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STOCKING AND STARTING 

 THE IDLE HOUSES 



Now that the coal market is unrestricted and the flower market is 

 lively, growers arc hurriedly restocking the houses zvhich they were obliged 

 to close last fall. Some of these growers, if in doubt as to tvhat are the 

 best crops for their purpose, may find this article helpful. 



\ 



LAEGE number of green- 

 houses were closed last 

 fall. Many of these would 

 have been kept open had 

 the growers known that 

 the great war would end 

 so soon and that fuel con- 

 ditions would improve so 

 greatly. Now that the 

 growers are realizing much 

 more satisfactory prices for flow- 

 ers, the probabilities are that the 

 greater number of these vacant 

 houses will soon be started up again. 

 These notes are penned with the idea of 

 helping some of the growers who may be 

 uncertain as to what crops to grow. 

 Where part of the houses have been kept 

 going, this simplifies matters, as stock 

 can be started in them to plant in empty 

 houses. Where an entire range has 

 been closed, much greater consideration 

 must be given and it will usually prove 

 expedient to open up one or two houses 

 at a time, for to heat an entire range 

 will mean heavy fuel consumption, with 

 no possibility of returns for some 

 months. 



Vegetable Crops." 



Vegetable crops will appeal to many 

 greenhousemen, and of these lettuce, 

 tomatoes and cucumbers are the most 

 important. Lettuce requires a cool tem- 

 perature, 45 to 48 degrees at night be- 

 ing ample. For head 

 lettuce, such varieties 

 as May King and Hit- 

 tinger's Forcing Bel- 

 mont are good, 

 while for leaf 

 lettuce, a good strain 

 of Grand Kapids can 

 be used. Sow the 

 seeds thinly on a por- 

 tion of a bench and, 

 after watering, dust a 

 little fine coal ashes 

 over th^nl. The ashes 

 seem to prevent 

 damping off and can 

 be used also in cover- 

 ing seeds of tomatoes, 

 cauliflowers, cabbages 

 and other vegetables, 

 as well as such flow- 

 ers as stocks, vincas, 

 etc. Lettuce must 

 have a rich soil. In 

 the same temperature 

 as lettuce can be 

 grown beets, radishes, 

 cauliflowers, peas and 

 watercress. 



It will scarcely pay 

 to start cucumbers 



yet, as they need a continuously 

 high temperature. They pay better as 

 a summer crop and are better left to 

 specialists. Tomatoes will prove a sat- 

 isfactory crop. There is always a good 

 market for them at profitable prices. 

 Those who may have started plants in 

 an occupied house can plant them out 

 when six- inches high. Tomatoes like a 

 dry atmosphere and 60 degrees at night, 

 but 10 degrees lower will not hurt them. 

 They set better, however, in an even 

 temperature. It is best to use one of 

 the many forcing varieties at this time, 

 such as Comet, Stirling Castle, Lister 's 

 Prolific or Carter's Sunrise. A little 

 later larger-fruited sorts, like Bonny 

 Best and Stone, can be tried. 



In a Tomato Temperature. 



New Zealand spinach in a tomato tem- 

 perature proves to be a satisfactory 

 green crop. Rhubarb, asparagus, Wit- 

 loof chicory and sea kale can all be 

 forced in such a house, where they can 

 be kept dark. String beans are another 

 crop which, at nearby markets, will net 

 good returns. Both green and wax va- 

 rieties force well. 



Probably the majority of country 

 florists will prefer this year to devote 

 most of their space to flower produc- 

 tion. A large assortment of forcing flow- 

 ers is available. Perhaps you have a 

 call for pot i)lants for the Easter trade. 



What Shall Be Planted in the Vacant Space? 



Provided you have such stock as French 

 hydrangeas, roses, deciduous shrubs in 

 variety, spiraeas and bulbs of any sort, 

 a vacant house can be filled profitably 

 with these. Allow eight to ten weeks 

 for spiraeas, and for such flowering 

 shrubs as lilacs, deutzias, laburnums, 

 etc., from six to eight weeks. Dutch 

 bulbs for Easter, which comes so late 

 this year, will need retarding rather 

 than forcing, and at most a few days in 

 a greenhouse will bring them into bloom. 

 Bedding plants may prove a useful crop. 

 Such plants as geraniums, salvias, ver- 

 benas, vincas, petunias, cannas, etc., are 

 always in demand. 



By way of flowering plants for beds 

 or benches, an interesting assortment is 

 available and I will mention a few of 

 the mora important. Snapdragons, if 

 you can *get stock in small pots and 

 plant out in spaces of 8x8 inches, should 

 net splendid returns. The pink varieties 

 have the best call and, by planting them 

 now, you can begin to cut in April and 

 will get a big Memorial day crop. 



Stocks and Other Bench Crops. 



Stocks also are a first-class crop. 

 The giant ten weeks' is a good strain 

 and anyone able to hit Memorial day 

 with a house of colored varieties will 

 make good money. Plant the colored 

 varieties in preference, as there is a 

 limited call for the white. Another 

 good Memorial day 

 crop is feverfew. If 

 you can get some 

 stock of it now, plant 

 it out at once in a rich 

 compost. Feverfew 

 is malodorous, but 

 proves a fine seller, 

 nevertheless. Then 

 there is candytuft. 

 Buy the best strain 

 you can find of the 

 giant white type, 

 sow it in flats 

 and then pot o£E 

 the plants singly be- 

 fore benching. Grow 

 the crop cool and, if 

 it seems at all leggy, 

 apply more heat as 

 the flower spikes start 

 to push up, but shade 

 the glass before do- 

 ing any forcing and 

 always allow suffi- 

 cient time to cool off 

 the crop before start- 

 ing to cut. 



Sweet peas are the 

 most valuable of all 

 the annuals to start 



