Soils 



States criticised severely the introducers of new varieties, "because they grew 

 their carnations in very rich soil." Some writers announced that carnations 

 would not stand heavy fertilization ; that the addition of large quantities of 

 fertilizing material was detrimental. There is, however, one point to be noted 

 in the preparation of these composts, and that is, the difference between the 

 climates of England and America. Maddock states that where the air is 

 pure and clear less fertilizing materials are required, and recommends a re- 

 duction in the quantity of manure. This would indicate that carnation com- 

 posts for use in the United States should not be as rich as those made by the 

 English growers of seventy years ago. Another point in the preparation of 

 the English composts that should be noted is, the comparatively large quan- 

 tity of lime employed in the constitution of these composts, which probably 

 performed the office of neutralizing the acidity of the soil that the use of 

 such large quantities of manure would create. 



Sterilizing Soils 



Of late years considerable experimental work has been done in the steril- 

 ization of soils with heat, for the purpose of destroying grubs and worms, 

 insects and insects' eggs, as well as the seeds of noxious weeds ; also the 

 spores of the various fungi that prey upon the carnation plant. Very ben- 

 eficial results are claimed to be secured by such sterilization, some growers 

 stating that not only freedom from noxious insects, weeds and fungi is ob- 

 tained, but the plants make a better growth and produce a more vigorous, 

 continuous crop of flowers, of better quality. This I have not as yet proved, 

 but have practiced sterilization to some extent with, apparently, substantial 

 beneficial results. 



The most approved method of soil sterilization is by steam. There are 

 a number of apparatus used for this purpose, the principle of all of them 

 being the filling of the soil with superheated steam, raising the temperature 

 to 190 to 212 degrees, which is sufficient to destroy all animal life in the 

 soil as well as all fungi and most seeds. 



The following method of sterilization has been practiced with con- 

 siderable success, and can be installed at comparatively little expense by 

 growers who heat their houses with steam : Take one-inch pipe of even 

 lengths — say, sixteen, eighteen or twenty feet ; drill holes through this 

 pipe at a distance of eight inches apart throughout its entire length, 

 using a drill about three-eighths of an inch in diameter. Close up 

 one end of each piece of pipe with a cap, through which has 

 been drilled two similar holes ; take five two-inch by one-inch 



