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The Weekly Florists' Review. 



OCTOBKB 1, 1008. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



The Bo-called French system of gar- 

 dening has become so common near Lon- 

 don that the English horticultural pa- 

 pers now have special departments de- 

 voted to its cultural details. 



Heney Peitchard, Astoria, N. Y., ex- 

 hibited cucumbers grown under glass at 

 the show at the American Institute, New 

 York city, September 23. He had speci- 

 mens thirteen inches long and took first 

 prize. 



FORCING RHUBARB. 



Perhaps the easiest to force of all 

 vegetables is rhubarb, but the ease with 

 which it may be grown, at a time when 

 it cannot be obtained outdoors, only 

 makes it more desirable as a subject for 

 winter forcing. This is especially evi- 

 dent in view of the well-known fact that 

 the article produced by artificial means 

 is far more delicious and' pleasing to the 

 palate than that coming to perfection 

 under natural conditions. 



Any time after frost sets in, the first 

 batch of rhubarb roots may be brought 

 in and placed anywhere in a greenhouse, 

 on a bench or underneath it, in a heated 

 cellar or in suitable boxes or tubs. Under 

 the roots there should be a layer of leaf- 

 mold or soil, and over them a sufficient 

 quantity to completely cover them. When 

 this is done they should be well watered, 

 and thereafter, until the crop is ready 

 and cut, they should be kept fairly well 

 supplied with moisture. ^ 



In some cases and in some locations it 

 may be necessary to make provision for 

 readily getting at the roots needed for 

 forcing without having to go to the 

 trouble of digging through frozen ground. 

 That can be accomplished by digging up 

 all that will be required for forcing early 

 in the winter, and placing them where 

 they will be available from time to time. 



If the forcing is done by placing the 

 roots on a bench, it will be well to erect 

 some contrivance that will afford some 

 shade, because thereby there will be more 

 eatable material and less foliage. M. 



IN OKLAHOMA. 



We are using the Bordeaux mixture, 

 applied in the soil, about three gallons to 

 a space 5x12 feet. Would it be safe 

 to apply that amount between each crop 

 of lettuce, to prevent the damp, or 

 fungus! Or is there danger of getting 

 too much bluestone in the soil? We are 

 using solid beds. 



We would also like your advice regard- 

 ing lath sheds, built similar to those used 

 for growing roses in summer, about seven 

 feet high, with the laths spaced about 

 three-fourths of an inch apart on the 

 sides and roof. Would that kind of shed 

 be better for growing summer or early 

 fall crops of letture than the muslin 

 bedsf Our location is in Oklahoma. 



H. & C. 



If your beds are spaded thoroughly 

 and deeply, adding more well-rotted ma- 

 nure before replanting each time, there 

 would be little danger of injuring the 

 roots by getting too much copper sul- 

 phate in the soil,, at least not until sev- 

 eral doses had been given. It is, how- 

 ever, a good plan to change to some other 

 kind of fungicide frequently. There are 

 several other remedies or preventives, 

 such as weak ammonia water, dusting 



A BED or MUSHROOMS 



Raised from our Spawn, will bear lonfcer and yield bett<>r than from any other variety of 

 Spawn. This is proven by facts. Full parnculars and informatioD how to succeed in mushroom 

 raising; free. We warrant you, if using our method of growing mushrooms, that all will go welL 



KIRKEBY & GUNDESIRUP SEED G0..4273MilwM88A».,Ghicag0 



MUSHROOM SPECIALISTS 



Mention The Review when you write. 



iiiJaSUlQJ^r'.A.i! 



FlSKE'S 



FORCING 

 WHITE 

 SPINE 



Four perfect Cucumbers srrowlnp on one stem 

 is certainly a novelty. Our strain runs remarkably 

 even in size and form. Beeds ready for delivery. 



Pkt., 25c; ^ oz., 50c; 1 oz., $1.00; I4 lb.. $3.00. 



H. E. FI8KE SEED COMPANY, 



12 and 13 Faneuil Hall Square, BOSTON, BIAS8. 

 Mention The Review when you write. 



SEEDS FOR FORCING 



riTINGSTON'S TRUE BLUE STRAINS 



Letiure- Grand Rapids ...14-lb., ^bc; lb., $1.25 



KadlBh-Kirebali... 14-lb., 15(; lb., .50 



Radlsh-lm. scarlet Globe. '^-Ib., 2(c; lb , .bO 



Kadlali— Kuiky Gem ^-ib.. 13c; lb., .50 



T mato-L'iiU obe,oz..«5o: I4 lb.,$l 10:1b., 4.00 

 Tomato-L'H Beauty , oz.,260; 14-lb.. 50c; lb.. 1.75 



If to be mailed add 8c per lb. for postage. 

