262 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



mer, but the foliage should be dry by night. In syringing, 

 it is not necessary to apply enough water to wet the soil, 

 but simply to moisten the foliage. 



330. Feeding. In properly prepared soil, the plants 

 will require feeding in six or eight weeks. The first 

 feeding should be a mulch of cow or sheep manure; if 

 cow manure is used, apply one-half to one inch thick; 

 if sheep manure is used, apply only half as much. The 

 plant food in this mulch becomes gradually available, 

 and is carried into the soil by each successive watering. 

 This mulch also assists in holding moisture in the soil. 

 About a month after applying the mulch, the length of 

 time depending in a large degree upon the condition of 

 the plants, it is time to begin feeding with liquid manures. 

 If cow manure is used, take one-half bushel of manure to 

 one barrel of water ; if sheep manure is used, this should 

 be in the proportion of one-half bushel to one and one-half 

 barrels. Chemical fertilizers may also be used. E. D. 

 Smith, of Adrian, Michigan, recommends four parts 

 ammonium phosphate and six parts of potassium nitrate, 

 applied at the rate of one ounce of the mixture to ten 

 gallons of water. 



The frequency of the application depends upon the 

 condition of the plants. Once a week is not too often if 

 the plants are growing well and the fertilizer is not too 

 strong. Feed until the buds begin to show color. Feed- 

 ing later than this causes softness of the flowers. 



331. Topping. If plants are to be grown for two 

 flowers, they should be cut back when six or eight inches 

 high, to make them send out side shoots. Later, select 

 the two strongest and remove all side shoots, to throw 

 the strength into the two selected. If grown for one 

 flower to a stem, they should grow without topping. 



