32 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



Mabch 25, 1909. 



Vegetable Forcing. 



GREENHOUSE VEGETABLES. 



Chicago, March 23. — Cucumbers, 75c to |1.25 

 doz.; lettuce, 20c to 30c box; radishes, 25c to 

 70c doz. bunches; mushrooms, 30c to 60c lb. 



New York, March 22.— Beet tops, 60c box; 

 cucumbers, 60c to $1.25 doz. ; lettuce, $1 to $1.75 

 ■trap; mushrooms, 20c to 60c lb.; mint, 35c to 

 46c doz. bunches; radishes, $2 to $3 per 100 

 bunches; rhubarb, $2 to $5 per 100 bunches; 

 tomatoes, 5c to 12c lb. 



Boston, March 22.— Radishes, $1.25 to $1.50 

 box; bunch beets, $2.50 to $3 doz.; bunch car- 

 rots, 25c to 75c doz.; dandelions, $1.25 to $1.50 

 box; rhubarb, 8c to 9c lb.; mint, 60c to 75c 

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

 $1 doz.; parsley, $1.25 to $1.50 box; tomatoes, 

 40c to 60c lb.; cucumbers, $5 to $11 box; 

 chicory, $1.50 doz.; lettuce, 60c to $1 box. 



SWEET POTATOES IN ILLINOIS. 



Can sweet potatoes be grown success- 

 fully near Chicago, or along the southern 

 borders of Lake Michigan, and are they 

 as good as the eastern grown? 



E. C. L. 



There is no reason why sweet potatoes 

 cannot be grown in the locality named, 

 as in that section of country there are 

 many places where the soil would be par- 

 ticularly adapted to them. Illinois grown 

 sweet potatoes are in all ways as good as 

 the eastern product. Sweet potatoes are 

 not grown in the vicinity of Chicago to 

 any extent, for the reason that other 

 crops of a more paying nature are grown, 

 but, except on the heavy clay ground 

 that forms quite a proportion of our 

 gardening district, they could be grown 

 successfully. J. M. C. 



LETTUCE SOIL TOO RICH. 



I am trying to grow head lettuce 

 (Eawson's Forcing). My soil is two- 

 thirds rotted sod and one-third rotted 

 manure, sweetened by lime and helped 

 out in plant food by bone flour and 

 dried fish, all well worked over. But 

 my lettuce grows very slowly. I run 

 the temperature at 42 to 45 degrees at 

 night and 60 to 65 degrees in the day- 

 time. Now, after the plants get well 

 rooted, say one week after setting in the 

 bed, can I run a higher temperature 

 without danger, until the lettuce com- 

 mences to head! If so, how high, both 

 day and night? ' 



I am troubled with a scald when the 

 lettuce is heading. Bailey claims it is 

 caused by too high a temperature after 

 a cloudy spell, but I am careful not to 

 go higher than 55 degrees, with plenty 

 of air at these times, so that does not 

 seem to me to be the right explanation. 

 "What causes it? Would it be a good 

 plan to wet the paths and syringe the let- 

 tuce lightly at these times? 



What is the best variety of lettuce for 

 coldframes in spring, putting it into 

 frames March 1? What is the best va- 

 riety for coldframes in the fall, to ma- 

 ture about the middle of November? 



F. H. L. 



The variety of lettuce you are grow- 

 ing is a good one and, under suitable con- 

 ditions, should prove successful. The 

 whole trouble is caused by your compost 

 being too rich. Two-thirds rotted sod 

 and one-third rotted manure is in itself 

 a rich compost for lettuce, but with the 

 • addition of bone flour and dried fish you 

 have a mixture strong enough to grow 

 champion pumpkins for the county fair. 

 Lettuce, being a soft growing subject 

 and not a heavy feeder at any stage of 



its growth, does not take kindly to arti- 

 fici^ manures, so these should not be 

 used unless the soil is very deficient in 

 plant food. 



Your temperature is all right. Do not 

 run it any higher, or you wiU only in- 

 crease the trouble by causing softness of 

 growth. Damping can only be obviated 

 by keeping the growth of your plants 

 as firm as possible, to enable them to 

 resist unsuitable atmospheric conditions, 

 when such occur through the vicissitudes 

 of the climate. Hence the necessity of 

 having a soil that will supply enough 

 nourishment to the plants without forc- 

 ing growth, and the necessity also of 

 maintaining a dry atmosphere. Do not 

 sprinkle the paths or syringe the plants 

 overhead, but water early, on bright 

 days only, and give enough air to dry 

 up all surplus moisture. Have the plants 

 perfectly dry before closing down the 

 house. 



Big Boston lettuce is a first-class va- 

 riety for coldframes in spring. For fall 

 we find Deacon the most suitable of 

 several varieties we have tried. 



William Scott. 



ONIONS FROM SEED, 



I intend to plant a large batch of 

 onions. Should I first sow seed in flats 

 and transplant in spring? If so, when? 

