December 12, 1914 



H K T I C TJ L T U E E 



831 



THE VALUE OF THE TRADE 

 JOURNAL 



The dominating idea of the trade 

 press is greater efficiency. The in- 

 creased efficiency of the modern busi- 

 ness man, and this applies to florists 

 and general horticulturists as well, is 

 due in large part to the Trade Jour- 

 nal. We make the above parenthet- 

 ical • reference to florists, nurserymen, 

 and general horticulturists because it 

 is widely conceded by prominent men 

 in the trade that a majority of its 

 members are poor business men. Why 

 this should be so is difficult to under- 

 stand, but the fact remains that too 

 many ornamental horticulturists 

 manufacture their product in hit or 

 miss fashion. The same applies to 

 the retail distributors of flowers and 

 plants. The producer who guesses 

 the significance of the term "manu- 

 facture," and realizes that his prod- 

 uct requires just as much efficiency 

 in its production as that of automo- 

 biles, furniture, or any other object in 

 the factory, is the one who is most 

 likely to attain success. Should the 

 reader question the service rendered 

 by the trade paper in this connec- 

 tion, consideration of the facts will 

 demonstrate the truth. In the first 

 place, a medium for the discussion of 

 new ideas is provided; secondly the 

 trade paper has developed new ideas 

 of its own initiative. 



The best place to get a clear, au- 

 thoritative and complete discussion of 

 a new plan for improving methods of 

 production or management is in the 

 pages of the trade paper. You can 

 count on its being there. Any dis- 

 covery of a better system of produc- 

 tion or an improved method of hand- 

 ling material, is fairly likely to find 

 its way into the trade papers sooner 

 or later. 



The big men of every business are 

 Invariably the men who read their 

 trade papers most closely. Of course 

 we cannot say that they are live 

 wires because they read trade papers;. 

 it may be a cause instead of an ef- 

 fect. But it is definitely true and a 

 very significant fact that the men 

 who are making the biggest successes 

 are those who are using the trade 

 papers in a way calculated to get out 

 of them all the value that they pos- 

 sess. 



The modern trade paper performs a 

 definite service. It has something of 

 value to say to its readers, be it the 

 experiences of members of the busi- 

 ness, news items or market reports. 

 No merely general publication could 

 ever hope to possess the definite 

 value that the trade paper holds for 

 the man in the business it reaches. 



Right here is where the trade 

 paper comes in as a productive ad- 

 vertising medium. Grower, whole- 

 saler, retailer, from production to dis- 

 tribution, all are intensely interested 

 in the service each is able to render. 

 The grower and wholesaler are sell- 

 ing their goods to the retailer. The 

 retail florist sells his product to the 

 general public. But the retailer 

 reads his trade papers If he is even 

 only one-half progressive. He reads 

 it for new Ideas, for news, and for the 



new articles that are being adver- 

 tised. One grower has something to 

 sell to other growers, a new seedling, 

 a fine strain of flower, or cuttings 

 in quantity. He wants retailers 

 to demand his latest variety or 

 growers to grow it. What better me- 

 dium for letting the trade know what 

 you have to sell than the pai)ers that 

 cater to the trade? Subscribers and 

 advertisers in the trade papers meet 

 on intimate terms. No wide gulf ex- 

 ists between reader and advertiser as 

 is the case in many daily newspapers, 

 where everything from fake remedies 

 to automobiles is advertised. Only 

 the products that the reader is inter- 

 ested in are advertised in his trade 

 paper and he is going to buy them as 

 a necessary part of his business. 



The advertiser in the trade paper 

 has a comparatively easy task by 

 reason of the intelligent receptivity 

 of the reader. His advertisements, 

 if read at all, are bound to be read by 

 those who know and appreciate what 

 he has to sell. S. L. F. 



TEXAS ROSES FOR SAN DIEGO 

 EXPOSITION. 



I want to make an appeal to the 

 florists of Texas in behalf of the rose 

 display at the San Diego Exposition. 



If we can send 2,000 or ."5,000 rose 

 bushes to San Diego, the Horticultural 

 Committee will see that we get a nice 

 space and that they will be well dis- 

 played. This is certainly a most 

 economical way of advertising Texas 

 and her products. 



