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66 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



August 22, 1007. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



FORCING TOMATOES. 



Now is the time to sow your tomato 

 seeds for a winter crop. If, however, you 

 have mums, lettuce or something else on 

 the benches, which will not be off before 

 November 1, it would be better, in order 

 to make room for the tomato plants 

 when ready to bench, to delay planting 

 until September 1. With good care and 

 favorable weather they will then get to 

 bearing in January and do their best in 

 February and March, when prices are 

 always the highest. By saying that they 

 will do their best, I mean the best for 

 that one crop. Later ones, coming to 

 bearing towards spring, usually yield 

 much more heavily than midwinter crops. 



If you are fortunate enough to have 

 a few old vines left, of the right varie- 

 ties, let them branch out now as much 

 as they will, cut the young shoots off as 

 fast as they get about four inches long, 

 pot them up in light, sandy soil and 

 place them in a cool, shady place. 

 Sprinkle lightly several times a day to 

 keep them alive until rooted, which takes 

 about ten to fourteen days. They may 

 then be moved to a lighter place. These 

 plants, started from cuttings, come into 

 bearing several days sooner than seed- 

 lings, and every day gained in January 

 weather means dollars to the grower. 

 These plants also bloom and set fruit 

 lower down than do those grown from 

 seed, thus giving a longer crop, before 

 all are ripened to the top of the string. 



There is much difference of opinion 

 as to the best varieties to grow, but 

 Comet seems to be the favorite with all 

 the largest and most successful growers. 

 Of the many varieties we have tried, we 

 have dropped all but four and consider 

 them to rank in the following rotation: 

 First, Comet, early, large size and very 

 prolific, strong grower, short jointed, 

 slightly dwarfed in growth. Second, Win- 

 ter Beauty, foliage and stems not so 

 heavy as Comet, can be planted a trifle 

 closer together; has all the good points 

 of Comet, but has not produced quite as 

 many pounds per plant with us; sets 

 fruit as well in winter as in spring, with 

 little attention. Third, Lorillard's For- 

 cing, an old stand-by, but we intend to 

 drop it if we find the others ahead of it 

 again this season. Fourth, Stirling 

 Castle, early and good, remarkably free 

 from diseased plants, ))ut fruit a little 

 too small for our market. It is not best 

 to depend too much on one variety; 

 sometimes one variety is diseased and 

 others not affected, etc. 



The seed should not be sown too 

 thickly in the flats and should be trans- 

 planted into other flats, about two and 

 one-half inches apart, as soon as the 

 seed leaves are fully developed; and 

 from that time on the plants requiVe 

 most careful attention as to ventilation 

 and watering. Leave the ventilators 

 open day and night until frosty nights 

 arrive. The flats or boxes must stand 

 perfectly level on the benches, or the 

 high end of the box will not get as much 

 water as the other. When the plants 

 get about four inches tall they should 

 be potted into 4-inch pots, one in a pot. 

 After about three weeks in the pots they 

 will be fine, well rooted plants and ready 

 for the beds where they are to bear. 



Some growers pot the tiny plants into 

 2%-inch pots instead of transplanting 



A BED OF MUSHROOMS 



Raised from my Spawn, will bear loncer and yield better than from any other variety of 

 Spawn. This 1b proven by facts. Full particulars and Information how to succeed in mushroom 

 raislnr free. We warrant you if usintr our method of growing' mushrooms that all will go well. 



KNUD 6UNDESTRUP, 



Mashroom 

 BpecialiBt, 



4273 Milwaukee Ave., Chicago 



Mention The Review when yoo write. 



into flats, and re-pot into 4-inch later, 

 but we like the boxes better. In very 

 hot weather it is difficult to keep any 

 plants in small pots properly watered. 

 The plants should never be allowed to 

 wither and burn the foliage, nor should 

 they be given too much water. The 

 amount of water given will, however, 

 hasten or hold back the plants, as de- 

 sired. If you see that the plants will 

 get too large before the house is ready, 

 don't give quite so much water, and vice 

 versa. 



Tomatoes require bottom heat to do 

 their best, and from eight to twelve 

 inches of soil. 



The most satisfactory way of train- 

 ing or tying is very much as you would 

 with sniilax, only farther apart — rows 

 three feet apart and plants one foot 

 apart in the rows. The rows may run 

 across the benches or lengthwise. A wire 

 is stretched across the bench along each 

 row, and one about six feet above it. 

 At each plant one string is run upward 

 to the upper wire; four-ply jute twine 

 is best; to this string the vine is tied 

 each week until it reaches the top. If 

 the foliage becomes too dense, trim off 

 about half of each leaf, which will keep 

 them from overlapping onto those of the 

 next vine, and will not injure the plants 

 in the least. Plants trained in this way 

 to a single stalk, removing all branches 

 when very small, produce more per house 

 than those planted farther apart and 

 trained to three stalks, using three 

 strings per root. 



