Propagating and Shipping Young Stock 

 Propagating House 



Almost any style of a greenhouse can be used for propagating purposes. 

 Many propagators prefer one with a northerly aspect; that is, one erected 

 on the north side of a building or wall. Such a house may be used to advan- 

 tage, but in the dark days of winter we have found that cutting bench fungus 

 will develop more rapidly in a house so placed, where it is absolutely pro- 

 tected from all rays of the sun upon the south side, than in a lighter house. 

 The type of house in which we have had the best success is known as a short- 

 span-to-the-south house, which was built after many years of experimenting 

 with various forms of propagating houses. 



This house is lightly shaded upon the south side, and in addition to this 

 shade, in the spring and early summer months when the sun is excessively 

 hot, the southerly side is covered with an additional shading of cheese cloth 

 sash. In the spring, as the sun gets higher and its rays more powerful, the 

 north side is also shaded, during bright days, with a similar sash' covered 

 with light protecting cloth. When shaded in this manner this house can 

 be kept fully as cool as one with a northerly aspect, and it has the additional 

 advantage of permitting us to remove all of the shade excepting the light coat 

 of paint on the south side during dark days, and we are also able to main- 

 tain a light, airy atmosphere at all times. This has been found to be a great 

 advantage, and since using this style of house less trouble with all sorts of 

 fungous diseases has been experienced. 



Construction of Propagating Bench 



In our early experience in propagating carnations we used any ordinary 

 greenhouse bench, cleaning off the bench thoroughly, whitewashing the in- 

 side of it, and calking the cracks with sphagnum moss in order to prevent 

 the sand running through the bottom. From three to six inches of sand 

 was used, and upon these benches, when new, very good results were gen- 

 erally obtained. But in a few years, when the wood became affected with 

 decay, trouble with cutting bench fungus was apt to set in, and increase as- 

 the benches became older and the wood more decayed. 



At the present time we are using two forms of benches the sub-irriga- 

 tion, the construction of which is described in Chapter XVI., and the brick 

 bottom bench. While we have found the sub-irrigation bench, on the whole,, 

 the better type, almost as good a bench is made by laying porous brick upon 

 the flat side over the entire bottom of the bench, as shown on page 77. 

 The advantage of the terra cotta or brick bottom is that the bricks absorb- 



77 



