,), i.v 28, 1910. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



11 



CARNATIONS ON SOUR SOIL. 



I wish you Avonld let ii'C know wliat 



.1(1 for the I'ollowing conditions: I 



• w carnations mainly. 'JMic yr(jiind 



iliis part of tlio country is all more 



less sour. I kept it sweet last year 



nil ilidieulty by means of air-slaked 



iir. limestone l)cing scarce. 'J'lie lime 



!- to he shipped in in barrels, which I 



;.ihl for at the rate of $1.50 per 2- 



■ -licl barrel; this makes it quite ex- 

 ii-i\e. A frientl told me to buy fine 



. I'iimd limestone and mix this -with the 



1 1, which I did this year. I used 400 i 

 • "iiiids to 1,800 square feet, but I find 

 ■c screen scum appearing already. Do 



■ )ii tliink the ground stone has the 

 -line effect as the slaked lime, and did 

 ' use enough? I read sonic time ago 

 liHiut watering with lime water, but 

 ' i.e instructions did not state what kind 

 'I lime to use. Do you use quicklime 

 ■! air-slaked lime, and how many 

 I "Hinds to 100 gallons? How often 

 A'lidd j-ou use it on this kind of 

 -'■'Hind? E. B. 



I ilo not believe that you would find 



more economical to use ground lime- 



'ine than to use the burnt article. At 



ly rate, the amount of lime you could 



ifely use in your carnation soil should 



't be a large item in your expense ac- 



'unt. While lime is a useful and valu- 



I'e article, you must still bear in mind 



■ at it is possible to use too much of it. 



'ueli damage is done in this way. We 



'vc known instances where so much 



'lie was mixed in the soil that no plant 



nld grow in it. 



If soil is so sour that tlie adding of 

 I'Cck of air-slaked lime to a wagon- 

 id of soil will not sweeten it suffi- 

 ' ntly to use, any additional lime 

 Ided will not likely make it any bet- 

 I. It would be better iidt to use the 

 ■il at all. 



I'>ear in mind, also, that soil lying in 



pile Avill sour more quickly than when 



is spread out on a bench. A little 



iiie sprinkled over the bench and wa- 

 led in, in the winter, will sweeten it 

 •ndiMfully. We jirefer using it that 



■ly to watering with lime water, .\fter 



■'ing as 1 have suggested, it might still 

 ■'• found necessary to apply a light 



I'i'inkling over the soil once or twice 



'iring the winter. 



You will also find it an effective rem- 

 ly to stir the surface of the soil fre- 

 iieiitly in the fall and early 'winter. 

 • 'lis allows the air to penetrate more 

 i"eely, which will help keep the soil 

 'om souring. A. F. .7. B. 



STOLBA'S CARNATION HOUSE. 



Most growers will admit tliat hirg.' 

 greenlinuses have tiieir advantages auil 

 ail growers will agree that the liesf and 

 brightest houses arc none too giHi,|. It 

 is jiro|ier, also, that mucli sliouM bi' said 

 and written .about the wond<Ts that uv 

 ]ierformed in the growing of caniations 

 in the mammoth modern stiiictiires. Bur 

 the oft-told tale of hug(.' houses mid 

 ]irix.e products may beconu> mdndtouiius 

 or de()ressing to souk? rcadiMs, jiikI it 

 may be interesting or encouraging to 

 get an occasional view of successful 

 carnation growing under less favorable 

 conditions, since many tlorists are not 

 blessed with modern houses, large or 

 small. 



If any growers are unduly impressi^d 

 by the idea that they are haiulicapped 

 unless their liouses are of the latest 

 iron-frame construction, as wide and as 

 high as a coliseum and with lenyth in 

 piroportion, let them look at the pic- 

 ture liere shown, of a carnation house 

 of the William Stolba Floral <'o.. i,t 

 Cedar Rapids, la. Mr. Stolba can grow 

 a heavy crop of blooms that :ire satis- 

 factory to liis patrons, and he certainly 

 makes no jiretensions of ha\ ing a 

 strictly up to-ilate house. The jihoto 



L;rapli was tai<cu May /i". and on ihut 

 (lav Mr. Stolba cut l.'^'n Idouins t'roiu 

 1 lir t Wo 4iM'ool bcuchis. 



FEEBLE, SLEEPY PLANTS. 



Will you i>leasc let us know what is 

 I lir matter witii our cai'uatioii plants, ;i 

 s;ini|ilc ot' w liicli we send vuu .' Wiiat 

 siiall we do so tliey will Liet lony, 

 strong stems.' 'riie_\' weir planted late 

 last tall, and during the winter they 

 acte<l as it' they wei'e asleej.. We di'i 

 not pLant them outdoor^ tliis summer, 

 hut let't them in the heui-lies. I'least- 

 t(dl us if they are likely to Idoom well 

 this winter, llow sliouM we treat 

 them ; A. T. 



If the sjiecimens you toi warded are 

 a fail- sample of your plants, 1 would 

 not think of leaving ihem in the 

 benches -for blooming next year. They 

 show plainly that they were planted too 

 late last fall to 1)0 of any use last win- 

 tei', unless they receivecl most excellent 

 i-ulture. They should have made more 

 growth tow:ird s|iring, however, which 

 leads one to believe that tlie soil must 

 ha\(> been poor. 



1 would advise you to throw out 

 these jilants. get your liou^es rtdilled 



Carnation House of William Stolba. 



