50 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



OCTOBBB 8, 1908. 



yegetableForciflg. 



BLEACHING CELERY. 



I have 20,000 head of celery, Winter 

 Queen and Giant Pascal, and I should 

 like to bleach it with soil. Can I do 

 this? If so, will soil rot celery by get- 

 ting in the heart of it? We have nine 

 inches of black soil and clay subsoil. 

 When should I start to hill up ? H. B. 



Yes, you can bleach the celery with 

 soil if the rows are from four feet six 

 inches to five feet apart. If the work is 

 properly done, the plants will not rot 

 after this time of year. As to the time 

 to start hilling, that is a matter of judg- 

 ment. I am beginning now, but later 

 may be better. 



It requires education, experience and 

 sound judgment .to bleach and store 

 celery so as to realize a fair profit. 



O- A. Oliver. 



MAKING A MUSHROOM BED. 



I wish to know if the soil on top of 

 a mushropm bed should be kept moist. I 

 spawned my first bed August 9. I have 

 sprinkled it several times, but the soil 

 is always dry, though the spawn itself 

 is soft and can be broken easily. The 

 bed is made up in a chicken coop. I 

 thought I ought to see some mushrooms 

 by this time, but the trouble may be in 

 using sawdust manure, of which the bed 

 is made. J. L. T. 



I am sorry to have to discourage you 

 with your mushrooms, but I am afraid 

 you will have but poor returns. The 

 manure being mixed with sawdust is 

 enough in itself to cause failure, as it is 

 sure to contain resin and other injurious 

 ingredients. The fact that the bed con- 

 tinues to dry out shows that the atmos- 

 pheric conditions of the chicken house 

 are also at fault. Mushrooms require a 

 moist atmosphere — moist enough to main- 

 tain sufficient dampness in the bed to 

 obviate • the necessity of watering, pro- 

 viding your material contained the 

 proper amount of moisture at the time 

 of making up and was made of sufficient 

 depth to have body enough to retain the 

 moisture. 



In a properly constructed mushroom 

 house a depth of eight inches for the bed 

 is sufficient, but where conditions aro not 

 altogether suitable it is safer to make the 

 bed twelve inches deep, the larger body 

 of material being better able to resist the 

 drying influence of the atmospheric con- 

 ditions. Sprinkling the walls and floor 

 of the house frequently will help matters 

 considerably, but it should never be nec- 

 essary to apply water to the bed itself, 

 as doing so invariably retards the prog- 

 ress of the spawn. 



In making the next bed, procure ma- 

 nure from stables where only straw is 

 used for bedding, and do not be too par- 

 ticular about shaking all the straw out 

 of it, as a little straw is a benefit rather 

 than a detriment to the material. Avoid 

 another mistake which is often made, 

 that of keeping the manure too long and 

 turning and turning it until the virtue 

 has all been worked out of it. Try to 

 procure enough manure at one time to 

 make your bed up. Throw it in a pile 

 and let it heat, but not too violently. 

 Then turn it over, working into it about 

 one-quarter of good, friable loam; that 

 is, three parts manure to one of loam. 



A BED or MUSHROOMS 



Raised from our Spawn, will bear longer and yield better than from any other variety of 

 Spawn. This is proven by facts. Pull particulars and information how to succeed in mushroom 

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



KIRKEBY&6UNDESTRUP SEED CO., 4273 Milwaukee Ai8.,ChlcagO 



MUSHROOM SPKCIAUSTS 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Seeds for Forciog 



LIVINGSTON'S TRUE BLUE STRAINS 



Lettuce- Grand Rapida....i4-lb., 35c; lb., $1.25 



Radisli-Flreball 14-lb., 15c; lb., .60 



Radish-Im. 8carletGlobe.i4-lb., 20c; lb., .60 



Radisb— RosT Gem 14-lb.. 15c; lb.. .50 



Tomato-L's Globe, oz., 35c; i^4-lb.,$l.lO; lb., 4.00 



Tomato-L'8 Beauty, oz.,25c; 14-lb., 50c; lb., 1.75 



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



LIVINGSTON SEED CO., Box 104. Colombns, Ohio 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Let this stand again till heat has gen- 

 erated; then proceed to make up your 

 bed. 



The soil absorbs and retains the am- 

 monia and keeps the material from heat- 

 ing too violently, thus saving an essen- 

 tial chemical part of the material and 

 allowing the bed to be made up without 

 having to waste valuable time in working 

 off the ammonia to prevent too violent 

 heat. 



