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JVVTC 26, 1906. 



The Weekly Floriste' Review. 



57? 



Scene at the Ettablisbmeat of Bobfoink & Atkins, Rutherford, N. J., Durins the Shipping Season. 



If you shouJd run theln that high in a 

 light soil you would get weak steins 

 and a washy color, and inferior quality 

 all around. The temperatures given are 

 for the night. On cloudy days raise 

 it 6 to 8 degrees and on bright days 

 10 to 12 degrees. Raise the ventilators " 

 to keep from going higher on bright 

 days. A. F. J. Baub. 



CONCRETE VALLS AND BENCHES. 



We are preparing to erect two houses 

 24x120 in connection with our range, 

 and I have about decided to erect con- 

 crete, walls, but before doing so wish 

 to learn your views, with regard to which 

 would be the best, wood or concrete. We 

 .should also like to have your ideas 

 with regard to cement benches. 



C. S. Co. 



I say most decidedly, build the walls 

 of concrete. Concrete is the building 

 material of the present and future. We 

 have heard only one adverse opinion on 

 this subject, that a solid concrete wall 

 sweats in cold weather, and moisture ac- 

 cumulates on the inside surface of the 

 wall. This can be obviated by rein- 

 forcing the wall with hollow bricks. You 

 can purchase them three inches thick 

 and 8x13 and perhaps larger. It will 

 add fifteen or twenty per cent to the 

 cost of the wall, but will strengthen it 

 as well as make it dry and warmer. 

 These so-called hollow bricks or tilffl are 

 used in all modern 8t' o'-fr-'iiie structures, 

 as well as for roofing ai.d partitions be- 

 tween stores. You will, of course, begin 

 using the tiles at the surface of the 

 ground. Below the ground in the founda- 

 tion of the wall they would not be 

 necessary. Place them as nearly as pos- 

 sible in the center of the wall and ver- 

 tically, end on end, so that there is a 

 continuous air space the whole height 

 of the wall to the plate. 



In regard to benches; if for plants, 

 a raised bench is what you want. It 



should have legs of wood and crosspieces 

 of 2x6 and, running leiigthwise, 2x4, 

 with a floor of tiles. This is not an 

 everlasting bench, but if you use pecky 

 cypress and give it a heavy ^'eoat of 

 £enient on your 2x6 and 2x4, it. v^ill last 

 many years. - - - 



If the benches are for roses^ar^ carna- 

 tions, then I should use what may be 

 called a semi-solid bed. Build two little 

 concrete walls for the exterior of the 

 beds, and fill between the walls with 

 any refuse soil you have on the place, 

 or coal ashes. Make this filling solid 

 and flush or even with the top ; of the 

 wall. On this lay a floor of the. hollow 

 tile, with a 2x5 edging of concrete. 

 Here you have a bed of perfect drainage, 

 everlasting, and no more expensive than 

 2x6 plank, and if you don't grow good 

 roses, carnations or mums it will not be 

 the fault of the bed. I have had no ex- 

 perience with an all-cement bed or bench. 



The small concrete walls for the ex- 

 terior of the beds can be any dimensions 

 you choose, but four inches at the base, 

 tapering to two inches at the top, and 

 twelve inches high, will be ample. This 

 height, with the S-inch tile and four or 

 five inches of soil, will bring your plants 

 to a good working height. As for the ex- 

 terior walls of the greenhouse, they 

 should not be less than six inches thick, 

 and eight inches would be better. This 

 would allow two inches of concrete on 

 both sides of the hollow tile. W. S. 



SPOTS ON LAWNS. 



What is the best course to pursue 

 where spots in the lawn turn brown, 

 the grass and clover dying and large 

 white grubs being found underneath? 

 On taking up the sod, it comes up in 

 sheets, showing that the matted turf 

 has but little connection with the soil 

 below, the connecting roots being eaten 

 off. W. C. E. 



The larva; of the May beetle or June 



bug are the cause of the lawns dying 

 out in the manner described. We have- 

 periodical attacks of this destructive 

 pest in the east, usually at intervals of 

 seven or eight years, and during hot, 

 dry weather. Last June a large part 

 of our lawns was ruined, and hundreds 

 of acres of lawns and pasture lands 

 in this section had to be plowed and 

 reseeded. 



The presence of numbers of robins on 

 the lawns is a sure indication of the 

 presence of this pest. These birds are 

 fond of the larvse, and if a part of the 

 lawns affected can be turned up every 

 few days, the robins will devour large 

 numbers of them. Hand picking may 

 be resorted to, but it is slow and 

 tedious; if the area is not too great 

 it will pay to adopt the follow- 

 ing plan: We recommend the ap- 

 plication to the whole lawn next 

 spring of a fertilizer composed of 500 

 pounds of kainite and 200 pounds of 

 nitrate of soda, this amount applied to 

 an acre. It has been found to make 

 the soil distasteful to the pests. 



Reseeding should be done about Sep- 

 tember 1. Previously give the ground 

 an application of air-slaked lime at the 

 rate of 200 pounds per acre, and rake 

 it in. Avoid cow manure for la^n en- 

 richment, as it is usually swarming with 

 the pest. Pulverized sheep manure or 

 well rotted horse manure are preferable, 

 or use bone or wood ashes. The attacks 

 of this pest are only to be feared when 

 lawns are suffering from drought. The 

 larva; then eat all grass roots away, until 

 the turf can be rolled up like a carpet. 



W. N. C. 



Rome, N. Y. — W. R. Hughes suffered 

 a loss of $150 by fire July 14. He had 

 been fumigating with tobacco. 



Canon City, Colo.— E. R. Bess in- 

 tends to build an addition to his present 

 plant this fall. The new building will 

 be 25x150 feet. 



