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JULT 27, 1905. 



The Weekly Horists^ Review* 



507 



Louis 'Wittbold's Mechanical Sprinkler at the George Wittbold Place, Chicago. 



MECHANICAL WATERING. 



The decompanying illustration shows 

 the best photograph yet secured of 

 Louis Wittbold 's mechanical watering 

 device, which is just now attracting a 

 great deal of attention and calling many 

 visitors to the George Wittbold estab- 

 lishment in Chicago, where all the houses 

 are equipped with it and where this pic- 

 ture was made. It is difficult to make 

 a photograph which shows the sprinkler 

 in operation, as it throws the water in a 

 very thin sheet which the camera fails 

 to catch. The main pipe is inconspicu- 

 ous and is placed either on the surface of 

 the bed or on the rafters. The nozzles are 

 three or more feet apart and throw 

 streams so flattened that they unite and 

 make a solid sheet of water. The oper- 

 ator, who appears ^t the far end in the 

 picture, turns on the water at all noz- 

 zles at once by simply throwing a lever; 

 then by means of a swivel he directs the 

 stream where he wants it, from one side 

 of the bed to the other, or as he will. 

 It is possible to wet both sides of the 

 bench and not the middle if so desired 

 and the work can be done very quickly. 

 A place where the sprinkler is especially 

 useful is above a line of plant baskets 

 hung from the roof. 



FROM WESTERN PRAIRIES. 



I send by this mail a flower I would 

 like named. I found it growing in a 

 rich creek bottom. It is evidently a 

 sunflower. It is a perennial and is a 

 grand plant, both in flower and foliage. 

 The latter is so large and luxuriant, a 

 group of the plants have a tropical ef- 

 fect. It grows readily from seed and 

 is a grand thing, much finer than many 

 of the named varieties of helianthus 

 now grown. It grows six feet high and 

 over. Notice the cup formed by the 

 loaves around the stalk. The cups 

 thus formed by the lower and largest 

 leaves will hold two or three table- 

 spoonsful of water. These leaves are 

 twelve to fourteen inches long and 

 eight to ten inches wide. S. J. G. 



The plant is Silphium perfoliatum, 

 sometimes called the cup plant. There 

 are several other silphiums, S. terebin- 

 thinaceum and S. laciniatum being culti- 

 vated quite freely in the eastern states. 

 All the members of this genus are na- 

 tives of the United States. W. N. C. 



Menominie, Wis. — Joseph Wolf is re- 

 JTioving his greenhouses to this place, 

 from Sparta, Wis. He will have two 

 houses 18x100 and has good prospects for 

 husihess. 



ST. LOUIS. 



The Market. 



The past week was perhaps the dullest 

 of the season. Business is quiet all over 

 the city. Even the occasional funeral 

 order was lost sight of last week. The 

 death rate is very small and we can con- 

 sole ourselves that we have a healthy city. 

 The retailers and wholesalers are having 

 easy times just now. The growers, on 

 the other hand^ are very busy dumping 

 old stock, replanting, building and paint- 

 ing. The stock that is coming to the 

 commission men each morning is only 

 fair; fancy is limited in all varieties. 



Asters are coming in quite heavily, the 

 bulk of them very good. White and pur- 

 ple seem to sell the best. As they are 

 good keepers, the stores are buying 

 quite heavily. 



In roses the supply is good, also in 

 quality. Miss BeUe Miller, of Spring- 

 field, has about the best that come to 

 this market. Carnations sell well when 

 fancy. Of these only a limited number 

 come in. Sweet peas are very poor and 

 sell slowly. Tuberose stalks sell fairly 

 well. Gladioli are becoming a glut at 

 $3 per hundred. Other outdoor stock 

 sells slowly. 



Club Outing. 



Had Mr. .1. Pluvius behaved on July 

 20, the Florists' Club would have had a 

 great time. As it was the rain kept 

 many away. The morning party num- 

 bered only thirty-five and the afternoon 

 delegation about as many. Those who 

 came had a fine time, thanks to the ar- 

 rangements of our trustees. Mellen- 

 brock's Grove is situated on the east 

 side and a better location for a good 

 time could not be found. A strange co- 

 incidence was the absence of all the offi- 

 cers, as neither President Juengel, Vice- 

 president Pilcher, Secretary Schray, nor 

 Treasurer Meinhardt could be found on 

 the grounds. Messrs. Guy, Ammann and 

 Fillmore did their work well. The games, 

 which took place in the dancing pavilion 

 on account of the wet grounds, and the 

 big fish fry were the features of the day. 

 The first event was a nail-driving con- 

 test in which twelve young ladies took 

 part and furnished lots of sport for the 

 crowd. Miss Reeb, who came with Ar- 

 thur Jablonsky, was declared the winner. 



The next event created much amuse- 

 ment among the growers, a pot-break- 

 ing contest. This was for married ladies 

 only. There were about fifteen entries 

 and Mrs. Braun, wife of Foreman 

 Braun, at Jablonsky 's, proved the best 

 pot-breaker, Mrs. Klockenkemper coming 



in second. 'fHie race for boys under 12 

 years was won by Phoenix Jablonsky ; for 

 boys of 14, by John Bentzen; young 

 men's race, by Arthur Jablonsky; little 

 girl's race. Angle Ammann; girls of 

 12, Alice Music. The rain had let up 

 a little and the younger folks indulged 

 in dancing, boating, bowling and other 

 amuseements, of which there were plenty 

 of all kinds on the grounds. 



Picnic Notes. 



Fred Ammann was here, there and 

 everywhere and saw that Edwardsville 's 

 record for hospitality was sustained. 



When Chairman Guy called for volun- 

 teers during lunch hour, your correspon- 

 dent was the first man over the fence. 

 Another record for us. 



A voice calling for help in the even- 

 ing near the lake proved to be that of 

 "Bill" Adels. He was quickly pulled 

 out. 



Rude Windt, the official photographer, 

 was on hand but the rain spoiled his 

 plans. 



Henry Emunds was the biggest man on 

 the grounds. John Steidel, the pride of 

 Central, was Mr. Emunds' physical oppo- 

 site. 



Frank Fillmore's undress uniform 

 looked cool and comfortable whether he 

 really was or not. 



Henry Lohrenz and A. G. Bentzen are 

 now regularly affiliated bowling bugs. 



As the last of the crowd was leaving 

 the grounds the sweet singersjzot busy 

 and some one turned in a riot #lul. 



We were glad to see our olB friend, 

 Julius Koenig. He was ono^s b promi- 

 nent member of the club Jtiod may be 

 again. X 



George Angermueller "studk for the 

 big show" but passed up the flying 

 Dutchman. 



Fred and Herman Weber looked lost 

 without mamma and papa, but then the 

 old folks are on the other side of the 

 big pond. 



Various Notes. 



W. J. Pilcher, the well known grower 

 at Kirkwood, has formed a partnership 

 with E. Burrows, to be knows as Pilcher 

 & Burrows, brokers in florists' supplies, 

 with offices at 717 North Fourth street. 

 They expect to do a large trade over a 

 wide section of the country, buying or 

 selling anything a florist uses. 



John Kalisch has returned from his 

 trip to Portland and speaks highly of 

 the exposition. Ed Kalisch, his brother, 

 and wife will leave next week for an ex- 

 tended trip east by the way of Buffalo 

 and will meet the St. Louis delegation at 

 Washington. 



