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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
WATERING GREENHOUSE VEGETABLES 
TpHE proper use of water on vegetables under glass 
is one of the most important factors which the 
grower has to consider, writes E. F. Stoddard in Flo- 
rists' Excliaiiij^c. Water is a plant food and also acts as 
a carrier of plant food in the soil and plant. Plant food 
m the soil must be in solution before it is available. 
Most vegetables contain from 85 to 95 per cent, water. 
This does not mean that the soil should be kept wet 
all the time to encourage the best growth. Too much 
water causes as much damage as not enough water. 
It also makes the plants grow too fast and they grow 
weak and spindling and are more susceptible to attacks 
from insects and diseases. 
There is no definite rule as to the amount of water 
to apply. A great deal depends upon the kind of soil, 
crop temperatures, season of the year, and whether the 
weather is clear or cloudj'. 
The soil on raised benches dries out quite rapidly 
and the crop may need watering from one to three 
times a day oh warm, sunsniny days. Ground beds 
are more satisfactory, because they do not dry out as 
rapidly as raised benches, and the growth of the plants 
is more uniform, since the moisture supply is more con- 
stant. 
The color of the plant will often show whether or 
not the plants need more water. Plants that receive 
too much water will be light green in color, while 
plants do not evaporate all the water which they 
color. The crop should make a steady growth. The 
soil should be distinctly moist but not wet. 
Heavy soils are injured easily by turning a heavy 
forceful stream down on the soil. When such soils 
are watered with a hose, it is best to use a gentle 
stream and to hold the hose down rather close to the 
soil. It is best to water lightly at first, going from 
one end of the bed to the other, and wait a few mm- 
utes until it has gone down into the soil. Watering 
should be done thoroughly so that water goes down 
beyond the depth of the roots. It is the water that 
comes up, or the capillary water which does the most 
good to the plants. 
The best time to do the watering is in the morning, 
while the temperatures are rising. The leaves of the 
plants that need water become quite dark green in 
provides favorable conditions for diseases. Some 
burning of the leaves may result when a crop is 
watered in the middle of a hot day, unless the water- 
ing is done between the rows. Very little or no 
water should be applied during cloudy weather. The 
plants should not go into the night, wet, because this 
take up during cloudy weather, and there is a danger 
of injuring the leaves when the sun comes out again 
if too much water has been applied. Every grower 
must stud)' his conditions and use his best judgment 
about waterinsf. 
flowers like carnations, but they have one fault^the 
water in them becomes warm very (juickly, and this 
warmth is transmitted to the flowers, causing them to 
wilt. The water in vases of this kind should be changed 
twice a day. 
]\Iost flowers last longer if half an inch is cut from the 
stems every day. This cutting should always be done with 
a sharp knife. It is well enough to use clippers in the 
garden for convenience, but they have a tendency to 
squeeze the stems together, thus reducing the amount of 
water which can be taken up. A diagonal cut with a 
knife has just the opposite effect. It is especially im- 
portant to have a slanting cut if the stems are to rest 
on the bottom of the holder, for otherwise they will be 
sealed by this contact. 
Pa?onies should be cut when the buds are only half 
open, for then they will last longer. It is not uncommon 
for florists to keep them in cold storage for a month. 
The irises keep their color better when allowed to un- 
fold in the house. If morning glory buds are cut very 
early and placed in a bowl on the breakfast table, their 
their unfolding can be witnessed while the meal is in 
progress, making a pleasant day's beginning. Although 
poppies are not usually considered available for cutting, 
they will last fairly well if the stems are singed until 
black in a candle flame. 
Roses received in a wilted condition can be revived 
by placing the stems in very hot water. 
The best way to rob violets of their perfume is to place 
them in an open vase of water. The fragrance will be 
retained if the vase is covered with a piece of tissue paper, 
but the violets will keep equally well if simply wrapped 
in damp paper and laid in a cool place. As a matter of 
fact, they take their moisture through their petals and 
nothing is gained by inserting the stems in water. This 
applies also to orchids. 
Dahlias will usually keep fresh several days if the 
stems are thrust into water as hot as the hand can bear 
and left there until the water cools, then being placed 
in their regular holders. Of course, the leaves must be 
stripjied from the stem before this is done. The foliage 
shotild always be removed from the lower part of all 
flower stems or it will foul the water in the vases. — 
ExcJiavgc. 
SOME CUT FLOWER SUGGESTIONS 
T F cut flowers are squeezed into a vase so tightly that the 
air is excluded they will be smothered to death. That 
is the reason why many bouquets do not last as long as 
they should. A wide-mouthed vase is the best kind to 
use because it admits oxygen in plenty. 
Tall, slender vases are very attractive for long-stemmed 
THE FUEL VALUE OF WOOD 
TT is pointed out, however, that heat value is not 
the only test of usefulness in fuel wood and since 95 
per cent of all wood used for fuel is consumed for 
domestic purposes, largely in farm houses, such fac- 
tors as rapidity of burning and ease of lighting are 
important. Each section of the country has its 
favored woods and these are said to be. in general, the 
right ones to use. Hickory, of the non-resinous woods, 
has the highest fuel value per unit volume of wood, 
and has other advantages. It burns evenly, and, as 
housewives say, holds the heat. The oaks come next, 
followed by beech, birch, and maple. The white pines 
have relativelj' low heat value per unit volume, but 
have other advantages. They ignite readily and give 
out a quick hot flame, but one that soon dies down. 
This makes them favorites with rural housekeepers 
as a stimmer wood, because they are particularly 
adapted for hot days in the kitchen. The same is true 
of gray birch, or "white birch," as it is often called, 
in the regions in which it abounds. With the resinous 
pines a drawback is their oilv black smoke. 
