56 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



Januaby 7, 1909. 



Vegetable Fordng. 



Joseph Rice, of the Griswold Co., Ash- 

 tabula, O., was *in Chicago last week, 

 purchasing material for a new range of 

 greenhouses to cover 125,000 square feet. 

 The company already has 225,000 feet, 

 80 when the new range is completed it 

 will cover 350,000 square feet, probably 

 the largest vegetable forcing establish- 

 ment in the country. Mr. Rice reports 

 business excellent this season. The com- 

 pany grows lettuce only, in fall and win- 

 ter, and cucumbers in the late spring and 

 early summer. It is marketing an ex- 

 cellent grade of Grand Rapids lettuce. 

 All the product is sold in Pittsburg. 



VEGETABLE MARKETS. 



Chicago, Jan. 5. — Cucumbers, 75c to 

 $1.75 doz.; leaf lettuce, 30c case; rad- 

 ishes, lOe to 35c doz. bunches; mush- 

 rooms, 35e to 50c lb. 



New Yoek, Jan. 4. — Cucumbers, fancv, 

 $1.50 to $1.75 doz.; cucumbers. No. 1, $1 

 to $1.25 doz. ; cucumbers, No. 2, $2 to $4 

 box lettuce, $1 to $1.75 strap; mush- 

 rooms, white, 30e to 45e lb.; mushrooms, 

 brown, 20c to 35e lb.; mint, 40e to 50c 

 doz. bunches; radishes, $2.50 to $3.50 

 per 100 bunches; tomatoes, 8e to 15c lb. 

 Boston, Jan. 4.— Cucumbers, best, $12 

 box; cucumbers, No. 1, $6 to $10 box; 

 cucumbers. No. 2, $2.50 to $3 box; toma- 

 toes, 20c to 25c lb.; lettuce, 50c to 75c 

 box; parsley, $2 to $2.25 box; mint, 50c 

 to 75c doz.; romaine, 75e to $1 doz.; 

 escarolle, 50c to 75c doz. ; chicory, 50e to 

 75c doz.; dandelions, $1.75 to $2 box; 

 'mushrooms, $1.50 to $1.75 box; beet 

 greens, 75c to $1 box. 



LETTUCE DAMPING OFF. 



We are bothered very much with the 

 damp or fungous disease in our lettuce, 

 both large and small. The large lettuce 

 seems to get the damp when it is half 

 grown or fully matured, even when the 

 plants were healthy. 



We used the manure mulching last 

 summer, keeping the soil quite moist, and 

 then removed the coarse mulching and 

 spaded the fine manure under. Do you 

 think that would be a cause for the large 

 lettuce damping offf We also used a 

 mixture of four pounds of blue-stone 

 and four pounds of lime, to a barrel of 

 water, for the first crop. We applied 

 three gallons of the mixture to a space 

 about 5x12 feet, but mnee the damp has 

 been showing so badly we have been ap- 

 plying the mixture for the second crop 

 one-third stronger; also a light applica- 

 tion of Ume. Do you think that to be too 

 strong for the soilf Do you think such 

 treatment will rid the soil of the dis- 

 ease for the following crops, or do you 

 know of a sure way to stop the dampf 



Do you think the fungus originates 

 in the soil, or is it carried in by the 

 plants from the seed bedt How long 

 is it supposed to take to rid the soil of 

 it by the use of chemicals? H. & C. 



Damping is a very common trouble 

 with greenhouse lettuce. The principal 

 cause of it is unsuitable atmospheric con- 

 ditions. Soil, no doubt, has a certain 

 influence on the disease, but I am doubt- 

 ful if the treatment which you have 

 been giving it will do any good. The 

 only thing that will be of service in the 

 treatment of the soil is sterilizing, but 

 good crops of lettuce can be grown with- 



out soil sterilization. The principal thing 

 to avoid is softness of growth, which can 

 be induced by numerous causes, such as 

 excessive richness of soil, too high a 

 temperature, lack of sufficient fresh air, 

 overhead watering, etc. 



Too much fire heat is one of the most 

 prolific causes of the disease. You never 

 find this trouble in coldframes, where no 

 fire heat is employed. A night tempera- 

 ture of 40 degrees is quite high enough. 

 Allow a rise of 15 degrees by §un heat, 

 but give air on all possible occasions, 

 even if the temperature does not reach 

 this point, and by all means avoid con- 

 densation. Water on bright days, only 

 wetting the plants as little as possible, 

 and try to have all surplus moisture evap- 

 orated before the house is closed down. 



Constant vigilance is necessary for let- 

 tuce where grown under artificial con- 

 ditions, as it is in a greenhouse, and only 

 by getting the conditions as nearly nat- 

 ural as possible can you expect to have 

 success. Wm. Scott. 



CYANIDE AND LETTUCE. 



Will hydrocyanic acid gas poison let- 

 tuce enough to hurt any one that eats 

 it? We want to kill white fly with it. 



