May 24, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



J7 



put these sections together when desired, 

 making practically a perfect-looking piece 

 again. As the top and bottom sections 

 are numbered to correspond, the same 

 sections can always be mated, and thus 

 a perfect joint is secured. 



The support of the enclosed pipes is 

 accomplished by supporting tee-sections, 

 which are placed in the line of conduit 

 from twelve to eighteen feet apart, de- 

 pending upon the size of pipes enclosed. 

 This supporting tee-section is placed 

 firmly on a bed of concrete, which is car- 

 ried up into the supporting tee-section, 

 the concrete holding the metal roll frame 

 carrying the rods and rolls upon which 

 the pipes rest. Thus the entire weight 

 of the pipes and their contents is en- 

 tirely independent of the conduit itself, 

 and it is so firm as to permit of any 

 required weight and movement of the 

 pipes without any injury to the conduit. 



The conduit with supporting tees and 

 roll frames is laid section by section un- 

 til a line is completed, and then the pipes 

 are put in place and tested, after which 

 the insulation may be applied. This in- 

 sulation may be of either the sectional 

 pipe covering form, or what is more 

 used and recommended is the "asbesto- 

 sponge" conduit filling, with which the 

 entire remaining space in the conduit 

 about the pipes is filled. 



It is customary to place under this con- 

 duit an underdrain to remove the surplus 

 water, which would otherwise lie against 

 the conduit and absorb the heat. 



Certain features of this conduit are 

 especially meritorious. The simplicity of 

 the system is due to its few parts. The 

 pipes may be installed more easily in this 

 conduit than in other forms of conduit, 

 and the insulation may be applied more 

 easily, while the pipes can be reached for 

 the purpose of repairing, if desired, as 

 easily as any other form of conduit, ex- 

 cept possibly the large tunnels, which 

 are usually prohibitive on account of the 

 cost. 



The conduit is water, fire and acid 

 proof; the conduit itself being inde- 

 structible, and no opening of the joints 

 is caused by movement or weight of the 

 pipes on account of the form of support 

 provided. 



Careful tests have been made to deter- 

 mine the loss of heat in transmitting 

 steam underground in this form of con- 

 duit. The most recent test, which was 

 made by Geo. H. Barrus, expert and 

 consulting engineer, of iioston, has shown 

 that the loss of heat was less than that 

 usually found in pipes installed in build- 

 ings with the best commercial grades of 

 sectional pipe covering, which would 

 seem the most satisfactory in view of the 

 fact that the pipes installed underground 

 are placed in a more difficult position, 

 because of the amount of water in the 

 ground, and the lower temperature of the 

 ground. 



The details as to this new method of 

 conserving heat are from data supplieu 

 by the H. W. Johns-Manville Co., who 

 have done much for the economy of flo- 

 rists ' fuel and who have published a neat 

 illustrated booklet on the system here de- 

 scribed. 



The Review will send Herrington's 

 Chrysanthemum Book on receipt of 50 

 cents. 



Sedalia, Mo.— Charles A. Pfeiffer 

 says that a month of dry weather has 

 interfered with spring trade to the ex- 

 tent that he finds himself with a surplus 

 of exceptionally good bedding plants for 

 which there is no local demand. 



Budlong's Gasoline Soil Pulverizer. 



BUDLONCS SOIL CRUSHER. 



To the large growers for the Chicago 

 market the question of a supply of soil 

 is of importance second only to the coal 

 supply, and entailing almost an equal 

 amount of work. When a grower has 

 anywhere from 100,000 to 1,000,000 

 square feet of bench surface and must 

 bring his soil from a considerable dis- 

 tance, it means hard work and expensive 

 work. 



