December 1, 1906 



SUPPRESSING DUST ON ROADS 

 AND PLAYGROUNDS. 



Replying to a question by a reader 

 of HORTICULTURE, Mr. J. A. Petti- 

 grew, superintendent of Boston parks, 

 says that Texas oil is much superior 

 to Pennsylvania oil for dust suppres- 

 sion in that it has a basis of asphal- 

 tum, while the basis of the Pennsyl- 

 vania oil is paraffine. He has tried it 

 in the Park Department on about 12 

 miles of roadway, first making an 

 emulsion of the oil, using the same 

 formula as he would for making an 

 emulsion for the destruction of scale 

 insects. By this method the oil can be 

 more equally distributed than it can 

 in crude condition, which is a very im- 

 portant matter, as a heavy coating of oil 

 forms an asphaltum coating on the sur- 

 face which is liable to crack and scale 

 when dried. The mechanical method is 

 a steam boiler and a pump of about 35 

 gallons a minute capacity. Put the 

 soap chips into barrels, fill the bar- 

 rels with water and heat with a steam 

 boiler; then pump into the sprinkling 

 carts and add about CG per cent, of oil. 

 agitating thoroughly. This forms the 

 stock solution, which is used at the 

 rate of IGO gallons to a COO-gallon road- 

 sprinkler full of water. This makes 

 about a 17 per cent, solution of crude 

 oil. Three or four applications of this 

 on the roadway is about the proper 

 amount to use on a macadam roadway 

 which has been previously treated to 

 a cover of about one-eighth of an inch 

 of fine stone dust or river sand, pref- 

 erably with a suspicion of loam in it. 

 These three or four applications will 

 make an average of about 1 25-100 

 pints of crude petroleum per square 

 yard. 



His road experiments were com- 

 pleted about eight weeks ago, since 

 which time the 12 miles of roadway 

 treated has been perfectly dustless 

 and has not required any watering. 

 The cost has been about $-:l5 per mile. 

 While the cost may he about equal to 

 that of watering by the ordinary meth- 

 od of street sprinkling by water, yet 

 the results will be very much more 

 valuable, as the dust is laid day and 

 night, and there are no lunch times, 

 or times when the teamster is negli- 

 gent, and dusty roads follow as a con- 

 sequence, for the oil gets in its work 

 all the time. No complaint has been 

 made of the odor; in fact, many peo- 

 ple claim that they like it a few days 

 after the first application. The emul- 

 sion stock will keep three or four 

 days. Should it separate, reagitate; 

 possibly it may be necessary to use 

 steam heat, too, to liquefy. 



As to the best covering for play- 

 grounds. Mr. Pettigrew says: "We 

 have found no better material than 

 screened cinders make with a little 

 loam to partly bind the surface. The 

 coarser screenings can be laid on the 

 bottom and the finer on top. About 

 3-8 to 1-2 inch of loam is about the 

 proper amount to lay on the surface 

 and scratch in with an iron rake. 



"I have not tried oil for playgrounds. 

 but'I am under the impression that It 

 would not be as successful as the ma- 

 terial above mentioned. It just oc- 

 curs to me, however, that should the 

 cinder playground become dusty, a 5 

 per cent, solution of oil might be 

 sprinkled on the ground to advantage. 

 Our Boston playgrounds are much ad- 

 mired by all and have never given any 



HOKTICULTURi: 



trouble on account of dust when sur- 

 faced as above Indicated. 



"The oil when applied as a 15 per 

 cent, emulsion is not sticky at any 

 time; can be walked upon with perfect 

 freedom from any danger of defile- 

 ment. In wet weather there is an ap- 

 pearance of oil on the surface of the 

 road which, however, does not do any 

 damage, as it does not pick up on the 

 tires of vehicles. I know of no case 

 of spotting of lap robes or carriages 

 by its use. 



"Another suggestion: Playgrounds 

 of wide areas, in order to prevent 

 washing should be divided up into 

 drainage areas, and the drainage car- 

 ried away under ground: in no way 

 can surface water be carried any dis- 

 tance over a smooth and comparative- 

 ly yielding surface without washing." 



585 



TRADE VS. CIVIC IMPROVEMENT 

 SOCIETIES. 



A recent editorial in HORTICUL- 

 TURE raised the point as to how far 

 a trade society such as the average 

 florists' club could aid in giving an 

 impetus to the taste for ornamental 

 gardening among the general public. 

 The civic improvement and allied 

 societies naturally take the lead in 

 this connection because that is ex- 

 clusively what they are formed for and 

 their membership is mainly com- 

 posed of people outMde the trade. The 

 reading of a paper or essay at flori'^ts" 

 club meetings does little good as the 

 most of the auditors are already suf- 

 ficiently posted. 



