FARMING UNDER GLASS. 
RICH SPOTS IN A DESERT. 
On a bleak day in late December, I alighted from 
the cars at Westbury Station, Long Island, bound for 
the Oasis Nurseries, the home of Mr. Thomas Griffin, 
the tuberous begonia specialist, who probably knows 
more about, has better success with, and grows more 
of these very beautiful plants than any other man 
living. He has been referred to in past issues of The 
It. N.-Y., and the magnificent specimens produced by 
him have been illustrated and described. The nurse¬ 
ries are situated a mile or more from the railroad 
station, on the great Hempstead plain. The owner is 
Mr. Adolph Ladenburg, president of the New York 
Florists’ Club, and his estate comprises 200 acres of 
this apparently barren land. In fact, the nurseries 
were so named because they formed such a refreshing, 
restful spot in the midst of the barren plain. On one 
side stretches a great tract belonging to the estate of 
the lamented multimillionaire, A. T. Stewart, while a 
few miles away tower the 
spires and domes of the 
cathedral at Garden City, 
which stands as a monu¬ 
ment of the misdirected 
efforts of this would-be 
philanthropist. Scattered 
here and there through¬ 
out this region are nu¬ 
merous estates belonging 
to wealthy New Yorkers, 
while different sporting 
clubs have their club 
houses in the vicinity. 
Here and there are yet 
to be found dwellings 
whose origin must ante¬ 
date the Kevolution, and 
whose occupants must be 
indigenous to this sandy, 
barren soil, if we may 
judge from appearances. 
But a new element is tak¬ 
ing possession, and soon 
the desert will blossom 
a* the rose, or, in this 
case, perhaps, “as the 
begonia,” would be the 
more appropriate expres¬ 
sion. 
Oasis Nurseries is the 
country residence of.Mr 
Ladenburg, his large 
mansion and clearly out¬ 
lined private lawns occupying a conspicuous position. 
Beyond these and forming a pleasing background, are 
the nurseries proper, greenhouses, stables, etc. Old 
trees have been pruned or removed; others of con¬ 
siderable size have been transplanted ; a continually 
increasing area has been subdued and fertilized, and 
the results accomplished encourage further effort. 
Here the great New York Flower Show as at present 
conducted had its inception. Here hundreds of thou¬ 
sands of young trees and shrubs are hibernating. 
Here begonia bulbs enough for acres of bloom are 
being made ready for the springtime. Here various 
flowering and ornamental plants are flourishing in a 
perpetual summer atmosphere. Here a great mush¬ 
room cellar is turning out quantities of the finest 
mushrooms. 
I have been asked if there is money in growing hot¬ 
house cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuces, radishes, grapes, 
etc.; if there is likely to be a reasonable remunera¬ 
tion in growing flowers under glass, as well as mush¬ 
rooms, and similar products. I was looking for light 
from practical men. I received some, and hope for 
more in the near future. 
A Big Begonia Plantation. 
Excepting the mushrooms, Mr. Griffin doesn’t make 
a specialty of growing hothouse stuff. His leading 
business is the nursery, and the specialty is his beloved 
tuberous-rooted begonias. His other products are in¬ 
cidentals, which can be grown in connection with the 
important one, without interfering with it, thus utiliz¬ 
ing what might otherwise be wasted heat and space. 
This is an important point in determining whether a 
certain line of products will prove profitable. 
“What is your method of growing begonias?” I 
asked, as we were inspecting the greenhouses. 
“ We sow the seeds in the hothouse in January, and 
usually plant them out in the open ground about the 
middle of June. They begin to bloom in late sum¬ 
mer, and continue until cut down by frost. Then we 
cut off the tops, leaving a couple of inches attached to 
the bulbs, lift the tubers, and throw them into heaps 
secure from frost. After a week or two, the stems 
drop off, when we store the bulbs in a moderately dry 
place, where the temperature is about 50 degrees F.” 
“ How do you treat the bulbs for flowering ? ” 
We start them in the hothouse from the middle of 
February until April, according to the time when 
blooms are desired, harden them off well before 
planting in the open ground. Here are some bulbs of 
sweet-scented begonias, of a delicate, rose fragrance, 
that I am particularly choice of.” 
The center bench of one house was filled with 
tomatoes in pots, trained to single stems, and tied to 
stakes. Besides these, others were scattered around 
in various places. 
“ Do you consider this the best method of growing 
tomatoes?” I asked. 
“The best for me. Were I growing tomatoes 
alone, I would plant them in soil on the benches; but, 
as I want these for my begonias before the tomatoes 
are off, I put them in pots, and then when I want the 
benches, I set the pots down on the ground.” 
Methods in Hothouse Farming. 
“ What fertilizer do you use ? ” 
“Manure water. We put cow manure into barrels, 
add water, and then dilute with water when we apply 
it to the plants. It is better than chemical fertilizers, 
and we use it for all our plants.” 
“ Do you have any trouble in fertilizing the tomato 
blossoms ? ” 
“Oh, yes ; we have to do that by hand. You will 
see a boy in here soon, going around stirring up the 
flowers.” 
A boy soon came in armed with what looked like a 
slender bamboo rod ; on the end was tied a bit of fox’s 
brush. With this he brushed over the blossoms, pass¬ 
ing from one to another, and striking the stakes with 
the rod. 
“ What varieties do you grow ? ” 
“These are mostly the Lorillard, a good variety for 
this purpose.” 
“ Do you find tomatoes profitable ? ” 
“ Usually. They are now worth about 40 cents per 
pound, and this pays fairly well, as it takes only 
about four for a pound.” 
“ Do you grow lettuces, 
radishes, etc.? ” 
“ Not now ; I have, but 
there isn’t much profit in 
growing what can be 
grown so easily.” 
“ What other products 
do you grow ? ” 
“Grapes, carnations, 
hyacinths, etc., and I am 
trying some rhubarb. 
Then we have a big mush¬ 
room cellar. We will go 
into the grape house. 
“I am keeping this cool, 
so as to see if I can keep 
the grapes back until 
later, when they will 
bring higher prices.” 
“ What varieties do you 
consider the best ? ” 
“ Barbarossa and Black 
Alicante are good, as is 
also Lady Downes Seed¬ 
ling. Those I exhibited 
at Madison Square Gar¬ 
den, and which attracted 
so much attention, were 
Barbarossa. Frequently 
these weigh seven or 
eight pounds to the 
cluster.” 
“Any money in grow¬ 
ing grapes under glass ? ” 
“ Not if they must be sold early. If they can be 
kept until midwinter, they frequently bring extrava¬ 
gant prices.” 
“ Is there much profit in growing cut flowers ? ” 
“ We do fairly well. Hyacinths, Narcissus, and some 
others are cheap now, but carnations bring good 
prices. We haven’t any violets, but they have been 
selling for $4 per 100.” 
“ What causes the high price ?” 
“There has been a great deal of trouble and loss 
from disease ? ” 
“ What varieties of carnations do you grow ?” 
“ Daybreak is one of the best. Grace Wilder is not 
so good. Fashionable colors sell best, because most 
in demand, so the best-paying variety is subject to 
change.” 
“ How do you repel insects ? ” 
“ We smoke them by burning tobacco stems ? ” 
“ I see that your hothouses are all built about even 
with the surface of the ground ; do you like that plan 
better than to have them depressed ? ” 
“ Yes ; the plants do a great deal better. They are 
not so subject to disease. We had one house de- 
Barbarosha Grape as Grown in Hothouse Culture. Fig. 15 . 
