January 15, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



77 



100 lbs. of an ordinary Fertilizer 



(testing 2-8-2) 



Needs Sixteen Pounds of 

 Muriate or Sulphate of 



POTASH 



to make it a 



Well-balanced Fertilizer 



(testing 2-8-fO) 



' ir V J J i' J' J' fl l> ^ 



FILLER. 

 13LBS 



NITRATE OF SODA 

 12 LBS 



ACID 

 PHOSPHATE 

 56 LBS 



If j'ou prefer ready-mixed fertilizers, insist 

 on having enough Potash in them to raise the 

 crop as well as to raise the price. 



Crops contain more than three times as 

 much Potash as phosphoric acid. 



MURLVTE OF 



POTASH 



SO LBS 



It was found years ago that the composition of 

 the crop is not a sure guide to the most profitable 

 fertilizer, but it does not take a very smart man to 

 figure out that a balanced fertilizer should contain at 

 least as much Potash as phosphoric acid. 



Insist on havin"; it so. 



If you do not find the brand you want, make one 

 by adding enough Potash to make it right. 



To increase the Potash 5 per cent., add 10 

 pounds of Muriate or Sulphate of Potash to each 

 100 pounds of mixed fertilizer; to increase it 10 

 per cent,, add 20 pounds. 



POTASH PAYS 



Talk to your dealer and ask him to carry Potash in 

 stock or order it for you. It will pay you both, for 



I^nr particulars and prices write to 

 GERMAN KALI WORKS, Continental Building, Baltimore 



fall with the dahlias, cosmos, hardy- 

 chrysanthemums, paper white narcis- 

 sus. Later on the stocks, wall-flowers, 

 schizanthus, daisies and indoor bulbs, 

 following with the spring flowers- 

 peonies, sweet-peas, Spanish iris, out- 

 door grown bulbs, etc. I have an ar- 

 rangement by which I supply flowers 

 once a week, on any day the cus- 

 tomer desires, at $1.00 and upwards a 

 week. This plan has met with fair 

 success. 



In decorations the public seems to 

 have more confidence in the town 

 florist, thinking that he is necessarily 

 more up-to-date and more competent. 

 It is only by showing the people that 

 we are capable of the same work as 

 the town florist, that we are able to 

 get them to trust us with their orders. 

 The decorations and use of flowers and 

 plants is an art which cannot always 

 be acquired. It is not merely tlie 

 mechanical part, but the knowing how 

 to blend colors, and the proper ar- 

 rangement to give the best effect. I 

 have seen a bouquet spoiled where the 

 mechanical work was excellent, but 

 where the ribbon with which it was 

 tied did not blend in color, and the 

 trade of an artistic person was lost 

 by this error. I feel we are in a 

 transition stage in our business, when 

 new methods and new ideas are need- 

 ed. What was considered beautiful 

 ten years ago is, in many cases, dis- 

 tasteful now. One point in which we 

 are far behind other lines of business 

 is in advertising. I would advocate 

 the sending out with the monthly bills 

 a small card, calling attention to some 

 specialty which we have for sale dur- 

 ing the next month. I am anxious to 

 see our business put on a higher plane, 

 to make it more of a profession, not 



mere labor. It is a shame to see the 

 way the shrubbery is butchered in 

 our suburbs, just because the work is 

 entrusted tn anyone who comes along. 

 We are far behind our European 

 neighbors horticulturally, and we can 

 only attain to their high standard by 

 teaching the people that their grounds, 

 gardens and plants should be taken 

 care of by men who have been trained 

 in all departments of the business. 



There is great need for young men 

 in this work. I would like' to see a 

 course in floriculture started in our 

 colleges, on the same plane as the 

 course in agriculture. For experi- 

 mental purposes the public parks could 

 be utilized. The school gardens are a 

 step in the right direction. I do not 

 know what our florist clubs are doing 

 to help along this work, but they 

 should do, as people are becoming 

 more cultivated; the love of the 

 beautiful is growing, and it is time 

 for us to wake up. In many cases the 

 public is far ahead of the florist, 

 knowing far more about the business 

 in general than he does. 



I am afraid the desire to get money 

 quickly has done more to put our 

 business on a wrong basis than any- 

 thing else. So many people have been 

 advised incorrectly, and have gotten 

 such poor results after a large ex- 

 penditure of money, that they have 

 given up in despair. 



In conclusion I would not advise 

 anyone starting a business in a grow- 

 ing community unless he is well 

 trained and has sufHcient capital to 

 purchase enough ground to erect a 

 store, ofiice and greenhouse, in a pros- 

 perous locality. Even with this equip- 

 ment it will require patience and prob- 

 ably a loss of money until one is 



thoroughly established, after which I 

 see no reason why it should not be a 

 profitable investment. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 



Eradication of Farm Weeds by Sul- 

 phate of Iron. — Published by Prank 

 Baaokes, vice-president and general 

 sales agent American Steel and Iron 

 Co. Sulphate of iron is a by-product 

 of wire manufacture. This pamphlet 

 tells some interesting facts regarding 

 weeds and the efflcacy of this chemical 

 in eradicating them. Copies may be 

 had on application to the office of the 

 comnany, Commercial National Bank 

 Building, Chicago, or Hudson Termi- 

 nal Building, New York. 



Elgin, Dr.— R. C. Mays, B. G. Bailey 

 and Sherman Chappell have leased 40 

 acres of land just south of town and 

 will install a nursery with the opening 

 of spring. An order for 40,000 trees 

 with which to begin operations has 

 been placed. 



A SUBSTITUTE 



For Bordeaux Mixture 



Ift-t'al. keg making 1.500 frals. Sprav: delivered at 

 .iiiy H. R. station in the United Stiitos for #1 a.60. 

 I'rompt shipments. Write to Jay for fullinfoniiatiun. 



B. G. PRATT CO.,"^c"hi^r:"^ 



50 CHURCH ST.. NEW YORK CITY 



