THE SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 203 



SPECIAL FERTILIZERS FOR SPECIAL CROPS. 



Ill my long experience I have yet to see fruit, flower, or vegetable crop that 

 was not benefited, and nearly in the same degree, by a jadicious application of 

 pure bone-dust; and I would liere suggest to the' advocates of special fertil- 

 izers, tliat in their experiments they try equal weights of pure bone-dust, to 

 the half of the crops of wheat, potatoes, cabbage, or strawberries, being experi- 

 mented on by the "specials," and note the results. I do not mean to be 

 understood that these so-called special fertilizers do not answer the purpose of 

 the crop to which they are applied ; but what I protest against is the hair- 

 splitting distinctions claimed for them, confusing and troublesome to the 

 cultivator, if of no practical value. American commercial florists have, for 

 the past quarter of a century, utterly discarded the various formulas for 

 preparation of difleretit soils for the various families of plants cultivated, so 

 dogmatically insisted upon even yet by most European gardeners, and instead 

 of a dozen different mold heap's, usually one only is used, composed of three 

 parts rotted sods, and one of rotted stable manure; yet who will say that our 

 results have not been as good in consequence? I believe the same fate is soon 

 to overtake the " specials" in fertilizers. They may hold their own, perhaps, 

 for a time among a few amateur cultivators of 7x7 garden patches — men 

 usually glib with the pen, and who get in an ecstacy over their success with a 

 dozen tomatos, or a score of strawberry plants — but few of the hard-fisted 

 gardeners or farmers, who live by the soil, are likely to become converts. My 

 business, as a seedsmen, brings me in contact with many hundreds of farmers 

 and gardeners each season, but I have known of few who think it necessary to 

 use special fertilizers for special crops. — Peler Henderson. 



BIRDS, INSECTS, AND DISEASES. 



BIRDS AND CANKER WORMS. 



Prof. Forbes, who has for some years been doing such admirable work in 

 gathering testimony in regard to the habits of our birds as affecting horticult- 

 ure, kindly sent his third bulletin for reference to the annual meeting of our 

 society, in South Haven. The following letter was also sent, which we gladly 

 insert entire in the Portfolio : 



Illinois State Laboratory of Natural History, ] 

 Normal, Illinois, December 4, 188 1. [ 

 Secretary Garfield: 



Dear Sir: — In addition to the observations on the horticultural relations of 

 birds, reported in the papjrs from our third bulletin, of which I send you a 

 copy, it may possibly interest you to know the result of a study I have lately 



