594 



HORTICULTURE 



May 2, 19US 



PLANT FOODS. 



If basic slag, bone meal, Incinerated 

 bones, etc., are used either in com- 

 posting, ploughing in or surface appli- 

 cation, it is of importance to know 

 what quantity to use, what time they 

 are to remain in the soil and what 

 effect, immediate or future, is desired 

 by their presence. Basic slag is solu- 

 ble to the extent of 35 per cent, where 

 there is free carbonic dioxide present 

 in the soil water and an application of 

 from 'i to 500 lbs. per acre' show the 

 effects of the application for from 

 three to four years. If a quicker or 

 greater result is needed an application 

 in solution and suspension should be 

 given either with clear water or liquid 

 manure, constantly stirring while us- 

 ing. Superphosphate gives a quicker 

 result than basic slag particularly 

 where phosphates are present in the 

 soil which is the case if any of the 

 above have been applied, only it is 

 much more dangerous in the hands of 

 the inexperienced or careless user. 



Bono meal used in the same propor- 

 tion, i. e., 600 to SOO lbs. per acre, if 

 steamed or finely ground is traceable 

 for about two years, yet it is tiue that 

 the important effect is exhausted in 

 the first few months. 



The grower in seeking a soil should 

 try to get a good fibrous loam, or a 

 soil with a good percentage of humus 

 present and one that has also the 

 greatest quantity of natural potash 

 phosphoric acid and organic nitrogen. 

 Any deficiency must be made up arti- 

 ficially, using material that will give 

 dominant active and inactive plant 

 food. I very much prefer using wood 

 ashes for the potash, but do not object 

 to using kainit, as it acts as an ani- 

 mal and vegetable organism destroyer 

 and an accumulator of water; in fact, 

 for this reason I really prefer to use 

 in addith)n from one to two hundred- 

 weight per acre applying it as a sur- 

 face dressing after wood ashes have 

 been either ploughed or harrowed in. 



Basic slag I always prefer to bone 

 meal or to superphosphate for the 

 phosphoric acid because the bone meal 

 always favors fungus growth and mag- 

 gots, and the superphosphate readily 

 becomes reconverted to the tricalcic 

 phosphate state. 



For nitrogen there is nothing that 

 equals well decayed farm-yard manure, 

 that which has been well made, its 

 potash phosphoric acid and nitrogen 

 conserved, the former two by provi- 

 ding a cesspool to receive the drainage 

 which should be pumped over the 

 manure heap again and again, and 

 the latter by using small quantities of 

 sulphate of iron either in solution or 

 dry state. These applications of sul- 

 phate of iron will clean the manure 

 heap of spurious organisms and form 

 with ammonia present in the manure, 

 ammonium sulphate. 



I have gone far enough in this arti- 

 cle to show it is of the utmost impor- 

 tance to get a soil that has present 

 either naturally or artificially all the 

 essential plant foods, also that they 

 should be present in the three stages 

 of active, dormant and inactive, and 

 further that the soil should be free or 

 rendered free from harmful organism. 

 GEORGE A. BISHOP. 



A. LEUTH'?. 



Here we have a portrait of one of 

 HORTICULTURE'S staunch friends, 

 one of the pioneers, whose advertise- 

 ment appeared in the first issue of 

 I he paper and has been conspicuous in 

 every issue since that time. Here in 

 Boston we count him as one of our 



.\. Leutiiy 



haid working, sagacious and enterpris- 

 ing trade plant growers. He is well 

 known far and wide in this country 

 and also abroad where he has the le- 

 spect of the large e.xporting houses 

 resulting tiom long and honorable bus- 

 iness association. Our picture depicts 

 him in a characteristic attitude alert 

 for an order. 



PERSONAL. 



Robert Goinsalvos, floiist, of Wal- 

 iham, Mass., is to be married to Mi-ss 

 .Margaret T. Nolan of Newton. 



Visitors in Boston: G. C. Eldering, 

 Overveen, Haarlem, Holland; Ed. 

