38 EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 354 



tion of sodium nitrate about mid-May, and as a result the plants were of 

 good color and growth at benching time. 



A new compost with medium organic matter content was used as soil. 

 Five pounds of superphosphate per 100 square feet of bench was mixed in 

 the soil. At benching time the soil tested as follows : nitrate ver}- high or 

 50 ppiii. (parts per million), phosphorus high or 100 ppni., potassium very 

 high or 250 ppiii., calcium very high or 2000 ppm., and pH 5.95. When 

 tested again in October, the results were similar, but in February, the ni- 

 trate tested low or 5 ppiii. and pH and calcium were declining slightly. The 

 first fertilizer was applied on February 29 in the form of sodium nitrate 

 and at the rate of 1^^ pounds per 100 square feet of bench area. A similar 

 feeding was applied on April 10. Several florists observed these carna- 

 tions on April 27, and agreed that quality and general appearance were 

 very good. 



Production records ended Aiay 31. except for nine selected varieties 

 which are being cut through the present summer in order to determine their 

 response to summer temperatures. If they withstand the summer, they 

 will be cropped another year without being cut back. 



W. D. HoLLEY, J. Macfarlane 



Soil Management Experiments on Snapdragons 



From 1941 to 1944 various soils and soil mixtures were tried for snap- 

 dragons. The treatments were designed to determine the comparative 

 value of new compost versus old greenhouse soils and to determine the ef- 

 fect on quality of flowers and total production when additional manure, 

 cinders, or sand are incorporated in the soil. 



The compost soil tested medium to high in organic matter and high in 

 all nutrients at the time crops were benched. The pH of these soils ranged 

 from 5.80 to 6.70 but the available calcium was high. The old soils used 

 were of medium humus content containing little unrotted organic matter. 

 Cinders used in this work to give additional drainage and soil porosity 

 were from ordinary soft coal slag that had been screened through a 5/^- 

 inch mesh and then the ashes and particles washed out through a j^^-ii'^ch 

 mesh. 



Nutrient levels, with the exception of nitrates, remained at a high 

 level throughout each crop year. Nitrates were high or at about 30 to 50 

 ppm. in soils at benching time each }-ear and gradually decreased as crops 

 were cut. 



When new compost or compost and manure were used, no additional 

 nitrate was needed. In most of the old soils at least one feeding with so- 

 dium nitrate was necessary in early spring. 



Conclusions from crop records of three years follow : 



1. There is no significant difference in quality or production between 

 old greenhouse soils and new compost if similar nutrient levels are main- 

 tained. 



2. The addition of manure to old or new soil is not beneficial when 

 nutrient levels are kept up by chemical fertilizers. Three of six replica- 

 tions produced less than the control plots. 



3. The addition of gravel or cinders (^-inch mesh) gives no con- 

 sistent increase in either production or quality. Since the soils used were 



