January 2, 1919. 



The Florists' Review 



11 



FEEDINa OABNATION PLANTa 



We would appreciate advice as to 

 the proper feeding of our carnation 

 plants. Our method has been to feed 

 •mth pulverized sheep manure and bone 

 meal, mixed in equal parts and spread 

 thinly on the soil. "We start the first 

 part of January with the feeding 

 and keep it up until April, at intervals 

 ■of six weeks. However, our plants do 

 not develop satisfactorily. They do 

 not bear as many flowers as they should. 

 They look healthy, but we note the 

 stems are brittle. Would this indicate 

 too little feeding! We would like to 

 know the proper amount of feeding to 

 use per square foot and if manure and 

 bone meal should be used in equal parts. 

 When should we start feeding! Does 

 the time depend on the season or on 

 the condition of the plants! Our plants 

 ^0 well and produce fine flowers during 

 the first part of the season, while the 

 ■soil is fresh and contains much nourish- 

 ment, but the first part of January 

 they start to drop off in production. 



We grow White Wonder, Enchantress 

 and White Enchantress, Philadelphia 

 and Beacon. Sheep manure and bone 

 meal are the only fertilizers we can 

 get, although we have a good deal of 

 Alphano Humus, which we have used 

 for outdoor work. How would it do for 

 feeding carnations! Our temperature 

 is kept around 50 degrees. 



C. P. & S.— Mich. 



The matter of supplying additional 

 food to the blooming stock during the 

 winter months requires the finest dis- 

 crimination. A great deal of harm is 

 done through overdoses of concentrated 

 fertilizers in the hands of inexperienced 

 growers. Frequently, too, we find that 

 overanxiety will cause excessive feed- 

 ing, on account of a strong demand for 

 the blooms. When the market is cry- 

 ing for blooms and the crop is still 

 some weeks off, there is a strong tempta- 

 tion to give the plants a dose or two 

 to hurry the crop along. Up to a 

 certain point, this is possible, but few 

 growers have the faculty which enables 

 them to gauge accurately the limits 

 beyond which they should not go. 

 Usually this crowding of the crop is 

 overdone, with resultant injury which 

 it is impossible to correct. If the plants 

 are making a strong, healthy growth, 

 they will need little else than a liberal 

 amount of water, careful ventilation 

 and a steady temperature. In due time 

 they will come into crop and the blooms 

 will be of better quality all around 

 than if the plants had been continually 

 dosed with one thing and another. This, 

 of course, holds good only if the soil 

 was properly prepared before being put 

 into the benches. If the soil lacks 

 some particular element, it must be sup- 

 plied. There is no denying the fact 

 that, in the hands of the skillful grower, 

 great things may be accomplished in 

 the way of hurrying crops, improving 

 the quality, increasing the yield, etc., 



by the judicious use of commercial fer- 

 tilizers. 



A brief summary of our methods may 

 be of greater assistance to you than 

 for me to try to tell you what to do, 

 without knowing your soil or general 

 conditions. 



To begin with, we prepare our soil 

 carefully, enriching it by plowing under 

 green crops, such as blue grass sod or 

 rye, in addition to a liberal amount of 

 stable manure. For our soil, we prefer 

 stable manure to cattle manure for this 

 purpose. If your soil is extremely light, 

 I should advise the use of cattle manure 

 throughout. Then we supply ourselves 

 with bone meal, bone flour, sheep ma- 

 nure, dried blood, ground limestone, or 

 marl; also a complete carnation fer- 

 tilizer from some reliable concern. 



After the plants have been in the 

 benches a month, we sprinkle the soil 

 with the ground limestone and scratch 

 it into the soil. This will correct sour- 

 ness, which will show in the form of a 

 green scum on the surface of the soil. 

 The first part of October we may apply 

 a light mulch of fairly well rotted 

 manure. This will protect the tender 

 young roots from the warm sun and 

 will give them a boost. It will also 

 prevent later applications of fertilizer 

 from washing. If the plants are making 

 a strong growth and shooting up flower 

 stems rapidly, they may get nothing 

 more, unless we notice that something 

 is lacking. Sometimes we find it neces- 

 sary to apply a dose of sheep manure to 

 boost the crop along, for there is noth- 

 ing better for this purpose. Sheep 

 manure is rich in nitrogen, which softens 

 the growth, and it should not be used 

 too freely while a crop of blooms is on. 

