NOVBMBUB 13, 1910. 



The Florists' Review 



41 



CONCRETE BENCHES. 



Have Superiority of Permanence. 



For iffany purposes in the line of 

 building, concrete is fast replacing wood 

 and, to a greater or less extent, brick. 

 Concrete, with its qualities of economy 

 and permanence, offers advantages not 

 found in either wood or brick. Not a 

 great while ago many builders of green- 

 houses adopted the plan of using con- 

 crete for the side walls of their green- 

 houses and with a considerable measure 

 of success. The practice is gaining in 

 popularity. 



Within the last few years growers in 

 various sections of the country have 

 turned to concrete for the construction 

 of their benches. The increasing cost 

 of wood and the advance in labor cost 

 have caused those with a keen sense 

 toward the financial end of their busi- 

 ness to seek means of lowering expenses 

 and up-keep costs wherever possible. 



Experience has shown that wood de- 

 cays in time and repairing and continual 

 patching add to the expense of upkeep. 

 Not many months pass after the build- 

 ing of a wooden bench when it becomes 

 in a measure unsightly. 



Not so with concrete. Benches of this 

 material, reinforced with steel and con- 

 structed after a given plan, prove to be 

 a paying investment rather than an ex- 

 pense. Correctly built, concrete benches 

 last for several lifetimes, they always 

 look neat and clean and repairing is 

 never necessary. 



Cost Not Excessive. 



To those who have not investigated, 

 it may seem surprising to learn that it 

 is possible to build benches of concrete 

 for a sum not greatly exceeding that 

 involved in the construction of wood 

 benches. At this time there are several 

 concerns in existence that construct 

 benches under contract. In many cases 

 the employment of such an agency 

 proves costly, especially if the grower is 

 unfortunate enough to be situated any 

 great distance from such concern. Some 

 growers are able with some success to 

 build molds for receiving the concrete, 

 thus building, after their own ideas, 

 benches that answer the purpose. 



Recently — that is, within the last two 

 years — there has been placed at the dis- 

 posal of growers by specialists in the 

 construction of concrete greenhouse 

 benches a complete set of working plans, 

 along with the molds, that make it pos- 

 sible to build benches easily and inex- 

 pensively. 



Molded by Furnished Plans. 



The system brings into use various 

 adjustable molds for making concrete 

 slabs used for the bottom of the bench, 

 side slabs, beams, legs and ends. At odd 

 moments the grower may mold the vari- 

 ous units that go to make a complete 

 bench; then at the time desired the 

 parts may be assembled, somewhat in the 

 manner of the construction of a bench 

 made of wood. This method permits 

 the making of serviceable, neat-appear- 



ing benches at a minimum cost. Pro- 

 vision is made for drainage by parallel 

 slots of a tapering shape, wider at the 

 bottom than at the top, thus providing 

 a non-cloggable drainage. 



Stock does as well on concrete benches 

 as it does on wood, provided the benches 

 are properly constructed. It is reported 

 by many who have used concrete benches 

 for a considerable period that they have 

 had better growing results than if the 

 ordinary wooden bench had been used. 



The present wide use of concrete 

 benches is an indication pointing toward 

 elimination of the wooden bench in the 

 future. 



REMEDY FOR CYCLAMEN MITES. 



Can you give us any reliable formula 

 for the extermination of cyclamen 

 mites? Last season we discovered that 

 we had them in generous proportions, 



so threw out all our plants and sterilized 

 the bench in which they were located 

 with live steam, hoping thereby to get 

 rid of them, but find that they are show- 

 ing up now on our new crop. 



We have sprayed with Nico-fume 

 weekly in the regular way, which does 

 not seem to be effective. We have used 

 eight to ten teaspoonfuls of Nico-fume 

 to three gallons of water. Either we 

 have not used the proper proportions, or 

 Nico-fume does not fill the bill. 



If you know of anything that will 

 successfully exterminate this pest, we 

 shall be glad to have it. R. & S. 