 I am located in central Minnesota. 



A. C. L. 



Onions for transplanting can be sowed 

 in rows in seed flats, or it may be better 

 to sow them in a coldf rame outdoors, but 

 if in a coldframe they will require more 

 attention. Give them ventilation each 

 day on which there is no frost, and cover 

 them carefully at night so that they wiU 

 not freeze. They require a cool tempera- 

 ture to make them healthy and strong, 

 but it is pretty sure to spoil them if they 

 freeze hard. 



I should think that there would be time 

 to plant them yet in your latitude. They 

 should be ready to transplant by the time 

 the ground is ready outside. If they are 

 grown as cool as you do your cabbage 

 plants they will stand about as much 

 cool weather, so you can plant almost as 

 early, but if you have to run them 

 warmer to hurry them along they will not 

 stand nearly as much cold. 



If you want to grow transplanted 

 onions, get seed of the Prize Taker va- 

 riety. They are the most satisfactory. 

 If you sow the seed directly in the gar- 

 den, however, Eed Wethersfield and Yel- 

 low Globe Danvers will be more satis- 

 factory. 



The transplanted onions make the very 

 finest product and when well done are a 

 ]^rofitable crop, but it is considerably 

 riore work than to drill them in the field 

 Lke radishes. Why not try some each 

 way? H, G. 



BALTIMORE. 



The Market. 



We are having all sorts of weather, 

 sometimes several kinds on the same day, 

 as is characteristic of March, but with it 

 all there is some bright sunshine, and its 

 vivifying influence is improving the qual- 

 ity and increasing the quantity of the 

 cut flower supply. Indeed, some kinds 

 of stock, such as roses, sweet peas, car- 

 nations and violets, are in excess of 

 daily requirements. About the only item 

 of which there is a scarcity is good As- 

 paragus plumosus and Sprengeri. The 



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. 



Mention Tlie Review when you write. 



Vegetable Plants 



FOR TRAHSPLANTIMG 



CABBAOS— Wakefield and SuccesBion, 91.50 



per 1000. 

 KQO PLANT — N. T. Improved and Black 



Bpauty, 40c per 100; $3.00 per 1000. 

 PBPPCR-Bull Nose, Ruby Kingr and Sweet 



MountaiD, 40c per 100; SS.OO per 1000. 

 Ohinese Olant and Cayenne, 50c per 100. 

 TOMATO— Earliana, Chalk's Jewel and Early 



June Pink, 80c per 100; $2.00 per 1000. 

 Cash with order. 



R. VINCCNL JR.. & SONS CO., Whitemarsh, Md. 



Menoon Thf Hptnftv? wnen vou write 



CONNOVER 



15,0001-yr.-old Asparagus plants, extra fine. 

 $4.00 per 1000. 

 1500 DRACAENA INDXVISA PerlOO 



2-ln $2.00 



3000 Phoenix Canariensis Palms, 8-ln 8.00 



1500 Cbamserops Excelsa. 2is-in 6.00 



500 Asparagfus Sprengeri, 8-in 5.00 



600 Asoaragrus Plumosus. Sin 6.00 



2000 ColeuB, 4 varieties, rooted cuttingrs 60 



2000 Geraniums— 8. Nutt, Double Ivy and 

 Miss Perkins, 2»8-in 2.50 



W. E. Trimble Greenhouse Co., Princeton, III. 



Mention The Review when you Mrrite> 



consequence is a cut in price, and while 

 the volume of business done is large, the 

 aggregate in money is far less than it 

 ought to be. Violets are also coming in 

 large shipments, and are largely handled 

 by the street fakers. 



Variotti Notes. 



The Exchange is steadily advancing 

 each month in the amount of business 

 done. J. J. Perry, the manager, deserves 

 a great deal of credit for the way he 

 handles the enormous stock which comes 

 to the Exchange. 



Harry Ekas is bringing some fine car- 

 nations to the market, which would be a 

 credit to any grower. He is one of the 

 growers who know how to do it. 



Monday night, March 22, was gera- 

 nium night at the Gardeners' and Flo- 

 rists' Club. Kichard Vincent, Jr., & Sons 

 Co. exhibited 100 varieties of blooms of 

 their novelties. 



Baltimore is besieged with bulb sales- 

 men, who are offering bulbs at tempting 

 prices, but few of the growers are inter- 

 ested as yet, as bulb stock has sold badly 

 so far. 



The Agricultural College, at College 

 Park, Md., is offering fine nut trees to 

 anyone who will take them and report on 

 thdr progress in different soils. 



The Murillo tulips seem to be a failure 

 so far around Baltimore. 



E. A. Seidewitz had a fine window dis- 

 play of spring flowers Saturday. Q. 



I don't see how any florist can do 

 business without the Eevibw. — Ai^frsd 

 RuNNiON, Sheldon, 111. 