 The proper time to use it is just when 

 the shoots are ready to run up to bud. 

 At that stage, it will hasten the growth 

 and improve the size of the bloom. By 

 the time the bloom develops, the soften- 

 ing effects have worn off and no harm 

 will result. When the crop comes on, 

 if the stems lack strength, we apply a 

 dose of ground limestone or marl. We 

 find the latter excellent for this pur- 

 pose. If the stems seem brittle at the 

 joints and still lack strength, we use 

 bone instead of marl. While the crop 

 is on, you should not apply heavy doses 

 of feed, but if the quality of the blooms 

 deteriorates, light applications of some 

 complete carnation fertilizer will im- 

 prove it. We like the complete fertilizer 

 at this stage, because, if things are go- 

 ing right, it will supply the various 

 elements necessary for normal develop- 

 ment. This will carry us along to 

 March. By this time the sun is getting 

 stronger and the plants are ready to 

 start into a strong spring growth and, 

 unless the necessary plant food is sup- 

 plied, there will be a rank growth with 

 inferior blooms at the end. It is time 

 now to apply a heavy mulch, to protect 

 the roots from the hot sun and to supply 

 plant food. First, we give a dose of 

 acid phosphate, which liberates food 



already in the soil an4 also has a tend- 

 ency to draw the feeding roots to the 

 surface. On top of this, we apply a 

 heavy coat of fairly fresh stable ma- 

 nure. It should be applied either before 

 it has begun to heat or left until the 

 heat is spent. No ill results will follow 

 if the manure is not hot at the time it 

 is put on. After a few weeks, applica- 

 tions of the complete fertilizer will 

 again be in order and these may be 

 given every three weeks without being 

 overdone, if they are light. 



To your question as to whether feed- 

 ing should depena on the season of the 

 year or the condition of the plants I 

 will say, on the condition of your plants 

 must depend the question of whether 

 you should feed at all. On the time 

 of the year and the stage of the growth 

 should depend the question of what to 

 feed. These questions are answered in 

 the foregoing, if you will read carefully 

 and study. 



We have not used Alphano Humus, 

 so cannot advise you in regard to it. 

 A little experimenting on a small bench 

 space might be advisable. It probably 

 would no do harm and again it might be 

 useful to you in the future. 



A. F. J. B. 



CARNATION CONVENTION. 



Secretary A. F. J. Baur, of Indian- 

 apolis, has printed the pamphlet con- 

 taining the program and premium list 

 for the twenty-eighth annual convention 

 and exhibition of the American Carna- 

 tion Society, to be held at the Hollen- 

 den hotel, Cleveland, January 29 and 

 30. As has been reported in The Re- 

 view, the directors thought it desirable 

 to make a considerable departure from 

 custom in the premium list, the classes 

 for named varieties having been elimi- 

 nated, the idea being to encourage the 

 average members rather than the car- 

 nation specialists to exhibit. The med- 

 als for novelties are continued. 



"This being the first meeting of na- 

 tional scope since the signing of the 

 armistice in the world war, ' ' says Secre- 

 tary Baur, "it affords an opportunity 

 for us to come together and discuss its 

 effects on our business and to lay plans 

 for the future. It has been suggested 

 that this be made a peace celebration 

 and plans are being laid with this end 

 in view. Come to this convention and 

 help make it a real celebration." 



LOOKS LIKE LADDIE. 



Under separate cover we are mailing 

 you a bloom from a carnation plant 

 which we are propagating for stock, al- 

 though we call it a sport, as it is 

 different in color and in other respects 

 from our other stock. Will you please 

 advise us what variety of carnation 

 it is! J. C. W.— Pa. 



The carnation flower was too badly 

 wilted to give any idea as to its size 

 and form, but the color, calyx and stem 

 resemble Laddie. If it is that variety, 

 you will make no mistake in propagat- 

 ing as many as possible. A. F. J. B. 



Bellefontaine, O. — Cut flowers for 

 Christmas were scarce, but there were 

 plenty of blooming plants. Conse- 

 quently, Stelzig 's Floral Store ran a big 

 ad in a local daily newspaper offering 

 ferns and cyclamens. "Say It with 

 Flowers," was the command at the top 

 of the ad. 



