28 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



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July 15, 1009. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



RADISHES UNDER GLASS. 



A Profitable Crop. 



There is probably no hothouse vege- 

 table more attractive or beautiful than 

 well grown Scarlet Globe radishes. They 

 are also a paying crop and the easiest of 

 all vegetables to grow. The Scarlet 

 Globe variety is considered the best by 

 most growers, but some White Tips are 

 also forced. 



For forcing, one should purchase the 

 best select stock seed and sift it in a 

 wire cloth sieve, with meshes just large 

 enough to let all the smallest seed 

 through, while keeping the good seed 

 above. The seed that is small and im- 

 perfect does not make good raaishes and 

 should be thrown away, so as not to 

 take up space on the bench which might 

 as well produce good, salable radishes. 

 Where the seed is sifted and sorted in 

 this way, about all the radishes will 

 come on at once and be pulled at one 

 time, so that a part of the bench can be 

 stripped each day, promptly spaded over 

 and replanted without an hour's delay. 

 On the other hand, if the seed is not 

 sorted, a part of the radishes will not 

 make good, round, salable roots, but will 

 be tough and misshapen, and others will 

 be slow to mature, occupying the bench 

 that should be replanted and thus caus- 

 ing a double loss. 



Planting the Seed. 



The seeds are planted in rows four 

 inches apart and about an inch and a 

 half apart in the rows. They may be 

 planted double thick and thinned out 

 later, so as to make sure of getting a 

 good stand, but the greatest fault with 

 most growers is getting them too thick, 

 so that it takes them much longer to 

 mature and they do not make as good 

 radishes. Thus the thick planting causes 

 a loss instead of a gain. 



I prefer to plant the seed about as 

 I want the radishes to grow, and by cov- 

 ering carefully and very thinly I get 

 them to come up so evenly that they do 

 not need thinning out. I mark the rows 

 across the bench by pressing a lath 

 down gently, on edge, into the soft soil 

 to a depth of about three-eighths of an 

 inch. To plant the seed right takes time 

 and patience, but it saves more time in 

 thinning out. After the seed is planted 

 I go over the beds, covering the seed by 

 running my fingers between the rows, 

 thus plowing the seed rows full of soil. 



Moisture and Temperature. 



If the soil is moist it will not need 

 watering, but if dry, wet it well and 

 then use no more until needed, which 

 will not be for several days. If kept too 

 wet they grow up too tall and spindly at 

 first, and if too warm they will do the 

 same, making inferior quality. The bed 

 will dry out first around the edges, and 

 is therefore apt to be overwatered in the 

 center or kept too dry around the sides. 



When the seeds are all up they should 

 be gone over immediately, and thinned 

 where needed, leaving about nine or 

 ten standing to every foot of row. 

 They should be kept cooler and 

 drier just at this time than at any other 

 time, 80 as to keep them dwarf and make 

 nice, round roots, instead of longer ones 

 and larger tops. The night temperature 



should be 40 to 45 degrees the first ten 

 days after planting and then increased to 

 50 degrees. On bright days the temper- 

 ature should run about 15 degrees higher. 

 Ventilation is important and should be 

 given each day. Watering, when neces- 

 sary, should be done early on a bright 

 day and when ventilation is good, so as 

 to dry off before night. 



Greenfly and Fungus. 



Greenfly is about the only insect that 

 injures them, and damping off, a fungus, 

 is the only disease to be dreaded. When 

 this is allowed to start, by being care- 

 less about keeping the foliage wet, it 

 will spread rapidly and kill off large 

 patches of plants. The remedy for it 

 is to keep the foliage drier and ventilate 

 freely. The aphis, or greenfly, is kept 

 down by fumigating. 



The radishes should be ready to pull 

 in five weeks from planting the seed, if 

 the weather is favorable. Sometimes, in 

 spring, they make it in four weeks, and 

 in winter it sometimes takes six weeks. 

 They should not be puUed too small. 

 Leave them until as large as hickory 

 nuts or larger. Ten will then make a 

 bunch, while fourteen will be necessary 

 if too small. 



Bundling and Packing. 



Before beginning to bunch them, it is 

 a good plan to have the twine cut in one- 

 foot lengths by winding it around the 

 end of a six-inch board and cutting the 

 twine on one edge of the board. Carry 

 these bunches of twine to the house or 

 tie them to a button on the vest. In 

 pulling, hunt them with one hand, holding 

 them in the other, until a bunch is 

 pulled; then tie them before laying 

 them down. Gather the bunches and 

 stack them up before the soil dries on 

 them, having the roots all one way, and 

 wash with the hose. Then stand them 

 up on a clean bench in the shed, roots 

 down, so that the water will drain out 

 of the leaves, and dry them off. 