R. £. H. 



Hydrocyanic acid gas is used a great 

 deal by lettuce growers, and there is no 

 instance on record of anyone ever being 

 poisoned by eating vegetables from 

 bouses where it is used for fumigating. 

 You can use it without any danger from 

 that source. 



Enough has been said about cyanide in 

 these columns recently so that it will be 

 hardly necessary to say any more con- 

 cerning its use just now. I might re- 

 peat, however, that the house should not 

 be syringed before using the cyanide, as 

 you would in using other kinds of fumi- 

 gation, because cyanide poison settles in 

 moisture and if the plants are wet it is 

 almost certain to injure them. Or, if 

 the soil, the walks and the space under 

 the benches are wet, the poison will settle 

 in this excessive dampness before it can 

 do much good and the time and material 

 will be wasted. Have your houses dry 

 when using it; it is better not to water 

 the day that you are to fumigate. 



H. G. 



LETTUCE. 



This fall I covered my ground beds 

 with three or four inches of semi-rotted 

 stable manure and chopped same in with 

 a hoe. Last year a weedy sod had been 

 turned under deep and lots of rich, 

 rotted manure spaded under, but the 

 plants were slow in growing. This sum- 

 mer this was plowed back and this top 

 dressing chopped in. On some of the 

 bed I added a light dressing of chicken 

 manure, but can see no perceptible dif- 

 ference. The lettuce is slow, but of good 

 quality. What can be done to hasten 

 the growth? The temperature at night 

 is from 45 to 50 degrees and during the 

 day from 50 to 55 degrees. The soil is a 

 black loam, or perhaps a prairie soil 

 would describe it better, as this is on the 

 Michigan prairies. This soil is about 

 eighteen inches to two feet deep, with 

 a sand soil below and then a bed of 

 clay. Water seems to pass through the 

 soil quickly, but it remains wet under 

 the surface for quite a while. I seldom 

 water, except on sunny days. C. A. S. 



The best way to grow lettuce is to 

 first sow the seed in a small piece of a 



t 



IVE ACRES with the 

 Skinner irrigation will 

 produce as much crops as 

 TEN ACRES without it. 



The Skinner Irrigation Go. 



TROY, d. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



WAIHTED 



Growers who want good, stroDgr. true Grftnd 

 Rapids lettuce plants, with extra nice clumps of 

 roots, can get them at Sl.OO per MOO this month. 

 These are nice, strong and hardy, and must not 

 be classed with the weak, spindly seedlings that 

 some growers send out. Will send a sample 100 

 for 10c, postpaid. Answer quick and have them 

 reserved for you, as this will not appear again. 

 Only 60,000 left. 



C« W* EIFLFR 



1907 to 1915 2d Ave., ALTOONA, PA. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Seeds for Forciog 



lilTINOSTON'S TRUE BliVE STRAINS 



liettnoe- Grand Raplda.... Vlb., 85c; lb., $1.25 



Badlah-IirebaU Vlb., 16c; lb., .60 



Radiah-Im. 8carlet01obe.i4-lb., 20c; lb., .60 



Radiab— RoBT Gem VIb.. 16c; lb., .60 



Tomato-I.'a Globe, oz. ,85c: >4-lb.,$1.10;lb., 4.00 



Tomato-L'M Beauty, oz., 25c; >4-lb.,50c;lb., 1.76 



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



LITINeSTON SEED CO., Bai 1M. Colambai, 0U« 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Watch for our Trade K(ark stamped 

 on every brick of Lambert's 



Pure Colture Moslirooin Spawn 



Substitution of cheaper grades is 

 thus easily exposed. Fresn sample 

 ^,^^ brick, with illustrated book, mailed 

 ^*^^^Vw postpaid by manufacturers upon re- 

 V^P- 3«^ celpt of 40 cents In postage. Address 



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



COIVIET TOIVIATO SEED 



Grown from tme stock. Excellent for forcing. 

 50c and Sl.OO per pkt. H.M SANDBRSON, 

 111 LIMCOlJf ST.. WAXTHAai. MASS. 



bench, transplanting to the beds when of 

 sufficient size to handle conveniently. 

 Let the soil be moist when pricking out 

 the seedlings. The soil you speak of 

 should grow good lettuce. The manure 

 can be spread on three inches deep and 

 turned under a foot or so. A night tem- 

 perature of 40 to 42 degrees is sufficient- 

 ly high for lettuce. The day readings 

 may run up to 20 to 25 degrees higher 

 than this with sun heat, but should not 

 exceed 50 degrees on cloudy days. Let- 

 tuce requires careful watering in winter. 

 Even if the surface soil is powdery, if 

 that containing the roots is moist, it is 

 better not to water. Your soil evidently 

 is retentive of moisture and great care 

 must be used in applying water. 



Have you ever tried sterilization of the 

 soil for your crops? A large number 

 of the leading lettuce growers now steril- 

 ize all their beds and find that the ab- 

 sence of disease and general excellence 

 of crops well repay them for the labor 

 and expense incurred. I think steriliza- 

 tion would be of great benefit to your 

 soil. C. W. 



