1410 



GREENHOUSE 



GREENS 



valuable. All this means that every care should be 

 taken so to arrange the house that every plant will have 

 a chance to develop to its utmost perfection. Patient 

 hand labor pays with greenhouse plants. The work can- 

 not be done by tools or by proxy. Therefore, the gar- 

 dener becomes skilful. 



Every caution should be taken to prevent the plants 

 from becoming diseased or from being attacked by in- 

 sects. The greater part of insect and fungous troubles 

 in the greenhouse is the result of carelessness or of 

 mistakes in the growing of the plants. Determine what 

 diseases or pests are likely to attack any plant; dis- 

 cover under what conditions these diseases or pests are 

 likely to thrive; then see that those conditions do not 

 arise. Keep the house sweet and clean. Destroy the 

 affected parts whenever practicable. Then if trouble 

 come, apply the fungicide or the insecticide. Remember 

 that the very protection which is given the plants, in 

 the way of equable conditions, also protects their 

 enemies: therefore, it is better to count on not having 

 the difficulties than on curing them. If uncontrollable 

 diseases or pests have been troublesome, make a com- 

 plete change of soil or stock before the next season, if 

 practicable. At least once every year there is an oppor- 

 tunity to rid the place of pests. Nematodes may be 

 frozen out. Many gardeners carry their troubles year 

 by year by trying to fight them, when they might suc- 

 ceed by trying to avoid them. 



Of course, the greenhouse man must provide himself 

 with the best insecticides and fungicides, and with 

 good apparatus. The efficiency of these materials and 

 appliances has greatly improved in recent years, and 

 most of the old pests may now be controlled. 



The higher the temperature and the more rapid the 

 growth, the greater the care necessary to insure good re- 

 sults. Plants grown under such conditions are soft and 

 juicy. They are easily injured by every untoward cir- 

 cumstance, particularly by drafts of cold air. Let a 

 draft of cold air fall on cucumbers or rapid-growing 

 roses, and mildew will result in spite of bordeaux mix- 

 ture and brimstone. 



In dark weather, grow the plants "slow." If given too 

 much heat or too much water, they become soft and 

 flabby, and fall prey to mildew, green-fly and other dis- 

 orders. A stocky plant is always desirable, but particu- 

 larly in the dull weather and short days of midwinter: 

 at that time, extra precautions should be taken in the 

 management of the house. 



Watering plants under glass requires more judgment 

 than any other single operation. Apply water when the 

 plants need it, is a gardener's rule, but it is difficult to 

 follow because one may not know when they need it. 

 Yet, if the gardener will put the emphasis on the word 

 need he will at least be cautioned: novices often apply 

 the advice as if it read: Apply water when the plants 

 will stand it. Water thoroughly at each application. 

 Mere dribbling may do more harm than good. Many 

 persons water too frequently but not enough. Remem- 

 ber that in benches evaporation takes place from both 

 top and bottom; and in pots it takes place from all 

 sides. Water on a rising temperature. This advice is 

 specially applicable to warmhouse stuff. Watering 

 is a cooling process. The foliage should not go into the 

 night wet, particularly if the plant is soft-growing or is 

 a warmhouse subject. Water sparingly or not at all when 

 evaporation is slight, as in dull weather. 



In all greenhouse work, see that the soil is thoroughly 

 comminuted and that it contains much sand or fiber. 

 The amount of soil is small: see that it is all usable. 

 In the garden, roots may wander if good soil is not at 

 hand: in pots they cannot. The excessive watering in 

 greenhouses tends to pack the soil, particularly if the 

 water is applied from a hose. The earth tends to run 

 together or to puddle. Therefore, it should contain 

 little silt or clay. The practice of adding sand and leaf- 

 mold to greenhouse soil is thus explained. 



Ventilation is practised for the purpose of reducing 

 temperature and of lessening atmospheric moisture. 

 Theoretically, it is employed also for the purpose of 

 introducing chemically fresh air, but with the opening 

 and shutting of doors, and unavoidable leaks in the 

 house, it is not necessary to give much thought to 

 the introduction of mere fresh air. Ventilating reduces 

 the temperature by letting out warm air and letting in 

 cool air. The air should be admitted in small quantities 

 and at the greatest distance from the plants in order to 

 avoid the ill effects of drafts on the plants. Many small 

 openings are better than a few very large ones. Ven- 

 tilate on a rising temperature. 



Most plants require shading in the summer under 

 glass. Shading is of use in mitigating the heat as well as 

 in tempering the light. A shaded house has more uni- 

 form conditions of temperature and moisture. If 

 plants are grown soft and in partial shade, they are 

 likely to be injured if exposed to bright sunlight. Sun- 

 scalding is most common in spring, since the plants are 

 not yet inured to bright sunshine and strong sun heat. 

 The burning of plants is due to waves (not bubbles) in 

 the glass. Other things being equal, the larger the 

 house the easier is the management of it. It is less sub- 

 ject to fluctuations of temperature and moisture. Green- 

 houses built against residences are specially liable to 

 violent fluctuations; the body of air is small and 

 responds to all external changes. ,. H. B. 



GREENS, CHRISTMAS. The Christmas greens 

 industry has developed to an enormous extent within a 

 few years. Some thirty years ago, when florists began 

 to use lycopodium, a dozen barrels were all that was 

 used in a single season in many of our larger cities. 

 Today the output in the United States is many full 

 carloads. 



The materials now used, mentioned in something like 

 their order of commercial importance, are holly, lyco- 

 podium (also known as bouquet green, ground pine, 

 club moss), mistletoe, laurel, and cedar clippings. 

 Other articles of similar utility are wild smilax, hardy 

 ferns, needle pines, outdoor palm leaves, Florida moss, 

 galax leaves and leucothoe sprays: these all come 

 from the South. 



Lycopodium is one of the oldest and commonest of 

 decorative materials. During seasons of long-continued 

 ''Indian summer," a surplus is frequently gathered by 

 careless pickers and thrown on the market. The 

 choicest picked stock being obtainable only through 

 the regular and well-established trade channels, such 

 sources are usually the only ones in case of early snow- 

 storms, which prevent the gathering of it. Choice 

 stock from eastern Vermont, northern New York and 

 Pennsylvania has usually been handled in large sugar- 

 barrels, tied in carefully arranged bunches, weighing 

 perhaps one-half to one pound each. These bunches are 

 packed in the barrels in layers, with roots toward the 

 center. The quantity is always limited and the price 

 25 to 35 per cent higher than the Wisconsin and Michi- 

 gan stock. Lycopodium, as placed on the market from 

 western sources, comes from the north-central part of 

 the state of Wisconsin and is gathered mainly in the 

 section extending from the northwest shores of Lake 

 Michigan three-fifths of the way to the Mississippi 

 River. The activities in this direction are conducted 

 mainly in Oconto, Shawano, Marathon, Langlade, 

 Lincoln, Forest, Oneida, Taylor, Price and Vilas 

 Counties. The section from which lycopodium is 

 picked annually moves northward as the country 

 becomes settled and as the woods and swamps are 

 depleted. This article is also gathered in a few spots in 

 the northern peninsula of Michigan, and in Pine, and 

 Carleton Counties in Minnesota. Surplus stock of this 

 plant is sometimes carried over until the following 

 season when it is soaked and dyed green and made up 

 into wreathing. The same article carried over from 



