HORTICULTURE 



Vol. XXX 



SEPTEMBER 13, 1919 



No. 11 



HEATING WITH OIL 



Fred C. Hoffman, of Pawtucket, R. I., 

 believes that lie has found a solution 

 of the heating problem, a problem 

 which always looms large at this sea- 

 son in the mind of the man who grows 

 flowers under glass in a commercial 

 way. Mr. Hoffman, whose retail store: 

 is at 320 Main street, has his rn^g- 

 of glass on East avenue, and for years 

 has gone through the usual nightmare 

 with his heating plants. Every stsscn 

 for a long time he had the coal ques- 

 tion to bother with, and experienced 

 the usual difficulty of finding a compe- 

 tent night fireman. Now he considers 

 that his troubles are over, for he has 

 installed an oil burning plant at the 

 greenhouses. This is one of the few 

 undertakings of this kind reported by 

 a grower in any of the eastern states. 

 One other concern which is trying out 

 the oil burning system is the Budlong 

 Rose Co., of Auburn. A large part of 

 the boiler equipment on this plant has 

 been fitted out for burning oil. 



Both Mr. Hoffman and the Budlong 

 people are using what is called the 

 Fess Rotary Oil Burner. When I 

 called on Mr. Hoffman he forgot all 

 about business, the order I was look- 

 ing for, and the stock he had to sell. 

 Almost his first remark was: "Say, 

 come on down to my boiler plant. I 

 want to show you something new." 

 What he had to show was certainly 

 new to me, and I was greatly interest- 

 ed in its operation and in what Mr. 

 Hoffman had to say about it. 



The idea of having no coal to shovel 

 or to waste and no ashes to handle 

 and a plant clean in every way was 

 one which made a strong appeal to 

 me. Mr. Hoffman finds that one man 

 will do the work where two or more 

 would be needed with a coal burning 

 plant. There seems to be a steady 

 pressure and less boiler capacity is 

 needed than when coal is used. I 

 think it is safe to say that the plan 

 has worked out with good results here 

 and is no longer an experiment. Doubt- 

 less there are some drawbacks to the 

 use of oil, but Mr. Hoffman is enthu- 

 siastic over the fact that there is no 

 coal cart and no ashes to remove, both 

 of which were disagreeable, not only 

 on account of the labor saved, but be- 

 cause blocking up the thoroughfares 



and such features are elimited. 



In times like these when labor is 

 high and hard to get at any price, any- 

 thing which helps to cut down the num- 

 ber of employees necessary is a direct 

 saving. Under the oil burning system 

 a uniform rate of combustion is main- 

 tained automatically by the steam 

 pressure, resulting in a steady tem- 

 perature and a maximum of efficiency. 



There seems to be no question about 

 getting the fuel, as the supply is de- 

 livered either by rail or water, and 

 contracts can be made which elimi- 

 nates worry on that point. On the 

 other hand, it is quite likely that with 

 this system in common use the price 

 of fuel would be materially advanced. 

 There is no reason to believe that 

 greenhouse men in general will do 

 away with their coal heating plants 

 and install oil burners, but the system 

 is one which seems likely to receive 

 increasing attention, and which may 

 be adopted ultimately by many grow- 

 ers as meeting certain conditions in a 

 most satisfactory way. Mr. Hoffman 

 certainly is very well pleased with the 

 result of his venture up to the present 

 time. 



NOTES ON FLORISTS' STOCK 



A writer for the Canadian Florist 

 has just recorded the observations 

 made on a trip through the United 

 States. He writes as follows: 



In a trip made a few days ago 

 through Rochester, Syracuse and 

 Utica I was much amazed at the num- 

 ber of empty greenhouses which justi- 

 fies the expression that the head has 

 to be used as well as the hand. 



Cyclamen were generally showing 

 the effects of the extreme heat of 

 June as these plants love the cool 

 evenings. They are already beginning 

 to show improvement with the advent 

 of cooler weather. Primula obconica 

 looked well, but with the non-arrival 

 of early seed, as in pre-war days, were 

 in most cases in smaller pots than 

 usual. 



French hydrangeas were fine and as 

 these plants are becoming better 

 known, are increasing in demand. 

 Lorraine and Cincinnati begonias, 

 owing to their poor lasting qualities. 



both for shipping and in the house, 

 are fast going out of favor. Ferns 

 were looking well but like most stock 

 showed late planting, largely owing 

 to the scarcity of labor last spring. 

 Gladioli were coming on nicely but 

 the early aster crop seems generally 

 to have proven a failure, as I failed 

 to see one good stand of plants in my 

 travels. Late stock was all right ex- 

 cept where they still persist in grow- 

 ing on the same ground year after 

 year, and where blight has naturally 

 followed. 



Labor seems more easy when one 

 considers the price one has to pay for 

 it. Added to the other advances, it 

 clearly shows that if the average flor- 

 ist is to continue in business he can- 

 not return to pre-war prices. In fact, 

 I question, after taking everything 

 into consideration, as corporations 

 figure it, if the florist trade would 

 justify an advance of capital. Ranges 

 have to be figured at an advance of 

 from three to four hundred per cent, 

 in glass and piping alone, However, 

 the florist trade is a persistent one 

 and probably the close years just past 

 has given many a florist a new insight 

 into business. 



1BOLIUM PRIVET NOW OFFERED 

 THE TRADE. 



The Elm City Nursery Company, 

 New Haven, Conn, is now offering for 

 the first time to the trade, Ibolium 

 Privet, the new hardy hybrid, for 

 propagating purposes. Mention of Ijhis 

 new hardy hybrid privet have ap- 

 peared from time to time for the last 

 two years so that the trade in gen- 

 eral has been waiting for enough stock 

 of it to be propagated so that it could 

 be offered. 



When one considers that the new 

 Ibolium Privet, which is a hybrid be- 

 tween California and Ibota, proves 

 quite as hardy as the Ibota Privet and 

 at the same time very closely re- 

 sembles California in appearance, it 

 is certain the demand for it will be 

 enormous. 



At the recent convention at Chicago 

 of the American Nurserymen's Asso- 

 ciation a special Certificate of Merit 

 was given Ibolium Privet. An illus- 

 tration showing a plant of this new 

 hardy hybrid appears with the adver- 

 tisement on page 244. 



