22 



The Florists^ Review 



OCTOBEK 1, 1!»1-|. 



Vegetable Forcing 



VEGETABLE MEN TO MEET. 



The seventh annual convention of the 

 Vegetable Growers' Association of 

 America will be held in Philadelphia 

 October 6 to 9. So impressed is the 

 Pennsylvania railroad with the value 

 of the movement in increasing general 

 agricultural prosperity that it has 

 turned practically its whole passenger 

 soliciting staff to making a canvass of 

 personal calls on vegetable growers 

 along the Pennsylvania lines with a 

 view to inducing them to attend the 

 convention. 



USE OF FOEMAIiDEHYDE. 



The Eeview has received the follow- 

 ing inquiry: "Will some grower who 

 has used formaldehyde as a sterilizer 

 from one year to another tell me his 

 experience with it as a sterilizer? I 

 am not prepared to sterilize with steam 

 and my ground is somewhat diseased." 



None of The Eeview staff have used 

 formaldehyde. If some lettuce grower 

 who has experience with it will describe 

 his method of using it and state how 

 successful he has found it to be, it no 

 doubt will be of general interest. 



POISON SPRATS ON CUCUMBERS. 



The greenhouse culture of cucumbers 

 is alluring, as under good conditions a 

 quick, sure and profitable crop may be 

 expected. In the September 10 issue 

 of The Eeview, H. A. S. detailed trouble 

 that would interfere with the profits. 

 The effectiveness of A. Hallett's spray 

 of cyanide of potassium, to which H. A. 

 S. has reference, can be taken for 

 granted, but as this contains 116% 

 grains to the gallon, its caustic action 

 is to be feared on so delicate a foliage 

 as that of the cucumber, particularly if 

 the spray is applied when the vines are 

 partly wilted; it would be prudent to 

 try a single vine first. 



The query of H. A. S. as to the dan- 

 ger of poisoning the cucumber fruit 

 through the use of this spray at flow- 

 ering time is pertinent. The use of 

 two gallons of this spray on an area of 

 2,500 square feet would, under glass, be 

 equivalent to its application to about 

 sixty-six plants or hills of cucumbers, 

 on an inclined trellis system. If the 

 spraying be done without waste, and 

 conceding that all the liquid be ab- 

 sorbed, each plant or hill would receive 

 three and one-half grains of cyanide, 

 certainly not enough to endanger the 

 embryo fruit. However, if successive 

 sprayings are made, or if sprayings are 

 made at a later stage of the cucumbers ' 

 development, danger might result from 

 rapidity of absorption and, through this, 

 from the accumulation of a poisonous 

 quantity of cyanide in one or more 

 fruits. 



One-eighth grain is the dose of 

 cyanide for an adult, and six grains 

 have proved fatal to an adult. It is 

 stated that cyanide varies in quality, 

 or strength, and trials have shown that 

 after fourteen days' exposure to air it 

 still retains energetic poisonous proper- 

 ties. So, althou^ it might be presumed 

 that the salt would decompose rapidly 

 after absorption, this fact should be 

 kept in mind. 



As bees are welcome visitors, their 

 entrance should be guarded against dur- 



ing a spraying period, as their presence 

 at such a time would lead to sure death. 

 We have had thousands of bees in cu- 

 cumber houses January 19; they had 

 made the flight across the river from a 

 point one-half mile distant. 



While on the poison topic I would 

 like to say that the use of prussic, or 

 hydrocyanic, acid gas (cyanogen) as a 

 fumigant is so common and is used un- 

 der such varied conditions that there 

 is some danger of overlooking its dead- 

 ly nature. So many circumstances 

 about the average greenhouse lend 

 themselves to the possibility of deplor- 

 able accidents — the little folks are fre- 

 quently about and are in and out with- 

 out one's knowledge^ — that locked doors 

 should be the rule when fumigation is 

 under way. 



Artificial respiration, the application 

 of cold water to chest, head and spine, 

 and cautious inhalation of ammonia or 

 chlorine, with the internal use of an ex- 

 tremely weak solution of ammonia water 

 and a weak solution of chlorinated 

 lime, are generally recommended as 

 first aids to those who have succumbed 

 to the influence of poisons such as these. 



Theo. F. Beckert. 



ANTIRRHINUM TOR CHRISTMAS. 



I shall bench some pink snapdragon 

 plants from 2%-inch pots October 1 



and would like to have a good croii for 

 Christmas, if possible. Shall I let Uiem 

 commence blooming at once, or ^\iieuf 

 In cutting the spikes, how low slould 

 they be cut? E. 0. G. 



