April, 19 1 2 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



97 



elements in good proportions, to meet 

 general requirements, and at the same 

 time point the way to compounding spec- 

 ial mixtures to suit special cases. 



FERTILIZER MIXTURES 



Horticulture is a branch of "intensive" 

 farming. This means that in looking to 

 secure a maximum production of crop 

 we use an excess of available plant food. 

 The garden soil is to be regarded as a 

 bank in which we seek to have always to 

 our credit a large amount of available 

 funds. This excess of plant food, how- 

 ever, from the considerations in the pre- 



I 



A Simple Form of Hotbad 



A description of how to make a hotbed was 



published in the March issue of The Canadian 



Horticulturist. 



ceding paragraph, must be a well balanc- 

 ed one. For garden crops in general, 

 including fruits and vegetables, the fol- 

 lowing may be used, the application 

 ranging from five hundred pounds to fif- 

 teen hundred pounds an acre, according 

 to the condition and character of the soil, 

 and thoroughness with which we intend 

 to cultivate and take care of the crop : 

 Nitrate of soda, 200 ; superphosphate, 

 300; bone meal, 200, and sulphate of 

 potash, 200 lbs. Mix well just before 

 using and broadcast on the prepared soil 

 in the spring and thoroughly incorpor- 

 ate with the surface soil. An admix- 

 ture with, say, an equal weight of dry 

 loam will facilitate an equable distribu- 

 tion of the fertilizer. If the soil is sour, 

 poorly drained and deficient in lime, basic 

 slag (an alkaline phosphatic fertilizer) 

 may be substituted for the superphos- 

 phate in this formula. If the soil has 

 been well manured for a number of sea- 

 sons, the nitrate of soda may be reduc- 

 ed to one hundred pounds. 



The purchase of the various fertilizer 

 ingredients and home mixing is general- 

 ly to be advised, as being cheaper than 

 buying a brand of ready made fertilizer 

 and allowing the gardener to more econ- 

 omically use his plant food by modifying 

 the proportions according to the nature 

 of the soil and of the crop to be fertilized. 

 Thus, sandy soils are naturally poorer 

 in potash than clay soils ; soils that have 

 for years been liberally dressed with 

 manure will be richer in nitrogen than 

 loams that have been scantily dressed ; 

 vegetables and fruits make a large de- 

 mand on the potash stores of the soil, 

 while cereal crops are very moderate in 

 their potash requirements. These and 

 many similar considerations allow the in- 

 telligent man to alter the proportions 

 somewhat in such a formula as we have 



given and permit a considerable saving. 

 If, however, on the score of conven- 

 ience it is decided to purchase a ready- 

 mixed fertilizer, one having a guaranteed 

 analysis as follows may be chosen in the 

 place of the foregoing: Nitrogen, three 

 and a half to four and a half; available 

 phosphoric acid, seven to nine, and pot- 

 ash, eight to ten per cent. 



(To be continued) 



Celery for the Home Garden 



George Baldwin, Toronto, Ont. 



No home garden, no matter how small, 

 is complete without a trench of celery, 

 though from personal observation in the 

 gardens of people whom I am acquainted 

 with, the proper quality and size of cel- 

 ery is not brought out as it should and 

 can be done. 



The elements of success in celery grow- 

 ing are many. First and foremost 

 among them is a love for your work- If 

 you do not like your job, you will never 

 be a real success. 



By the time this is in print it will be 

 too late for sowing the seed of early cel- 

 ery, but you can procure all the plants 

 you require from local seedsmen at rea- 

 sonable rates. 



Providing you can make room for a 

 three row trench, I would recommend 

 White Plume, Paris Golden and Rose 

 Ribbed Paris. As soon as seedlings have 

 got three leaves, prick them out into 

 more space, giving them about one inch 

 of room each way, keeping them as close 

 to the glass in the hot bed as possible to 

 prevent them getting too long and spind- 

 ly. Stir the earth frequently with a 

 small pointed stick and when they are 

 about two inches high transplant again, 

 giving three inches of space. About the 

 second or third week of May they will 

 be ready to plant out in the trench. 



Early Vegetables 



Mifs M. J. Dubeau, Warren, Ontario 



Why do not our Canadian gardeners 

 grow more early cucumbers? It seems to 

 me that many more might be grown 

 where the climate is not so severe as it 

 is up here in the Nipissing District. Last 

 year I had my first experience in the use 

 of a hotbed. The seed was not put in 

 until the last week in April nevertheless 

 I succeeded in securing lettuce and rad- 

 ish, besides cucumbers. I secured the 

 first cucumbers on June 2Sth. 



From some that I transplanted to the 

 open ground on July 12th I gathered a 

 cucumber which weighed a pound. I 

 was somewhat astonished when our fruit 

 dealers told me they were still handling 

 imported cucumbers which they were 

 selling at ten cents a pound. I also sur- 

 prised my neighbors by growing some 

 early ripe tomatoes. These I kept pruned 

 severely. They produced ripe tomatoes 

 on August 1st, which is considered early 



up here for very few ripe tomatoes have 

 been grown, and none to my knowledge 

 before September when heavy frosts are 

 usually expected. 



Planning the Vegetable Garden 



W. J. Kerr, Ottawa, Ont. 



At this season of the year, the gar- 

 dener and those fortunate enough to 

 have a garden, should be planning 

 for the future crop. By the time of 

 the appearance of The Canadian Horti- 

 culturist for April, many will have hot 

 beds made and seed already sown. The 

 preparation and caring for a hot bed is a 

 very interesting part of gardening but 

 where it is not possible for the amateur 

 to make a bed he may arrange with some 

 professional gardener to start his early 

 vegetables, such as cauliflower, cabbage, 

 tomatoes, peppers, melons, cucumbers, 

 asters, verbenas and others. Then, when 

 they are ready to transplant, the ama- 

 teur may get his plants in the flats in 

 which they have been started and trans- 

 plant them into cold frames or hot beds. 



It is well to secure the best seed ob- 

 tainable. Cheap seed is usually dear at 

 any price but it does not necessarily fol- 

 low that the most expensive is the best. 

 I would recommend that the readers of 

 The Horticulturist write the seedsmen 

 advertising in this paper, and get their 

 catalogues, and select the varieties of 

 each class of vegetables most suited to 

 their wants. These seeds should be in 

 their hands before planting time and 

 where possible should be tested for ger- 

 mination and if of low vitality should 

 be discarded and fresh seed procured 

 elsewhere. 



It is always well to have the land plow- 

 ed or spaded in the fall so' that such veg- 

 etables as peas, carrots, onions, parsnips, 

 lettuce and radishes may be sown as early 

 as the land is in nice workable condition. 

 The soil should be raked down to a fine 

 tilth and the seed sown a depth corres- 

 ponding with the size of the seed. That 

 is, very small seeds should be sown in 

 very shallow trenches, while larger seeds 

 should be sown deeper. It is always 

 well to sow in long rows if possible to 

 permit of the use of the wheel hoe in cul- 

 tivating, as it materially lessens the labor 

 of cultivation. Frequent and thorough 

 cultivation is desirable to keep up a 

 steady and rapid growth and prevent 

 weeds from robbing the plants of food 

 and moisture. The frequent stirring of 

 the soil about the plants helps preserve 

 the moisture in the soil for the support 

 of the plants during dry weather. 



On the first opening of spring it is 

 well to make a general clean up of all 

 rubbish about the garden. Burn it, as 

 you will thus destroy many injurious in- 

 sects and foungous pests that have hiber- 

 nated on it, and which await the warm 

 weather to begin their attacks. 



