30 



The Florists' Review 



Decembxb 2, 192U 



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FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 



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toes, 45 to 48 degrees at night being 

 suitable. They would prove a more cer- 

 tain crop than tomatoes, as well. 



C. W. 



CARE OF MUSHBOOMS. 



I should like to know the best method 

 of growing mushrooms. I have a new 

 house and in the cellar I have made a 

 place for mushrooms, 8x20 feet. The 

 cellar is surrounded by a cement wall, 

 and is heated by steam pipes. 



C. J. R.— N. Y. 



To secure good mushroom crops you 

 need a good supply of fresh horse ma- 

 nure. Shake out all the rough straw; 

 stack it under cover, in an open shed if 

 possible, and turn it over a few times 

 until rank heat has passed; moisten it if 

 any dry spots appear. Sometimes one- 

 third loam is added to the manure and 

 this helps to prevent too violent heat- 

 ing and assists in retaining heat when 

 the bed is made up. To be in the right 

 condition to make up into a bed, the ma- 

 nure should be moist enough to squeeze 

 together without exuding water. 



In making up beds, spread a layer at 

 a time and tramp or pound it as hard 

 as possible; keep adding more layers 

 and firming thoroughly. An average 

 depth of from eight to nine inches gives 

 splendid results and the harder your bed 

 is pounded the better it will retain heat 

 and produce mushrooms. I like to spawn 

 the bed at a temperature of from 85 to 

 90 degrees; place a thermometer in the 

 bed to ascertain the heat. Pure Culture 

 spawn produces mushrooms more quickly 

 than English Milltrack, but the latter is 

 preferred as a rule in the high-grade 

 restaurants and hotels. Break the spawn 

 into pieces the size of an English walnut 

 and plant the pieces twelve to fourteen 

 inches apart each way and two inches 

 deep. In eight or ten days after spawn- 

 ing, spread a layer of two inches of 

 loam over the beds and firm well. If 

 your heat dries the surface at all, it is 

 an advantage to spread fine hay, straw 

 or excelsior as a mulch, until the mush- 

 rooms appear, which should be in from 

 five to seven weeks, sometimes earlier. 

 A temperature of 55 to 58 degrees and 

 a moist-feeling atmosphere suit mush- 

 rooms. 



When watering must be done, and it 

 is only a necessary evil, give it a 

 temperature of 100 degrees; then spread 

 some mulch over the bed to hold the heat 

 in. Mushroom culture is somewhat of a 

 lottery, but if your spawn and manure 

 are good, there is no reason why you 

 cannot succeed. C. W. 



TOMATOES UNDER GIASS. 



Will you please give me the best 

 method of growing tomatoes? I have a 

 new house and should like to know if 

 artificial fertilization is advisable and, 

 if so, what ia the proper method of 

 fertilizing. C J. R.— N. Y. 



Tomatoes make a profitable green- 

 house crop, provided suitable varieties 

 are grown, suitable temperatures and 

 cultural conditions are given and a con- 

 venient market will care for the crop. 

 As a beginner, it would not be advisable 

 for you to plant a crop for winter fruit- 

 ing; it might not return profit. But for 

 a spring and early summer crop toma- 



toes will pay well. Sow the seeds any 

 time before January. Good varieties 

 are Comet, Victory, John Baer and Lis- 

 ter's Prolific Improved. These are 

 standard forcing varieties. That does 

 not mean they will not succeed outdoors, 

 but they are splendid forcers. 



Transplant the little seedlings into 

 flats and later pot them singly before 

 planting out. Raised benches are best 

 for spring, solid beds for summer crops. 

 Such a soil as will grow lettuce, carna- 

 tions or violets will suit tomatoes. Set 

 the plants out sixteen to eighteen inches 

 apart in the rows and train them to a 

 single stem, which means that all side 

 shoots must be removed as they appear. 

 Pinch out the tops after the bunches 

 have set. 



Fertilization is necessary for winter, 

 but not after April 1. It can be effected 

 by shaking the vines about noon on 

 clear, sunny days. This scatters the 

 pollen. A camel 's-hair brush, a piece 

 of cotton wool on a stick or a rabbit's 

 foot may be used to touch the open 

 flowers and cause impregnation. 



