OCTOBEH 2, 1913. 



The Florists' Review 



17 



SQUABE TILE BENCH SUPFOBTS. 



Novel ideas in greenhouse construc- 

 tion are continually cropping out. 

 Florists are exercising their ingenuity 

 especially in regard to material for 

 benches and supports. It was not long 

 ago that benches of concrete were a 

 aew thing. With their construction 

 came the question of practical and last- 

 ing supports. Among the various suc- 

 cessful schemes was that of placing 

 drain tile on end and filling with con- 

 crete. From that it wias not a long 

 step to using heavy square tile for 

 bench legs without any core of con- 

 crete. This is the idea used by Heinl 

 « Weber, of Terre Haute, Ind., in the 

 construction of their new benches, which 

 are shown in the illustration. Every 

 bench at this plant is now of concrete, 

 and, say the proprietors, a perfect suc- 

 cess. As successful as the rest of the 

 details are the legs of square tile. 



BELGIAN PLANT TBADE IN 1912. 



Consul H. A. Johnson, at Ghent, Bel- 

 gium, in a commercial review of the 

 Ghent consular district for 1912, has 

 the following to say of horticultural 

 conditions and the sale of plants: 



"It appears that horticultural condi- 

 tions during 1912 were far from satis- 

 factory, owing largely, it is claimed, to 

 severe hail storms and the abnormally 

 low temperature in this district during 

 .June, while the reappearance of frost 

 in September caused a suspension of 

 nearly all transactions in the plant in- 

 dustry. The demand for azaleas was 

 weaker than during the preceding year, 

 but this weakness was in a measure 

 compensated for by a marked advance 

 in prices. The demand for palms was 

 active, especially toward the end of the 

 year for young plants, so that, in order 

 to fill their orders, horticulturists were 

 in many cases obliged to purchase from 

 abroad. Araucaria excelsa was in act- 

 ive demand at remunerative prices, 

 and the demand for laurel (bay) trees 

 showed a decided increase at advanced 

 prices, 



"A brisk trade was also carried on 

 in rhododendrons, the price of which, 

 owing to the fact that many plants suf- 

 fered during the budding season, 

 showed a decided upward movement. 

 Sales in begonias were especially active 

 and prices satisfactory. Shipments of 

 plants direct from Ghent by way of 

 the Temeuzen canal increased from 

 1,734 tons in 1911 to 1,814 tons in 1912. 

 Exports to England and the northern 

 European countries show a decided 

 progress, while those to the United 

 States show a marked falling off, due 

 to the quarantine conditions imposed, 

 [n the orchid growing industry condi- 

 tions were favorable, in spite of the 

 unusually large quantities thrown on 

 the market, the bulk of the exports in 

 this line having been shipped to Eng- 

 land. 



"The demand for cut flowers, partic- 

 ularly orchids, increases from year to 

 year, horticulturists having difficulty in 

 supplying the demand, while prices ad- 

 vanced far beyond all previous records, 

 especially during the Christmas and 

 Xew Year holidays. 



"The trade in nursery stock, espe- 

 cially as regards the German market, 

 shows little or no variation from the 

 preceding year. A marked increase 

 was registered during 1912 in the num- 

 ber of horticultural establishments in 

 this district, which, according to Dr. 



^r- 



Concrete Benches with Tile Supports at Heinl &. Weber's, Terre Haote, IneU 



Van Hove, in this province alone num- 

 bered 1,019, an estimate that is based 

 on the latest list prepared by the Phyl- 

 oxera convefatioi^ but wtich falls short 

 of the true toial, as many establish- 

 ments are omitted from, this list. 



"It is claimed that in the plant ex- 

 port trade prices are not altogether 

 satisfactory, as they have not shown 

 an advance proportionate to the in- 

 crease in prices of certain raw materials 

 utilized in this industry, such as metal, 

 glass, coal, etc., as well as wages and 

 other necessary costs incidental to 

 carrying on the business." 



GETTING TJHE MONEY. 



A catalogue may be "full of good 

 short stories" for those who are in 

 search of stock, but to the man who 

 picks one up without a thought of 

 buying, they are not, usually, exactly 

 alive with interest. No matter how 

 well printed, a catalogue is apt to get 

 a decidedly casual reading when it 

 falls into the hands of a man who is 

 not a buyer. But the new catalogue 

 of the Pennock-Meehan Co. will hold 

 the interest of every man whose eyes 

 fall on the first page. The foreword is 

 a business symposium by the editor 

 of the book and the four officers of the 

 company that is so novel that scarcely 

 anyone will lay it down until it is read 

 through. Written primarily to help 

 one business, there is good, sound sense 

 that will help business at large. For 

 instance, this is from Treasurer Eigby: 

 "A big thing in helping along the 

 progress of the flower business is for 

 everyone to pay bills promptly. We 

 do so. If we have not got the money, 

 we get it. Many think that being 

 treasurer is the easy job. Every cus- 

 tomer can lighten the treasurer's wor- 

 ries if he will only resolve to keep his 

 dates to the minute, and above all, if 

 he finds that through unf6reseen cir- 

 cumstances such is impossible to make 

 at once such arrangements as will be 

 mutually acceptable. A fall-down is 

 bad, but silence is worse. All treas- 

 urers are supposed to be ogres, but 

 this is largely exaggerated as a gen- 

 eral thing, and we are always ready 

 to lend a helping hand to the de- 

 serving. ' ' ^^_ 



West Grove, Pa. — John B. Tanguy is 

 the successor to A. Sparks Watkins. 



VegetableFordng. 



TOMATOES FOB "WINTEE. 



I should like to know how to treat 

 tomatoes, as this is my first attempt to 

 grow them in a greenhouse for market 

 in the winfer. I have two beds, 3x100 

 feet, and have planted three plants in 

 a row across the benches, at every other 

 sashbar — a distance of thirty-three 

 inches — and have strings suspended to 

 hold each plant. The side walls of the 

 house are five feet high, and I want the 

 plants to grow up the strings to the 

 glass, but no farther. I have seen 

 them grown in England in this way 

 with great success, bearing enormous 

 crops. What I want to know is how to 

 treat the plants. Shall I let each plant 

 grow up in one stem until it reaches the 

 glass and then top it, letting all the 

 suckers stay on this stem, or should the 

 suckers which issue from each branch 

 at the main stem be broken offf The 

 plants are in about six inches of rich 

 soil, with a good layer of cow manure 

 at the bottom of the soil. S. S. 



Tomatoes in winter succeed best with 

 a well restricted root area, which 

 checks rank growth and makes the 

 plants much more fruitful. You would 

 have done better if you had run two 

 rows t» a bed, allowing eighteen inches 

 between the plants. Each plant should 

 be trained to a -eingle stem. All lat- 

 eral growths should be rubbed out, and 

 when the plants have reached tho maxi- 

 mum height you wish them to attain 

 simply pinch out the top and see that 

 succeeding lateral growths are removed 

 either by cutting or nibbing off with 

 the hands. 



Your soil is good, but for midwinter 

 fruiting It has a little too much depth 

 and richness. After the last part of 

 February, plants set out as you describe 

 would set their fruit to perfection, but 

 another season reduce the depth of 

 soil and, if the plants show the least 

 signs of starvation, apply food in the 

 way of rich top-dressing. For planting 

 after the middle of January, such beds 

 as you have would be excellent, but 

 you will find that during the short 

 dark days such tomatoes as have the' 

 beds or benches matted with roots and 