Most of the big growers north of Chi- 

 cago go a considerable distance for their 

 soil, and when they get it it is not always 

 in .the mechanical condition they would 

 like. To remedy this defect A. H. Bud- 

 long, who manages the growing end of 

 the J. A. Budlong business, has built 

 the machine shown in the accompanying 

 illustration. It is mounted on a low 

 wagon, so that it may be moved from 

 place to place. The apparatus is set up 

 at the source of soil supply, instead of 

 at the greenhouse, as is the usual cus- 

 tom. The soil from the field is thrown 

 upon the first conveyer, which carries it 

 in a never-ending stream up to the 

 crusher and pulverizer, which rests on 

 the wagon. Here it passes downward 

 through the rollers and is put into the 

 right mechanical shape. Falling upon 

 the second conveyer, it is elevated and 

 drawn into the waiting wagon without 

 further handling by shovel. Mr. Bud- 

 long operates his soil crusher with gaso- 

 line engine power, also mounted on the 

 wagon, and finds in it a very great sav- 

 ing over other methods of working his 

 compost, to say nothing of accomplish- 

 ing the desired result with the expedi- 

 tion essential where a large amount of 

 material must be handled in a short 

 time. 



Tewksbury, Mass. — Work is progres- 

 sing rapidly on Albert Eoper's new 

 greenhouse. 



HiLLSBORO, III. — F. C. Winkelmaun 

 reports a very late spring, but says that 

 for the past three weeks he has had 

 the largest demand for all kinds of 

 plants experienced in his many years of 

 gardening. 



South Bend, Ind. — The South Bend 

 Floral Co. reports that this has been the 

 most successful spring that it has had 

 since it began business. The fact that 

 it has just broken ground for an addi- 

 tion of 20,000 feet of glass shows what 

 it thinks of the future. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



VEGETABLE MARKETS. 



Chicago, May 22. — Cucumbers, 40c to 

 75c doz. ; lettuce, heads, 50c to $1 case; 

 leaf, 30c case. 



Boston, May 21. — Lettuce, 25c to 75c 

 box; mushrooms, $1.50 to $3.50 4-lb. 

 basket; bunch turnips, $1 to $1.25 doz.; 

 bunch beets, $1.75 to $2 doz.; tomatoes, 

 lOe to 15c lb.; cucumbers, $2 to $4 box. 



New York, May 20. — Cucumbers, Bos- 

 ton No. 1, $4 to $5 box; Boston No. 2, 

 $2 to $2.50 box; Charleston, $4 basket; 

 cauliflower, $2 to $5 doz,; lettuce, 50c 

 to $1 doz. ; Mushrooms, 15c to 75c lb. ; 

 radishes, 50c to 75c 100 bunches; rhu- 

 barb, 50c to 75c 100 bunches; tomatoei, 

 10c to 15c lb. 



FORQNG LETTUCE. 



More failures in growing lettuce under 

 glass can be traced to unsuitable soil 

 than any other one cause. A good soil for 

 lettuce should be a rich, mellow turfy 

 loam and of a somewhat sandy character. 

 Head lettuce requires a lighter soil than 

 the loose or leafy varieties. All heavy 

 clay soils should be avoided. A good 

 compost for lettuce is composed of three 

 parts of well-rotted sod mixed with one 

 part of thoroughly rotted cow or stable 

 manure and enough sand to make it 

 gritty. 



As to beds, lettuce can best be grown 

 in solid beds because the moisture can 

 be maintained more uniformly at the 

 roots, also the temperature of the bed 

 is always cool. Where benches only are 

 available we must make the best of it. 

 To grow the first crop, or that which 

 comes into maturity about Thanksgiving, 

 will take from eight to ten weeks. The 

 crop that comes in about midwinter re- 

 quires two to four weeks longer. If 

 more houses than one are to be planted, 

 various sowings must be made accord- 

 ingly to keep up a steady supply. Make 

 a sowing every ten days or two weeks. 



The most profitable variety to grow 

 will depend entirely on the market avail- 

 able. It is difficult to give advice as to 

 the best varieties, as conditions vary 

 widely in different sections of the coun- 

 try. If head lettuce is required I think 

 Boston Market still holds its own. If 

 loose or leafy lettuce is wanted, Grand 



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