The time to use nicotine sprayings is 

 when the sun shines brightly. Then the 

 tiny pests crawl out from their hiding 

 places in the flowers. The liquid should 

 be well sprayed into the centers of the 

 plants. 



Sprinkling the benches with fresh to- 

 bacco stems from time to time seems 

 to act as a preventive. 



Weak fumigation with hydrocyanic 

 acid gas has helped to exterminate the 

 pest. This cannot be used with safety, 

 however, during the warm weather. 



Deer Park, Ala. — L. H. Read is quite 

 ill with fever, being unable to attend to 

 business at all. 



s^ CLUB MEETING i2^ 



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NEW YORK FLORISTS' CLUB. 



Leases New Quarters. 



The monthly meeting of the New 

 York Florists' Club was held Monday 

 evening, November 10, in the proposed 

 new quarters for the club in the Engi- 

 neering Societies' building, 25 West 

 Thirty-ninth street, with an attendance 

 of about 150. As final arrangements in 

 regard to the quarters were to be made 

 that evening, the members, prior to the 

 opening of the business session, in- 

 spected the two rooms covered in the 

 proposition, in readiness for the vote to 

 be taken on them. 



A. M. Henshaw, chairman of the com- 

 mittee on quarters, opened a discussion 

 looking to immediate action concerning 

 the leasing of whichever room the club 

 might decide upon. Finally a standing 

 vote was taken on a motion made by 

 .Joseph A. Manda, that the large room 

 be leased, and the same being in the 

 affirmative the matter was turned over 

 to the trustees. While it was thought 

 that the room was a little large for ordi- 

 jnary purposes, the feeling was that the 

 attendance at future meetings must be 

 made to conform to the size of the room. 



Miscellaneous Matters. 



Wm. H. Siebrecht, Jr., counsel in the 

 matter of securing the necessary change 

 in the club's charter to mak? leasing 

 j)Ossible, reported progress, and that 

 action from the Supreme court might be 

 expected in a few days. 



Manager Arthur Herrington, for the 

 flower show committee, reported prog- 

 ress. In the same connection Secre- 

 tary Young reported that over $15,000 

 worth of trade space in the spring show 

 had already been sold, and this alone 

 should be an important factor in the 



success of the show. He also reported 

 that thore had been a well attended 

 meeting of the committee that day, at 

 which preparations for the show were 

 found to be in good shape. The final 

 schedule of premiums, which has been 

 held up by the printers' strike, might 

 have to be printed out of town, he said, 

 but it will be issued shortly. 



John H. Bockman, Philadelphia, was 

 elected to membership in the club, and 

 the following were nominated for elec- 

 tion at the next meeting: S. H. Skidell, 

 50 Park place. New York; F. B. Bourne, 

 426 Madison avenue, New York; Henry 

 C- Holpp, 423 Park avenue, New York; 

 Fred Von Lum, 504 Tenth avenue, New 

 York; Alphonse Rigo, 810 Madison ave- 

 nue. New York; Michael Durso, Spring- 

 field, N. J.; Jos. Heiman, 272 Main 

 street. Orange, N. J., and Richard T. 

 Broderick, Yonkers, N. Y. 



Secretary Young opened a discussion 

 on the advisability of inaugurating a 

 "Say It with Flowers" week in New 

 York. W. A. Phillips, Brooklyn, chair- 

 man of a committee having in charge 

 the preparations for such a week, No- 

 vember 16 to 22, described the arrange- 

 ments made by the Brooklyn florists to 

 feature the slogan during that period. 

 It was not thought advisable to take 

 similar action in New York at the pres- 

 ent time, but, on motion of A. M. Hen- 

 shaw, it was decided to arrange for a 

 display to be held concurrently with 

 flower show week, March 15 to 21. Later 

 in the evening the club, on motion of 

 Wallace R. Pierson, voted to recommend 

 the appropriation of $100 toward the 

 expenses of the Brooklyn florists in con- 

 nection with their celebration. 



Speakers from the Federal Reserve 

 Bank were present to address the meet- 

 ing in behalf of the thrift citizens* 

 movement. Mr. France, for the bank. 



