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The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



1709 



Establishment of J. J, Nussbaumer, San Angelo, Tex. 



put in tliese beds, which -vvc now use 

 exclusively. Many larj^e jjrowers have 

 ndopted them in the last few years and 

 « ach season adds new converts to this 

 •■-lyle of bed. 



It has been arj;ued tiiat these l>eds will 

 not jjive as heavy cuts as the raised 

 lieiich durinjf winter, but we do not find 

 it so. We find that, as with the raised 

 hencli, the midwinter cut depends laryely 

 iiii the way tlu,' plants <fet away after 

 |i]antin<; in tlie fall. After the ))lants 

 itoconie established tiieir natural tendency 

 is to shoot u\> and bloom and it will take 

 no lonj^er for them to throw the bud on 

 these beds than (ui the bench. The old 

 idea that the idants are benefited by 

 liavinj^ air under the roots is disjiroven, 

 in my estimation. The harm done the 

 plants during warm weather outweighs 

 all the good that could |)Ossibly result 

 from it. The only good feature you can 

 lind in the raised bench is in the fact 

 that being shallow facilitates drying out 

 during dark, damp weathei'. That is 

 what primarily led up to the adoption of 

 That kind of bench. Certainly it is a 

 great imjirovement over the still older 

 method of solid bed without drainage, 

 for certain crops at least. 



Kiglit here let me remind you that I know 

 "t no class who are greater imitators than 

 the growers of flowers and plants. You 

 go to a successful grower 's place and see 

 a fine lot of stock and straightway you 

 conclude that his method of culture is 

 the only correct one, and when you get 

 home you do your very best to imitate 

 !iim and to duplicate his success. If he 

 plants on solid beds you will tear out 

 vour benches and plant on solid beds. If 

 ins houses are built with the short span 

 'o the south, your next houses will be 

 '■nilt the same way. If he taboos com- 

 iiiorcial fertilizers you will cut them out 



T.JO. 



A wise growi-r many years ago found 

 'liat the ficipHMit syringing that was 

 Mcessary to koo]> his roses free from 

 -I'ider h;id :\ titideiiey to keep his roses 

 "0 wer ;ind Ik' I'oneeived the idea that a 

 •lised beneli whieh would allow evapora- 

 lon at top and bottom would facilitate 

 iT-ying out the soil. It worked wonders, 

 '■* we all know, and so because it worked 

 veil on the rt)ses, he adopted it alto- 

 gether, oilier growers seeing his suc- 

 •ess, of course followed suit. That was 

 4oing from one extreme to the other, 

 vhieh is so often done in trying to im- 

 prove upon methods of growing. \Vhile 

 '^ <liu improve the roses most wonder- 

 "^''v, I do not know how much it may 

 ..ave helped to improve carnations. But 

 ■''s they sjTinged carnations more fre- 



(piently those days than we do now, it 

 may have helped them some also. How- 

 ever, in cases where little or no water 

 reaches the soil except what is inten<led, 

 there can be no benelit from this more 

 ra[pid evaporation. Hvery ])lant ot this 

 character likes good drainage that will 

 allow all excessi\e moisture to drain off 

 ami when you jirovide that, you lia\e 

 I'roduced the ideal condition. 



It is Tiot necessary that the soil lifcume 

 dry and recjuire water every so often, so 

 long as it does not become excessively 

 moist. When you water, you water that 

 which needs it to keep the soil in siuh 

 condiiion as you know is ideal, not be- 

 (■ause it is so many days or hours since 

 you watered List. Whether a day or a 

 week or two weeks pass betwfeu water- 

 ing matters not, so long as ther<' has 

 been no excessive ilryuess. In fact you 

 will find that the less frequently you 

 lind it necessary to water, the more 

 evenly the soil will keep, and the better 

 the plants will like it. During the [)ast 

 winter we have had a good examide. 



Last summer we built a new house over 

 ]ilants that were set right in the ground, 

 which was laid out in beds five feet wide. 

