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342 



The WcSdy Florists^ Review* 



July 14, 1904. 



CULTURAL NOTES. 



Depth of Soil on Benches. 



It seems to be the consensus of opinion 

 that the proper depth of soil to plant 

 carnations in, on the benches, is about 

 four inches after it has been watered and 

 settled down, which means between four 

 and one-half and five inches when first 

 filled with loose soil. Occasionally you 

 run across a fine bench of carnations 

 that are growing in full six inches of soil 

 and the success in these occasional cases 

 often leads the grower to think that the 

 extra two inches of soil caused it. It 

 has been proven beyond any doubt that 

 as fine carnations can be grown on four 

 inches of soil as can be grown on jii 

 bench. All the extra soil that is hauled 

 onto the benches is a waste of soil, time 

 and money. The plants do not need more 

 food in a season than can be incorpo- 

 rated in four inches of soil or can be 

 added to good advantage while the plants 

 are growing.. 



But occasionJllly a . grower asks him- 

 self, why should it be just four inches! 

 Why wouldi 't three inches or two inches 

 be enough? Most growers would shake 

 their heads and give you many reasons 

 why in their opinion three inches of soil 

 is not eBTbugh and at the same time none 

 of the reasons will really hold water. 

 The question of food cannot cut any fig- 

 ure, because if you have to feed plants 

 which are growing on four inches of soil 

 you will merely have to feed those on 

 three inches a little earlier and more 

 regularly. They will, perhaps, dry out 

 a trifle quicker, but those who oppose the 

 semi-solid beds on that principle ought 

 to be only too glad to adopt the shal- 

 lower bench for the same reason. It is 

 not too shallow to set the plants in prop- 

 erly; all you need to do is to spread 

 the roots a little more. The very prin- 

 ciple of bench culture proves that most 

 plants do not need much depth of soil 

 to thrive if plenty of water is given. 



The above are the best reasons I have 

 ever heard advanced, but really they 

 won't pass, and after being blocked all 

 around the average grower will give you 

 as a final answer something like this: 

 "Well, it does seem like you are right, 

 but the best growers agree that four 

 inches is the right depth and the best 

 carnations in the world are grown on 

 that depth of soil." 



The truth of that cannot be denied, 

 but we have come across a bench now 

 and again which proved that as good 

 carnations can ^e grown in three inches, 

 or less, of soil, as can be grown on four 

 inches. One case was a bench at B, Wit- 

 terstaetter's place which I saw last Jan- 

 uary. It was a bench of Mrs. Lawson 

 planted on two and one-half inches of 

 soil and a finer bench of Lawson you 

 could not wish to see. I do not know 

 how that bench held up as the season 

 advanced, but I imagine that would de- 

 pend entirely on the feeding and iftulch- 

 ing later on. We have noticed some- 



times when refilling our beds here and 

 there a space which had settled to about ^ 

 three inches but there had been no dif- 

 ference in the growth of the plants. 

 About as fine a growth of hybrid rose 

 wood for cuttings as I have ever seen- 

 was grown on less than three inches of 

 soil. 



When you refill your beds, try a small 

 space (or more, if you care to), with 

 about thrite inches of soil before it^is 

 settled and watch the results. Be pre- 

 pared, however, if you see it is neces- 

 sary, to give a little extra food or water 

 later on, else it vrill not be a fair test. 



Now comes the question of what ad- 

 vantage will there be in iti Will three 

 inches be as good as four if we will have 

 to water more and feed more? To tiiose 

 who have a farm of rich soil to draw 

 from it will perhaps be cheaper, or as 

 cheap, anyway, to handle the extra inch 

 of soil, but think of what it means to 

 the grower* who has to pay from $1 up- 

 ward per yard of good sod. For many 

 growers, more especially those who have 

 been gradually surrounded by the cities 

 they are located in, the soil question 

 is the hardest nut to crack. To use the 

 same soil two years in succession does 

 not seem to meet with much success and 

 to haul sod three or four miles costs 

 something, and really why should it be 

 done if you can grow just as good stock 

 with three-quarters as much of the ma- 

 terial which is hardest to get. If you 

 build your beds like we do with cinders 

 in the bottom there will not be the rapid 

 evaporation there is with the raised 

 benches Eind one of the objections will 



be removed. The question of feeding 

 will naturally adjust itself. When you 

 see your plants need feeding you will 

 feed them, whether it is January ,or 

 March, always of course using dii'eijjudg.^'i;^^: 

 ment in regard to weather, season, etc? '" 



We intend to teisit into this matter 

 more thoroughly the coming season, as 

 we do not care to use four loads of soil 

 if three loads will produce just as much 

 stock of equal quality. I am not pre- 

 pared to say that they will, but I am 

 inclined to think that there will be lit- 

 tle, if any difference. A. J. F. Batjr, 



CATTLfiYA GIGAS. 



Some Splendid Specimens. 



Of the accompanying illustrations the 

 larger shows a plant of Cattleya gigas 

 flowering in a 12-inch basket and car- 

 rying sixty flowers. The picture, while 

 very distinct, gives but a faint idea of 

 the magnificent sight this plant presented 

 when in full flower. It had fourteen 

 new growths, aJl of whicli flowered, 

 carrying from three to seven flowers 

 each. The smaller illustration shows an- 

 other plant carrying ten flowers on one 

 single spike. It is impossible for the 

 camera to catch each flower indi- 

 vidually, but that they are all there can 

 be abundantly vouched for. This con- 

 stitutes, so far as is known to the writer, 

 a record, eight flowers on one spike be- 

 ing the highest number hitherto known. 

 These tw^o wonderful specimens are grow- 

 ing in the collection of D. Willis James, 

 at Madison, N. J., and are a tribute to 

 the skill of William Duckham, his gar- 

 dener. They are potted in American 

 peat and if any of the leaf -mold adher- 

 ents can show anything so good it will 

 be a pleasure to hear from them. These 

 plants are suspended from the roof, 

 where they get an abundance of air all 

 the time from the ventilators and where 

 the full sun is permitted to shine on 



Ten-Flowered Spike of dttleya Gisfas. 



