Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-08-18
GROWN OVER A GEYSER.
Great Vegetables Raised in Vel
loWstone Park
A National HOthOuse In which Phe-
nomenaI Growths Are At
tained-Ten-FoOt Gu
cumbers.

Mother Nature has begun to expert
ment with hothouses, and the very first
one, as well as the only one in exist
| ence, is located in Yellowstone park
| 4 geyser furnishes all that is needful
TO make tremendous growths, such as
cucumbers ten feet long, and the like.
The dollhouse, or greenhouse, as the
| gentleman who has charge of it, W. p.
howe, terms it, is a model one of its
kind, although located away up in the
mountains OF the park. Nature fur
nishes everything necessary to conduct
It, except the building itself, giving
heat, moisture and light
If Mr.. Howe wanted TO compete at
the county fairs in the vegetable line he
would, unless heavily handicapped, win
all the prizes. Such lettuce, cucumbers,
radishes, tomatoes and other things to
eat as the firm of Nature & Howe
grows are bigger than the biggest fish
story ever told. Almost everyone who
has ever been to Yellowstone Park no
tel within the last year will remember
the wonderful vegetables, for despite
their size they are very delicate in
flavor, although grown at an altitude
OF 400 feet, where ice forms every
month in the year. Here is what Mr..
Howe says about it:
Travellers who have been in everv
climate on this broad earth never be-
fore had seen such a sight. Lettuce, Gu
cumbers, radishes, tomatoes, mush-
rooms and the like are growing with
the greatest success. The experiment
IS novel and very interesting; tho grow
ing OF vegetables over hot stream of
water often interested tourists more
than the eruption of geyser
After procuring permission from
Capt. George s. Anderson, acting super
intendent of the park, built the green
house over hot steaming hole in the
ground. The water had a temperature
OF los degrees Fahrenheit. 1t proved a
great success. On December IA the Their
mometer showed 35 degrees below zero.
Fahrenheit, yet in this little crude slab
house nature was caring for cucumbers.
onions, radishes and lettuce with a tenn
perature Of Is degrees Fahrenheit, all
IN line shape, knowing nothing of the
herce blowing snow and wind outside.
he greenhouse is 25x50 feet, with
glass roof covering it. The building
faces the east with front four feet
high and raised to the height of IS feet
at the back. The heat is furnished from
running stream flowing from a seven
inch hole in the formation at the south
end, flowing north through the center
of the building. The water comes from
the ground at a temperature of 1876 de-
grees Fahrenheit, which is about the
boiling point at this altitude. Five
foot beds surround the building on the
inside, except at the north end. with a
nine-foot bed in the center; all the beds
are raised from is inches to two feet
for circulation and place for the mush-
rooms. An aisle runs around the build
ing between the beds.
often the temperature indicates
nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit without
the willing of a single leaf of the plants.
The result of this rapid growing of
vegetation is wonderful The beds are
filed about three feet deep with rich
stable refuse mixed with one-third
SILICA formation, found near by. The
rich soil. the suns light and the con-
the hot stream make such a perfect
combination that vegetation has to
grow night and day.
What has been the result? The first
seeds were put into the ground on the
Fourth of July last year. Lettuce came
up from dry seed in two DAYS and cu-
clmbers in three days. and other vege-
tables in like quick time. Good-sized
heads of lettuce were gathered in Is
to Is days from the time of planting.
In : days lettuce measured % inches
across, which was as sweet and tender
as anyone ever put into his mouth
Often the condensation of the steam
would break down the larger leaves by
the weight of water upon them. Gu
cumber vines grew from 25 10 30 feet
III length in less than 60 days without
being watered, except from the mois-
ture in the air.
Roots hang down from the vines Is
TO 20 inches long. The lowering on the
various plants is exceptionally great.
On some of the cucumber vines five full
sized cucumbers We're gathered from
a single joint; often three were grown.
More brittle ones We're never gathered
from vines than those grown in this
novel greenhouse. Bhubarb, beets,
mushrooms and other vegetables Will
grow 70 great advantage in this hot and
moist temperature. Many tropical
fruits could also be raised
There Is very little labor to be done
after the soil i properly fixed and the
seed il once in the ground. 1t Is like
pressing the button and nature doing
the rest There are no weeds. no in
sect~. no stirring az the soil, only to
gather ia the fruits and watch nature
working i'm n harnessed condition. The
leaves ard all the plants show very
HEALTHY condition and fine color.
Cucumber leaves measure Il inches
across. The growth of cucumber is
very rapid after it is once started.
Many a sine they measure about two
inches long and within p hours in