JULT 28, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists' Review, 



11 



CARNATIONS ON SOUR SOIL. 



I wish you would let me know what 

 to do for the following conditions: I 

 grow carnations mainly. The ground 

 in this part of the country is all more 

 or less sour. I kept it sweet last year 

 with difficulty by means of air-slaked 

 lime, limestone being scarce. The lime 

 has to be shipped in in barrels, which I 

 paid for at the rate of $1.50 per 2^^ 

 bushel barrel; this makes it quite ex- 

 pensive. A friend told me to buy fine 

 ground limestone and mix this with the 

 soil, which I did this year. I used 400 

 pounds to 1,800 square feet, but I find 

 the green scum appearing already. Do 

 you think the ground stone has the 

 same effect as the slaked lime, and did 

 I use enough? I read some time ago 

 about watering with lime water, but 

 the instructions did not state what kind 

 of lime to use. Do you use quicklime 

 or air-slaked lime, and how many 

 pounds to 100 gallons? How often 

 would you use it on this kind of 

 ground? E. B. 



I do not believe that you would find 

 it more economical to use ground lime- 

 stone than to use the burnt article. At 

 any rate, the amount of lime you could 

 safely use in your carnation soil should 

 not be a large item in your expense ac- 

 count. While lime is a useful and valu- 

 able article, you must still bear in mind 

 that it is possible to use too much of it. 

 Much damage is done in this way. We 

 have known instances where so much 

 lime was mixed in the soil that no plant 

 ^ould grow in it. 



If soil is so sour that the adding of 

 «'> peck of air-slaked lime to a wagon- 

 !i'ad of soil will not sweeten it suffi- 

 •^iently to use, any additional lime 

 ridded will not likely make it any bet- 

 ■or. It would be better not to use the 

 • 'il at all. 



Bear in mind, also, that soil lying in 

 •' pile will sour more quickly than when 

 |t is spread out on a bench. A little 

 i>me sprinkled over the bench and wa- 

 'f^red in, in the winter, will sweeten it 

 ^vonderfully. We prefer using it that 

 'vay to watering with lime water. After 

 'loing as I have suggested, it might still 

 ^>e found necessary to apply a light 

 "prinkKng over the soil once J|^teMe 

 'luring the winter. ^^^B» 



You will also find it an effective rem- 

 ^'dy to stir the surface of the soil fre- 

 quently in the fall and early winter. 

 This allows the air to penetrate more 

 treely, which will help keep the soil 

 from souring. A. F. J. B. 



STOLBA'S CARNATION HOUSE. 



Most growers will admit that large 

 greenhouses have their advantages and 

 all growers will agree that the best and 

 brightest houses are none too good. It 

 is proper, also, that much should be said 

 and written about the wonders that are 

 performed in the growing of carnations 

 in the mammoth modern structures. But 

 the oft-told tale of huge houses and 

 prize products may become monotonous 

 or depressing to some readers, and it 

 may be interesting or encouraging to 

 get an occasional view of successful 

 carnation growing under less favorable 

 conditions, since many florists are not 

 blessed with modern houses, large or 

 small. 



If any growers are unduly impressed 

 by the idea that they are handicapped 

 unless their houses are of the latest 

 iron-frame construction, as wide and as 

 high as a coliseum and with length in 

 proportion, let them look at the pic- 

 ture here shown, of a carnation house 

 of the William Stolba Floral Co., at 

 Cedar Rapids, la. Mr. Stolba can grow 

 a heavy crop of blooms that are satis- 

 factory to his patrons, and he certainly 

 makes no pretensions of having a 

 strictly up-to-date house. The photo- 



graph was taken May 30, and on that 

 day Mr. Stolba cut 1,000 blooms from 

 the two 40-foot benches. 



FEEBLE, SLEEPY PLANTS. 



Will you please let us know what is 

 the matter with our carnation plants, a 

 sample of which we send you? What 

 shall we do so they will get long, 

 strong stems? They were planted late 

 last fall, and during the winter they 

 acted as if they were asleep. We did 

 not plant them outdoors this summer, 

 but left them in the benches. Please 

 tell us if they are likely to bloom well 

 this winter. How should we treat 

 them? A. T. 



If the specimens you forwarded are 

 a fair sample of your plants, I would 

 not think of leaving them in the 

 benches -for blooming next year. They 

 show plainly that they were planted too 

 late last fall to be of any use last win- 

 ter, unless they received most excellent 

 culture. They should have made more 

 growth toward spring, however, which 

 leads one to believe that the soil must 

 have been poor. 



I would advise you to throw out 

 these plants, get your houses refilled 



Gu-nation House of William Stolba. 