Now it is not going to tax any florist 

 very heavily in sending say fifty roses 

 of the best variety to San Diego pre- 

 paying the express charges, and ad- 

 dressing them to — J. C. Knox, care 

 San Diego Exposition, San Diego. Cali- 

 fornia. The committee will do the 

 rest. The shipper's name will be dis- 

 played in his exhibit and the exhibit, 

 as a whole, will be marked "Texas- 

 Grown Roses." 



It seems to me that this is certainly 

 an opportunity for the florists and 

 nurserymen of Texas to show what we 

 grow in this great state in the line of 

 roses, and I certainly hope that this 

 appeal will meet with ready response. 

 I would like to hear from those who 

 expact to send sometliing and would 

 like to be advised time shipment is 

 made. Now don't put this off think- 

 ing the other fellow will take care of 

 the shipments and yours may not be 

 necessary, for we all may be of the 

 same opinion and have no display. At- 

 tend to this now as this is a good 

 shipping season and by the time they 

 reach California and are planted they 

 will be in just at the right time for 

 the opening of the Exposition. 



I trust that every florist will feel 

 that he is nnder an obligation to re- 

 spond to this call and make shipment 

 promptly and that we may have a nice 

 display in due time. 



Yours respectfully, 



R. C. Kkkb. President, 

 Texas State Florists' Assn. 



THE VALUE OF SODA WHEN 

 POTASH IS SCARCE. 



Owing to the European war, farmers 

 may have difficulty in getting their 

 next year's potash from Germany, the 

 natural source of most of it. It is 

 especially important at this time, 

 therefore to know to what extent 

 soda (Na20) can replace potash 

 (K20). A field experiment which has 

 been conducted for twenty years at 

 the Agricultural Experiment Station 

 of the Rhode Island State College is 

 probably the most important source 

 of such information in this country. 



The following results (in pounds), 

 selected from those secured in 1914 

 will serve to indicate the value of 

 soda. 



lo lbs. potasb per it. without soda: 



Carrots. Potatoes. Ouloas. 



252 153 21 



15 lbs. potash per a. with soda : 



Carrots. Potatoes. Oulons. 



300 183 «3 



45 lbs. potash per a. with soda : 



Carrots. Pot.itoes. Onions. 



3'J« 24a 138 



Each preceding weight represents 

 the total yield from small triplicate 

 areas. Equal amounts of nitrogen 

 and of phosphoric acid were applied 

 in each case. As the crops grew side 

 by side, although not on equal areas, 

 indications are afforded of the relative 

 deficiency of potash, and value of soda, 

 for the three crops. 



From three to four tenths of the act- 

 ual increase caused by both the soda 

 and the additional amount of potash 

 is seen to have been caused by the 

 soda. The deficiency of potash was so 

 great, with only 15 pounds of potash, 

 that the addition of soda did not re- 

 sult in normal yields. Had the de- 

 ficiency been less and a larger amount 

 of soda been added, it is probable that 

 practically normal yields would have 

 been obtained. Two weight parts of 

 soda are chemically equivalent to 

 three parts of potash and the two ma- 

 terials were added in this proportion 

 in the experiment. 



Owing to the fact that the manurial 

 treatments had been continued for a 

 number of years, the potash had not 

 only become very deficient in certain 

 plats, hut the soda must have ex- 

 erted, previously, much of its effect. 

 The experiment has indicated dur- 

 ing its course that an application of 

 soda to most of our granitic soils 

 would insure the production of normal 

 crops, if potash should be unobtainable 

 in 1915. 



One weight part of soda is equival- 

 ent to about throe parts of nitrate of 

 soda and about two parts of either 

 crude soda ash (sodium carbonate) or 

 common sale. Aside from being a source 

 of soda, the soda ash would reduce the 

 acidity of acid soils; for this purpose 

 it is equivalent to an equal weight 

 of ground limestone. 



Tliere is soda enough in the moder- 

 ate application per acre of 200 pounds 

 of nitrate of soda and 270 pounds of 

 soda ash to be equivalent to 300 

 pounds of potash; so that, if only a 

 third of it really took the place of pot- 

 ash, it would be temporarily equal to 

 adding 100 pounds of the latter. 



Burt L. Hartwell, Director. 

 Kingston, R. I. 



