V :■" 



20 



The Florists^ Review 



March 25, 1920 



and set leg forms on these footers. 

 Place beam form on leg forms so that 

 the opening in the bottom of the beam 

 form comes over the opening of the 

 leg forms, giving a little room for the 

 bottom of the beam form to clear the 

 finished leg when the forms are being 

 removed. Do not nail the leg forms 

 and beam form together, as the weight 

 will hold them. 



Having in place two sets of these 

 leg and beam forms, which should be 

 level across the bench, place a bottom 

 form on them, allowing one-quarter of 

 an inch from the end of the bottom 

 form to the inside of the beam form; 

 nail the bottom form to the beam forms 

 with 4-penny nails. After enough sec- 

 tions are placed to take a length of 

 side forms, half nail the side forms to 

 the edge of the bottom forms, using two 

 8-penny nails to each section and nail- 

 ing over the 2x2 sill. Proceed in this 

 way to the end of the bench, splicing 

 the side forms by nailing lightly a 

 piece of board over each joint on the 

 outside. 



Casting the Bencli. 



We are now ready to ca^ the bench. 

 Screen cinders through a screen made of 

 1-inch mesh wire netting. Use one part 

 cement, two parts sand and four parts 

 cinders. Mix the concrete to a pasty 

 consistency, but do not * ' drown. ' ' 

 Wheel it right over the form, which 

 can easily support that weight, using 

 boards for wheeling planks over the 

 beam forms. Fill the leg forms by tamp- 

 ing with a sharpened broom handle or 

 something similar. Put about one inch 

 of concrete in the bottom of the beam 

 form and put in two pieces of barbed 

 wire long enough to reach from leg to 

 leg and down in the legs two or more 

 inches. Fill up the beam form and pro- 

 ceed to half the length of the bench. 



Place woven wire netting six feet 

 wide for a 5-foot bench over the forms 

 that are filled, so that it extends six 

 inches up the sides and ends. Wheel 

 in the comsrete as before, shoveling it 

 out, placing it and tamping and trowel- 

 ing as you go. We use for a tamper 

 a block 2x8x10 inches, with a handle 

 stuck in a hole in the center. 



Do not forget to insert the drainage 

 plugs as the work proceeds; they are 

 made by taking a iy2xliA strip, taper- 

 ing it with a sharp hatchet to %x% 

 and sawing off at a length of two and 

 one-quarter inches. They also act as 

 guides for the thickness of the bottom. 

 Place eight to a section, an equal dis- 

 tance apart. 



Cleau the Forms for Later Use. 



After finishing the bottom, half nail 

 the ysxlVj cross braces at intervals of 

 eight feet and place the inside forms, 

 half nailing them to the brace strips 

 and bracing the bottoms with any light 

 stuff to hold thorn in position. We make 

 the sides one inch thick at the top and 

 one and one-half inches at the bottom. 

 It is sometimes necessary to tack light 

 strips across between the long bracQS 

 to keep the sides straight. Use the 

 same proportion in the concrete as be- 

 fore, but screen the cinders through a 

 ^-inch mesh. If the same proportion 

 Is not kept in making the concrete, the 

 sides and bottom will not set alike and 

 will crack. We put the concrete in 

 flats and fill the sides with a mason 

 trowel, using a piece of board for a 

 guide or backstop; tamp with the trowel 

 and tap side forms to insure close work. 



Finish a bench as far as you go the same 

 day, as the ''set" will be better. 



Next day, remove the inside forms 

 and with a mason trowel mold in the 

 angles at the sides and bottom with a 

 mortar consisting of two parts cement 

 and three parts sand, filling any defect 

 in the cast. After thirty-six hours re- 

 move the outside side forms and then 

 the leg formSj^when the crossbeam forms 

 will easily drop away. As soon as the 

 forms are cleaned, they are ready to 

 be set up again for another bench. Ee- 

 move the drainage plugs by tapping on 

 the top with a hammer. Any imper- 

 fections may be*filled with cement mor- 

 tar and the sides may be made smoother 

 by applying with an old broom a white- 

 wash made of one part cement and one 

 part sand. Keep wet for three or four 

 days and use care if the bench is 

 filled with soil before ten days. 



Cinder Aggregate Better than Q-ravel. 



If a pipe is to be hung under the 

 center of the bench, insert a IxlxS-inch 

 piece to which it may be nailed, in the 

 center of the crossbeam. A pipe may 

 be hung on the side of the legs by 

 using spikes or twisting a wire around 

 the leg. Where purlin supports occur, 

 it is well to arrange to have them come 

 in the leg^ or beam forms, which is done 

 by changing the length of the bottom 

 forms. When the forms have been 

 taken off, always clean and put them 

 away and they will make all the benches 

 that are needed for some time to come. 

 Ten barrels of cement will buUd a 

 bench 5x150 feet. The cinder aggregate 

 makes a tougher, more porous and more 

 nearly frost-proof job than does gravel, 

 as well as being much cheaper. 



