34 



The Florists^ Review 



AracsT IS, 1"J21 



I believe that our members will be 

 ready tp endorse the judgment of the 

 officers that the trade exhibition this 

 year in Washington is entitled to go 

 into history as another great success 

 to the credit of the society. Nearly 

 100 exhibitors have shown their con- 

 fidence in the power of the society to 

 promote a big attendance at this con- 

 vention, and I think you will agree 

 with me that they are not disap- 

 pointed. 



While circumstances have precluded a 

 vigorous pushing of the publicity cam- 

 paign this year as far as magazine ad- 

 vertising has been concerned, the pub- 

 licity committee and the secretary's 

 office have been busy in other ways, 

 with the result that much progress is to 

 be reported. Bills up to the close of 

 last year had been incurred on the pre- 

 sumption that subscriptions would con- 

 tinue to come in at the average rate 

 previously experienced, but they failed 

 to do so; consequently, some of the 

 funds coming in 1921 were, necessarily, 

 used to discharge this indebtedness, but 

 every penny expended was used for 

 iidvaneing the national ])ublicity cam- 



paign, and there is no cause for com- 

 plaint on the part of any subscriber 

 that subscriptions were used for any 

 purpose other than intended. 



The work of preparation for the fifth 

 national flower show, to be held in 

 Cleveland March 25 to April 1, 1922, is 

 well in hand and will be detailed in a 

 report to be made by the national flower 

 show committee at a later session. The 

 general interest already expressed in 

 horticultural circles, among the trade 

 and in auxiliary lines is highly encour- 

 aging, and there is every prospect of an 

 added success to the record of national 

 flower shows promoted by the society. 



Plant Begistratlon. 



Since the last convention the follow- 

 ing new plants have been registered 

 with the society: 



Geraniums Purity, Morrisville Beauty, Babe 

 Marie, Olive Cliarltun and Miss Aggie, by the 

 New York Scliool of Agriculture, Morrisville, 

 N. Y., December 15. 1920. 



Geraniums Mrs. Hattle A. Doll, April 20, 1921, 

 and Mrs. Henry J. Doll, by Henry J. Doll, Wan- 

 skuk Greenhouses, Providence, R. I., June 11, 

 1921. 



Geranium E. H. Kimze. by E. H. Kunze, New- 

 ton. Kan., June 11. 1921. 



Geraniums Herbert Tong, Ked Barney and 



Mothers' Day. by Tong & Weeks Floral C 

 Aslitabula, O., July 12, 1921. 



Medal Awards. 



The society's medals have bei 

 awarded as follows, since our last cc 

 vention: 



Through the American Dahlia Soi 

 ety: Silver medal to Richard Vincen 

 Jr., & Sons Co., White Marsh, Md., f; 

 Dahlia Patrick O'Mara. 



Through the American Carnation S 

 ciety: Silver medal to Strout's, lui , 

 Biddeford, Me., for Carnation Eosalini 

 bronze medal to George Brenkert, Doi 

 ver, Colo., for Carnation Denver. 



The Trade Papers. 



This report would not be compler 

 without mention of the very great su| 

 port rendered to the society by tli 

 trade papers, whose managements hav 

 extended extraordinary courtesies in 

 publishing all the matter, regularly seii 

 them from the secretary's office, per 

 taining to the work and aims of the Sd 

 ciety, and it goes without saying th.ni 

 they have the hearty thanks of cverv 

 one connected with our organization. 



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PUTTING PEP IN THE SOIL 



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GREENHOUSE soil fertility main- 

 tenance is a problem that de- 

 mands the most careful eonsidera- 

 tioiT and it can be discussed in only a 

 general way today. I would have con- 

 siderable hesitancy in attempting to 

 give a rose or a carnation grower specific 

 directions as to how to feed his plants, 

 for we have long since learned that long- 

 range directions for the feeding of 

 plants cannot be made, but that each 

 man's problem is distinct in itself and 

 influenced by soil, temperature, mois- 

 ture supply and many other factors. 



What we can reasonably hope to accom- 

 plish in this discussion is to call atten- 

 tion to some of the broad principles af- 

 fecting the fertility of the soil in the 

 greenhouse, and general methods where- 

 by the soil can be kept in a high state 

 of productivity. Without this explana- 

 tion I would feel reluctant to occupy the 

 time of the members of the Society of 

 American Florists and Ornamental Hor- 

 ticulturists. 



