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The Florists^ Review 



Mav 14, 1014. 



THE FLORISTS' SUPPLY HOUSE OF AMERICA 



Wedding Accessories 



We ofier some novel styles for June brides, maids, flower girls and 

 matrons of honor — Bridal Bouquet Holders, satin finish, with lace edge; 

 Corsage Pointed Paper Bouquet Holders, pink, white and lavender. 



H. BAYERSDORFER & CO., 



1129 Arch StrMt, 



PHILADELPHIA, PA. 



Mention The ReTlew •when you write. 



New Southern Fancy Ferns per 1000, $2.00 



Fancy "Snow Bird" Ferns per 1000, 2.00 



Fancy Eastern Ferns per 1000, 3.50 



Let me book your orders now for Decoration Day and be sure of the stock when wanted. 



C. E. CRITCHELL z?^ rfH^smn CINCINNATI, OHIO 



Mention The RcTlew when yon write. 



Vegetable Forcing 



COMPOST FOR CUCUMBERS. 



Is it a benefit to a compost heap to 

 put in lime, hard-wood ashes and bone 

 meal the first time the pile is turned? 

 Please state the right proportion of 

 each for compost to grow cucumbers. 



J. J. S. 



No, it is not a benefit to add lime, 

 wood ashes and bone to cucumber soil 

 when first turned, or, for that matter, 

 to soil for any other plants. Lime is 

 useful in correcting acidity, but it re- 

 leases too much nitrogen if manure has 

 been added to the soil. While fine 

 bone may be added to the last mixing, 

 I have always found that well-rotted 

 cow or horse manure gives far better 

 returns. Cucumbers do better in a 

 light soil than in a heavy one, if the 

 light soil is well enriched. C. W. 



STARTING A MUSHROOM BED. 



T should like to inquire how to start 

 a bed of mushrooms. Please state when 

 to start them and give full particulars 

 about their culture. A. I. G. 



The growing of mushrooms is some- 

 thing of a lottery unless you have just 

 the right place for them. They are 

 hard to grow in the hot months unless 

 a cold cellar or underground dug-out of 

 some kind can be had; insect attacks 

 ruin many of the mushrooms in hot 

 weather. Your difficulties will be great- 

 ly lessened, therefore, if you do not 

 begin operations until late summer or 

 early fidl. If you start a bed so that 

 you can spawn late in September, it 

 should give you mushrooms early in 

 November. 



If you have a cellar which can be 

 darkened and where an average winter 



temperature of 55 to 60 degrees can be 

 kept up, you can grow good mushrooms. 

 They can also be grown under green- 

 house benches if protected from drip 

 and if light and air are excluded as 

 much as possible. Hot water or steam 

 pipes, which cause a drying heat, are 

 bad for mushrooms. , 



Start by saving fresh horse manure 

 daily. If you do not keep horses, prob- 

 ably you can obtain the manure from 

 some livery stable every other day. 

 Throw it up in a heap outside, discard- 

 ing the rougher pieces of, straw. Turn 

 the heap daily to prevent burning. Add 

 to it one-third as much screened pasture 

 loam as you have manure; this tempers 

 the heat and prevents burning. 



When the rank heat has subsided, 

 make your beds. Spread out a layer of 

 fermenting material and pound or 

 tramp it hard. Then add more, pound- 

 ing again, and so on until the material 

 is nine to ten inches thick. When the 

 heat of the bed has subsided to 85 or 

 90 degrees, put in the spawn, either 

 Pure Culture or English Milltrack; the 

 former starts earlier, but I like the 

 mushrooms of the latter better. Chop 

 in pieces the size of a walnut, make 

 holes twelve inches apart each way and 

 put in one of the pieces of spawn. Cover 

 lightly with manure, but do not fill in 

 and pound until eight or ten days later, 

 when the mycelium will be running. 

 Cover the bed ten to fourteen days 

 after spawning with two inches of 

 loam; I like that from an old pasture, 

 passed through a %-inch screen, best. 

 Pound this firmly, then cover the bed 

 or bench with hay, straw or excejsior 

 and leave this covering on until mush- 

 rooms appear, which is sometimes as 

 early as three weeks and at other times 

 as long as three months. If at any time 

 the beds appear very dry on the sur- 

 face, water at a temperature of 100 

 degrees can be applied. Watering can 

 only be looked upon, however, as a 

 necessary evil. 



The manure used in making up mush- 

 room beds must be moist without being 

 mushy. If dry and burnt it is worthless 

 for mushroom production. While it is 

 being prepared, moisten any dry por- 

 tions each day when turning. When 

 apparently exhausted, mushroom beds 

 are often renewed if water is given at a 

 temperature of 120 degrees after a top- 

 dressing of fresh loam has been applied, 

 covering the bed with hay in order to 

 warm it up as much as possible. Round- 

 ed beds give a greater spawning surface 

 than level ones. 



Monson, Mass. — W. H. Pease will 

 build a greenhouse on his property on 

 North Main street and enter business 

 for himself. 



The Florists' Manual, by Wm. 

 Scott, the greatest book ever written for 

 florists, sent by The Review for $5. 



Want MdFer Sale Department 



ii^*AdTertlaements under thU haad 10 oent» 

 per line, cash with order from all who do not do 

 other adTertlslngr. In aendlng remittance count 

 •even words to the line. 



Display advertlsementB in this department $1.30 

 for one Inch space. 



When answers are to be sent In our care, add 10 

 cents for forwarding:. 



Plant advertisements not admitted under this head 



SITUATION WANTED— By an all round vege- 

 table jtrower under elass; married; good ref- 

 erences. Address No. 196, care Florists' Review. 

 Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED— By experienced florist 

 and gardener; excellent testimonials; private 

 place preferred. Address No. 204, care Florists' 

 Review, Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED— A store man, designer, 

 decorator, general maker up, wishes to corre- 

 spond for future permanent position; Pacific coast. 

 A ddress No. 188, care Florists' Review, Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED— As bookkeeper, sales- 

 lady and general assistant in florist's estab- 

 lishment, by young lady with five years' experi- 

 ence. Address No. 206, care Florists' Review, 

 Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED— Young lady would like 

 position in Chicago florists' establishment as 

 saleslady and general assistant; little experlejice; 

 board and room if possible. . Address No. 184, 

 care Florists' Review, Chicago. 



