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26 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



OCTOBEE 3, 1907. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



BEES IN GREENHOUSES. 



'Not many years ago vegetable growers 

 devoted much time and labor to the hand 

 pollination of fruit-bearing vegetables in- 

 doors in winter, such as cucumbers and 

 tomatoes. The slow, tedious task of 

 knocking the pollen from the flowers into 

 a silver spoon or a watch crystal on a 

 paddle, and dipping a tiny camel 's-hair 

 brush into this and applying the pollen to 

 the fruit-bearing flowers, would certainly 

 seem an expensive operation at the pres- 

 ent prices paid for labor. Thanks to the 

 honey bees and our better knowledge of 

 handling them, the vegetable forcer does 

 not now have to hire extra help for fertil- 

 izing or pollinating the blooms in order 

 'to have the plants set fruit; 



In plants and flowers there is what cor- 

 responds to sexes in animals. In some 

 plants both sexes of bloom exist on each 

 plant, and in some others the sexes are 

 on different plants. And again, in some 

 Instances both sexes exist in the same 

 bloom. In any case the fruitf«lness de- 

 pends upon pollination of the jjistil by 

 grains of pollen from the stamen. The 

 stigma, the upper part of the pistil, is 

 covered with a sticky substance to which 

 the pollen adheres when placed thei'e, 

 whether by hand, by insects or accident- 

 ally by currents of air. As soon as the 

 pollen is located it puts forth pollen 

 tubes, which lengthen until they reach the 

 ovules. This completes fertilization and 

 causes the fruit or seed to grow and ma- 

 ture for reproduction. 



Honey bees are now used in nearly all 

 vegetable-forcing establishments for the 

 pollination of the blooms. In their efforts 

 to gather honey they get themselves liter- 

 ally covered with the pollen, which they 

 seldom fail to leave just where it is 

 wanted in going from bloom to bloom, 

 and a good swarm in a house of cucum- 

 bers will accomplish in less than an hour 

 each morning more than several hands 

 cobld do in a whole day. 



While the value of the honey bee as a 

 pollen distributer is known to many, it is 

 safe to say that the majority of garden- 

 ers and horticulturists do not realize or 

 appreciate the great value of our little 

 friend and helper. In some fruit-grow- 

 ing localities, where large fruit farms are 

 owned or controlled by one person, many 

 swarms of bees are kept and a greater 

 profit is made on the increased production 

 of fruit than on the honey produced. The 

 flower must be pollinated and, as in all 

 the other work, if there are not enough 

 men or bees to do it there is a loss. In 

 some instances careful tests have been 

 made, which proved beyond a reasonable 

 doubt that the absence of bees was the 

 cause of very light crops. To the out- 

 door gardener or fruit grower who does 

 not know of bees within a half-mile of 

 his place, we would say, keep some your- 

 self, by all means. 



Bees are sometimes supposed to injure 

 fruit by stinging it or tearing it open. 

 This supposition is, however, incorrect. 

 The honey bee will gather honey material 

 where fruit is already stung by wasps or 

 torn by birds, etc., but will not injure it 

 in any way to cause the juice to flow. 



Bees are often poisoned in great quan- 

 tities by getting onto fruit trees which 

 were sprayed with arsenates and other 

 poisonous mixtures when in full bloom. 

 This should never be done, but.the poison 

 should be applied just before the buds 



A BED OF MUSHROOMS 



Ralaed from my Spawn, will b«ar longrcr and yield better than from any other variety o> 

 Spawn. This 1b proYen by facts. FuU'partlctilars and Information how to succeed In muahroom 

 ralslncr free. We warrant you If uslnr our method of rrowingr mushrooms that all will ro well 



KNUD GUNDESTRUP, 



Muahroom 

 Speeialiatt 



4273 Milwaukee Ave., Chicago 



Mention The Rerlew when you write. 



Vegetable Growers Should 



Send 5 Dollars 



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

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

 to try for yourselt th ■ Wlttbold Waterlns: 

 System, or send for circular of testimoniaU. 



The Wittbold Nozzle, for H-incb hose $1 00 



The Special Rose Nozzle 1.00 



Loais Witttold. 1 708 N. Halsted St., Chicago 



open and just after the blossoms fall. 

 Besides killing the bees while they arc as- 

 sisting in the setting of the fruit, the 

 spraying when in full blooqi never bene- 

 fits and sometimes injures the crop. 



■ H. G. 



THE READERS' CXJRNER. 



A Hint to G>rrespoadents* 



I suppose the Review is open to sug- 

 gestions from its readers; at least, I 

 take it for granted that it is. I have 

 noticed that communications, seasonable 

 suggestions, carnation and mum notes, 

 etc., seldom give either a date, so as to 

 enable the reader to determine the exact 

 time of the season the writer had iu 

 mind when writing his article, or a post- 

 oflSce address, so one could judge of the 

 climatology the writer had to contend 

 with. 



