BULLETIN 159. 



FERTILIZERS FOR CARNATIONS 



By David Lumsden 



The commercial importance of the carnation as a florist's flower 

 has been well explained in books and articles in magazines pub- 

 lished at various times by writers and admirers of the carnation, 

 the divine, flower. 



It is not my intention in this bulletin to write or explain any- 

 thing pertaining to the origin and early history of the carnation 

 plant or to give explicit directions regarding its culture and care. 

 However, a few words at this time explanatory of the great 

 importance of the industry will appeal to those who are interested 

 in the culture of the flower, as it will convey to the reader some 

 idea of the magnitude this industry has attained during the last 

 few years. 



Upwards of ten million carnation plants are annually grown, 

 and upwards of one hundred and twenty million carnation blooms, 

 per annum, are cut and sold in the various markets of the United 

 States and Canada. The flowers are estimated as selling at an 

 average of four dollars per hundred or $4,800,000 for the annual 

 output. 



The writer, being familiar with the amount of capital invested 

 in carnation culture, considered it of importance to make a study 

 of the economic production of first grade flowers by carrying on 

 an experiment with fertilizers, to ascertain if possible their 

 relative value when applied as top dressings to carnation plants 

 grown on raised benches in the greenhouses; at the same time to 

 determine the difference in the keeping quality of flowers raised 

 under the various treatments given. 



There are so many ways of applying fertilizer to the soil that 

 the quantity to be given is very problematical. In field culture 

 when fertilizer is sown with the seeds, the quantity used is much 

 less than the quantity which is necessary when the whole ground 

 is to be fertilized. Experience has taught us that chemical 

 manures, which are rapidly soluble, should not be put in much 

 below the surface, because by watering (if in the greenhouse) 



