November, 1912. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



263 



A Priza-winning Collection of Squash and Pumpkin 



The vegetables here shown, some o f whdch weig-hed over 100 pounds ea^h, were grown by 

 McClelland, Brookholm. Ont. They won numerous flrsit prizes a.t the county show in 



Owen Sound in 1911. 



Jos. 



place your spawn in it by making holes 

 four inches deep, fifteen inches apart, 

 and place the broken spawn in small 

 pieces in the holes, covering the same. 



THE TOP COVERING 



A particular point in after-success is 

 to wait after spawning for a week or ten 

 days before you put the top covering of 

 soil. Many growers are so impatient 

 that they put the soil on too soon, the 

 heating or fermentation going on in the 

 new bed causes moisture or hot steam, 

 and this must be allowed to escape, so 

 that if the soil is put on before this oc- 

 curred it would he retained in the bed and 

 kill the spawn. This is the actual cause 

 for the failure in nine out of ten cases in 

 attempts to grow mushrooms and too 

 much stress cannot be laid on these two 

 points in growing them : The first, being 

 careful not to spawn the bed until the 

 heat is receding and is about ninety de- 

 grees or eighty-five degrees, and the se- 



cond, not to cover with the top two 

 inches of soil till eight or nine days have 

 passed after spawning. 



Then putting on the top two inches of 

 soil, pat it down firmly and smoothly, and 

 then place a layer of straw over your 

 bed; though not actually necessary, it 

 aids to keep the soil surface moist and 

 prevents the air drying up the bed too 

 quickly, and keeps a still temperature. 

 The temperature to grow mushrooms 

 should be fifty-eight and one-half de- 

 grees, and should not vary, but anywhere 

 between fifty to sixty degrees will an- 

 swer. I have succeeded in varying tem- 

 peratures, but that is the proper, fifty- 

 eight and one-half degrees; and that is 

 why underground tunnels, sewers, or 

 caves are utilized because the tempera- 

 ture can be kept so even. Following out 

 the foregoing instructions, you should 

 have plenty of mushrooms. — J. McP., 

 Ross, Toronto, Ont. 



Vegetables 



John Gall, I 



WHOEVER wishes to have success 

 in beginning the forcing of vege- 

 tables under glass must have a 

 love for the work and watch the develop- 

 ments so as to know when and how to 

 feed them. Experience has taught us 

 that some soils will take much more food 

 than others. I claim there can be no 

 hard and fast rules laid down in regard 

 to how much fertilizer a certain crop 

 shall be given for best results. My 

 theory is that each grower in different 

 localities, and different soils, by studying 

 the condition of his growing crops, is the 

 test judge as to how much food will be 

 of benefit. I have little doubt there are 

 various opinions on this one important 

 question — feeding ; but the grower who 

 carves his own road, using his own dis- 

 cretion, will in most cases be the most 

 successful. We know that to produce 



Under Glass 



nglewood, Ont. 



good crops potash, phosphoric acid, and 

 nitrogen are a necessity. These should 

 be applied to the soil in some form or 

 another. Whoever has given this ques- 

 tion study and deep thought will stand 

 by his own good judgment. Self-taught 

 experience is seldom forgotten. 



TOMATOES 



As a spring crop, tomatoes are becom- 

 ing more and more popular with vege- 

 table growers. The first ripe fruit is 

 usually placed on the market about the 

 end of May, when a high price can be 

 procured. Good tomatoes can be had 

 either in solid beds or raised benches, but 

 I consider raised benches are decidedly 

 to be preferred. The proper time to sow 

 seed depends greatly upon the conditions 

 that can be furnished for the growth of 

 the plants. Tomatoes require a fairly 

 high temperature, but if grown with the 



lettuce crop it will be necessary to sow 

 seed early, about the beginning of De- 

 cember. The general practice followed 

 in growing the plants is to sow the seed 

 in flats and cover thinly with sand, then 

 place a sheet of paper over the flat to 

 retain the moisture. As soon as the seed- 

 lings become large enough to handle they 

 should be transplanted into flats, keeping 

 them about three inches apart each way, 

 then again transplanted when they begin 

 to show signs of crowding, and this time 

 — to be economical — into quart berry 

 boxes . 



When large enough to plant into the 

 permanent bed it is not necessary to re- 

 move the boxes, the roots readily find 

 their way into the outside soil, and it is 

 a much cheaper way than by growing in 

 pots. Five or six inches of soil is suffi- 

 cient to mature a heavy crop of fruit. 

 Give air every available chance, never 

 allowing the foliage to get soft and 

 flabby, then there will be little trouble 

 with mildew and kindred diseases. 



LETTUCE 



The demand for lettuce is ever on the 

 increase. It is one of the main winter 

 crops. Both for private and commercial 

 purposes, monstrous houses have been 

 erected for this industry within the past 

 few years which probably before would 

 have been thought utter madness. This 

 crop is very often grown on raised 

 benches, it being thought of much bene- 

 fit having the plants near the glass, but 

 this is a mistaken idea for a cool-blooded 

 vegetable such as this. In the first place 

 it is too hot for the roots; and second, 

 the plants require too much water on the 

 benches. 



One great advantage in solid beds is 

 the crops do not require water very 

 often. In fact, if the surface soil can be 

 kept on the dry side, provided there is 

 plenty of moisture below, the roots will 

 then have a tendency to work down giv- 

 ing the plants health and vigor, which 

 is of the greatest importance for good 

 results, but a thorough good watering 

 when the plants become large will in- 

 crease the size to a great extent. Air- 

 ing plays an important part as regards 

 success or failure with this ever popular 

 vegetable . 



RADISHES 



Radishes are easily produced under 

 glass. It has been stated that a crop of 

 radishes may be taken from among other 

 growing crops, but I consider that one 

 crop is sufficient even if grown under 

 glass. While radishes are of easy cul- 

 ture, it is true — I think I am safe in 

 stating — that many of the radish crops 

 have been destroyed by the erroneous 

 impression that this vegetable needs little 

 or no attention. If left in the bed too 

 long they get soft and pithy, practically 

 useless at that stage. The very best 

 seed procurable .should be used for this 

 purpose. Radishes can be grown with 

 every success in the lettuce house tem- 

 perature. 