Snapdragons planted October 1 lom 

 2%-inch pots will not give you a Cluist- 

 mas crop. In order to have a croji for 

 the holidays, strong plants should lave 

 been benched by the middle of Aujngt. 

 Your plants will not give you iiuch 

 flower before the end of February, but 

 will furnish a cut for some mouths 

 once they commence. Let the main 

 shoot of your little plant run uj' to 

 flower; then pinch back and allov a 

 crop of young shoots, which will be 

 starting from near the base, to come 

 up. If you pinch back the shoots while 

 in a tender state the plants will bieak 

 weakly. Give snapdragons 4.5 to 48 

 degrees at night for the best results. 

 C. AV. 



INDIANA FLORISTS TO MEET. 



The autumn meeting of the State Flo- 

 rists ' Association of Indiana will be 

 held at Kokomo, Tuesday, October 6. 

 The members will assemble at the St. 

 Francis hotel at 10 a. m. 



The Indianapolis florists will attend 

 in a body, having arranged for a speeial 

 car to leave the traction terminal sta- 

 tion at 7 a. m. 



Cambridge, O, — Fred W. Arnold has 

 liis range of 30,000 feet of glass well 

 under way and he hopes to complete it 

 by October 10. 



New London, Conn. — A burglar broke 

 into the store of S. J. Eeuter & Son, Sun- 

 day night, September 20, but only got 

 about $16 for his efforts. 



Elyria, O. — Non-competitive exhibits 

 were made by the L. C. Hecock Floral 

 Co., James McLaughlin and Smallwood 

 & Son at the seventh annual flower 

 show held by the Home Garden Asso- 

 ciation. 



Oreensburg, Pa. — Joseph Thomas has 

 about completed the installation of new 

 fixtures at his store. Glass, mirror- 

 lined cases, marble-topped tables, mir- 

 rors in the windows and a new floor are 

 some of the improvements. 



Natick, Mass.— The firm of Chamber- 

 lain & Gage has been dissolved. The 

 business of gladiolus growing will be 

 continued by L, Merton Gage, who is 

 widely known as secretary of the Amer- 

 ican Gladiolus Society for many years, 



Spokane, Wash. — In the flower depart- 

 ment at the state fair Hoyt Bros, re- 

 ceived first prize for the best Spokane 

 flag in asters. The department was said 

 to be the best and largest in several 

 years, twice the usual space being de- 

 voted to it. 



Kokomo, Ind. — Miss Elsie Coles has 

 purchased the retail cut flower and plant 

 business from her father, W. W. Coles, 

 and opened a downtown store October 

 1. The new store will be known as 

 Coles' Flower Shop. A new auto deliv- 

 ery is part of the equipment. 



Stamford, Conn. — George L. Water- 

 bury has applied for a permit to ereet a 

 greenhouse at 150 Broad street, to cost 

 $225. The owner will do the construc- 

 tion work. 



Waltham, Mass. — Work is well ad- 

 vanced on the new greenhouse which is 

 being erected at Mt. Feake cemetery. 

 Its completion is due October 1, aee(trd- 

 ing to contract. 



Kansas City, Mo. — The Kansas City 

 Post awarded prizes to the best <leco- 

 rated windows for fashion show week. 

 Samuel Murray won second prize, and 

 the W. L. Eock Flower Co. received 

 honorable mention, 



Houghton, Mich. — At the range oi the 

 Pearce Floral Co. a greenhouse 40x175 

 feet has been erected. It is on a <on- 

 Crete foundation and Louisiana cyi^ress 

 was used in its construction. A l^irg* 

 boiler has been added, as well ;''^ * 

 cement smokestack fifty feet high and 

 seven feet in diameter, and a new en- 

 tilating apparatus. The new house ac- 

 comodates 30,000 plants, 15,000 rose;^ and 

 4,000 carnations. 



Salem, O. — Joseph E. Bousall has -old 

 the greenhouse part of his busine^■- *" 

 N. C. Glass & Sons, who will cater to 

 both the retail and wholesale tra<lc m 

 cut flowers and plants. The sons. A'. Jen 

 and William, who have both had several 

 years' experience, will have immediate 

 charge of the business. The plant v:on- 

 sists of 20,000 square feet of glass, ^vitn 

 sufficient land for growing stock, ^y- 

 Bonsall will continue to grow hAraJ 

 stock, specializing in several kiinl-' o 

 perennials and annuals for the whole' 

 sale cut flower trade. 



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