1899.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 163 



already pointed out, to irrational methods of greenhouse 

 management, the specific cause can be traced directly to the 

 lark of texture in the plants, brought about by too high a 

 temperature and lack of light in the beginning, which does 

 not enable them to stand up under the powerful rays of the 

 spring sun, as the amount of water thrown off from their 

 tender leaves is more than can be supplied by their roots. 

 This irrational method seems to have its origin in a desire 

 to save coal, and starve the plant by utilizing double layers 

 of glass, and to indulge in too much forcing; or, in other 

 words, to get more out of the plant in a certain length of 

 time than its inherent capacity warrants. In these methods 

 of culture, affecting, as they do, a single locality, we see 

 nothing but practice based upon a disregard of the normal 

 functions of the plant, and mistakes due to local conception 

 of greenhouse management. The remedy in such a case is 

 obvious, and consists in giving the plants during their young 

 stage of growth plenty of light and air, and not allowing 

 them to grow too rapidly. Cucumber plants grown in this 

 manner will possess color and texture, and they will be capa- 

 ble of standing the spring rays of the sun without wilting. 



Some Difficulties which City Shade Trees have to contend 



with. 



For some years back our larger cities have had park com- 

 missions, whose duty consists, among other things, in seeing 

 to the setting out and caring for shade trees. Many of these 

 cities, having seen the necessity of a more general oversight 

 in regard to the care of trees, have gone a step further, and 

 have secured the services of a trained forester, whose busi- 

 ness it is to pay special attention to their welfare. 



This department frequently has specimens of diseased 

 leaves and branches, especially of trees, sent to it for the 

 purpose of determining what is the matter with them. 

 Sometimes these specimens are from trees in which a single 

 branch has lost its leaves in mid-summer, or they may be 

 specimens from a tree which has died suddenly. An exami- 

 nation of the specimens frequently shows that there is no 

 reason for believing that their abnormal condition is caused 



