April 27, 1918 



HORTICULTURE 



409 



Vegetable Culture 



Questions by our readers In line with any of the topics presented 

 on this page will be conlially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Johnson. Such cmiituiinicutions should Invariably be ad- 

 dressed to the office of HOUTICULTUKE. 



CONDUCTEl» BY 



Io^^Jm^ 



Tobacco Powder 



Dear Sir: 



In a recent issue of Hokirlltuke, you spoke of the 

 cabbage root maggot and of drenchings of tobacco water 

 as a means of control. Will you tell me what tobacco water 

 is, — whether you mean some trade tobacco preparation in 

 liquid form or a liquid made from tobacco powder or wheth- 

 er it is immaterial as far as effectiveness is concerned. , 



G. M. W. / 



Andover, Conn. 



As a deterrent to the cabbage root maggot we advise 

 the use of liquid made from tobacco powder and not the 

 commercial preparations. Put the powder in a burlap 

 or cheese cloth bag and plunge in water. Allow one- 

 half pound of the powder to each gallon of water. 

 There is little danger of overdoing the strength of the 

 solution as ordinary tobacco powder or tobacco stems 

 are not at all injurious to plants. In fact they contain 

 manurial properties and may act as a stimulant, while 

 some commercial preparations may prove very injurious 

 to the roots of the plants. 



Starting Vegetable Plants in Pots 



Dear Sir: — You surely have many a reader interested 

 in the raising of vegetables for the market, truck garden- 

 ers, private gardeners and others. We should like to ask 

 some of these experienced people whether it is correct that 

 vegetables when started in flower pots before being set 

 into the open, or into the forcing bed, will prove of strong- 

 er constitution and as much more prolific in the crops? 

 To us it will be of interest to have a correct answer to tliis, 

 though we are aware that in all such matters even ex- 

 perts are apt to differ somewhat in their views. If you 

 will kindly give this letter publicity through your valued 

 columns, we will be thankful. W. R. 



The question presented is not without certain per- 

 plexities since the entire race of edible vegetables at 

 once becomes involved. At the outset we are bound to 

 observe that in order to be successful in vegetable gar- 

 dening the cultivator must at all times adapt himself to 

 conditions which obtain. Whether vegetable plants 

 raised in flower pots will prove of stronger constitution 

 and be more productive in the crops depends solely upon 

 the method of handling, climatic conditions, facilities 



at hand, as well as personal requirement and the type 

 of vegetable plants to be grown. We suggest, however, 

 that the more desiralile kinds, as peas, beans, sweet corn 

 and perhaps cucumber and melon, may be sown in pots 

 under glass with a view to prolong the season of produc- 

 tion, but we do not assume that these plants will be 

 either of stronger constitution or more productive than 

 tho.se which are sown outdoors and grown under natural 

 conditions throughout. In the case of tomatoes, egg 

 [)lants and peppers indoor sowing becomes a necessity 

 and it is obvious, therefore, that such plants will be all 

 the better for being handled in pots for at least some 

 time prior to final planting. Here in New England it 

 is impossible to secure a fall crop of these kinds unless 

 an early start is made. The simplest method of dealing 

 even with these latter kinds is to first sow them in 

 "flats" and when large enough to handle transplant the 

 seedlings again into shallow boxes. As soon as the 

 plants begin to crowd it is then a good plan to transfer 

 them to pots to keep them stocky. Avoid crowding al- 

 ways, as weak, attenuated plants are never so produc- 

 tive as those of sturdy growth. Another point to be 

 remembered is that plants grown in pots, if allowed to 

 become root-bound, will require greater attention in the 

 matter of watering after transplanting in order to get 

 them started in their new and permanent quarters than 

 would be the case with plants less restricted at the roots. 

 Such kinds as celery, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, beets 

 and onions may often be handled to better advantage if 

 l)ricked off into either boxes or frames and will thrive 

 equally well as those which are pot-grown providing 

 they are lifted with care and receive due attention dur- 

 ing the final planting operation. It will be apparent to 

 the reader, of course, that the last named kinds may 

 be successfully grown by now sowing them on a well 

 prepared seed bed in the open ground. Dig under a 

 liberal quantity of well decayed manure and when the 

 soil is in a fairly dry and friable condition prepare the 

 seed bed. The only requirement then will be to sow 

 thinly, water when necessary, transplant early, and at 

 all times keep the plants free from weeds by frequent 

 stirring of the surface soil. 



Quite recently it was my good fortune to visit the 

 extensive greenhouses of C. G. Rocbling, six of these 

 devoted entirely to orchids, and all of which are admir- 

 ably cultivated by his most capable superintendent 

 James Goodier, who has managed the whole estate for 

 the past thirteen years, during which time he has made 

 extensive improvements and added very largely to the 

 quality and variety of the species and hybrids com- 

 prising this famous collection. 



Unlike most private places Mr. Roebling probably 

 has far more .species of orcliids than any other amateur 

 in the country and hybrids can be counted by the tens 



'Or, 





'^Xo. 



of thousands, ilr. Goodier's method of raising seed- 

 lings is an entirely new and novel idea which has given 

 extraordinary results and appears to be perfection itself. 

 Cattleyas, Laeha-cattleyas and Brasso-cattleyas can be 

 seen in their germinating stage, on specially prepared 

 pots, and at all sizes up to flowering. Many of these 

 were in flower at tlie time of my visit, a number of 

 them showing marked improvement on the parent 

 plants. Several fine forms of I^lia-cattleya luminosa, 

 the famous Trenton strain, were in bloom, also L. C. 

 Myra, L. C. ITyeaiia and a very fine hybrid — a cross 

 between T-wlia Tona ;iiid Cattleya gigas: also in the same 