A suitable temperature for tomatoes is 

 58 to 60 degrees at night. They thrive 

 better in a dry atmosphere. Do not 

 syringe overhead at any time. Mulch 

 when the fruit is well set, to prevent 

 the soil from drying out. 



It might be well to plant lettuce to 

 follow the tomatoes. Two crops of let- 

 tuce could be grown before it would be 

 necessary to plant the tomatoes again. 

 Lettuce can be grown in a temperature 

 much cooler than is needed for toma- 



REMEDY FOR CLUB ROOT. 



What is the name of the root scale or 

 gall which has apparently affected the 

 tomato plant I have sent youf I have 

 had trouble with this root disease before, 

 and two years ago I changed my soil 

 for that reason. The soil is now one- 

 third horse manure, with 100 pounds of 

 lime added. I have three beds, each 

 5x60 feet. Those parts of the soil where 

 I did not use lime were hardly produc- 

 tive at all. All the plants I have in- 

 spected are infected the same as the one 

 I have sent you and the crop is generally 

 poor. What remedy would you advise? 



A. M.— La. 



The roots of the tomato plant were 

 covered with club root, nematodes or 

 root gall. This is a serious disease and 

 often attacks tomatoes under glass. 

 While lime counteracts to some extent 

 the effects of club root, it cannot be re- 

 garded as a cure, although that it helps 

 is unquestioned. Thorough steam sterili- 

 zation of your beds before planting is 

 the most effective of all remedies, and 

 if this is done it is not necessary to 

 throw out your soil. I know growers 

 who have solid beds and have grown 

 crops of tomatoes, cucumbers, violets, 

 sweet peas and mums and have not 

 changed their soil for a dozen years. 

 They produce magnificent crops, but, 

 of course, they sterilize and manure 

 freely. Shutting off and baking with 

 the sun may help a little and soaking 

 the soil with a solution of formaldehyde 

 is also good, but I would strongly ad- 

 vise steam sterilization, if you want a 

 complete cure. The expense will easily 

 be recouped by increased crops. C. W» 



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MOTT-LY MUSINGS 



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Ideal Thanksgiving weather found the 

 Albany florists fairly rushed with busi- 

 ness, again demonstrating the wisdom 

 of ordering ahead as far as is possible 

 and the absolute necessity of making 

 firm prices to allow the trade in the 

 rural towns to make the unavoidable 

 eleventh-hour call. "Too late," replied 

 Manager Tom Tracey, of the Albany 

 Cut Flower Exchange, Albany, N. Y., 

 in reply to a long-distance phone call 

 for a shipment of choice Major Bonnaf- 

 fons, "Our best mums are all bespoken 

 by our home trade," 



• • • • 



"You may quote us," said Mrs. Henry 

 Eberhardt, of the Rosendale Flower 

 Shop, Schenectady, N. Y., * ' as enjoying 

 the best business ever and lamenting the 

 scarcity of good chrysanthemums, which 

 seem to be the Thanksgiving flowers with 



the majority of our patrons." 



• • • • 



E. V. B. Felthousen, Schenectady, N. 

 Y., furnished the bulk of the finest 

 chrysanthemums seen in the Electric 



City. 



• • • • 



Manager Grupe, of the floral depart- 

 ment of the Carl Co., Schenectady, N. 

 Y., had a rush of funeral work for 



several days previous to the holiday and 

 used up stock unsalable otherwise. 



• • • 



John C. Hatcher, Schenectady, N. Y., 

 made a good showing from the Hofif- 

 mans greenhouses. 



• • • • 



Mohawk Greenhouses, Schenectady,. 

 N. Y., made a heavy run on Boston ferns 

 by means of display advertisements, 

 several days before Thanksgiving, which, 

 caused Manager Matthews to enjoy tur- 

 key on Thanksgiving day with unusual 



relish. 



• • • • 



Fred Qoldring, Slingerlands, N. Y., 

 was cleaned out of all salable stock 

 early and is glad of space to accommo- 

 date stock being prepared for the next 

 big day, Christmas. 



• • • • 



Butler & Ullman, Northampton, Mass., 

 had the first real test of the new condi- 

 tions at Thanksgiving, when the store 

 was arranged as a show house in front. 

 Passing through the choice stock, to the 

 right is the workroom, opposite is the 

 oflSce, beyond to the right is the display 

 room of baskets and vases, while op- 

 posite is the "green" room, storage 

 and shipping department. An airy base- 