NEW TOBKEBS WRITE. 



Members of the horticultural trade 

 in New York state are being urged t 

 writo to Assemblyman Arthur Cowe • 

 at Albany, N. Y., in support of the bii; 

 introduced by him March 8 in the stat<' 

 assembly for an appropriation for a hov 

 ticultural building at the fair grounds 

 at Syracuse. This structure has for ;/ 

 long time been desired by the various 

 interests concerned in New York and ii 

 enough pressure is brought to bear it 

 is thought this bill may succeed in ob 

 taining it for them. Mr. Cowee, beinj; 

 a gladiolus specialist, is interested him 

 self as well as in behalf of the trade and 

 desires letters from others to indicate 

 to the assembly the strength of his 

 support. His bill reads as follows: 



An act making an appropriation for the con- 

 struction of a horticultural building at the state 

 fair Krounds, Syracuse, N. Y., and for the' Im 

 provement of the said grounds: 



The people of the state of New York, reprp- 

 sented in senate and assembly, do enact as fol 

 lows: 



Section 1. The state fair commission is here- 

 by authorized and empowered to execute all 

 necessary contracts in behalf of the people of 

 tlie state of New York for the erection, construc- 

 tion and equipment of a horticultural buildlnc 

 for the exhibitions of fruits, flowers, vegetables, 

 seeds, bee and honey products, farm produce and 

 nursery stock, said building to be erected on the 

 state fair grounds at Syracuse, N. Y., at a cost 

 not to exceed $500,000. 



Sec. 2. The necessary expense incurred 

 for the purpose of securing information as to 

 methods of exhibiting these products and such 

 soil survey, borings and test pits and the com- 

 pensation of experts in connection with the draft- 

 ing of plans and specifications shall be included 

 as part of the cost of the building and be paid 

 from the appropriation therefor. 



Sec. 3. The sura of $500,000, or so much 

 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appro- 

 priated out of any moneys in the state treas- 

 ury, not otherwise appropriated, for the erec- 

 tion, construction and eijuipment of such build- 

 ing and all other expenses incurred under the 

 provisions of this act. 



Sec. 4. This act shall take effect immediately. 



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UNITED ACTION 



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LEAD QUARANTINE PROTEST. 



Plan Meeting in May. 



The Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety has sent a letter to trade organi- 

 zations all over the United States urg- 

 ing united action in protest against 

 Quarantine No. 37. 



The resolutions adopted by the trus- 

 tees of the organization state their be- 

 lief that the quarantine is unnecessary, 

 detrimental to horticultural progress 

 and perhaps beyond the intent and scope 

 of the act of Congress which authorized 

 the quarantine. 



It is tlieir belief, therefore, that a 

 meeting of the various horticultural in- 

 terests sliould be held and they have 

 requested each organization to appoint 

 a delegate to represent it officially at 

 such a meeting, to be held in May in a 

 central city of the country. 



The headquarters of the Massachu- 

 setts Horticultural Society are in Hor- 

 ticultural hall, 300 Massachusetts ave- 

 nue, Boston. The officers are: Presi- 

 dent, William C. Endicott; secretary, 

 William P. Rich; treasurer, Walter Hun- 

 newell. 



Text of Letter. 



The letter embodying the trustees' 

 resolutions and requesting the appoint- 



ment of delegates for the meeting in 

 May reads as follows: 



The trustees of the Afassachusetts Horticul- 

 tural-Society are of opinion that the drastic reg- 

 ulations of tlie Federal Ilortlciiltural Board Im- 

 posed finder Quarantine .TT should l)e substan- 

 tially modified. They believe tliat the restric- 

 tions enforced b.v this quarantine are ver.v largely 

 unnecessary and detrimental to horticultural 

 progress in the United States. 



It is. moreover, a question whether the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture in ordering sucli drastic 

 •luaranfine miiy not have exceeded botli the in- 

 tent and llie scope of tlie act of Congress author- 

 izing plant quarantine. 



The trustees of this society believe that a 

 meeting of all the different horticultural inter- 

 ests in the I'nited States slionld be held to con- 

 sider Quarantine ,S7, and to take sucli action as 

 may sei'm necessiiry to secure its amendment: 

 and they request that your organiznlion appoint 

 a delegate to represent it officially at such a 

 meeting, to be held during tlie month of May 

 in a central city of the United States. 



The trustees of tlie Massachusetts Ilorticul- 

 tur.-Jl S*)ciety will thank you to advise them of 

 wliat action you may take. 



Action Already Taken. 



The Garden Club of America, at its 

 syiring meeting at the Colony Club, New 

 York, March 17, when over 350 ladies 

 were present, passed resolutions con- 

 demnatory of the F. H. B. and Quaran- 

 tine No. 37 with much enthusiasm and 

 absolute unanimity. It was voted to 

 support the resolutions adopted by the 

 directors of the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society regarding the quaran- 

 tine, and delegates were appointed to 

 nieet with delegates from numerous 