 Roehrs, Rutherford, N. J.; E. J. Pan- 

 court, representing Pennock-Meehan 

 Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 



P. W. O. Schmitz has been ap- 

 pointed administrator of the affairs on 

 behalf of the children of Fred Bendt 

 and wife of Newark, N. J., both of 

 whom died from typhoid caused by 

 eating oysters. 



Alfred Rehder, who had an attack 

 of typhoid fever, is now able to take 

 a short walk daily and hopes to be 

 fully recovered in a short time. Our 

 readers will be glad, we are sure, to 

 welcome him back to the reading col- 

 icmns of HORTICULTURE. 



P. Welch, the distinguished whole- 

 sale florist of Boston, has been serv- 

 ing on the jury ever since Easter. 

 ITie effect on his contemporaries is 

 not yet disclosed but a recent confer- 

 ence between this gentleman and 

 Judge Hoitt of Nashua had so murh 

 of the cordiality and comradeship of 

 the bar in its make-up that the friends 

 of the first-named gentleman who 

 were accustomed to meet him on even 

 terms when he was simply a whole- 

 sale florist are now justified in feeling 

 alarmed over his judicial mien and 

 air of superiority and the future will 

 only disclose the final outcome of this 

 experience as an arbiter of the fates 

 of his fellowmen who have had the 

 misfortune to be haled before the 

 august twelve of which he is one. 



INFERIOR DUTCH BULBS. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Dear Sir: — I heartily agree with the 

 ideas expressed in your editorial on 

 the bulb problem, and I have no douht 

 that it will have a beneficial effect. 

 Yours very truly, 



PETER RBINBERG. 

 Chicago, 111. 



Editor HORTICULTURE: 



Dear Sir: — In reply to yours of re- 

 cent date asking me how business has 

 been during the past season, now that 

 Easter is over will say that it has not 

 been as good as usual in some respects, 

 but on the whole we will call it a 

 lirctty good season. 



We have handled the Holland and 

 French bulbs at a great loss. We used 

 to grow about half a million of these 

 liull)s. Last fall we took in only about 

 one-third of our usual supply, and 

 that was one-third too many. 



I believe the American people are 

 sick and tired of bulb-stuff and it 

 would do them good if they did not 

 have any for a few years. That might 

 give us a chance to sell more of the 

 other flowers. When the market is 

 glutted with bulb-stuff, it seems to de- 

 moralize everything else. I am 

 Very truly yours, 



A. N. PIERSON. 

 Cromwell. Conn. 



Mr. G. C. Eldering, of W. J. Eldering 

 & Son, Overveen, Holland, lays much 

 of the blame for the present plight of 

 th.; forcing bulb industry in America on 

 his countrymen. He asserts that this 

 country has been made the dumping 

 ground for low grade material for 

 years, and it is not surprising that the 

 American people have become wearied 

 of it. 



OBITUARY. 



Mrs. Hurn, formerly Miss Sophie 

 Fadden, who for many years conduct- 

 ed a flower store on Bellevue avenue, 

 Newport, R. I., died on ciunday, April 

 25. 



We learn with deep sorrow of the 

 death at Quebec, P. Q., two weeks ago, 

 of that lovable old planlsman, florist 

 atiJ w riter, George Moore. We hope to 

 be able to give a more extended notice 

 in next week's issue. 



Charles W. Kaber of La Porte, Ind., 

 who since 1804 has carried on a flor- 

 ist's business, died on April 5, aged 75. 

 Mr. Kaber was a native of Germany, 

 but has been in this country since 

 1S53, living in Chicago and South Bend 

 previous to eonnecting himself with 

 his children in the florist trade at La 

 Porte. A widow and five children sur- 

 vive him. 



MAY. 



ThQ vales slinll laugh iu flowers, tlxe woods 

 (jrow misty green with le.ifliig liiids. 



And liolets and windlloweis sway 



Against thft throbbing heart of May. 

 — Whittler. 



You will find something worth reading 

 on every page of HORTICULTURE. 



