THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



Platycerium Grande. 



The paper read at the Cleveland 

 convention of the S. A. F., in August, 

 1896, by Prof. R. C. Kedzie, M. A., of 

 the Michigan Agricultural College, 

 was very instructive. He said "Potas- 

 sium, phosphorus and nitrogen are of 

 the highest importance to florists for 

 four reasons: First, they are abso- 

 lutely indispensable to vegetable life, 

 because no plant can grow in the ab- 

 sence of any one of them; second, be- 

 cause in available form they are found 

 in smaller amounts than other food 

 elements; third, because they are 

 soonest exhausted by cultivation; 

 fourth, because they are especially 

 concerned in the early growth of 

 plants up to and including the period 

 of flowering." For their great value, 

 not only to the farmer, but to the 

 gardener, the professor called them 

 "The Chemical Tripod in Floricult- 

 ure." 



The fertilizer that is a favorite with 

 all florists is what we call bone dust 

 or flour. There is sometimes confusion 

 about the names of these grades. With 

 us the bone dust is ground up about 

 as fine as Scotch oatmeal, but there 

 are too many coarse pieces in it to be 

 available to thq plants in one season. 

 If the plants were to grow two or 

 three years in the same pot or bench, 

 then the coarser particles would be 

 all right, because the coarser particles 

 would be gradually dissolving and 

 giving ibenefit to the soil and plants; 

 but if not dissolved, then you have 

 thrown out a costly 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 "flour," which is 

 really as fine as flour. 



Bone is the most complete manure 

 we can use, because it contains both 



phosphate and nitrogen. The quan- 

 tity you can use is often questioned. 

 I have heard one professor say he 

 "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 



Platycerium Willinckii. 



soil, 200 feet long and 6 feet wide, 

 and seen only the best results. For 

 potting soil we have used a 6-inch pot 

 full 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 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 quantities as bone a superphos- 

 phate of a fine grade that was sold 

 under the name of "potato phos- 

 phate," simply being of a better qual- 

 ity than that usually sold to farmers 

 for their wheat, etc. 



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 is wanted, not flower, it 

 can be used to advantage. My experi- 

 ence with it in mineral form was very 

 disastrous. I sowed it on a bench of 

 carnations and then stirred it in be- 

 fore 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 violets, pro- 

 ducing a larger and deeper blue 

 flower; and as we usually get plenty 

 of violet flowers too often lacking in 

 quality, 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 contain all the mineral matter 

 of plant growth, and so far as min- 

 erals are concerned are an all round 

 manure. Without this mineral mat- 

 ter in some form plants cannot grow." 

 We have many of us a good opportu- 

 nity to obtain this valuable fertilizer 

 very near home, but do not avail our- 

 selves 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 



