120 



THE CANADIAN HORTICUtTURIST 



May, 1912 



summer decofatiye plants, usually about 

 the first week in June. They should 

 then be lifted carefully with the top 

 growth on, and should be heeled' in 

 thickly in a shallow trench and covered 

 with four or five inches of soil. The tops 

 only should be above the ground. Any 

 out of the way corner of the garden will 

 do to heel in the bulbs. It is best <o 

 mark the spot with a lal>el or stake. 



About the end of July or early in 

 August the bulbs should be again lifted 



from where they have been heeled in, the 

 tops removed, and the bulbs dried a lit- 

 tle in the sun for a day or two. They 

 should then be laid in shallow boxes 

 and put in a rather cool cellar or room 

 until planting time in October. By 

 treating bulbs such as hyacinths, tulips 

 and crocus in this way, a majority of the 

 bulbs can be used for .several years suc- 

 cessively, where they have to be dug up 

 for summer plants. 



Fertilizers For The Garden 



Frank T. Shutt, M^ A., Dominion Chemist, Ottawa. 



{Concluded from April Ismie) 



FERTILIZER formulai might be mul- 

 tiplied almost indefinitely. Enquir- 

 ies are almost daily received for 

 mixtures suited for special crops, and 

 fertilizer manufacturers pander to this 

 demand by putting on the market a 

 host of brands labelled for the differ- 

 ent crops. It is quite true that there 

 are types or classes of crops and that 

 these differ as regards their food re- 

 quirements, that each class has its dom- 

 inant fertilizer. Thus, as already re- 

 marked, vegetables and leafy crops gen- 

 erally, clover, peas and other legumes, 

 respond more particularly to potash while 

 the cereals more especially require phos- 

 phoric acid with nitrogen. But too much 

 confidence should not be placed in these 

 special trade names, and it will be much 

 more to the point to study the guaran- 

 teed analysis of the brands, at the same 

 time keeping in mind the especial func- 

 tions of the elements, the character of 

 the soil and the predilections of the vari- 

 ous classes of crops. 



In furnishing — to meet the popular de- 

 ' mand — the following formulae for special 

 crops, the writer does so with no little 

 hesitancy, since they are apt to be accept- 

 ed as the best mixtures under all condi- 

 tions, and such, if we have made clear 

 the principles underlying this art of sup- 

 plying plant food, could not be possible. 

 Fertilizers, like many other things, must 

 be mixed and applied with brains if the 

 best results are to be secured. There is 

 no royal road, nothing that will take the 

 place of knowledge and experience. 

 While, therefore, all these formulae have 

 been used, and used successfully, no 

 claim is made that they will everywhere 

 and on all soils prove the best that could 

 be devised. They are rather to be con- 

 sidered as suggestive in character. 



Perennial Flower Border. — Bone meal, 

 five to ten pounds; superphosphate, four 

 to eight pounds ; sulphate of potash, one 

 to two pounds ; and nitrate of soda, one 

 to four pounds, per forty square yards. 

 The superphosphate may be replaced by 

 basic slag if the soil is naturally deficient 

 in lime. 



Annuals. — These have a short season 

 of growth and therefore require large 

 amounts of plant food. However, if the 



soil is rich, half of the following mini- 

 mum amounts will suHice : Superphos- 

 phate, ten to twenty pounds; sulphate of 

 potash, one to five pounds ; and nitrate of 

 soda, ten to twenty pounds, per forty 

 square yards. 



Phlox in Bloom in Mr. MacKendrick's Garden 



Roses. — These are usually planted in 

 soil that has been well enriched with man- 

 ure. In such cases phosphate only will 

 be necessary to induce blooming : Bone 

 meal, ten to twenty pounds ; superphos- 

 phate or basic slag, ten to twenty pounds, 

 per forty square yards. 



Lawns. — The preparation of the 

 ground for lawns is all important ; it is 

 better to defer seeding a year than to 

 sow on soil that is in poor mechanical 

 condition and deficient in available plant 

 food. It should be plentifully supplied 

 with humus-forming material. Before 

 seeding, the following mixture may be 

 worked into the surface soil : Ground 

 bone, five to ten pounds ; muriate of pot- 

 ash, one to two pounds, per forty square 

 yards. The grass may be top dressed 

 with nitrate of soda at the rate of a half 

 pound for forty square yards two or 

 three times during the season if the 

 growth is pwor and yellowish. 



Potting Soil and for Use in Green- 

 houses. — For potting soil, house plants, 

 and so forth : Bone meal, four pounds ; 

 sulphate of potash, one pound. To be 

 thoroughly mixed with five hundred to 

 seven hundred and fifty pounds of the 

 potting soil. If the growth lacks vigor, 

 nitrogen can be applied as nitrate of soda 

 to the pots. This will be most readily 

 done by dissolving three-quarters of an 

 'ounce of the nitrate in one gallon of 

 water and applying say two ounces of 

 the solution every fortnight or three 

 weeks, for a six-inch pot. It should be 

 borne in mind that excess of nitrogen 

 will give a leafy development and sup- 

 press blooming. 



For soil in greenhouses, frames, and so 

 forth, two pounds of the above mixture 

 of bone meal and sulphate of potash can 

 Ije used for each one hundred square feet 

 thoroughly incorporating the fertilizer 

 with the soil. If available nitrogen is 

 thought desirable, follow with one-half 

 to three-quarters of a pound of nitrate of 

 soda for a hundred square feet. 



When the soil has not previously been 

 enriched, it may be found convenient to 

 apply the fertilizer in liquid form. For 

 house plants, garden flowers and vege- 

 tables, the following may be used: Ni- 

 trate of soda, three parts; sulphate of 

 potash, one part; and superphosphate, 

 three parts. Dissolve the mixture in 

 water at the rate of one ounce in three 

 gallons of water (there will be slight in- 

 soluble residue from the superphosphate 

 that may be neglected) and use rather 

 sparingly once every two or three weeks. 

 If the soil is very rich (as from additions 

 of well rotted manure) and the plants run 

 to foliage, omit the nitrate of soda from 

 the above formula. 



No attempt has been made in this ar- 

 ticle to discuss the fertilizing question 

 in all its bearings, but merely to give in 

 as concise a form as possible some of 

 the more important principles upon which 

 a rational use of fertilizers is based, to- 

 gether with certain formulae which may 

 be found helpful in ordinary garden prac- 

 tice. In the mixtures suggested, only 

 the more commonly used and easily ob- 

 tained ingredients have been employed, 

 thus simplifying the matter for those who 

 have yet to gain their experience with fer- 

 tilizers. 



In conclusion, it might be stated that 

 not all garden soils stand in need of fer- 

 tilizers or will repay their use. It is true, 

 however, that wherever the amount of 

 stable manure available is inadequate to 

 supply the full measure of the plant food 

 demanded by this intensive form of ag- 

 riculture, fertilizers may be employed 

 with very considerable profit, and, fur- 

 ther, that by their judicious use the ex- 

 cess of available plant food so desirable 

 in the garden soil may be kept fairly well 

 balanced and therefore the best results in- 

 root, stem, leaf and fruit obtained. 



