August 1, 1914 



HORTICULTURE 



139 



ROSE GROWING UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



Cyfc^i^A^i^<y^--<^ 



Questions by our readers iu line with any of the topics presented on this paae will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Ruzicka. Such communications should invariably be addressed to the otiice of HOKTILUUlUKli. 



Painting: 



Witli the houses nearly, ii' not all planted, painting 

 should not be put off any longer but should start at 

 once. It will be ditficnlt to get around after the plants 

 grow up a bit, and it is tlieret'ore very necessary that the 

 painting be done at once. Where it is possible, put sev- 

 eral men into a house as soon as all the dirt is wheeled 

 out, and let tlicni finish the house right up liefore it is 

 refilled and planted. Not being able to do this, however, 

 sliould not keep anyone from painting, as the places 

 hardest to get at can be done first, and the rest let go 

 until its turn comes. In the modern wide and roomy 

 houses plants will interfere but very little with painting 

 operations, and painting can be done after all other 

 work is completed. Needless to say all work should be 

 well done. It does not pay to use cheap paint, for it is 

 sure to crack and peel in time, and what is saved on the 

 paint at first will have to be expended to scrape and 

 sandpaper the wood and iron work ne.xt time. As to the 

 thickness of the paint, see that the first coat is thin, just 

 thick enough to keep it from running, also that it con- 

 tains veiT little material besides linseed oil. You 

 could mix in cheaper oils, but you would be 

 stealing from yourself if you did that. Where 

 white lead is used see that it is well broken 

 before the paint is applied for white lead that has been 

 standing in a keg for some time will not dissolve very 

 readily when put into oil. The best way to unite the 

 two is to take a pail of lead, pour some oil into it and 

 mix and stir until the oil is all taken up. Then add 

 more oil, stir some more, add oil again and keep this up 

 until the paint is of the required thickness. See that all 

 the materials are right, and that the work is done as it 

 should be, if your work is let out on contract. The con- 

 tracting painter may be a very good and honest man, 

 but some of his men may be a trifle careless, and shovild 

 this be so you could hardly expect to get your money's 

 worth. It is not only the first loss that will l)e notice- 

 able; you will find that if the one painting is not done 

 well, the second will be much more difficult and expen- 

 sive. Then there is the glass. A good painter will not 

 smear as much paint on the glass as he puts on the wood, 

 and if there are any that do this, make them wipe it np 

 after them with a rag. A little of this will teach anyone 

 the necessity of being careful, and better work will re- 

 sult. On many places this work is all done with the 

 regular help, or by the proprietor himself. If this is 

 the ease it is well to instruct those that do not know, 

 that it is absolutely necessary to keep clean, and not have 

 the paint all over the hands and face. Lead is poison- 

 ous, and although very slow, it will affect some people 

 sooner or later. 



Wiring the Benches 



As soon as it is necessary, the benches should all be 

 wired, so that the plants can be tied as needed. Where 

 the wires have been carefully cleaned and preserved it 

 will be a very simple matter to get them and stretch 

 them again. Where the wires are very rusty and weak, 

 better tlirow them out, and secure new ones for it will be 

 more trouble than a little to stretch them tight enough 

 to look good, and do the work properly. Although we 

 generally string up all the wires at once, we stretch only 

 those that are really needed. There is not much differ- 

 ence in this, but we find it very much handier to do the 

 tying when the upper wires are not there to liother. It 

 is also more convenient to pick leaves, observe the jjlants 

 and so on, for one can bend right over the plants, and 

 see just what is what. See that the ends are well 

 braced, so that there will not be any give whatever when 

 all the wires are stretched later on. Should there be a 

 give, it must be remedied, for the bottom wires would 

 all loosen when the upper ones are stretched, and this 

 would be bad for the looks of the house, and one could 

 not proceed as rapidly in tying and so on, as when the 

 wires are very tight. ' Syringing would prove more dif- 

 ficult, too. 



Scratching over the Benches 



In scratching over tlie soil in the benches, be very 

 careful not to break up the soil too fine. It is best to 

 leave plenty of lumps all over the surface, so that the 

 water will stay where it is placed when applied with the 

 hose. If the soil is broken up very fine, you will find 

 that the water will soon run all over the benches, and 

 that the surface will get hard and scimnuy, and it will be 

 very difficult to keep in proper condition. Destroy all 

 the' weeds, for that is one of the objects in doing th. 

 scratching. Unless you have experienced growers doinu' 

 the work,' do not allow anyone to use srathers, or weed-^ 

 ers. They are a very dangerous thing in the hands of 

 an inexperienced man, and more damage is likely to 

 result, than all the good that they ever done. The 

 trouble is that the men are very likely to dig too deep 

 alongside of the plants, and will thus disturb the roots, 

 and thus check the plants. Where the soil is very hard 

 and drv, it can be damjiened down ever so little, to make 

 it easier to break up, but use the fingers only, and do 

 not go too deep, especially after the first working. In 

 breaking up the soil, keep an eye open for any disease 

 that mav appear here and there, and for spot. This 

 should be picked oil at once and the leaves burned at 

 ll:e earliest convenience. Do not dumii them right out- 

 side for buss and insects to breed in. Burn them and 

 be done witii them, at the same time accomplishing some- 

 tliino- to ]n-event the spread of plant diseases. 



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