248 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



" The best yields of tomatoes have been from plats of the mixture of coal ashes 

 and moss peat already described, to which had been added per 100 sq. ft. of 

 bench space 6.1 lbs. of nitrate of soda, 1 lb. of dissolved boneblack, and 2.4 lbs. of 

 muriate of potash. The amounts of fertilizer chemicals which can be profitably 

 used depends on the season of the year in which the crop is raised, the watering, 

 and doubtless on other conditions whose effects are not as well understood. 



"The crop which is in the house from September to February will not bear as much 

 fertilizer as the following one growing from February to July, because of tbe smaller 

 amount of sunlight in the first period which the plants can utilize. In the first 

 case the hours of sunlight per day decrease as the foliage increases; in the second 

 case this is reversed. 



" Plants which receive large quantities of freely soluble plant food in the soil of 

 ashes and peat have a much less extensive root system thau those growing in com- 

 post, and when fully grown are likely, in consequence, to wilt more easily." 



Carnations. — Experiments were made to determine the fertilizer 

 requirements of carnations grown under glass. Most of the plants 

 were grown in coal ashes and moss peat similar to that used with 

 tomatoes, and some were grown in rich compost. The area of most of 

 the plats was 14.53 sq. ft. The varieties of carnations used were Day- 

 break, William Scott, Alaska, Garfield, and Lizzie McGowau. The 

 plants continued to blossom from December to July. Notes on the 

 growth of the plants are given and a table shows the fertilizers applied 

 to the various plats, the number and weight of cut flowers per plat, 

 the average number of cut flowers per plant, the average weight and 

 diameter of flowers, and the average length of stem, etc. 



Analyses were made of young plants like those set in the various 

 plats, of a number of cut flowers of the different varieties grown on 

 the various plats, and of the entire plants, exclusive of flowers. The 

 calculated amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash in the 

 plants set and in the plants and flowers harvested and the amounts 

 applied to the soil are given in tabular form. The data reported are 

 shown in condensed form in the following table: 



Nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash in carnations grown with different soils and 



fertilizers. 



Culture media. 



Coal ashes and moss peat 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Do 



Rich compost 



Do 



Coal ashes 



Num- 

 ber of 

 plants. 



Fertilizer constituents per plat. 



In plants set and in fertili- 

 zers applied. 



Nitrogen 



Grams. 

 30.47 

 35.47 

 40.47 

 50.47 

 35.47 

 35.47 

 35.47 

 48.87 

 48.87 

 50.47 

 10.47 

 20.47 

 26.33 



Phos- 

 phoric 

 acid. 



Grams. 

 11.44 

 11.44 

 11.44 

 11.44 

 15.44 

 11.44 

 11.44 

 3.44 

 18.64 

 15.44 

 3.44 

 7.44 

 9.85 



Potash. 



Grams. 

 51.00 

 51.00 

 51. 00 

 51.00 

 51.00 

 61.00 

 76.00 

 83.20 

 16.00 

 61.00 

 16.00 

 26.00 

 42.00 



Removed in the plants. 



Nitrogen. 



Grams. 

 21.54 

 26.31 

 24.67 

 23.12 

 23.49 

 21.17 

 25.53 

 26.05 

 24.68 

 31.88 

 21.04 

 26.65 

 24.27 



Phos- 

 phoric 

 acid. 



Grams. 

 8.75 



10.67 

 9.49 

 7.99 

 9.21 

 8.01 

 9.95 



10.63 

 9.85 



11.50 

 8.83 



11.87 

 8.44 



Potash. 



Grams. 

 42.47 

 48.90 

 43.81 

 39.50 

 45. 56 

 43.49 

 54.19 

 51.03 

 33.70 

 56.20 

 43.18 

 58.31 

 45.34 



