34 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



JCMB 27. 1907. 



these crops ia eertain sections during 

 the past season. 



, ---v" Testing of Seeds. 



The testing of seeds is now receiving 

 more attention than at -any previous 

 time, and several of the agricultural ex- 

 periment stations are arranging to take 

 up this work.. Legislation was proposed 

 in four states during the last year, and 

 the bill introduced in Iowa became a 

 law. 



A line of investigation which has a 

 direct bearing on the seed trade is that 

 of testing and standardizing American 

 varieties of vegetables and publishing 

 monographs on these varieties; the de- 

 velopment of strains of sweet corn, cab- 

 bage, and other vegetables better adapt- 

 ed to the requirements of various locali- 

 ties, and the breeding of improved 

 types of lettuce, celery, etc., which will 

 possess desirable characteristics not 

 found in existing types. During the last 

 ten years the department has tested more 

 than 15,000 samples of commercial va- 

 rieties of garden vegetables, the first 

 tests being confined to experimental 

 plots in the vicinity of Washington, D. 

 C, but more recently extending to all 

 sections of the country. Several bulle- 

 tins have been published containing 

 monographs of certain vegetables, and 

 another, devoted to American varieties 

 of garden beans, is now in press. The 

 object of this testing work is to estab- 

 lish a standard of perfection that will 

 be a guide in making selections of va- 

 riety types. 



Before publishing a monograph of a 

 vegetable, it is necessary to deteraiine 

 e?act differences in season, productive- 

 ness, and other characteristics, as well 

 as to decide which types shall be adopted 

 as the correct ones. The department is 

 endeavoring to simplify the nomencla- 

 ture by adopting approved variety names 

 and by recommending the discontinuance 

 of confusing, long-worded, or inappro- 

 priate names. 



The aggregate number of variety 

 names used by American seedsmen is 

 large, but there are comparatively few 

 whose use is at all universal. For ex- 

 ample, in the 1906 catalogues our W. 

 W, Tracy, Jr., finds 198 leading seeds- 

 men offering tomato seed under 248 dif- 

 ferent varietal names, only fifty-six of 

 which are used by ten or more seedsmen, 

 while 118 are advertised by a single 

 dealer. Sweet corn is offered under 150 

 names, thirty-nine of which are used by 

 ten or more seedsmen, while fifty-nine 

 are used by but one. If it were deter- 

 mined and widely published that four- 

 teen names stood for practically identi- 

 cal stocks of the old Acme type of to- 

 mato, it would be easy to offer them 

 under fourteen other names, and detec- 

 tion could only follow after the harm 

 had been done. The determination of 

 the exact type of vegetable desirable for 

 certain conditions is of much practical 

 importance and will do more for the 

 betterment of seed grown and used than 

 by merely ascertaining under what names 

 different seed growers offer a particular 

 type. 



New Types of Lettuce. 



The results' of the work of the de- 

 partment during the last three or four 

 years in producing new types of lettuce 

 by hybridizing are most promising, and 

 the success of Mr. Oliver in crossing 

 lettuce— something, it is believed, that 

 has never before been attempted— has 

 been marked. Lettuces for growing un- 



A BED OF MUSHROOMS 



Raised from my Spawn, will b«ar longer aud Tleld better than from any other variety of 

 SpaWn. This la proven by facts. Fall particulars and information how to succeed In mushroom 

 raising free. We warrant you If usinv our method of growing mushrooms that all will ro well. 



KNUD 6UNDESTRUP, 



MuBhrooai 

 Spccialiatt 



4273 Milwaukee Ave., Chicago 



Htntlon The Review when yon write. 



der glass have been used for the most 

 part, the aim being to secure types bet- 

 ter adapted to the requirements of the 

 eastern United States and of the mid- 

 dle west. For the eastern states a let- 

 tuce was wanted with leaves light in 

 color and with a good, solid, medium- 

 sized head which would not readily top- 

 burn and in which practically all the 

 foliage could be used for dressing. By 

 crossing the Grand Bapids type with a 

 small-heading form known . as Golden 

 Queen, the results aimed for were se- 

 cured, and through this same cross by a 

 different selection an open-head type of 

 lettuce has been obtained which is 

 thought to be superior in a number of 

 ways to the Grand Bapids variety. It 

 is hoped to distribute seeds of both 

 types, next year. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



LETTUCE AND CUCUMBERS. 



The Principal Crops. 