 LITINGSTOM NEED CO., Box 104. C«>lambns, Ohio 



with lime and sulphur mixed, or fre- 

 quently with lime alone; boiling water 

 applied the same as Bordeaux mixture, 

 sterilizing by steam. Personally, I pre- 

 fer the boiling water. 



A cool temperature and plenty of 

 fresh air will produce a condition un- 

 favorable for the fungus, even if all the 

 germs or spores are not killed by the 

 various remedies. 



I have never heard of growing lettuce 

 in the slat houses as mentioned, but 

 think they would be as good as the muslin 

 houses, possibly better, on account of 

 being cooler. The lettuce would prob- 

 ably draw up a trifle taller in such a 

 house. The slats might be farther apart 

 for lettuce. Plenty of water will help 

 to keep the temperature down. H. G. 



A LETTUCE AND RADISH HOUSE, 



I am building a vegetable house, 

 16x100, in the south bank in a Wyomiug 

 city. How should I heat it? Should the 

 heat be under the bedsf How should I 

 arrange my beds for lettuce and rad- 

 ishes? Can they be grown in the same 

 house? How deep do I want my beds? 

 Any information you will give me will 

 be thankfully received, as I do not know 

 a thing about the business. Can you 

 tell me where I can get any literature on 

 the subject? " E. W. 0. 



In answer to the above, I would say 

 that the heating pipes should be under 

 the benches, and a hot water system 

 would be the best in this case. 



As to the arrangement of the benches, 

 you can have three, one along each wall 

 and a wider one in the center, or you 

 can have two beds of equal width, with 

 a walk along each wall and another walk 

 in the midtlle of the house, provided the 

 eaves are high enough for a walk along 



With the Skinner Sys- 

 tem of Irrigation ONE 

 MAN can do the work 



of FORTY MEN 

 watering with a hose. 



The Skinner Irrieation Co. 



TROT, O. 



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Vegetable Plants 



CABBAGE— Wakefield and Succession, 25o 

 per ICO; $1.00 per 1000. 



LETTUCE— Boston Market, Tennis Ball and 

 Grand Rapids, 25c per liO; $1.00 per ICOO. 



PARSLET-Strong plants, $1.25 per 1000. 



R.VINCENr.Jf&SONSCO.,'"";!^*- 



Me ntion The Review when you write. 



FLORISTS have a splendid ot pnr- 

 tunit^ of raising Mnahrooin* by 

 atilixinr the waste apace unde the 

 benches, and then utilizing the wa ate 

 material of expepdecT mushr. om 

 beds in grrowinK flowers. Lambert a 

 Pnre Cnltnre MU8HKOOB1 

 SPAWN, the best Spawn in the market, is sold by all 

 leadint seedsmen. A fresh sample brick, enough for 

 a trial Ded, together with illustrated book on "Mash- 

 room Culture," will be mailed postpaid ai>or receipt 

 of 40o in postage stamps. Address Amerloaa 

 Spawn Company, St. Paul, Minn. 



Mention The Review when vou write. 



the wall. I would, however, recommend 

 the former, as by having a bench three 

 feet wide along each wall and one six 

 or seven feet wide in the center of the 

 house, only two walks are necessary. 



Lettuce and radishes will do well in the 

 same house and in the same tempera- 

 ture, which for both should be between 

 40 and 50 degrees at night and about 

 15 degrees warmer in the daytime. 



A list of the horticultural books for 

 sale by the Review will be mailed to 

 you or to anyone desiring them. Prof. 

 L. H. Bailey 's ' * Forcing Book ' ' is prob- 

 ably the beginner's best guide. 



For general purposes a bench six inches 

 deep is most satisfactory. The house 

 should be light and have ample heating 

 equipment. The soil should be soft and 

 rich. These are the first and most im- 

 portant points to remember. H. G. 



Maeysville, Mo. — Peter Mergen has 



practically rebuilt his greenhouse this 



season. A neat, new brick office was 

 built last spring. 



Shhevepobt, La. — The secretary of the 

 state fair has written the largest florists 

 throughout the state, inviting them to 

 make exhibits at the approaching state 

 fair. 



