604 



HORTICULTURE 



October 24, 1914 



Don't Neglect 

 Fall Spraying 



66 



SCALECIDE 



99 



Modern Methods 

 Demand It 



TRADE MARK REG. U. S. PAT. OFF. 



It pays to get in fall spraying whenever possible. Costs no more than lime-sulphur or the less effec- 



There is danger in waiting for spring spraying. "Scalecide" is tive mixtures. Our booklet "Scalecide.TheTree Saver" mail- 



better than any other dormant spray, either for insects or fungi, ed free. B. G. Pratt Co.. Dept. " 12'. 50 Church St., N. Y. City. 



THE USE OF COMMERCIAL FER- 

 TILIZERS IN GROWING CAR- 

 NATIONS AND ROSES. 



By the University of Illinois. 



The University of Illinois has re- 

 cently published the report of experi- 

 mental investigations on the use of 

 commercial fertilizers in growing car- 

 nations and roses. This material has 

 brought together by the Florioultural 

 Division of the Department of Horti- 

 culture, and embraces the research 

 work in Floriculture which has been 

 in progress at the experimental sta- 

 tion during the past six years. Since 

 the reports are voluminous, they will 

 probably not be ready for distribution 

 before the first of next October. In the 

 meantime, the Department of Horticul- 

 ture is giving to the press, for the im- 

 mediate information of the growers, 

 some of the conclusions which have 

 been reached as a result of this ex- 

 perimental work. 



It has been shown that without 

 doubt that excellent carnations can 

 be produced in as large quantity 

 by the use of commercial fer- 

 tilizers as with farmyard manure. The 

 quality of the flowers, as measured by 

 their size, length of stem, strength of 

 stem, and keeping quality, is not 

 changed by the use of commercial fer- 

 tilizers. The splitting of carnations 

 cannot be directly traced to the appli- 

 cation of commercial fertilizers in 

 moderate amounts. The results show 

 that commercial fertilizers may be suc- 

 cessfully used for the production of 

 carnations: whether it is desirable to 

 use them, depends in largo part on the 

 cost of manure and of labor. A careful 

 florist will calculate the relative cost 

 of manure and commercial fertilizer 

 by fi.guring the plant food content of 

 manure (averaging 10 iK)unds nitrogen, 

 two to three pounds phosphorus, and 

 eight pounds potassium per ton) at 

 the market price of these elements in 

 commercial fertilizers. These are (1) 

 for nitrogen purchased in dried blood 

 (13 per cent, nitrogen) or ammonium 

 sulphate (20 per cent, nitrogen), about 

 18 cents per pound: (2) for phos- 

 phorus in acid phosphate (6Vk per 

 cent, phosphorus), 12 cents per pound; 

 and (3) for potassium in sulphate of 

 potash (40 per cent, potassium), 

 about 6 cents per pound. At this rate, 

 a ton of manure supplies plant food 

 costing as commercial fertilizer about 

 $2.50. In tho case of prepared ma- 

 nures, which contain less water than 

 barnyard manure, the value in terms 

 of commercial fertilizers can he calcu- 

 lated from the guaranteed analysis 

 which should be required of the dealer. 

 The method outlined for the use of 

 commercial fertilizers involves a pre- 

 lininary preparation of the soil fol- 

 lowed by three applications of fertil- 

 izer throughout the year. Comparison 

 of the labor involved in these opera- 

 tions with that in the weekly applica- 

 tion of liquid manure will show a sav- 

 ing of labor where commercial fertil- 

 izers are used. 



No attempt has been made to grow 



carnations without the addition of ma- 

 nure to the soil, because it was be- 

 lieved that some additional humus 

 would be necessary. Whether or not 

 this is true has oot been proved; but 

 the amounts recommended below are 

 based upon a small addition of well 

 rotted manure. 



From the past experiments it seems 

 certain that dried blood or sulphate of 

 ammonia (supplying nitrogen to the 

 plant) is the commercial fertilizer 

 most needed by the carnation. Some 

 indications, w'hich are being tested 

 during this year, have been found that 

 acid phosphate, applied with one of 

 the above, results in still further in- 

 creased production. No benefit has 

 been obtained up to the present time 

 from the use of sulphate of potash. 

 Before these conclusions were reached, 

 the mixture of manure, dried blood, 

 acid phosphate, and sulphate of potash 

 given below was tried and found to 

 produce excellent flowers in as large 

 quantity as by culture with natural 

 manure. The amounts are as follows: 



M:inure SO Ihs. 125 lbs. 



Dried blood (l.'i per cent. 



nitrogen) 5 " 8 " 



Acid pliii.sphate (7 per 



cent, phosphorus) l'/4 " 2 " 



Sulphate of potash (40 



per cent, potassium l^j " 2 " 



All of the above were mixed witli 

 the soil before setting in the plants, 

 with the exception of the dried blood, 

 which was applied in four install- 

 ments, — two pounds with the others, 

 and two pounds at each of three differ- 

 ent periods throughout the year. 



No exceptional crops of carnations 

 have been produced by the use of 

 commercial fertilizers. Good crops 

 have been produced, however, by the 

 use of moderate amounts of them. The 

 use of excessive amounts will result 

 in marked lessening of production and 

 injury to the flowers, so that warning 

 must be given not to attempt to pro- 

 duce larger crops by the use of more 

 fertilizer than the trials have shown 

 to be safe. Those commercial fertil- 

 izers from which there is greatest dan- 

 ger, when used excessively, are in the 

 order named: (1) sulphate of am- 

 monia, (2) sulphate of potash, and (3) 

 dried blood. Up to the present time no 

 injury has resulted from heavy appli- 

 cations of acid phosphate. 



During the experiments an attempt 

 was made to regulate the time of heavy 

 crop production by variation in the 

 time of application of the fertilizers. 

 No change in the time followed, show- 

 ing that the time of application of the 

 fertilizers does not influence the time 

 of heavy crop production. 



A complete report on the rose ex- 

 periments, which have been in progress 



each year was Klllarney, the other 

 half. Bride. Of these, one-half the 

 since 1910, is now nearly complete, and 

 may be summarized at this time. 



During seven months (November to 

 May inclusive) of 1910-11. and eight 

 months (October to May inclusive) of 

 1911-12 and 1912-13. 3,840 first year 

 rose plants were grown with varying 

 quantities of commercial fertilizers 

 and record kept on the number of flow- 

 ers produced and the length of stem 

 of each flower. The amount per 100 

 square feet of bench space of dried 

 blood was varied in different sections 

 Irom none to 32 pounds, of acid phos- 

 phate from none to eiglit pounds, iind 

 of potassium sulphate from none to 

 eight pounds. In addition, well rotted 

 manure was added to each section at 

 the rate of 115 pounds per 100 square 

 feet of bench space, regardless of the 

 amount of commercial fertilizer ap- 

 plied. One-half the number of roses 



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