There is probably no more popular or 

 common vegetable grown in greenhouses 

 than lettuce. Next in rank comes the 

 cucumber, and with but few exceptions 

 both crops are grown by vegetable grow- 

 ers all over the country. The houses used 

 by large vegetable growers are of the 

 best and latest pattern. One successful 

 grower, when asked why he built such 

 expensive houses, replied that it was not 

 necessary for growing lettuce, but that 

 the best and lightest house is not quite 

 good enough for growing cucumbers to 

 perfection when the sun is far in the 

 south and the days so short, dark and 

 cold. Wide, separate houses with the 

 long span to the south are best and used 

 by the majority of growers, but some 

 growers prefer equal-span, connected 

 houses. A few still use raised benches, 

 like rose or carnation benches, but deeper, 

 usually about twelve inches deep and four 

 to four and a half feet wide, for one 

 row of cucumbers, or eight feet wide 

 where two rows are grown on the same 

 bench. Most of the newer houses have 

 solid beds on the ground, and give bot- 

 tom heat by having a line of common 

 drain tile about a foot deep under the 

 center of the beds. Through this tile a 

 %-inch steam pipe is run the entire 

 length of the house. The beds can be 

 heated to the desired temperature by 

 turning a valve at one end. This tile 

 also answers as a drain, taking any sur- 

 plus water from the soil. 



Another way of making bottom heat 

 is by the hotbed method, a trench being 

 dug the full length of the bed and half 

 filled vyith hot manure, and soil on top, 

 in which the plants are placed. The 

 heat in this will usually last until the 

 vines are nearly full grown and able to 

 get along without it. 



There are three cities in the United 

 States noted far and wide for the large 

 number of establishments growing green- 



YEeETABLE PUNTS 



100 1000 

 LKTTUCl PLANTS, rQikdy now. Grand : 

 Rapids, Blsr Boston, Beaton Market, 

 and Tennis Ball 20o 11.00 



PAB8LSI. MoBi Oarled 2Sc 1.36 



BKITS. EclipBe »c 1.26 



GILBBT, White Plmne, Olant Pascal, 



Golden Heart and other varieties... 100 



TOMATO, Earliana, Early Jewel, 

 LoriUard and Mayflower 80c 2.00 



TOMATO, Stone. Perfection, Beauty 

 and otber varieties 1.00 



CABBAdS. Flat Dutch, Drumhead, Hol- 

 lander, Savoy, and other varieties.. 1.00 

 Gash with order. 



R. VINCENT JR. & SONS CO. 



White Marsh, Md. 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



IiApbert's Pan Caltare 

 Hnshroom Spa^Nrn 



Produced by new ^raf tine 

 process from selected and 

 prolific specimens, thor- 

 oughly acclimatised. 

 Has never failed to raa 

 Sold by Leadintr Seedsmen. 

 Practical instructions oo 



'*Masbroom Cidtiire" 

 mailed free on application. 



American Spawn Co. 

 £>t. Paul. Minn. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Vegetable Growers Should 



Send 5 Dollars 



for a swivel wheel and 20 ^inch noisles. It win 

 fit a ran of 100 feet of pipe and give you a chanca 

 to try for yourself the Wlttbold Watorlnc 

 ■T*t*m, or send for ciroolar of testimonials. 



The Wlttbold Hoasle. for ^-incb hose J1.00 



Tke Special Boss NoBsle 1.00 



Louis Wittbold, 1 708 N. Halsted St., Cbicago 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



CABBAGE 



E.J. Wakefield per 1000, $1.60 



Doubl* Dalay, pink and white per 100, 2.00 



Btavla, 2-inch ** 2.60 



■mUax, 2-inch " 1.20 



LolMUa, Emperor, 2-inch 2.00 



r. GRISWOLD, Worthington, Ohio. 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



Skiooer's Irrigatioo. 



For greenhouBes, gardens and lawns. 

 Latest improved gaeoline pumping out- 

 fits at low price. Estimates furnished 

 on request. Address, 



C. W. SKINNER, Troy, O. 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



house vegetables. They are Boston, Chi- 

 cago and Grand Bapids. The ^oston 

 growers use the Boston Market head let- 

 tuce for forcing, but at the other two 

 cities the Grand Bapids variety of leaf 

 lettuce is used almost entirely, not only 

 because it is earlier and easier to grow, 

 but it is also most in demand in the west- 

 ern mailtets. There is, however, much 

 head lettuce shipped from Boston to the 

 western cities. Bobbaus. 



» 