Later they are packed in boxes, laying 

 them down, six to ten dozen bunches per 

 box. For shipping, the boxes should be 

 lined with newspapers. Orange boxes 

 are excellent, holding eight dozen nicely. 

 This is the standard package on the Chi- 

 cago market, for radishes. 



The prices range from 40 cents to 80 

 cents per dozen bunches. An ordinary 

 greenhouse bench, 5x100 feet, would have 

 300 rows across it, with about four 

 bunches per row, but if they average only 

 three bunches per row, that would be 

 seventy-five dozen bunches, which, at 60 

 cents per dozen, would amount to $45 

 every five weeks. Many other crops will 

 not pay as well. A little well rotted ma- 

 nure should be turned into the soil for 

 each crop. H. G. 



WANT ADVERTISEMENTS. 



AdTertisements under this bead one cent a 

 word. CASH WITH ORDER. When answers 

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

 forwarding. 



SITUATION WANTED-By a thorough, expe- 

 rienced seedsman; highest references. James 

 Spence, 226 Mason St., Milwaukee, Wis. 



SITUATION WANTED-By a practical florist; 

 private or commercial; life experience; best 

 of references; only a first-class place considered. 

 Address No. 96, care Florists' Review, Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED-By a German florist, 

 experienced; 14 years in all kinds of flowers; 

 specialty, carnations, mums and market stufF; 3 

 years in America. Address Ludwic Wise, 106 Sd 

 Ave., Butler, Pa. 



No Grower of Vegetables under glass can 

 afford to do without the Wittbold system of 



Watering 



—because with It a boy can do as much 

 as two men can do in a whole day with 

 the hose— and do it better. 



The system is equally valuable out- 

 doors, and for many other crops besides 

 vegetables— wherever you need water. 



Send for our booklet— with testimon- 

 ials—read and you'll send in your order. 



E. H. HUNT 



Excluilve Sales Agent 

 76-78 Wabash Ave., CHICAGO 



Mention The Review when vou write. 



THE cost oF labor saved 

 ' in six months will buy 

 and install a Skinner Sys- 

 tem of Greenhouse Irri- 

 gation. 



The Skinner Irrigation Go. 



TROY. O. 



Mention The Review when you write. 



Vegetable Plants 



PAR8LXT-$1.25 per 1000. 



CABBAOB- Field-grown, all leading varie- 

 ties, $1.00 per 1000; 10,000 and over, 85c per 1000. 



CXLKRT— White Plume, Golden Self Blanch- 

 ing and Giant Pascal, 91.00 per 1000. 



■OG PLAITT-N. Y. Improved and Black 

 Beauty, $3.00 per 1000. 



LKTTnCK— Big Boston, Boston Market, Ten- 

 nis Ball and Grand Rapids, $1.00 per 1000. 



FKPPSR8-Ruby King, Bull Nose. Sweet 

 Mountain and Neapolitan, $2.00 per 1000. 

 Chinese Giant and Cayenne, 50c per 100. 



Cash with order. 



R. Vincent, Jr., & Sons Co j'"^?.*""- 



Mention The Review when you write. 



SITUATION WANTED-By thoroughly expe- 

 rienced florist; foreman or manager of store; 

 roses, carnations, mums, specialties; first-class 

 designer, decorator; good wages expected; best 

 references. Address W. Foreman, Joplin, Mo. 



SITUATION WANTED-By married man, as 

 foreman; grower of roses and carnations; 

 very successful; life experience with prominent 

 firms; well up on general stock; best references; 

 middle west preferred. Address Florist, 284 £. 

 Huron St., Chicago, 111. 



SITUATION WANTED-By German, age 88; 

 life experience in roses, carnations, mums 

 and pot flowers: would like to have position as 

 foreman or section man; state particulars and 

 wages in first letter: have good references. Ad- 

 dress No. 91. care Florists' Review, Chicago. 



SITUATION WANTED— Gardener and orchid 

 grower; thoroughly experienced man as 

 above, able and willing to work up a collection 

 with any lady or gentleman about to start in or- 

 chids; good knowledge of plants; middle-aged; 

 best of references. Address No. 94, care Flo- 

 rists' Review, Chicago. 



WANTED TO RECOMMEND - A sober and 

 trustworthy greenhouse man; fingle. Any 

 firm wishing a man tbev can rely on address The 

 Minge Floral Co., W. M. Bailey, Mobile, Ala. 



HELP WANTED- Strong boys, able to handle 

 wheelbarrow and later to be helpers in 

 greenhouses; steady employment to the right 

 kind. Poehlmann Bros. Co., Morton Qrove, Ul. 



