82 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL 'SOCIETY. 



is right down to the point and the facts, but I just wanted to say a word. 

 He spoke about mulching when they showed the buds. That is true, and 

 I used to think that way myself, too, but the truth is, my man kept on 

 mulching a little too long and too late, and he finally had the flowers all 

 burned up. If you mulch them too late it burns up the petals, especially 

 on the white varieties, and we do not get the best results. I had quite 

 a number of flowers spoiled that way. And as to feeding them his point 

 was good there, when he said to weaken it down. The chrysanthemums 

 are very sensitive, when they come out in bloom, and by overfeeding 

 them you burn up the petals. As to all the other parts, I endorse the 

 whole paper. 



Mr. Dole: In the course of six or eight weeks after these plants are 

 planted they do not require any manure. You will find this bottom is a 

 mass of roots, and they have received all the benefits from this bottom 

 manure as well as what 3^ou have put on top. 



The Chairman: Mr. Henderson, I would like to ask you if you find 

 it profitable to grow any big specimen flowers, that is from a commercial 

 standpoint? I find my trade will consume a great many big flowers and 

 pay a good price for them; but when I was at Omaha I saw the stock 

 grown there was comparatively small, and the growers contended with 

 me, some of them very violently, that there was no money in growing 

 big chrysanthemums. 



Mr. Fi-ey: We have always found that a customer, if you set a med- 

 ium and a large sized flower together at the same price, they will take 

 the large flower almost every time, and that flower will grow in the same 

 room that small flower grows, by taking care of them the same way. 

 But I do not see why it would not sell as well as the small flower; it does 

 with us. We can not get the size and the finish the same on the small 

 flower. We have no trouble in disposing of the large ones; they are al- 

 ways the ones that are in demand. On the wholesale markets in the 

 larger cities, they always want the larger ones. For that reason ours 

 are always grown on a smaller plant where we can get from ten to fifteen 

 flowers to a plant. 



The Chairman: I want to take another exception to your paper, and 

 that is in regard to feeding. Our experience is that by feeding with 

 liquid we can control the feed better. We couple on our hydrant and go 

 to work. You can make it just as weak or as strong as you want to in 

 the tank. We installed the system ourselves at a very light expense, and 

 I believe with the florists that have nothing of that kind, it would be a 

 good idea to get it because it would save you an untold lot of hard, dis- 

 agreeable work, and I am satisfied that we get better results. You can 

 get the feed to them when and where you want it, and just as weak or 

 strong as you want it; and in fact in the spring you do not need to ex- 

 pect to use but just an occasional watering. 



Mr. Frey: Where do you have this tank located, high enough to give 

 you a pressure? 



The Chairman: No, we have a rotary pump, with a back pressure. 