I suppose the Eeview is cosmopolitan 

 in its intentions, aiming to cover the 

 whole United States and not only the 

 local conditions where* it is published, 

 for what may be seasonable in northern 

 Illinois, or in Massachusetts, or Penn- 

 sylvania, may be out of season here, in 

 Texas. If climate and soil be two es- 

 sentials for proper plant growth, then 

 before one can theorize on the value 

 of advice it is absolutely necessary for 

 one to know where the article was 

 written or what locality the writer had 

 in mind. I see that most of your ar- 

 ticles and communications are only 

 signed with the initials of the writers' 

 names. It seems to me that if an ar- 

 ticle is worth publishing, the writer 

 ought not to object to his name and 

 address being published in full, if it is 

 withheld at his request. Anyway, there 

 is little utility in the publication of a 

 suggestion or note if one has to guess 

 at the conditions the writer had in mind 

 when he wrote it. 



If you will take note of this point 

 and compare the difference between soil 

 and climate in northern Illinois and 

 southwestern Texas, you will see what 

 I am driving at. J. J. Nussbaumer. 



THE PITTSBURG PARKS. 



I recently visited some of the Pittsburg 

 parks, beginning with Schenley park, 

 where I met JMr. Jones, and together we 

 took a look through all the greenhouses 

 and their surroundings. There is some 

 fine bedding here and the plants in gen- 

 eral are looking well. The chrysanthe- 

 mums are especially fine, and their ap- 

 pearance indicates that there will be as 

 Koo*! a show this year as ever. At High- 

 land park, also, the bedding is beautiful 



FLORISTS 



Have a splendid opportunity 

 of raising Mushroonas by 

 utilizing: the waste space 

 nnder the benches, and 

 then utilizing the waste ma- 

 terial of expended mush- 

 room beds in growing flowers. 

 Now is the time to make your 

 beds. 



Lambert's Pare Culture 

 MUSHROOM SPAWN. 

 tlie best Mushroom Spawn in the market, is sold by all 

 leading seedsmen. A fresh sample brick, enough for 

 a tmall trial bed, together with large illustrated book 

 on "Mushroom Culture." will be mailed post- 

 paid upon receipt of 40c in postage stamps. Address 

 AmMrloan Spawn Company, St. f anl, Minn. 

 Montlou The Review when you write. 



Skiiiaer's Irrigatioo. 



For greenhouseB, gardens and lawns. 

 Latest improved gasoline pumping out- 



fu " " ' 



price. Estimates 

 Address, 



famished 



fits at low 

 on request. 



C. W. SKINNER, Troy, O. 



and is particularly well arranged sia to 

 colors. The same may be said also of 

 Allegheny park. For fine bedding I 

 have not lately seen anything that excels 

 these parks. Pittsburg and Allegheny 

 will certainly have some good flower 

 shows this year. J, F. Zimmerman. 



WANT ADVERTISEMENTS. 



Advertisemeutn under this head one cent a 

 word. CASH WITH ORDER. When answers 

 are to be addressed in our care, add 10 cents for 

 /orwarding. 



CtlTUATION WANTBD-Single man desires to 

 1^' obtain a position In charge of a private place; 

 many years experience and capable of taking 

 full charge. Apply to The B. G. Hill Co., Rich- 

 mond, Ind. 



SITUATION WANTBD — By a foreman on a 

 wholesale or retail place: flrst-class cut 

 flower and plant grower: best of references 

 f •'om well known firms. Address No. 135, care 

 Florists' Review, Chicago. 



SITDATION.WANTED-Bylady of seven years' 

 experience in store; good designer and sales- 

 lady; good record for quick work: desires posi- 

 tion In Western rity. Address No. 148, care 

 Florists' Review, Chlcaco. 



SITUATION WANTED- To take charge of rose 

 and carnatiun section, or as working fore- 

 man: have had full charge for the past 25 years; 

 English; sober: first-class reference. Address 

 No. 139, care Florists' Review, Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED— By young man; 5 years' 

 experience in roses, carnations, chrysanthe- 

 mums, bedding plants and general greenhouse 

 work; state wages and particulars in first letter. 

 Address No. 147, care Florists' Review, Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED— By an up-to-date 

 grower of roses, carnations and general 

 gi^enhouse stock; capable of taking full charge; 

 in Kansas or adjoining states; state wages in 

 first letter; good references. Address Florist, 

 321 Kansas Ave., Topeka, Kan.. 



SITUATION WANTED— Young man; Scotch; 

 experierceil dahlia propagator, grower and 

 exhibitor; desires situation where dahlias are 

 grown in quantity; used to managing depart- 

 ment where plants were grown for large mall 

 opder business; 15 years' first-class references. 

 Address No. 144, care Florists' Review. Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED— As foreman, where full 

 charge Is given; good grower of cai-natlcns, 

 roses and general stock; long experience on 

 best wholesale and retail places; young, ambi- 

 tious and a hustler; wages must be good; please 

 state Ihem in first letter; would take place with 

 privilege of buying or renting later. Address W., 

 care Box 64."), New York City. 



