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7;'n.V'y W ipWWi_T^*W,^tl- f ^W I . r « > I III . <M ffivm tv M 



1872 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Max 2, 1907. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



There were heavy snow flurries in the 

 Chicago market gardening district April 

 25. 



Will some reader please tell some of 

 the reasons why Grand Rapids lettuce 

 seed from the same lot produces such 

 variable results, even when planted for 

 successive crops by the same grower? 



No vegetable seed will decay quicker 

 than beans, and the delay caused in wait- 

 ing for the soil to become warm and free 

 from excessive moisture will be more 

 than made up by the rapidity dt growth 

 when they are tinally planted. 



The lettuce growers in the vicinity of 

 Chicago have had an excellent season. 

 Good lettuce has brought uniformly 

 satisfactory prices, and the market has 

 thus far suffered less than usual from 

 the competition of outdoor stock from 

 the south. 



The cold weather of April ruined a 

 large part of the crop of radishes in 

 open ground the growers in the warm, 

 sandy loam north of Chicago usually 

 have ready for market by this date. 

 They did not replant, as the crop would 

 come in with the later product on the 

 heavy land back from the lake. 



VEGETABLE MARKETS. 



Chicago, May 1. — Cucumbers, 75c to 

 $1.10 doz. ; leaf lettuce, 45c to 50c 

 case; mushrooms, 40c to 50c lb. 



Boston, April 29. — Cucumbers, $3 to 

 .$7 box; tomatoes, 35c to 40c lb.; mush- 

 rooms, $1.50 to $2.50 per 4-lb. basket; 

 radishes, $1.50 per hundred bunches; 

 beets, $1.50 to $1.75 doz. bunches; car- 

 rots, 30c to 60c doz. bunches; lettuce, 

 ()0c to $1.50' doz.; romaine, $1 doz.; es- 

 caroUe, $1 to $1.25 doz.; rhubarb, 5c to 

 6c lb. 



New York, April 29. — Beet greens 

 steady. Cucumbers selling fairly at for- 

 mer prices. Lettuce in good demand and 

 firm. Mushrooms quite plenty and tone 

 easy. Mint scarce. Radishes dull and 

 Aveak, RhuT)arb easier. Tomatoes weak. 

 Beet greens, 75c to 85c bu.; cucumbers, 

 50c to 85c doz.; lettuce, 75c to $1.50 

 doz. ; mushrooms, 15c to 60c lb. ; mint, 

 75c to $1 doz. bunches; radishes, $1.50 

 to $2 per hundred bunches; rhubarb, 

 $3 to $6 per hundred bunches. 



FORaNG 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 rich, mellow turfy 

 loam and of a somewhat sandy charac- 

 ter. 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 taKC from eight to ten weeks. The 

 crop that comes in about midwinter re- 

 quires two to four weeks longer. Vari- 

 ous sowings must be made to keej) up 

 a steaily supply. Make a sowing every 

 ten days or two weeks and transfer the 

 young plants to the bed as space is af- 

 forded. 



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, Boston 

 Market still holds its own. If loose or 

 leafy lettuce is wanted. Grand Rapids is 

 the one most generally grown. 



SIZE OF GREENHOUSES. 



Is there any difference in time of 

 growing a crop of lettuce in a wide 

 greenhouse, with side walls five or six 

 feet high, and fifteen or sixteen feet 

 to the ridge, as compared with a house 

 eighteen or twenty feet wide, with side 

 walls two and one-half to three feet high 

 and six or seven feet to the ridge, on 

 solid benches? If there is any differ- 

 ence in time or. in quality of crop, what 

 is it? E. B. 



I do not consider that the size of the 

 greenhouse makes any material differ- 

 ence in the time required to mature the 

 crop, providing that the houses have 

 an equal amount of light. If either of 

 the houses is darker than the other, then 

 the lignter house would have the advan- 

 tage, light being the most effective 

 agency in controlling the growth of the 

 crop. In the lighter house your crop 

 would probably mature several days 

 earlier. Given the same amount of 

 light, the only other advantage would 

 be with the larger house, in having more 

 air space; this would make it less sus- 

 ceptible to sudden fluctuations of tem- 

 perature, the larger body of air not be- 

 ing so easily heated or easily cooled. 



W. S. Croydon. 



METHOD OF FORCING MINT. 



Please tell me the best method of 

 forcing mint. What is the best variety, 

 and the best method of propagating and 

 storing? F. W. H. 