Three suggestions occur to me 

 wherein we, as tradesmen, might ac- 

 complish something: 



One. To make it a point to become 

 individually a member of our local 

 civic improvement society in suburban 

 sections and work there for the im- 

 provement of local conditions. State 

 or national organizations are of course 

 not so important to the average flor'st 

 although they may be doing splendid 

 work in their way. 



Two. When a paper or essav Is 

 read at a florists' club on the subject 

 of home adornment the important 

 thing is to see that the press having 

 a general circulation receive copies of 

 same in advance of its deliverv. The 

 cost of these copies should of course 

 fall on the club. It is not so impor- 

 tant that the purely trade press re- 

 ceive copies of such essays. 



Three. A national movement under 

 competent management on the lines of 

 the one engineered and financed bv the 

 American Seed Trade Assof-iation 

 should be inaugurated by the florists. 

 The purpo-se of such a mo^'ement 

 would be to furnish continuou=lv and 

 systematically reliable and sensible 

 matter on gardening to the news- 

 papers. Essavs read at florists' clubs 

 would come in splendidly for such a 

 movement and receive publicity all 

 over the country. 



If there be no civic improvement or 

 horticTiltural society in your locality 

 asitnte for one. A florist doing a 

 local trade has more to gain from the 

 influence of such an organization than 

 anv one else. 



From the nature of its membership 

 the avenge florists' club located in a 

 large city is handicanned in work 

 among the general public and outside 

 of the foregoing suggestions it does 

 not appear that much could be done. 



O. C. W. 



A MONOLOGUE BY ROBERT T. 

 McGORUM. 



If "necessity Is the mother of Inven- 

 tion" there are some of us who would 

 like to see present necessities bring 

 t(>rth some invention for transporting 

 flowers to market and returning emp- 

 ties free. The flat has gone forth from 

 the express company that farmers and 

 florists shall pay hereafter ten cents 

 on each empty box returned. If goods 

 could be shipped by freight, business 

 could be done much more cheaply but 

 perishable goods must reach the mar- 

 kets in quickest possible time. As 

 everyone is perfectly aware there has 

 been a general turn over in the sched- 

 ule of rates, etc., since the new inter- 

 st.'^te commerce laws have gone into 

 effect; no rebates or passes may be 

 given, and nothing ciirried free, under 

 ppnalty. It has been alleged that some 

 niembers of both bouses in Washing- 

 ton have been accustomed to have their 

 family washing sent to them free and 

 ri'turn the empty boxes filled with con- 

 gressional records to show their help 

 the sneenhes that never were made. 



Probably it is well that the new law 

 has put an end to this snecies of graft 

 work, but the general order is going to 

 hurt the shinping traie of the country 

 ■Tt iRr.ce. The grower who is within 

 driving distance of the market is now 

 in luck. The Society of American 

 Florists having been instrumental in 

 getting the 20 per cent, rediiction on 

 plant shipments is surely given an ex- 

 rlted place for I am led to b°lieve that 

 this is the onlv rebate rate that is left 

 on the list. Very soon there will be a 

 great many calls uron the Society for 

 help from those who have been Its 

 .Greatest enemies. Some private gar- 

 deners may rant about the S. A. F. and 

 question its usefulness. It's nice to be 

 a private gariener for various reasons, 

 one of whif>.h is that one can draw his 

 STlary wbpn due and sign an O. K. to 

 bills without having to worry about 

 where the money is coming from, but 

 some of the private gardeners who 

 have gone into the commercial busi- 

 ness are calling even a little louier now 

 than those who have been in the ups 

 .nnd downs of the latter business for 

 vears. Good luck to the S. A. F. and 

 b. H. 



In a contemporary there is a discus- 

 sion parti"ir'ated in by a man with 

 whom business musr he very dull. 

 Iturbank and Mrs. Eddy are hit but 

 the former is the main target. I am 

 surprised at a man of O'Mara's calibre 

 l)rin.Erin2r that good woman, or any de- 

 nomination of religion into the contro- 

 versy. Fach has his or her own way 

 of looking at things sniritually; leave 

 them to thpir way of thinking. Look- 

 ing at BurbanU's pi"ture. a few lines 

 f'om Burns' Ode to Washington fits in 

 very well: 



"Wliere Is that l)row erect nn<I hold — 

 T''jit oyp that cnn pninoved Iiplinid 

 Tl'p wilrtost rnce. the Innilrst storm 

 Tliat e'er created fmy dared to raise." 



Perhaps that $10 Ono is the real mark 

 that Mr. O'Mara wishes to hit. I don't 

 l<now how much salary our friend 

 O'Mara gets, but I know he also holds 

 an anpointment as John Birnle's 

 ofllcial photographer. I don't know 

 whether or not John pays him in 

 geraniums or cheque; either would be 

 good collateral. 



