238 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



list of fniils wliicli n'sist llic rliiiintt' jiiid yield fiotxl cTdps, based ti.u the reports 

 of tlie pouiological society of the rroviuce of Quebec aiid of the horticultural 

 societies, aud on the tests of the fruit stations, is also given. 



Miscellaneous greenhouse notes, C. P. Close, T. H. White, and W. 11. 

 Ballakd (Mui-jilaiid Hta. Bui. Lil, pp. 2.'i3-J63, pgn. //). — The results are given 

 of greenhouse investigations which have been conducted during the past 8 years. 



In continuation of previous work with fertilizers in solution on chrysanthe- 

 uuinis (E. S. K., 14, p. 3.S), in which cow urine supplemented with phosphates 

 gave good results, tests for 5 years were made of chemical fertilizers in 

 solution containing approximately the amounts of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, 

 and potash found in the urine; muriate of potash, nitrate of soda, and dis- 

 solved South Carolina rock being the principal chemical combination used. The 

 urine was used in conjunction with dissolved South Carolina rock. The chem- 

 icals gave as good results as, and in some cases slightly better results than, 

 the cow urine. A sheep manure solution was also tried for 3 seasons which 

 appears to have given better results than either of the other mixtures. Lettuce 

 followed the chrysanthemum crop in each case, and the residual fertilizers 

 gave results similar in general to those obtained with the chrysanthemums. 



Rye and cowpeas, both alone and combined, and crimson clover were tried as 

 soil formers for greenhouse purposes, the soils on which these were grown 

 being compared with the usual sod and manure compost and white clover sod 

 soil. The test was continued for 5 years, lettuce following chrysanthemums 

 each year, and showed in general that the source of the soil is not a very im- 

 portant consideration for these crops if the soil is properly supplemented with 

 manure or fertilizer. The rye plat soil gave uniformly poorer results than 

 the other cover crop soils tried. From the data secured for several years it 

 also appears that soils enriched with well-rotted manure do not need heavy 

 dressings of phosphate. 



Although the necessity of removing greenhouse soils every year or so to avoid 

 disease germs does not appear to be borne out by the work conducted at the sta- 

 tion, where one crop of chrysanthemums and two crops of lettuce a year were 

 grown on the same soil for 8 years, it is suggested that the grower who 

 renews his soil annually will probably take the safest course. In a comparison 

 of soil used year after year and of soil annually renewed conducted with carna- 

 tions for .5 years, the plants on the new soil gave 2 flowers per plant more than 

 those on the continuously used soil. 



In an experiment to test the stimulating effect of nitrogen in different forms 

 and amounts, the majority of the plats showed negative results for the 2 sea- 

 sons tried. On the plats receiving per acre 300 lbs. of nitrate of soda aud 500 

 lbs. of dried blood, respectively, there were more blooms than on the check 

 plat. Dried blood used alone gave the longest stems, while the check plat 

 had the largest flowers. 



Tests made relative to the effects of fertilizers upon the stiffness of carnation 

 stems clearly indicate that the use of phosphoric acid gives the stiffest stems, 

 and that potash ranks next. Nitrogen in the form of dried blood gave very 

 weak stems. The plat on which a complete fertilizer was used, however, gave 

 a considerably larger number of flowers per plant and longer stems than any 

 of the other plats, the size of the flowers being as large as the average and 

 larger than those on the phosphoric acid plat. 



In a 5 years' test to determine the best time of planting carnations, it appears 

 that of plantings made on .July 1, August 1, and Sepember 1, the September 

 Itlanting gave a considerably larger number of blooms per plant. The number 

 of blooms decreased the earlier the planting was made, but the early plantings 

 gave the largest blooms and the longest stems. 



