THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



fertilizer and had no benefit. So when 

 we want bone for roses or carnations, 

 or to mix with our potting soil in early 

 spring, to give our soft-wooded plants 

 a jump, we order the bone &quot;flour,&quot; 

 which is really as fine as flour. 



Bone is the most complete manure we 

 can use, because it contains both phos 

 phate and nitrogen. The quantity you 

 can use is often questioned. I have 

 heard one professor say he &quot;thought you 

 could not overdo it if the soil was not 

 allowed to get dry. We have used on 

 carnations 200 pounds on a bench with 

 five inches of soil, 200 feet long and 

 six feet wide, and seen only the best 

 results. For potting soil we have used 

 a 6-inch pot of bone to an ordinary 

 wheelbarrow of soil. Perhaps much more 

 could be added with safety, but we don t 

 think it advisable. 



Phosphates produce flowers and ni 

 trates produce a strong leaf growth, 

 giving a rich green to the foliage. Here 

 it may be as well to say that all manures 

 reach the roots of plants more completely 

 and perfectly when applied in a liquid 



Nitrate of soda (Chili saltpeter) is 

 valuable for its available nitrogen and 

 we have tried it on several plants, one 

 pound dissolved in fifty gallons of water. 

 It produces a rich growth of leaf and 

 stem, but does not induce flowers (in 

 fact, the contrary), but in the early 

 stages of plants, young roses, for 

 instance, where growth and size of plant 

 are wanted, not flower, it can be used to 

 advantage. My experience with it in 

 mineral form was very disastrous. I 

 sowed it on a bench of carnations and 

 then stirred it in before the carnations 

 were planted, about two pounds on a 

 space 8x7 feet. It killed almost every 

 carnation. A smaller quantity might 

 have had a different effect, but don t 

 use it except in solution. English 

 farmers sow it broadcast on their grain 

 crops in early spring, but on the surface 

 and out of doors is no guide to us. 

 In solution and the proportion named 

 above (one pound in fifty gallons of 

 water) it is a valuable stimulant to vio 

 lets, producing a larger and deeper blue 

 flower; and as we usually get plenty of 



Ficus Elastica. 



form than in the dry state, but not all of 

 us have the facilities for so applying 

 them. 



Last year, being short of ground bone, 

 we used on carnations in the same quan 

 tities as bone a superphosphate of a fine 

 grade that was sold under the name of 

 * potato phosphate, simply being of a 

 better quality than that usually sold to 

 farmers for their wheat, etc. 



violet flowers too often lacking in qual 

 ity, there is where the nitrate of soda 

 is very valuable. 



Prof. Kedzie places a very high value 

 on wood ashes, in fact places them first, 

 and to quote him, he says : These con 

 tain all the mineral matter of plant 

 growth, and so far as minerals are con 

 cerned are an all-round manure. With 

 out this mineral matter in some form 



plants cannot grow.&quot; We have many 

 of us a good opportunity to obtain this 

 valuable fertilizer very near home, but 

 do not avail ourselves of it. They can 

 be used with ordinary animal manure. 

 About one peck to a yard or load of 

 soil will be found a safe quantity. As 

 the ashes of wood contain the elements 

 that the mature plant contained, they 

 must furnish the elements for a full and 

 rapid growth. 



The way we use our chemical fer 

 tilizers is not similar to that followed 

 on the farm or market garden, where 

 a change of manure may be desirable 

 on any one piece of ground. With a 

 bench of roses or carnations it is a new 

 lot of plants and new soil every year, 

 and if bone meal is a perfect manure 

 there can be no harm in using it year 

 after year. 



Guano was largely in use thirty 

 years ago when the supply was greater. 

 It is the excrement of sea birds, found 

 on the islands off the coast of Peru. 

 It is difficult now to obtain and what 

 would be sold to you for Peruvian guano 

 would be most likely an imitation. The 

 pure guano was one of the most wonder 

 ful of manures. We have used a 2-inch 

 pot of guano in four gallons of water 

 and the effect of an occasional watering 

 on soft-wooded plants was marvelous. If 

 procurable it would, however, be too ex 

 pensive and not as complete a manure 

 as bone rneal. 



Of the animal manures the one mostly 

 in use by florists is that of the cow 

 stable. Why, I do not know, as horse 

 manure is richer in ammonia. One of 

 the best rose growers we know, on being 

 asked what manure he used, answered, 

 Any I can get. A few years ago 

 my neighbor, Mr. W. J. Palmer, showed 

 me two houses of Daybreak carnations 

 that were for general vigor, stout stem 

 and large flowers much superior to other 

 houses GJ. the same variety. On being 

 asked to account for it, Mr. Palmer said 

 he could not, except that the best lot 

 had manure from his horse stable, while 

 the poorer ones had only cow manure. 

 We believe that the cause was explained. 

 While certain animal manures may 

 have special fertilizing properties, for 

 our crops of roses and carnations it 

 would be perfectly safe, and I believe 

 beneficial, to use them mixed. There 

 is no doubt there is a difference in 

 the qualities of manure by the difference 

 in the food of the animals. Animal 

 or farm-yard manure should not be al 

 lowed to lie in a great heap and violently 

 ferment, or much of its value will be 

 destroyed. 



With our roses there is a difference 

 of opinion as to quantity to use. Too 

 much manure in the soil for carnations 

 produces a rank, soft growth, and if 

 bone meal or superphosphate is used a 

 tenth of animal manure is sufficient. 

 With roses a sixth or seventh is some 

 times used, and more often less. Sheep 

 manure is much stronger and a twentieth 

 is as strong as it should be used. In 

 making up our compost pile in the sum 

 mer time for use in the following winter 

 and spring we have often added a fourth 

 of horse or cow manure, and when 