After planting in the benches the 

 plants require frequent watering until 

 they commence to bloom, when the water 

 should be withheld somewhat and the 

 plants should not be sprayed unless at- 

 tacked by red spider. If held a trifle 

 dry they are induced to bloom more free- 

 ly. If necessary to spray for spider, 

 etc., do it early in the day, so that they 

 will be dried off before night. 



TTie best temperature for tomatoes is 

 60 degrees to 65 degrees at night, but 

 a cooler temperature will not hurt them, 

 if not too much higher in the daytime. 

 A little fire will be needed in October. 



BOREALIS. 



FUMIGATING CUCUMBER HOUSE. 



A successful fumigation or vaporiza- 

 tion of a cucumber house infested with 

 the melon aphis at Anacostia, District of 

 Columbia, is recorded in a bulletin of the 

 Department of Agriculture. A nicotine 

 extract was used, and 66,000 cubic feet 

 of greenhouse space was fumigated, 

 twenty-two ounces of the liquid, or one 

 ounce to 3,000 cubic feet, being em- 

 ployed. The work was under the direc- 

 tion of F. H. Chittenden and conducted 

 by I. J. Condit, with the cooperation of 

 J. W. Bryan, owner of the house. At the 

 end of an hour and fifteen minutes, when 

 the ventilators were opened and the 

 greenhouse aired, the aphides were found 

 dead and dying, and the cucumbers were 

 unharmed. Eight evaporators were used 

 in this instance, each holding a little less 

 than three ounces of the liquid. It is 

 quite probable that a considerably smaller 



RAWSON'S HOTHOUSE 

 CUCUMBER 



As a forcing Cucumber is one of the largest and most 

 profitable crops of the Market Gardener, it is eksential 

 that the very best possible strain should be sown. 

 With this idea in view we have made selections for the 

 past few years from our Kawsnn'^ White Spine, which 

 nave resulted in a strain about two inches longer and 

 a dirkergreen in color, with a few light spines showing 

 at blossom end. Tills newstrMtuwe confidently 

 believe to be saperlor to any other on the matket. 

 The results we have had at our own greenhouses with 

 the stock conclusively prove the a^ove to be true. H 

 oz., 36c; oz., 60c; 4 oz., $1.6U; lb., t6.UU. 



Rawson's Wblte Spine Cucumber, 4 oz., II 60; 



lb., t4.00. Send for Market Gardeners' 



catalogue, listing many special strains of 



^Radish, Lettuce, etc., for use under glass. 



W. W. RAWSON & CO. 

 5 Union St., Boston, Mass. 



Mention The Review when 70a write. 



A Mess of Mushrooms 



at all seasons sn^'owInK In 

 your cellar. 40c in post- 

 age st<mps, together with the 

 name of ) ourdcaler, will bring 

 you, postpaid, direct from the 

 manu acturer, a fresh sample 

 brick of 



Liamb<«rt'8Pnre Culture 

 MUSHRUOM SPAWN, 

 the best high-grade spawn 

 in the market, t' geth» r with 

 large illustrated book on Mushroom Culture, 

 containing simple and pracncal methods of raifing, 

 preserving and cooking mushrui ms. Not more than 

 one sample brick will be sent to the same party. 

 Fur her orders must come through your dealer. 

 Addieis, American hpann Co., Nt. i*»iil, Minii. 

 Mention The Review when you write. 



Vegetable Growers Should- 



Send 5 Dollars 



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

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

 to try for yourself tb- WIttbold Watering 

 System, or Bend for circular of testimouials. 



The WIttbold Nozzle, for H-incta hose 91 00 



The Special Rose Nozzle 1.00 



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



Mention The Review when yon write. 



Sl[iflner's Irrigation. 



For greenhouses, gardens and lawns. 

 Latest improved gasoline pumping out- 

 fits at low price. Estimates furnished 

 on request. Address, 



C. W. SKINNER, Troy, O. 



Mention The Review when yon write. 



amount of the preparation, say one 

 ounce to 5,000 cubic feet, with an all- 

 night exposure, would have accomplished 

 the same object. The cost of fumigation 

 is not above $2.50 for a house containing 

 64,000 cubic feet. 



Birmingham, Ala. — W. M. Lindsay is 

 on a trip north and west, visiting grow- 

 ers. He is thinking of building another 

 range of greenhouses. 



The Dade City Vegetable Co., Dade 

 City, Fla., is erecting a cloth shelter 

 covering six acres for growing vegetables 

 for the northern markets. They have 

 ordered of C. W. Skinner, Troy, O., 

 5,000 nozzles such as are used for green- 

 house watering, to water this tract. 



