■ ;•=•,;, C^'.^'V.*' 



544 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Januabt 26, 1906. 



y^etable Forcing. 



VEGETABLE MARKETS. 



Chicago, Jan. 25. — Cucumbers, 50c to 

 $2 doz. ; leaf lettuce, 20e to 25c case; 

 head lettuce, $2 to $3.50 bbl. 



Boston, Jan. 24. — Cucumbers, $5 to 

 $18 box; tomatoes, 30c to 40c lb.; let- 

 tuce, 25c to 50c box; mushrooms, 50c 

 to 60c lb.; radishes, 40c to 60c box; 

 mint, $1.25 doz. bunches; asparagus, $3 

 to $4 dgz. bunches. 



VARIETIES OF LETTUCE. 



What variety of lettuce would you 

 recommend where it is to be started 

 in the greenhouse and then removed to 

 cold frames! K M. 



If confined to one variety for the pur- 

 pose you mention I would choose Bos- 

 ton Market on account of its earliness. 

 Big Boston is larger and does well in 

 frames but takes about eight days long- 

 er than Boston Market to mature. An- 

 other first-class lettuce that matures 

 about the same time as the Big Boston 

 is Deacon. This is the best standing 

 variety we have ever tried. Unless you 

 want to cut your lettuce all about the 

 same time I would advise you to try 

 all three varieties. W. 8. Crotdon. 



BEST TOMATO. 



Which will be the best tomato to grow 

 for early market, Lorillard or Earlianaf 

 We raise plants in pots and would be 

 glad of advice. S. H. B. 



' You will not make any mistake in 

 growing Earliana; it is a good all-round 

 extra early variety. The fruit, though 

 somewhat below average size, is uniformly 

 smooth and well shaped. Early Freedom 

 is also good, though rather small fruited. 

 Lorillard has many good points as an 

 extra early sort but with us in recent 

 years has produced a number of badly 

 shaped fruits. This is most pronounced 

 in the first of the season; later on the 

 fruits are better but as the earliest fruits 

 are the ones for which the best price is 

 obtained, this is a serious drawback to 

 the Lorillard variety and we now grow 

 Earliana and Freedom in preference. 



W. 8. Cbotdon. 



LIQUID MANURE. 



We will soon be out of fhe duU, short 

 days, and the rays of Old Sol will begin 

 to have a warmer feeling. All plants 

 will soon begin to show fresh vigor and 

 demand a more abundant supply of mois- 

 ture. When the benches begin to dry 

 out pretty frequently the time has ar- 

 rived when occasional applications of 

 liquid stimulants will be of benefit to. 

 such crops as are in a fit state to take it. 

 There is a good deal in knowing just 

 when it should be applied to certain 

 plants, as if applied injudiciously, time 

 and trouble are not only wasted, but 

 more harm than good may result. 



The forcing crops to which liquid 

 manure is most beneficial are tomatoes, 

 cucumbers and cauliflower. With any of 

 these there is a danger of creating a 

 soft growth if liquid stimulants are ap- 

 plied too early. If tomatoes and cucum- 

 bers are allowed to nin to soft growth 

 in the earlier stages, the setting of the 



fruit will be seriously interfered with. 

 The time when the liquid will do the 

 most good is after a good set of fruit 

 has been procured; besides, it is at this 

 time that the greatest strain is placed 

 on the plants; hence the necessity for 

 assistance by whatever stimulant can be 

 most readily assimilated. 



Manures in liquid form, being imme- 

 diately available for plant food, are for 

 this purpose much more preferable than 

 solids. Solid ingredients, such as bone 

 manures, are best added to the soU at the 

 time of planting, and even then there 

 is always a doubt in my mind whether 

 the plants can sufficiently assimilate the 

 food properties of these to make the ap- 

 plication profitable, seeing that the sea- 

 son of growth is so short, but a few 

 weeks being occupied from the time the 

 plants are set in the soil until the crop 

 is harvested and the plants have to be 

 thrown out to give place to others. True, 

 in tiome cases a second crop can be put 

 in the same soil, but this is only the 

 case with one of the subjects under con- 

 sideration; namely, cauliflower. I con- 

 sider it would be a foolish procedure to 

 plant either tomatoes or cucumbers in 

 soil in which the same crop had already 

 been growing 



My invariable stand-by for liquid is 

 pulverized sheep manure. In this I may 

 be a little old-fashioned, but I consider 

 that this contains all the elements neces- 

 sary for the purpose in hand in about 

 as easily assimilable a form as they can 

 possibly be applied. Sulphate of am- 

 monia and nitrate of soda are both quick 

 acting manures suitable for application 

 in liquid form, being readily soluble in 

 water. Usually about one ounce of either 

 to four gallons of water will be about 

 the right strength, but, as the strength 

 varies, it is not always possible to judge 

 of the exact amount necessary. The 

 above quantity, however, can be given 

 with safety, and the operator must judge 

 for himself after the first two or three 

 applications whether the strength can 

 safely be increased. 



