnut Hill, 

 Pa.— Wholesale Price List of Speci- 

 men Trees, Shrubs, Roses, etc. 



E. S. Miller, Wading River, N. Y.— 

 Trade Price List of Bulbs and Hardy 

 Plants for Spring 1910. Gladiolus Gan- 

 davenses, G. Childsi and Lemcine's 

 hardy hybrids, irises and other hardy 

 heibaceous plants and a fine list ofl 

 hardy lilies are included at prices that 

 insure a sale. 



New England Nurseries, Inc., Bed- 

 ford. Mass. — Catalogue of Standard. 

 Fruits for New England Planting. 

 This is a fine publication on a timely 

 topic and we know by personal obser-. 

 vation that the trees and shrubs which 

 it lists are of the highest quality and 

 best selection for the purposes indi- 

 cated. 



Solid Ijwl.s, showing method of filling, lirst. c-iiiilfix. 12 iiielip.s; second, .'sriiiw, 

 !ind lii.st. ioni|io.-;t, 4 inibfs. WmIIs l.s in. bigli. 4 in. thick. 



Washington, D. C. — A vote of pro- 

 test was passed by the Florists' Club 

 of Washington at its meeting on Oct. 

 S against the selling of flowers by 

 peddlers on the street.. 