According to available statistics, 

 there were in 1918 about 2,750 acres in 

 the United States covered by green- 

 houses, these producing crops worth over 

 $46,000,000, or over $16,000 worth of 

 flowers, vegetables, etc., on every acre 

 enclosed. The modern greenhouse rep- 

 resents an investment of $25,000 to 

 $50,000, or even more, per acre, and it 

 requires from 250 to 500 tons of coal 

 per annum to maintain an acre of glass 

 at temperatures suitable for the produc- 

 tion of floral crops. With interest 

 charges of from $1,500 to $3,000 per 

 acre and fuel charges of from $1,250 to 

 $5,000 per year pet* acre, it is necessary 

 to kee]) greenhouse space fully occupied 

 at all seasons. As a consequence, no op- 

 portunity is afforded for soil improve- 

 ment by crop rotations and other prac- 

 tices commonly followed by outdoor 



Address of Prof. J.inios H. Itenttie, of the 



Di'liMrtmciit of Ai;ririiltiirr, mi "Muinteiiiinre of 



Soil Kerlility." delivori'il lit tlie WashinRtoii 



idnvcMlioM of tlic S. A. F., August 10 to 18. 



growers working on land that represents 

 a total investment, in most cases, of not 

 over $1,000 per acre. Fertility must be 

 maintained at the same time that crops 

 are being produced and the problem is 

 further complicated by the fact that the 

 conditions in the greenhouse are particu- 

 larly favorable to the development of 

 diseases necessitating soil sterilization, 

 or other control measures that consume 

 time which could otherwise be devoted 

 to the crops. 



Changing Each Season. 



Growers who make a practice of chang- 

 ing the soil each season have a different 

 problem than those who use the same 

 soil year after year. When the soil is 

 changed every season, the grower has an 

 opportunity to select virgin soils, well 

 supplied with organic matter and free 

 from diseases likely to injure his crops. 

 Such soil can be composted months in 

 advance of the time it is needed and 

 many growers make a practice of adding 

 the phosphate and potash fertilizers to 

 the mixture before placing it in the 

 greenhouse. The renewing of the soil 

 in large houses is a huge task, conse- 

 quently growers have, whenever possi- 

 ble, availed themselves of the use of 

 greenhouses where the area enclosed is 

 treated much the same as land devoted 

 to the intensive production of outdoor 

 crops. In such houses the soil is used 

 year after year, and to secure results it 

 must be maintained in a high state of 

 fertility. The question confronting 

 every grower is: How can this best be 

 accomplished? No single method or 

 ('oiiil)ination of methods of soil imjirovc- 

 mcnt seems best adapted to all condi- 

 tions. As in the case of the use of com- 

 mercial fertilizers, it is impossible to 

 make suggestions that will fit every 

 grower's conditions. Let us briefly dis- 

 cuss some of the promising methods for 

 maintaining and improving greenhouse 

 soils. 



Use of Stable Manure. 



Good manure is becoming harder ti^ 

 secure each year. Where the large cit 

 ies formerly supplied thousands of tons 

 annually, the supply has now dwindled 

 until it is small. Moreover, manure 

 from cities, as a rule, includes large 

 quantities of street sweepings, contain- 

 ing considerable percentages of oil and 

 tarry matter from the streets. Investi 

 gations made in Washington, D. C, sev 

 oral years ago, when automobile traffic 

 was but a small fraction of what it now 

 is, showed that manure swept from tin' 

 streets of that city contained as miicli 

 as four per cent oil, and that such inn 

 nure, when used on plants, was detri 

 mental instead of beneficial. The in 

 vestigations further showed that the oil 

 remained in the material after it had 

 decayed and that, even in cases where 

 no harmful effects arose from the use of 

 manure containing small quantities of 

 oil, this oil remained in the soil aii<K 

 when augmented by later application'^ 

 of similar manure, became harmful and. 

 in many cases, fatal to the crops planted 

 on the soil. The greenhouse operator 

 must be sure as to the quality of tli< 

 niaiuirc he is using and the present sup 

 ])lies from our cities are not only siiKiH 

 in quantity, but of doubtful value. 



Under the intensive cultural metho'!- 

 followed in the greenhouse, the soil mu- 

 be kept sup])lie(l with organic matt. " 

 and available plant food and this e;i . 

 perhaps, best be accomplished throiu ' 

 the use of manure. When incorporat 1 

 with the soil it inipro\i\s its physical co 

 dition and adds plant food. When us ! 

 as a to])-(lrcssiiig or a mulch it retai - 

 moisture and its plant food readies t ■ 

 roots by leaching. Nearly every ro 

 grower uses liquid manure and deems 

 essential to success. Many large esta - 

 lisliments have leaching platforn , 

 where the manure is placed and spray ' 

 with water, which is collected in tanl • 

 [Continued on page 10.">.] 