The variety generally used for forc- 

 ing is the common peppermint, or 

 Mentha piperita. This can be raised 

 from seed, but the quickest means of 

 propagation is by division of the roots. 

 The plants produce numerous creeping 

 stems, and if left undisturbed for a few 

 years can only be lifted in large clumps, 

 which are inconvenient to handle for 

 forcing purposes. So, when forcing is 



Pot'firown TOMATOES 



Loiillard and B«st of All Tomatoes, very 

 stroDR, 2^-iiich pots, 10 to 12 inches hie:h, setting 

 bloom. Planted alooe edge of carnation bed 

 will give very early crop, S3.00 per 100. 



Colons Fire Brand and others, 23^-in. pots, 

 $2 .'iO per 100. 



HoUotropos, 2^-incb, ready for 4-in., $3.00 

 per 100. 



AKeimtum Stella Gamey, 2>^-in. pots, full of 

 cuttlngB, $2.60 per 100. 



Send for prices on Latania Borbonlca In 



3-iD., 4-iD. and 5 in. pots. 



Cash, please. Satisfaction guaranteed. 



CRITCHELL*S 



AVOMDALK, CINCINNATI, OHIO 



Mention The Review when you write. 



contemplated, it is best to prepare tlie 

 plants by dividing in spring. \]^^, 

 clumps about three inches in dianieti-r 

 and plant one foot apart in the rows 

 with the rows far enough apart to all^w' 

 freedom to cultivate. These clumps will 

 make a nice growth during the summir 

 but will not run far enough to run iii,, 

 one another, and in the fall can be lift I 

 individually and set in the benches. \ 

 house with a minimum temperature , : 

 45 degrees suits it best, as it won't sta^ [ 

 hard forcing. With ordinary care, 

 will keep on producing the whole wim 

 through. 



There is no need for storing, unit 

 it be that space can't be devoted to 

 in the earlier part of the winter, 

 which case it could be covered over 

 the ground with some litter or oth 

 material sufficiently heavy to preve 

 the ground from freezing, so that 

 could be dug u}) as required. 



W. S. Croydox. 



ELBERON, N. J. 



The Elberon Horticultural Sociei 

 held its regular meeting April 22, wi* i 

 President W. D. Robertson in the chaii. 

 Peter Murray, superintendent for S, 1'. 

 Guggenheim, read an instructive papn 

 on "Hardy Shrubs." Mr. Murray dealt 



VEGETABLE PUNTS 



100 1000 

 LETTUCE PLANTS, ready now. Grand 



Rapids, Big Boston, Boston Market, 



and Tennis Ball 20c $1.00 



PAB8LET, Moss Curled 25c 1.25 



BEETR, Eclipse 26c 1.25 



CELEET, White Plume, White solid 



and Oeleriac, Giant Prague 20c 1.2") 



EGG PLANTS, N. Y. Improved, small 



for transplanting 2Sc 2.00 



EGG PLANTS, from 2-in. pots $2.00 



PEPPBE, Bull Nose and Sweet 



Mountain 25c 2.00 



TOMATO, Earllana. Early Jewel, 



Lorlllard and Mayflower 30c 2.00 



TOHATO, Stone, Perfection and other 



late kinds 20c l.oo 



CABBAGE, Ready May 10. standard 



sorts in any variety 1.00 



Gash with order. 



R. VINCENT Jr. & SON, White Marsh, Md. 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



Vegetable Growers Should 



Send 5 Dollars 



for a swivel wheel and 20 ^-incb nozzles. It will 

 fit a run of 100 feet of pipe and glvt you a chance 

 to try for yourself the Wlttbold W»t«rlaK 

 Bystain, or send for circular of testimonialE 



The Wittbold Nossle. for ^-incb hose 1100 



The Special Bose Noisle 1.00 



Louis Wlttbold, i 708 N. Halsted St., Chicago 



Mention The Review when you write. 



■00.000 Tomato Plants 



Beauty, Stone, IXL, Crimson Cushion, 



Great Baltimore, 

 25c per 100; $1.25 per 1000; $9.00 per 10,000. 



B. E. WADSWORTH 



Box 884 . DANVILLI, ILL 



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Skinner's Irrigation. 



For greenhouses, gardens and lawns 

 Latest improved gasoline pumping out 

 fits at low price. Estimates turnishei 

 on request. Address, 



C. W. SKINNER, Troy, O. 



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