 These ])lants were not moved at all ami 

 without any extra drainage except a well 



drained sandy loam, thev 



ia\e lilooiiied 

 was no let-up 



freely all winter, and therf 

 during the winter months. (Jur very 

 finest bl(»oms were," cut from tliese plants. 

 To facilitate the work, however, we will 

 l>ut in beds this summer, as we h.ave in 

 the other houses. 



The cost of cdiisii-uct ion is \ci'y nnich 

 lower on this style of l.eds than on the 

 r.aised beds, wliich js still more noticealde 

 when you consi.lrr the greater perm.a- 

 nencv of tiiese ]..i|s. This, lic.wcver. 



shiiuld hardly lie taken into considera- 

 tinn. It is the style of bed that will 

 pindiice the largest numlx'i' and the high- 

 est i^i'ade ot' hlnoins that you want to put 

 in. If we were not con\ inced that with 

 llnse beds we se<aii-e at least as large 

 cuts and at least as lii;ili a yi'ade of 

 lil'ioms, we cei-iain!y wciuld not luuemade 

 the change. It wcmhl not take long to 

 hiM' inure than the dilVeriMice in the cost 

 nf c(iast ruct ion. 



r do not know whether the differences 

 in tin.' (dimate in j-lngland will have any 

 etVect on tliese beds, but 1 hardly think 

 ii Would. It is not many years since car- 

 natidiis were grown entirely in ]iots in 

 l-Ji^laml, and no doulit yon will (iml the 

 ;i\erage grower ii\er tlier(^ prejudiced 

 .iiiainst this style ol' beds, just as they 

 were here. In constructing these beds 

 viiu can use }our uwii judgment as to 

 material, etc. Jf you are siii-e y(ui will 

 like them and want to Iniild to last, then 

 build your sides of ccuicrete six inches 

 \\ide at the base ami two inches at the 

 lop. Make the side next to the walk 

 straiyht up and down and let the inside 

 III' the wall flare. This will last a life- 

 linie. but is not so satisfactory in some 

 respeiis as the way we shall construct our 

 lie<ls this summer. We propuse to use 

 uprights made of linch pipe, s.-t four 

 feet apart in concrete, and 1 inch pecky 

 express boards fcu' the' sides. Tliest^ up- 

 1 iehts will last .MS long as the Imuse, or 

 longer, and the cy|ir(>ss will last many 

 years, and there will be the ads.aiitage of 

 beiny aide to nail to the boards anvthiu2r 

 N'lU liiid necessary m tin/ way ot' sup- 

 |"irts, etc. Wooil posts should not bo 

 used iinh^ss y(Mi use cedar or some ecjual- 

 Iv lasting material. If you raise the 

 sides to eighteen inches you will find 

 that about right for working after plant- 

 ing. I.e.ave four inches of space for soil 

 abii\c tlie ciinlers. 1 would .also advise 

 ynii to put the larec clinkers ;it the bot- 

 loin and cover with liner cinders or a 

 layer ol' s.and. Ynn will see the wisdom 

 in this when you changt^ the sciil. If the 

 cinders are dry, lie surt; ymi wet them 

 tlii'ViiUghly before [uitting on the soil, 



finally, 1 w.uild say that a .".b()-foot 

 Ihiiise is rather a lar:^fe batch \n experi- 

 m-'iit with, and I wmild be inclined to 

 raise a part of the beds and see which 

 iiirneij out best. Then you would know 

 pusili\ely \\hat ymi were about in the 

 future. It is .alw.ays well tn hidk before 



.V"U leap. A. !•'. .1. I'.AL'U. 



MODEL FOR TEXANS. 



I Here i< nil part .il tlu 

 in wliicli ihe e|-,.,.||)|,,||^|. 

 I'i\ iiie a L-re.-iter bimin tli.- 



I'liited States 



hlisilless 

 II 111 the 



IS en- 

 soutli- 



Establishmenl of J. J. Nussbaumer, San Angelo, Tex. 



