778 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Febbuaby 8, 1006. 



ten years. The flowers of this plant are 

 perfect from a botanical point of view, 

 and thus a single plant may produce a 

 crop of seeds. W. H. T. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



The Chicago lettuce growers have had 

 the best season to date in many years. 

 Prices have been unusually good, one au- 

 thority says largely because of the mild 

 weather which has permitted safe ship- 

 ment. 



VEGETABLE MARKETS. 



Chicago, February 7. — Cucumbers, 50c 

 to $1.75 doz.; leaf lettuce, 4Uc to 50c 

 case; head lettuce, $3 to $ll2 bbl.; to- 

 matoes, $1.25 to $3.50 case. 



Boston, February 5. — Cucumbers, $5 

 to $15 a box; lettuce 25c to 75c doz.; 

 tomatoes, 50c lb.; parsley, $1.25 to $1.50 

 box; mushrooms, $2 to $3 per four- 

 pound basket; mint, 75c doz. 



New York, February 5. — Boston cu- 

 cumbers, $1.25 to $1.75 doz.; head let- 

 tuce, 35c to 90c doz. ; radishes, $2 to 

 $2.75 100 bunches; mushrooms, 10c to 

 •60c lb.; tomatoes, 15c to 40c lb.; rhu- 

 barb, 46c to 60c doz. bunches; mint, 75c 

 doz. 



LETTUCE. 



Planting in Cold Frames. 



The time that lettuce plants can safely 

 be planted in cold frames depends a good 

 deal on the season, but, as a rule, after 

 the middle of February is past, they can 

 be carried through if proper attention is 

 given to covering up at night. After 

 the time just mentioned the strength of 

 the sun's rays is sufficient to so warm 

 up the soil under the sash that enough 

 can be retained to keep the plants quite 

 comfortable over night, if the sashes 

 are closed early and su^iicient covering 

 put over them to prevent the cold from 

 penetrating. Before trusting the plants 

 in the com frames it is very important 

 that they be well hardened off, as, if 

 put out in too soft a state, they are sure 

 to suffer from the sudden change. They 

 should be kept in a temperature of about 

 40 degrees for at least a week previous 

 to setting in the frames and in these 

 they should be allowed to stand for a 

 few days in the flats so as to get clima- 

 tize-x before planting out. 



Previous to planting out the soil in 

 the frames should be well forked up and 

 a liberal dressing of well rotted barn- 

 yard manure worked into it. So that the 

 soil will be warmed as well as possi- 

 ble the Sashes should be left closed all 

 day and covered up at night for a few 

 nights, at least, before planting takes 

 place. Handled thus it is usually possi- 

 ble to get a nice early crop of lettuce 

 irom the cold frames. It is not always 

 possible to accomplish this, as the 

 weather is sometimes quite severe up to 

 the beginning of March and sometimes 

 later, but that is the exception, not the 

 rule, and cold snaps at that season are 

 usually of short duration. The mild 

 spells intenening give a chance to get 

 the soil thawed out and warm enough for 

 planting under sash. When it can be 

 done it is a great advantage, as it not 

 only relieves the congestion in the green- 

 houses where every inch of available 



space is needed during the spring 

 months, but better lettuce can be pro- 

 duced in the cold frames than can be 

 grown in the most up-to-date greenhouse, 

 the atmosphere and surroundings being 

 much more to their taste. 



Varieties for Frames. 



As to variety for planting thus early 

 we prefer Boston Market, as it is about 

 the hardiest of the family. It hearts up 

 well and makes a very showy lettuce 

 when finished, besides being equal to any 

 in quality. Big Boston is another very 

 desirable variety; it is larger growing 

 than the former, but, being softer, is 

 not so suitable for very early work. For 

 second planting it is just the thing as it 

 makes a beautiful head, is first class in 

 quality and can be depended on to com- 

 mand the highest price in the market. 

 Its softness, however, • renders it not 

 quite so good for shipping a long dis- 

 tance as Boston Market, but where the 

 market is not too far away there should 

 be no trouble in getting it there in prime 

 condition. ~ W. S. Croydon. 



Greenhonse Beating. 



TO CLEAN HOT VATER PIPES. 



We have three houses heated by hot 

 water. The pipes have been run for 

 fifteen years and I do not think we can 

 get the heat from them that we could 

 when they were new. Is there any way 

 we could clean the pipes without hurting 

 the boiler so they would give out more 

 heat? W. L. S. 



There are a number of boiler com- 

 pounds upon the mark^ which might be 

 used with good resulW^in this instance. 

 If it were possible to disconnect the 

 pipes from the boiler and thoroughly 

 flush them with a high pressure hose all 

 mud and loose scale would be removed. 

 The boiler should also be flushed and 

 frequently blown off. Pure cone molas- 

 ses used in small quantities with the 

 feed water will remove and prevent the 

 formation of scale in the pipes and 

 boiler. L. C. C. 



