February 22, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



921 



PERMANENT BENCHES. 



Because of the very great interest 

 now felt in the matter of more enduring 

 bench construction, the following de- 

 scription of the benches lately built by 

 the George Wittbold Co., Chicago, will 

 be particularly valuable. The Wittbold 

 Co. has had the experience common to 

 all growers who have used wooden tables. 

 They have suffered the annoyancos of 

 break-downs where rebuilding was too 

 long postponed and have been compelled 

 to devote precious time to rebuilding at 

 busy seasons. They have figured the 

 expense of renewing wooden benches 

 every three or four years and have ex- 

 perimented with various styles of more 

 enduring construction, with the result 

 that all benches now being built are 

 built as follows: 



Vitrified drain tiles are used for sup- 

 ports, set in concrete. A temporary 

 board bottom is built on these, of any 

 light material that may be available. 

 Sheet-iron sides seven inches high are 

 used, but wood would serve with occa- 

 sional renewals. The side pieces are 

 fastened in position by %-inch tie rods 

 every two feet. These have lock nuts. 

 Over the tie rods chicken wire is placed. 

 Then an inch or a little more of cement 

 is worked in, to surround the wire and 

 rods, making a solid bottom and protect- 

 ing rods and wire from rust. To pro- 

 vide drainage holes are punched with a 

 chisel before the cement has set. These 

 should be scattered irregularly, but not 

 more than six or eight inches apart. 

 When the cement has set the temporary 

 flooring is knocked away, permitting the 

 bench to settle into its permanent place 

 on the tiles. 



Louis Wittbold figures out the cost of 

 such a bench, 5^x100 feet, 550 square 

 feet, as follows: 



Cement, 22 bags @ 40c $ S.SO 



Sand .'J.OO 



Chicken wire 4.<)0 



Iron for side , . . . 15.<H) 



Cross rods, 5<) @ 5c 2.50 



Tiles for posts, 75 @ 12c 9.00 



Total $42..'?0 



This is at a very small fraction above 

 7^2 cents per square foot, not counting 

 labor, which is only a little more than 

 is required to built one wooden bench 

 and not nearly so much as is expended 

 on wooden tables in the course of a few 

 years. For another thing, these cement 

 tables are smooth-bottomed and easy to 

 empty. 



TO GROW VIOLETS. 



I have read your notes on the violets 

 and I now take the liberty of writing 

 for a little information and advice. I 

 have an even -span house running east and 

 west, 10x100 feet, seven feet high, heat- 

 ed by steam, ample roof ventilation for 

 carnations, etc. Air is always dry; by 

 that I mean never close and muggy. I 

 have been considering putting the house 

 to violets on beds or border, about 

 twelve inches high. What variety would 

 you suggest for planting such a house? 



Cement Bench in Course of Construction at Wittbold's, Chicago. 



Would want some single and balance, 

 about 1,000 plants, of doubles. I want 

 the best and finest bloomers and variety 

 most sought, fragrance and keeping 

 qualities to be taken into consideration. 

 Could give them careful attention. My 

 soil is of clayey make-up in which my 

 roses do most beautifully. There are no 

 violets grown about here, to speak of. 

 Any suggestions or information you may 

 see fit to impart will be appreciated. 



H. M. H. 



H. M. H. has sent a query covering 

 ground that may be of interest to others 

 in planning for next season's campaign, 

 so I will answer through this depart- 

 ment for the benefit of those that may be 

 similarly situated and yet wondering if 

 it is best to make a change. 



While houses running north and south 

 are generally conceded to be the best for 

 growing violets, still, if the east and 

 west house was all that we could use 

 for them we should not liesitate to gi%e 

 it a trial. The ventilation and shading 

 will require closer attention than the 

 other houses would, but, with the care 

 you can give them, 1 see no reason why 

 you should not be fairly successful. If 

 the house is seven feet high, I suppose 

 the walls are about three or four feet. 

 You suggest having the beds or borders 

 about one foot high. This, I think, 

 would be rather low, as the violets like 

 to be near the glass and, if I could, I 

 should have them as close as a foot 

 from the glass. As to using benches or 

 borders, much- depends on local circum- 

 stances. As your soil is heavy or clayey, 

 if you make a solid border for them, 

 which we always prefer, care should be 

 taken to provide ample drainage in the 

 liottom of same, else in the dark, cloudy 

 days of winter you will not be able to 

 j)roperly dry out the soil between the 

 waterings without employing more heat 

 than is good for them and which you 

 will be likely to do if you have the house 

 piped for carnations and are using 

 steam. You will want valves enough in 

 the coils so that you can keep the tem- 

 j)erature low. 



As to the varieties to plant, there are 

 two considerations that will nearly al- 

 ways settle that question, an<l these are: 

 First, what your trade calls for; an<l 

 second, what variety takes to your soil 



! and treatment most kindly. For real 

 beauty and fragrance, when properly 

 grown, the Marie Louise type stands at 

 the head. When you can, get good stock 

 of the Farquhar; this is an improved 



, Marie Louise and all right aside from 

 its tendency to throw " bullheads" at 

 certain times; hut if you find you ean- 



} not succeed with these two kinds, or 

 your house is rather warm for them, then 

 the chances are that the Lady Hume 

 Campbell will succeed. This is' a beau- 

 tiful violet when well grown and exceed- 

 ingly fragrant, its only drawback being 

 its lighter color which absolutely kills it 

 if mixed with the others, the contrast 



i making it look as if faded. As a pot- 

 plant for p:aster and such times it is 

 without a rival; therefore, if just com- 



' mencing to grow violets, give all kinds 

 an equal show, both single and double. 

 A year or two will prove which kinds 

 Avill succeed with you and which vour 

 customers desire and that will naturally 



i determine what you will then settle 

 down to growing for a regular thing. 



Now, as regards the stock, be sure vou 

 purchase only thoroughly clean, heafthv 

 stock; preferably from "a locality north 

 of you. for as a rule stock taken from 

 a iioint north and carrie<l south does 

 better than stock taken from the south 

 to the north. If possible, go and see 

 the stock before purchasing it, for poor 

 stock is money thrown away. 



I R. E. Shuphei.t. 



Montevideo. AIinx.— F. C. Shardlow 



, is planning to build two houses 2l'x80 



here this spring, with heating equipment 



for twice as much glass and opportunity 



for quadrupling the area. 



South. Bethlehem, Pa. — John P. 

 Schmidt, an old citizen and well-known 

 florist, died recently after an illness of 

 four months. Mr. Schmidt was nearly 

 82 years old. He was born in Germanv. 