In making the bed, the material should 

 be moderately damp, but not too wet. If 

 dry, it should be sprinkled with water 

 until the proper moisture has been added. 

 Pack firmly to prevent overheating. The 

 bed, if conditions are right, should not 

 rise to over 95 degrees. Allow it to fall 

 to 80 degrees before inserting the 

 spawn, and before putting on the cover- 

 ing of soil allow it to fall to 75 degrees. 

 In about a week, or when the heat has 

 declined to 65 degrees, a covering of 

 straw should be put on, the amount being 

 regulated as the temperature of the bed 

 requires. If an overhead temperature 

 of 55 degrees can be maintained, the cov- 

 ering need not be over three inches 

 thick, but if the house falls lower, in- 

 crease the covering accordingly. The 

 bed itself, as indicated by a bottom heat 

 thermometer, should maintain a tempera- 

 ture of from 60 to 65 degrees. 



From five to six weeks from the time 

 of spawning, an outlook should be kept 

 for the appearance of the mushrooms, 

 and when they begin to show freely the 

 straw should be removed from the bed, 

 so as not to hinder the development of 

 the crop. William Scott. 



VEGETABLES IN A LEAN-TO. 



I would like to know if lettuce, rad- 

 ishes or onions could be grown in a 

 greenhouse on a raised bench, the house 

 being just one span, six feet to the ridge 

 and attached to other houses. Mums are 

 in the house now. Could we get a crop 

 of vegetables for Christmas, or will they 

 stay dormant and not be in crop until 

 March? There is no heat in the house 

 after December 1. H. D. H. 



Yes, radishes, onions or lettuce will 

 all do well in your lean-to house if it is 

 well ventilated and a little heat can bp 

 had on cold nights to keep the tempera- 

 ture about 45 to 50 degrees. All three 

 crops can be grown, if desired, as the 

 same conditions suit them all. 



Kadishes of the Scarlet Globe forcing 

 variety mature in winter in about five 

 weeks from date of planting the seed, 

 and green onions from good-sized sets 

 require about the same time. It is well 



THE cost of labor saved 

 ' in six months will buy 

 and install a Skinner Sys- 

 tem of Greenhouse Irri- 

 gation. 



The Skinner Irrigation Co. 



TROY, O. 



Vegetable Plants 



CABBAGB-Wakefield and Succession, 25c 

 per 100; $1.00 per 1000. " 



LETTUCE— Boston Market, Tennis Ball and 

 Grand Rapids, 25c per 100; $1.00 per 1000. 



PARSLET-Strong plants, $1.25 per 1000. 



R.YINCENTJr.&SOHSCO.r'**-"r"'' 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Watcb for our Trade Mark stamped 

 on every brick of Lambert's 



Pure Culture Mushroom Spawn 



Substitution of cheaper grades is 

 thus easilv exposed. Fresh sample 

 ^^.^^ brick, with illustrated book, mailed 

 ^^ 7^^S. postpaid by manufacturers upon re- 

 ^^P- 5>^ ceipt of 40 cents in postage. Address 



Trade Mark. American Spawn Co., St. Paul, Minn. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



to set the date of planting a few days 

 earlier, as the crop can be held back a 

 few days for the purchaser, but cannot 

 be sold at best prices if not marketable 

 for the holidays. All markets are low 

 for several days after any holiday creat- 

 ing a special demand. 



Six weeks before Christmas is a good 

 time to plant the beds to radishes and 

 onions, but letture should have ten weeks 

 from seed. The seed should be planted 

 in flats and transplanted in about two 

 weeks from date of planting the seed, 

 into other flats, placing the plants about 

 two inches apart. In two weeks more 

 they are ready to plant in the beds, about 

 eight inches apart, and will then be 

 benched at the same date as the other 

 crops, but having four weeks the start 

 in order to mature at about the same 

 time. H. G. 



Muskegon, Mich. — C. S. Butterworth 

 has begun the erection of a greenhouse, 

 25x150. He has an entire block of 

 ground on which to enlarge as the needs 

 of the business require. 



Dayton, O. — What is said to have been 

 one of the largest consignments of Dutch 

 bulbs ever received through the Dayton 

 port of entry arrived September 25, con- 

 signed to L. O. Berry, nurseryman, Troy, 

 O. The shipment consisted of twelve 

 cases. Two cases were received on the 

 same date for H. P. Smith, Piqua. 



