October 18, 1906. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review^ 



H07 



Dahlia F. M. Stredwick, YeUowish White. 



FERTILIZERS AND THEIR USE. 



(Synopsis of a papor by I'nif. K. llarcourt, 

 <if the Ontario AKii'iillurul t'ollogf. ilelivcrtMl 

 licfoio tlic (Canadian llorticnlMirnl Association, 

 at (;iK'lpli, Out., An>.'nst. L'!t, I'Mii.] 



It is well known that in order to secure 

 the best results in animal jtroduction, 

 careful selection and breeding must be 

 associated with good feeding. The same 

 is true with reference to the growtii 

 of plants, for it is just its essential that 

 there be (juick, vigorous growth in plant 

 life as in animal life. The inftint [)lant 

 ictiuires warm iiir. stmshine, and abtiii- 

 djtnce of easily absorbed food. 



Origin and Needs of a Plant. 



The young {)lant starts from a seed. 

 The seed conttiins an embyro, or germ, 

 which is extremely rich in aibttiniitoids, 

 tat, phosjiliates, and potash. It also 

 contains a .store of concentrated phuit 

 food, intended to nottrish the young 

 plant until tht^ roots and IcaNcs are stif- 

 iicicntly developed to gtitlicr their own 

 sti|)plies. 



The fittiire heiilth and \ igor of tlie 

 phtnt will depend on the aniottnt of food 

 :i\ailable to 1h(^ tiny rootlets sent out 

 by the yottng jilaiit, that the soil is 

 warm, that there is an abundance of 

 sitiishine, and that it liiis a snllicicnt 

 supply of oxygen and carlioii dioxide. If 

 tlie roots and lea\es i|uickly come in 

 • •ontact with notirishment (he develop- 

 ment will b(' riijjid. The phiiit re<piires 

 oxygen for respirttl ion ; it gives olf 

 water from its Ittngs, or the leaves; it 

 assimilates food; it breathes, that is, 

 gives off carbon dioxide as a result of 

 the oxidation of its food. 



In all this it is simil;ii- to the animal, 

 lint it goes even ftirther ;ind collects its 

 food from the simple siibsttmces, snch 

 ;;s carbon dioxitle and \arious soluble 

 salts found in the soil, and from these 

 btiilds up the coni|)lcx sugars, starches, 

 fats, and albuminoids. Tlitis it will be 



seen thiit the phint nittst prepare its 

 own food. l''roin what has been said, 

 it is evident that the plant grower hits 

 just as wide a field for work as the 

 stock breeder, and that the thorough 

 understanding ami devtdopment of ])lant 

 life affords an even wider field for good 

 judgnieiit and study than the aninnil 

 life. 



Sources of Food. 



The plant 's food is di'iivcd f'lom the 

 atmosphere :ind t'ldin tlic soil. from 

 tlie at inos|ilicic it galliefs carlioii diox- 

 ide and oxygen, and sonir plants collei-t 

 nitrogen. There is an alMitidance of iiif 

 arotiiid the li'a\cs of the |d;int, but if 

 the soil is not open .iiid porotis, there 



may not 1 noiigli in coiitttct with the 



roots, tor air in the ^ojj in whicii plants 

 ;ire growing is csscnlial to the life of 

 the phiiits. This vcniihition of the soil 

 is nveded to snp|dy the oxygen reqtiiicd 

 in gerniin;;t ing the seed :tnd to permit 

 tile roots 1o li\i'. It is also letptired to 

 sitjtply free nitidgen for the use of the 

 free idt rogen-fixing germs, , and to re 

 move tlie (>xcess of carbon dioxide which 

 is set flee in the soil. 



Nitrogen. 



l''ioiii tlie soil tile pl;iiit derives ni- 

 tidgen, chietly in tlie form of nitrates, 

 and asli substances. I'ortunately, al 

 tiKHigh a great inany ditfereiit elements 

 ;ire absorbed liy the plant, only four re- 

 (|iiire particular iitteiition. These are 

 nitrogen, potttssinni. phosporns, and 

 ctilcinm. In the absence of nitrogen, a 

 |)laiit makes no apprecijtble growth. 

 With only a limited supply, -.i plant be- 

 gins its growth in ti noiinal w;iy, but as 

 soon as the a\:til:ibie nitrogen is used up, 

 tiie lower and smaller leaves begin grad- 

 ually to die down from tiie tips, and all 

 the ])lant energy is centered in one or 

 two leaves. Nitrogen is one of the main 

 constituents of ehloidi)hyll, the green 

 coloring matter of jilants, henc(; with a 

 limited sttpj)ly of nitrogen, the leaves 

 will have a sickly yellow color. 



Phosphorus. 



lMios|)horus, in tin- form of phos- 

 plnttes, is ftnind in all jiarts of the 

 jiliint, l)itt tetids to accttmnlate in the 

 tipper j)art of the stetn and leaves, and 

 ptirtieularly in the seed. Its ftinction 



Dahlia Floradora, Red. 