STEAM OR HOT WATER. 



Kindly give me capacity of boiler, 

 steam and hot water, required to heat 

 a plant of four houses, 105 feet long, 

 sixteen feet wide, even span, ten feet to 

 ridge; two lean-to houses the same 

 length and a propagating house, facing 

 north three-quarter span, 18x35 feet, 

 twelve feet to ridge. Also best way to 

 pipe for steam and hot water to main- 

 tain a temperature of 54 degrees to 60 

 degrees in 10 degrees to 15 degrees be- 

 low weather. Would steam or hot water 

 be most economical? Might possibly 

 double establishment in a few years. 

 F. A. W. 



If these houses are to be heated with 

 hot water, a boiler with sufficient capac- 

 ity to carry 3,000 square feet of radiation 

 will be none too large. A boiler with 

 about 400 square feet of heating surface 

 should be sufficient. With hot water 

 each of the 16-foot houses can be piped 

 with a 2^^ -inch flow under the ridge to 

 the far end of the house, the highest 

 point in the system to be at the far end of 

 the house. There the flow may be 

 divided by 2-inch pipes to supply a coil 

 under each side bench as well as the 



center bench. If 2-inch pipe is used in 

 these coils, three pipes in each coil be- 

 neath each of the three benches, nine 

 pipes in all, it will supply sufficient 

 radiation to maintain a temperature of 

 60 degrees in the house. The lean-to 

 houses should carry a 2-inch flow and five 

 2-inch returns, three of these to be 

 placed under the bench next to the ex- 

 posed wall. 



A steam system can be installed with 

 slightly less expense. The boiler should 

 not be smaller, but the less expensive 

 pipe used with steam will cut down the 

 first cost somewhat. Each of the 16- 

 foot houses should have a 2-inch flow, 

 returning by ten 1%-inch returns and 

 the lean-to houses sh,ould have a 2-inch 

 flow, returning by six 1^4 -inch returns. 

 With steam the highest point in the sys- 

 tem should be as near as possible to the 

 boiler. Directly over it is ideal, with 

 all risers and returns so graded as to 

 cause the water from condensation to 

 pass through the system and reach the 

 boiler via the returns. 



Steam requires more attention than 

 hot water. The cost of labor in one is 

 an offset for cost in installation in the 

 other. Each man must consider for him- 

 self which, under his conditions, he will 

 choose. L. C. C. 



SHOULD HAVE SINGLE SYSTEM. 



. We would appreciate it if you would 

 tell us how best to arrange the heating 

 pipes for greenhouses as described. We 

 have ten houses and an office. Houses 

 Nos. 4, 5 and 6 extend north and south 

 and are, respectively, 22x110 feet, 11 

 feet to ridge, 12x110 feet, 8 feet to 

 ridge, and 16x45 feet, 8 feet to ridge. 

 House No. 2 is a boiler cellar where an 

 upright steam boiler is located. This 

 house extends across the north end of No. 

 4 and No. 5. No. 3 is a boiler cellar 

 where are located one Kroeschell hot 

 water and one small Wilks hot water. It 

 adjoins No. 2 on the west. No. 7 is a propa- 

 gating pit extending 57 feet west from 

 No. 3 and is six feet wiue and six feet to 

 ridge. Houses Nos. 8, 9 and 10 extend 

 west from No. 5, parallel with No. 7. 

 Their dimensions are, respectively, ISx 

 78 feet, nine feet to ridge, 10x78 feet, 

 ten feet to ridge, and 10x78 feet, ten feet 

 to ridge. No. 11 is a lean-to, 6x78 feet, 

 seven feet to ridge. It adjoins and paral- 

 lels No. 10, extending west from house 

 No. 5. The office is at the northeast 

 corner of house No. 5. There is no par- 

 tition between No. 4 and No. 5, between 

 No. 5 and No. 6, nor between Nob 8 and 

 No. 9 and between No. 10 and No. 11. 

 Nos. 4, 5 and 6 are to be heated with 

 steam at low pressure; we would also 

 like to have a steam radiator in the of- 

 fice. Nos. 7 and 8 are to be heated with 

 hot water from a Wilks boiler; Nos. 9, 

 10 and 11 also with hot water from a 

 Kroeschell boiler. 



We have plenty of 2-inch pipe on hand 

 and also a few 2^-inch which we would 

 like to use. Houses Nos. 10 and 11 we 

 wish to pipe for a night temperature of 

 56 degrees and the balance to a tempera- 

 ture of 52 degrees to 55 degrees zero 

 weather. We are intending to do all of 

 the plumbing and steamfitting ourselves 

 and would like to get particulars in de- 

 tail. M. F. C. 



Before answering your questions I wish 

 to call your attention to a condition 

 which I am sure you will later have deep 

 cause to regret. With a plant as large 

 as the one you have it is unwise to run 