My method of making liquid from 

 pulverized sheep manure is to use about 

 half a bag for a large barrel of water. 

 After tying up the bag I put bag and 

 all in the barrel. All the substance of 

 the manure soaks through the bag, while 

 the sediment is held back, thus giving a 

 liquid that will pass readily through the 

 soil without danger of clogging. If the 

 manure is placed in the water at night, 

 by next morning the liquid will be strong 

 enough to use and may even want to be 

 diluted. As the plants can only take up 

 a limited quantity at a time, it is better 

 to err on the safe side and apply it weak 

 rather than too strong, increasing the 

 strength as the plants show a capacity 

 for taking it. No hard and fast ruFe 

 regarding strength can be laid down, and 

 only by observing the effect on the 

 plants can the operator tell when they 

 are getting enough or when they are 

 getting too much. About twice a week 

 is usually often enough to apply the 

 liquid, but this must be regulated ac- 

 cording as the plants dry out. They 

 should have two or three applications of 

 clear water between each application of 

 liquid manure. W. 8. Croydon. 



Richfield Springs, N. Y. — Leander 

 P. Seaton is dead, aged 58 years. He 

 had been in poor health for some time 

 and the business has been conducted by 

 Mrs. Seaton, who survives with six chil- 

 dren. 



BREEDERS TO MEET. 



The American Breeders' Association 

 will hold its second annual meeting at the 

 Illinois College of Agriculture at Cham- 

 paign February 1 to 3. The U. S. Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture is president of the 

 association and the meeting is deemed of 

 such importance that the program is sent 

 to the press with an official note from the 

 Department of Agriculture. The breeding 

 of both plants and animals will be dis- 

 cussed. C. W. Ward, Queens, N. Y., is 

 on the program for an illustrated address 

 on "Carnation Breeding" and Luther 

 Burbank, Santa Bosa, Cal., is announced 

 to speak on "Heredity." H. H. Groff, 

 Simcoe, Ont., will discuss "Plant Im- 

 provement by Hybridization," and there 

 will be numerous addresses of a horticul- 

 tural or agricultural interest. 



THE CHATHAM WAGON EXPRESS 



The wagon express between Chatham, 

 N. J., and New York City has just com- 

 pleted its second year of constant service. 

 In warm weather and cold, by moonlight 

 and through fogs, in dark nights and 

 stormy ones, this wagon never fails every 

 evening to visit the various greenhouses 

 about Chatham, distributing the ' ' emp- 

 ties" and collecting the day's crop of 

 flowers. 



During the wee small hours of every 

 night, Saturday only excepted, the wagon 

 with its fragrant load is traversing the 

 lonely country roads and the quiet streets 

 of Newark and Jersey City. Every morn- 

 ing finds it coming up the avenues of 

 New York, arriving at the first commis- 

 sion houses in Twenty-sixth street 

 promptly at seven o'clock. Even the 

 storms of the past winter have not de- 

 layed it; its delivery has always been 

 prompt and its tender goods never 

 touched by frost. There have been times 

 when, for miles, the night snows have 

 been untrodden and this team and wagon 

 has had to * * break the road. ' ' 



By this method the Chatham growers 

 are saved the expense of going to the 

 railroad station with their several lots 

 of goods. At their very doors they are 

 relieved of them and right there they 

 have the satisfaction of seeing them shel- 

 tered at once for the journey. And, un- 

 like the railroad method, they are kept 

 sheltered all the way to the wholesale 

 houses in New York. By an intelligent 

 use of a smaller or larger number of 

 lighted lanterns, these perishable goods 

 are kept just cool enough; but never al- 

 lowed to get frostbitten. 



There are, of course, relays of horses 

 and the men who assemble the various 

 consiprnments from Madison and other 

 neighborhoods are relieved at Summit by 

 other men who accompany the loads 

 through the rest of the nignt to their 

 destinations. In these days of railroads 

 this method may appear primitive. But 

 railroads never start from one's house 

 and do .not cross ferries nor keep their 

 goods sheltered and carry them up city 

 streets to destination. This is surely an 

 instance where adopting again the meth- 

 ods of the past has proved to be pro- 

 gressive and up-to-date. M. H. N. 



BxJFPAliO, N. Y. — ^Werick Bros., at Pine 

 Efidge, are planning to increase their 

 glass this spring. 



Birmingham, Ala. — William Lindsay 

 takes a very optimistic view of the fu* 

 ture. He will add several greenhouses 

 to his plant this spring. 



