April 14. 1004. 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



1099 



Scallen had One of the Prettiest Windows in New York. 



erally recommended. The lighter types 

 of soil are most favorable for such varie- 

 ties as La France, Perle des Jardins, 

 Duchess of Albany and Xiphetos; while 

 a good stift' loamy soil is required for 

 Bride, Mermet, Madame Hoste, Gontier 

 and Souvenir de Wootton. If the right 

 type of soil cannot be found, light and 

 heavy soils can be mixed to secure a soil 

 of the desired texture. Assuming, how- 

 ever, that the proper sod loam can be 

 obtained, cut the sods in the autumn, 

 and compost with cow or horse manure, 

 using one part of manure to three parts 

 of soil. Turn and mix the heap two or 

 three' times during the winter, breaking 

 up all lumps and getting into good, even 

 condition. At the last turning, which 

 should be made several weeks before the 

 compost is to be used, add ten to fifteen 

 pounds of fine ground bone, free from 

 common salt, to each cubic yard of com- 

 post. This should be thoroughly mixed. 

 Fine ground steamed bone is best for 

 greenhouse use. as it decays more quick- 

 ly than raw bone, and its phosphoric acid 

 thus becomes available earlier. If raw, 

 coarse bone is used, only a small part of 

 the phosphoric acid becomes available 

 during the first season, but the' nitrogen 

 content of the bone manure is a little 

 higher. 



It is also safe and desirable in the case 

 of roses to add to the bone manure some' 

 form of potash, especially in the lighter 

 classes of soil. We see from analyses 

 that potash bears a very important re- 

 lation to the formation and to the stor- 

 ing up of the other chemical constituents 

 in the plant. 



About one pound of sulphate of potash 

 or six quarts of pure wood ashes to the 

 cubic yard, applied with the gi-ound bone, 

 will be sufficient for the compost, which 

 must not be too rich to start with, or 

 the roots of the young plants will be 

 injured. After the roses get a good 

 start, and the soil is filled with fibrous 

 roots, additional food will be required. 

 The compost prepared as stated is 

 adapted for plants from 3-inch or 4-inch 

 pots. 



The potting soil used for the plants 

 up to 'the time they are ready for the 

 beds should be very thoroughly rotted 

 sod soil, as described above, mixed with 

 one-sixth to one-eighth thoroughly rotted 

 cow manure or horse manure, but with 

 no bone or so-called chemical fertilizers. 



It is considered best, if possible, to 



sterilize the potting soil with steam 

 from a high-pressure boiler. This will 

 destroy the plant and animal parasites 

 likely to injure the young plants, so that 

 they will usually be able to take care 

 of themselves when set from the pots to 

 the beds. 



Some of the most successful growers 

 also sterilize their compost for the beds. 

 If this is properly done it destroys all 

 nematodes (eel- worms), grubs, and all 

 plant and animal parasites likely to at- 

 tack the roots, as well as all weed seeds. 

 In large establishments, at least, it will 

 certainly pay to sterilize all soil used, 

 especially where nematodes or other root 

 parasites occur. 



WOOD ASHES. 



In potting rooted coleus and other soft 

 cuttings I used dirt in which unleaehed 

 wood ashes were mixed. Could this be 

 the cause of so manv of them djdng? 



P. J. U. 



Unless the wood ashes were used in 

 too large a quantity I cannot account for 

 your losing any rooted cuttings of s'uch 

 a free growing, free rooting plant as 

 coleus, except from one cause, viz., want 



of heat. Don't use wood ashes with any 

 such plant; a good loam with a fourth 

 of well-rotted manure is all you want. 

 If you want them to jump extra fast, 

 then a quart of bone flour to a bushel 

 of soil ■will do it, but these soft-wooded 

 jdants are better in every way, and do 

 better when planted out, when not over- 

 foreed with any stimulant. 



I want to tell F. J. U. not to call soil, 

 or earth, if you please, ' ' dirt. ' ' Flor- 

 ists don't deal in dirt and no such thing 

 should be on his place. "Dirt" is mat- 

 ter out of place. It is sometimes seen 

 in people's ears, sometimes under a 

 greenhouse bench, or in the back yard. 

 Some broken glass, some broken crocks, 

 a few dead plants and a good sprinkling 

 of soil all mixed together, that is dirt. 

 The rich, brown earth that we use for 

 potting our plants and from which all 

 our sustenance springs, is good, sweet 

 earth and it's awful to hear it degraded 

 by the name of "dirt." W. S. 



CALLA DISEASE. 



In your issue of ;\larch 31, page 1016, 

 under caption "Preservation of Hen 

 Manirre, ' ' I saw that hen manure contains 

 a very large percentage of nitrogen. 

 Could tliis be a cause to aggravate the 

 calla disease? In the latter part of the 

 Tsdnter I watered them with a very weak 

 liquid of hen manure. The callas died 

 fast in consequence. F. J. U. 



If P. J. U. used the liqiud manure 

 very weak, as he says, then I don 't be- 

 lieve it would aggravate the disease. 

 This chicken manure is a very strong ar- 

 ticle, but using it as a liquid is the 

 safest way. Wliile you may use a bushel 

 of cow manure in fifty gallons of water 

 without harming anything, a 6-ineh pot 

 of the hen manuj'e in fifty gallons of 

 water would be strong enough. I am glad 

 to say that I have not yet seen the caUa 

 disease, and was inclined to think that 

 it was not a specifie disease, simply mis- 

 management, but, alas, I learn from 

 good authorities that it is a disease, 

 and a bad one where it has appeared. 



Just let me say, why do you want to 

 use this strong stinyulant on such a free 

 growing plant as the calla? If quantity 

 of flowers of a useful size are wanted, 

 liquid manure will not help unless the 



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