264 



HOETICULTUEE 



August 24, 1912 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BT 



i>thrs^. 



QaestloDs by onr reader* Id line with any of the topics presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Penson. Sucb communications should invariably be addressed to the office of HOBTICULTDRB. 



Making and Spawning a Mushroom Bed 



Having got sufficient manure in the right condition, 

 proceed by first mixing into it a little soil which has 

 passed through a %-inch sieve. This will help to keep 

 the temperature more even. The bed itself must be 

 firm and requires not a little labor to make it so. Pound- 

 ing, ramming or treading it down are all the same — get 

 it firm by whatever means. The benches should be filled 

 to Within three inches of the top, this allows of two 

 inches of "casing" soil, and a rim should the last resort 

 of watering be brought into practice at any later date. 

 The day following that of making it up, the bed should 

 commence to heat and continue to increase for about 

 ten days, probably registering 100 or 110 before any 

 recession takes place. Wien this point is reached a care- 

 ful watch should be kept to enable spawning to be done 

 at a right temperature. Individual growers have their 

 own ideas as to what the temperature should be. The 

 safest and best with ns is 85° to 80°. The bricks of 

 spawn should be broken up into pieces about the size of 

 a hen's egg before inserting. Place them about ten 

 inches apart each way, three inches below the surface, 

 making the manure firm on top of them. The bed will 

 be best left without the casing of soil for five or six 

 days, when probably the heat will have subsided 8 or 10 

 degrees. The soil for the casing should be clean loam 

 which has been passed through a %-inch mesh sieve. 

 Make this level and firm with a piece of board. Keep 

 the cellar temperature as near .55° as possible and spray 

 around the walls, etc., to keep the atmosphere moist 

 and prevent rapid drying out of the lied. 



Winter Cucumbers 



A few winter cucumbers are an acquisition to any 

 place and are grown easily. As with other stuff, if a 

 small house can be devoted to them they will show their 

 appreciation. If this is not possible they will thrive in 

 a house having a moist atmosphere and a mean night 

 temperature of 70°. Seeds sown now will come in at an 

 acceptable time. If a house is to be given up to them 

 entirely, make another sowing a few weeks later. Sow 

 the seeds singly in well-drained three-inch pots, filled 

 lightly witli fine soil and place in a humid temperature 

 of 70° to 75°. It is not necessary to repot these at all ; 

 they will plant right out on the bed as soon as they are 



furnished with sufficient roots. Cucumljers are the re- 

 verse of melons in the fact that they do not like the soil 

 made hard as a melon does. The bottom of the bench 

 can be covered with a sod, after which only sufficient 

 soil should be given to cover the balls of the plants, the 

 full complement to be added by successive top dressing;. 

 Let the soil be composed of three parts loam, one of leaf 

 soil and one of horse manure, with a little sand. Shade 

 the plants for a few days after planting, liut inure them 

 to the sun as soon as they will stand it. Keep the house 

 well moist and close up early enough to run the tem- 

 perature up to 90° to 95°. 



Cauliflowers 



Cauliflowers are always acceptable and any young 

 plants on hand now which can be transferred to a deep 

 bench will be welcome later on when green vegetables 

 are scarce. Cauliflowers do not want to come in direct 

 contact with a quantity of manure; better to enrich the 

 soil earlier in the season. These are similar subjects 

 to tomatoes inasmuch as they want to be kept going 

 right on without the least check. Once stunted in small 

 pots the injury is beyond recall. Throughout the entire 

 growing season a cauliflower relishes plenty of water 

 at the root. To get them dried out means that a large 

 percentage will "button in" irrespective of all other 

 liberal treatment meted out to them afterwards. Grow 

 them in a night temperature of 50°, with the usual ad- 

 vance by day. 



Parsley 



This vegetable is always being asked for from the 

 kitchen at all seasons and provision must be made to 

 have it when nature outside the greenhouse is sleeping. 

 Parsley will transplant from a row in the garden or a 

 special sowing can be made either right on the benches 

 or in flats. It is essential that young stock should be 

 raised for the winter work. A late sowing can be made 

 ill the garden and when the weather In-eaks part can be 

 lifted to the benches and the remainder protected from 

 the early frosts. When transplanting reduce the top 

 growth considerably. Parsley does not relish too much 

 heat or moisture; rather aim at a cool bouyant atmos- 

 phere — say 50° to 55° at night. The rows can be spaced 

 about 9 inches apart and run from nortli to south. Keep 

 the surface soil well cultivated at all times. 



Mr. Penson's next notes will lie on the following: Christmas iSIelons : Position of Pipes in a Vinery. 



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