94 FRITZ BAHR'S COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE 



While the Rose or Carnation grower wouldn't want to use such 

 soil for filling his benches, even he can use it to advantage for mulch- 

 ing or top dressing. It is the retail grower, however, who can best 

 use such soil for potting, especially for potting bedding stock. If 

 only utilized by being mixed in with some other soil, it will afford a 

 great saving. 



The compost pile should not be confused with the soil pile, 

 put up for the filling of benches for Roses, Chrysanthemums or 

 Carnations. When making up such a soil pile you should know 

 exactly what goes into it, and that it is suitable for the purpose for 

 which you want it; a compost pile may contain everything. It is, 

 for instance, the proper place to dump the cut-down flats of Paper- 

 whites and Dutch bulb stock, all the pot plants either cut down or 

 such as are left over and cannot be carried over, the old soil out of 

 seed flats, the sand from the propagating bench, manure which has 

 been used around the greenhouses, or between the hotbeds over 

 Winter, leaves, sweepings of the houses and walks any and every- 

 thing which, as stated above, will go toward making a good com- 

 post later on. If you wish to add some sod and soil from the 

 field and some manure, so much the better, but the principal object 

 should be to use material which, if not used up in this manner, would 

 go to waste. It might even mean additional expense to dispose of it, 

 whereas, if given time to turn into soil, it can be utilized to advantage. 



In starting a compost pile, a good way to do is first to select a 

 place, high and dry and with sufficient room to get around with a 

 wagon or truck in loading and unloading. The retail grower can 

 well start a pile 6 or 8 ft. in width and make it 4 to 5 ft. high. Keep 

 on adding at one end and give the part put down first a chance to 

 decay. Forking or spading and turning the pile over will help 

 matters. 



Even in a small establishment where a variety of stock is grown, 

 where benches are filled and emptied every year and a lot of pot 

 plants raised, it is surprising how much material can be gathered 

 that is fit for the compost pile and which will, in time, become valu- 

 able potting soil. We all know that it costs more and more each 

 year if you have to buy such soil by the load as many have to do. 



MANURES AND FERTILIZERS 



There is no subject in connection with the florist business more de- 

 serving of consideration and careful study than that of fertilizers and 

 other forms of plant food. 



I" UCKY indeed is the florist who keeps a couple of cows, more or 

 -^ less, to supply him with the manure needed for his crops. I say 

 lucky, for the reason that, if necessary, one can get along nicely with 



