Lettuce drop. <A disease induced by a high tem- 
perature, cloudy weather and wet foliage 
pickings are made until August, when the 
houses are made ready to receive the next 
crop of lettuce. 
Home Grown Daffodils for Christmas — By A. M. Kirby, 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
Cucumbers are set four feet apart each 
way. Both cucumbers and tomatoes are 
trained to galvanized iron wires two feet 
apart each way, strung on poles six feet high. 
Bees are used to pollenate cucumbers. Some- 
times bees will not work on them readily, 
owing to the excessive heat of the house. 
In this case, the hives should be set on the 
outside of the house, where they can fly to the 
fields if they wish. If the bees do not readily 
enter the house through the side ventilators, 
confine them in the house for a few days. 
Cucumbers begin to ripenabout May 2oth,and 
the heightofthe crop isin Juneand July. My 
cucumbers have paid me one to two dollars 
per plant, according to the season and market. 
Mr. Perry states that on an investment of 
$2,500 in this business, an annual net 
income of $1,000 is quite certain, if no 
help is hired. This is not a large profit, 
but it is a fair return for the investment of 
SEPTEMBER, 1908 
Usually six weeks elapse between sowing the seed 
to harvesting well-grown heads 
time and labor. As the business is 
developed and more houses added the profit 
should increase correspondingly. But no 
man should go into the greenhouse business 
with the idea that it isa bonanza. It is not. 
But it offers a fair return to the man who 
likes to work with plants. 
New 
York 
THE SECRET OF WATER CULTURE IN BOWLS, AND WITHOUT SOIL—BUY BULBS 
AT ONCE AND GROW A LOT OF NOVEL HOLIDAY PRESENTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS 
T IS an easy matter to grow narcissus 
in the house and have flowers by 
Christmas, if a start is made with the newly 
arrived bulbs in September or even August. 
The growing plants need occupy no space 
in the window garden, or conservatory,’ 
excepting while in bud and blooming, and 
their flowering period may be hastened or 
retarded at pleasure to keep up a succession. 
For the earliest blooms grow the earlier 
flowering varietiesof the Tazetta group, partic- 
ularly Paper White and Double Roman; these 
are often in flowereven earlier than Christmas. 
Success is dependent upon four factors: 
1. Early planting. Procure the bulbs 
as early as possible and pot up at once. 
2. Plenty of time to root thoroughly. 
Allow about twelve weeks for hardy vari- 
eties and six weeks 
for tender Tazetta 
varieties. 
3. Slow growth 
when first brought 
into the house, giv- 
ing ventilation and 
keeping the room 
cool: 50 degrees until 
budded, then 60 de- 
grees or 65 degrees 
for flowering. 
4. Plenty of water 
when the buds are 
developing and when 
in flower. 
IMPORTANCE OF AUG- 
UST POTTING 
Too much empha- 
sis cannot be put 
on getting the bulbs 
as early as possible 
and potting them at 
once. 
A general order for daffodil bulbs sent to 
the bulb dealer will not be filled in the usual 
course of things until he can complete the 
order and so ship the whole lot at one time — 
that is, after the arrival of the Dutch, English, 
Irish and Guernsey bulbs, which means that 
you get your bulbs about the middle of Sep- 
tember. Be emphatic, therefore, in giving 
instructions to ship the bulbs “as they come 
in.” By the middle of August you can 
procure the South of France and Asia Minor 
narcissus including Paper White, Double 
Roman, and two or three others of the 
older Tazetta varieties, as well as three or - 
four varieties of the trumpet daffodils — 
probably Spurius major, Golden Spur and 
Emperor. It is just possible that the bulb 
dealer will also have a shipment of a few 
Emperor, a strong healthy grower and free bloomer; one of the best and largest of the all-yellow daffodils 
sorts of home grown bulbs from Virginia, 
probably Golden Spur, Emperor, Empress, 
Barri conspicuus, poeticus, and ornatus. 
Withanearlystart of half a dozen varieties 
and the arrival of the European stock in 
September, it is perfectly easy to have a grand 
show of narcissus and daffodils all winter 
from Christmas on. 
WATER CULTURE IN THE HOUSE 
For the parlor and library or any place 
where there is more or less danger of damage 
to carpets and furniture from overflow of 
watering, the bulbs may be grown in glasses 
of water, bowls of pebbles and water, or 
moss or fibre and water. The vessel holding 
the bulb, and sufficient water to come almost 
in contact with the bulb is put into an airy 
cool cellar, garret, 
storeroom, or cold pit 
where the light is dim 
—not into a close 
confined closet-—and 
kept there until the 
bulb is well rooted. 
This requires from 
five to six weeks for 
the polyanthus varie- 
ties, and from ten to 
twelve weeks for the 
hardy varieties. By 
this time the tops will 
also have grown an 
inch or two. At this 
stage, remove to a 
light room, with a 
temperature of from 
40 to 50 degrees, for 
two or three weeks or 
until the growth and 
buds are pretty well 
developed, when the 
plants may be placed 
