■ V.rV.^iv'^V. 



884 



The Weekly Flori$ts^ Review* 



March 9, 190Bi 



radiation which the boiler would carry 

 would be about 200 square feet. The 

 question is: Can you afford the expense 

 of changing the setting for this possi- 

 ble increase in efficiency; can you not 

 get the additional heating capacity in a 

 cheaper way? If the relation of the 

 214-ineh tubes to the 21-inch flue is 

 8uch that a double return tubular boiler 



could be arranged, then there could be . 

 no question as to the superiority of such _ 

 setting. If the furnace can be .bullt 

 under one end of the shell and the heated,' 

 gases made to pass under the shell pf t£ei^' 

 boiler into and back through the Sl-inch:' 

 flue and then back throught the > 3%*" 

 inch flues a greater efficiency coul4 -pfi 

 obtained from the boiler^ ' r L. C.'^C.^ 



PREPARE SOIL EARLY. 



As soon as the frost is out of the 

 ground the collection and preparation of 

 soil for summer planting should be com- 

 menced. In the selection of rose soils 

 for use on the benches some study and 

 knowledge of the quality required is 

 necessary and too much thought and 

 care cannot be bestowed on this ques- 

 tion. Although fair roses may be pro- 

 duced from inferior soils, the care, skill 

 and trouble required to do so will more 

 than offset the work of selecting a good 

 quality of soil for composting now and 

 the results will in every case be in favor 

 of the judicious selection. 



The kind of soil most favored by 

 growers is a good, friable loam contain- 

 ing a good percentage of clay and taken 

 from the top spit of old pasture land. 

 This should be put into a neat pile on 

 ground a little higher than the surround- 

 ing surface, so that the bottom may not 

 get sour. 



When piling it, the necessary quantity 

 of manure should be added. If the soil 

 is of good quality, and the manure of 

 the right kind, the proportion should be 

 one of manure to four of soil. ~ Manure 

 from the cow barn in a half decomposed 

 condition, if the compost is made early 

 enough in the season to allow time for 

 perfect decomposition before planting 

 time, is about the best and safest that 

 can be used. 



Of course there are many qualities 

 even of cow manure, the quality of the 

 feeding material regulating the quality 

 and richness of the manure. Where the 

 feed is g*-ain and hay the quality is the 

 very best but if the grain has first 

 l^assed through the brewery the manure 

 is rank poison to roses, so be careful to 

 use no manure from such a source. 



There is also quite a difference in the 

 way manure has been cared for, the 

 best quality being that which has been 

 kept under cover and not subjected to 

 rains, which wash all the real nutritive 

 properties out of it, leaving nothing but 

 refuse. 



After the pile has been allowed to 

 stand two or three weeks it should be 







chopped in pieces not over-fine and the 

 sod and manure thoroughly incorpo- 

 rated. To get the elements properly 

 cixed, and to prevent weeds from grow- 

 ing, the pile should be turned over every 

 two weeks and this should always be 

 done during bright weather, to prevent 

 caking and to make it mellow. 



When soil is handled in this manner 

 it is a pleasure to plant in it and the 

 young stock gets something congenial to 

 i^tart with and the careful observer will 

 note how quickly it responds by going 

 tr- work at once and keeping it up if 

 the soil is kept in good condition by 

 periodical cultivation, judicious water- 

 ing and care in ventilating. Bibes. 



were appearing in the Eevibw, that these 

 articles were worth more than the dollar 

 which is the cost of a year's subscription. 

 The pamphlet will be sent postpaid to 

 anyone who sends 25 cents with his re- 

 quest 



GRAFTED ROSES. 



The Review has reprinted the articles 

 on ' ' The History and Culture of Grafted 

 Roses for Forcing," by Alex. Montgom- 

 ery, Jr., in neat pamphlet form, fully il- 

 lustrated. This series of connected pa- 

 pers one well-known rose grower charac- 

 terizes as "the most important contri- 

 bution to the modern literature of the 

 rose. ' ' Many readers told us, when they 



A COIL BOItER. 



I was much interested in the query 

 and answer in the issue of February 16 

 with regard to f^ coil boiler. I have 

 heard many floitists belittle that home- 

 made dpyice, but cannot see why. True, 

 you cannot heat a large range of glass 

 with it, but for the small florist it is a 

 boon. I have one myself, made of 2- 

 inch pipe, thirty pieces four and one-half 

 feet long put together with return bends. 

 It works line but I have got to enlarge 

 it to take care of some more glass. This 

 was my own idea and it is all right ex 

 cept that I would like something I could 

 let go from 9 p. m, to 8 a. m. and still 

 have the houses warm. They all tell me 

 to put in 4-inch pine, but that doesn 't 

 quite suit me, for, while it might retain 

 the heat longer, I think the smaller body 

 of water would heat quicker and with 

 less fire. I have found that the smaller 

 the pipes in my coil boiler the hotter the 

 water became. 



Now, this is what I am going to try 

 for next season. I am going to make 

 coils of .five pieces of 1^4 -inch pipe. 

 These coils I am going to set so that the 

 five pipes will stand one above the other 

 and I am going to arrange ten such coils 

 side by side, one inch apart. Each coil 

 will be independent and supply its own 

 flow and return. At the highest point, 

 at the farthest end of the house, all the 

 coils will be connected with the expan- 

 sion tank by a %-inch pipe. Then, if at 

 any time one of these coils should burst, 

 I would lose only the use of two runs 

 of pipe and could flre away on the oth- 

 ers; with any other boiler, if you get a 

 big leak, you might as well go "away 

 back and sit down ! ' ' All this will cost 

 including everything will be about $50 

 and I don't think it will be a coal eat- 

 er, as some call them, for the grate arer 

 needed will be small and the coils will 

 get the full benefit of all the fire. 



E. A. Begalke. 



House of Easter Lilies at Geo. A. Kuhl's, Pekin, III., Photographed Feb. 25. 



