Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1898-04-07
GARDENING OVER A eEYsEa.
Astonishing Growth Of Vegetables in
a yellowstone Park GreenhouAe.

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 ho-
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 7,40O feet, where ice forms every
month in the year. Here is what Mr..
Howe says about it:
Travellers who have been in every
climate on this broad earth never be-
fore had seen such sight. Lettuce, cu-
cumbers, radishes, tomatoes, mush-
rooms and the like are growing with
the greatest success. The experiment
is novel and very interesting; the 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 l built the green
house over a hot steaming hole in the
| ground. The water had temperature
of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It proved a
| great success. On December IA the Their
mOmeter showed IS degrees below zero,
Fahrenheit, yet in this little crude slab
house nature was caring for cucumbers,
onions, radishes and lettuce with tenn
| perature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit, all
in fine shape, knowing nothing of the
fierce blowing snow and wind outside,
THE greenhouse is 25x5O feet, with a
glass roof covering it. The building
faces the east, with a front four feet
high and raised 10 the height of IS feet
at the back, The heat is furnished from
arunning 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 1S 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 withou
the willing of single leaf of the plants
The result of this rapid growing o
vegetation is wonderful. The beds ar,
filled about three feet deep with ricl
stable refuse mixed with one-thirt
SILICA formation, found near by. Tn,
rich soil, the suns light and the con
slant condensation of the steam from
the hot stream make such a perfec
combination that vegetation has t,
grow night and day.
what has been the result? The frs
seeds were put into the ground on tn
Fourth of July last year. Lettuce cam,
up from dry seed in two days and GU
cumbers in three days, and other vege
tables in like quick time Good-size
heads of lettuce were gathered in /
to IS days from the time of planting
! In % days lettuce measured % inche
across, which was as sweet and tende
as anyone ever put into his mouth
Often the condensation of the steaI
would break down the larger leaves b
! the weight of water upon them. CT
' cumber vines grew from 25 to 30 fec
e in length in less than 60 days withou
: being watered, except from the moii
' ture in the air.
!, roots hang down from the vines !
$ to 20 inches long. The Towering on tn
various plants is exceptionally great
g On some of the cucumber vines five full
=, sized cucumbers were gathered frol
!; single joint often three were grow
More brittle ones were never gathere
). from vines than those grown in TIL
t novel greenhouse. Rhubarb, beet
- mushrooms and other vegetables wi
grow to great advantage in this hot an
moist temperature. Many tropics
t fruits could also be raised.
"There is very little labor to be dor
8 after the soil is properly fixed and ii
}. seed is once in the ground 1t is liI
pressing the button and nature dom
II the rest. There are no weeds, no il
e sects, no stirring of the soil, only I
IS gather in the fruits and watch natul
. working in a harnessed condition. II
e leaves and all the plants show a vel
t. healthy condition and fine color
: Cucumber leaves measure II incht
d across. The growth of a cucumber
very rapid after it is once starte
Many a time they measure about tv
a inches long and within "a hours il
crease an inch in length. Radish,
y grow so rapidly that they often split
70 Pittsburgh Dispatch.