Apbil 2, 1914. 



The Florists' Review 



53 



The Store is a Hive of Industry the Night Before Easter. 



up. On the other hand, during a wet 

 season better results are obtained than 

 on a heavy, clay soil. Frequent culti- 

 vation of the soil encourages absorp- 

 tion of moisture and prevents rapid 

 evaporation. Mulching the ground as- 

 sists in preventing evaporation. 



All soils that retain water are said 

 to be cold, because the sun's heat, in- 

 stead of warming the soil, is used up 

 in evaporating the water. All soils 

 are not raised to the same temperature 

 when exposed to the sun the same 

 length of time. Dark soils absorb 

 more heat than light colored soils. 



The productive power of a soil de- 

 pends upon that plant food which it 

 contains, in available form, in the least 

 proportion. A soil may be rich in lime, 

 phosphates and nitrogen, but if it lack 

 potash, the plant will not be healthy 

 and may not mature. That is, any 

 crop or plant may be partly or wholly 

 a failure because of the lack of one 

 prime constituent of fertility. 



Constituents of Fertile Soil. 



Analysis of a fertile soil showed the 

 following amounts of the prime con- 

 stituents of fertility: Potash, a little 

 over one per cent; lime, over four per 

 cent; soda, nearly two per cent; perox- 

 ide of iron, eight and one-half per 

 cent; phosphoric acid, one per cent; 

 sulphuric acid, one per cent; carbonic 

 acid, five and one-half per cent; alu- 

 mina, one and one-half per cent; am- 

 monia, .006 per cent; organic matter or 

 humus, twelve per cent. 



A clay soil would show quite differ- 

 ent results, having twice the amount of 

 potash and lime, less phosphoric acid 

 and organic matter and no carbonic 

 acid. 



The organic matter, or humus, of a 

 soil is highly important. For a decom- 

 position it yields nitrogenous com- 

 pounds of ammonia, to be used as plant 

 food. It also yields carbonic acid, 

 which acts as a solvent upon the in- 

 soluble or dormant constituents of ft 

 soil, besides giving it looseness, so that 

 air and water may pass freely through 

 the soil, performing their fertilizing 

 work. 



A fertile soil must have not only the 

 right proportions of plant food, but the 



plant food must be in such a state as 

 to be soluble in water or weak acid. A 

 fertile soil must have the power of 

 holding or fixing fertilizing matters un- 

 til the plants require it. The double 

 silicates of the loam and clay soils 

 have the power to do this. Deep cul- 

 tivation, to enable the air to act upon 

 dormant inorganic matter, adds much 

 to a soil's fertility. 



Mineral Constituents. 



Iron, magnesia and sulphuric acid 

 are necessary constituents of the soil, 

 but if present in large quantities are 

 injurious to plant life. 



Although the inorganic or mineral 

 constituents of the soil are so import- 

 ant to plant life, yet it is remarkable 

 what a small, portion is actually used 

 to build up the plant. A cord of wood 

 may require a team to draw it; yet, 

 when burned — that is, when the organ- 

 ic matter is burned up — all that re- 



mains is the mineral, which amounts to 

 about a bushel, that could be carried 

 on a man's back. 



One thousand pounds of dry grass or 

 hay burned would leave ninety pounds 

 of ash, or mineral matter. Yet, to 

 produce two tons of clover hay there 

 must be in the soil and available for 

 the clover plant fifty-two pounds of 

 potash, seven pounds of soda, thirty- 

 five pounds of magnesia, eleven pounds 

 of lime, twenty pounds of phosphate 

 and eight pounds of salt. 



The brassica species of plants, in- 

 cluding turnips, kohlrabi, cabbage an^ 

 cauliflower, all use up large quantities 

 of potash, lime, soda, phosphoric acid 

 and common salt. An acre of turnipa 

 would use over 200 pounds of potash,. 

 100 pounds of lime, seven pounds of 

 common salt and sixty pounds of phos- 

 phoric acid. 



Peas, beans and all legumes, which 

 include clover, vetches and alfalfa, 

 are classed as lime-loving plants, while 

 potatoes, beets, mangels and turnipa 

 are classed as potash plants. 



Exhausted and Barren Soils; 



If the same class of plants is grown 

 continually on the same ground, it is 

 evident the fertility of the soil is liable 

 to be deficient in one or more import- 

 ant elements, and will no longer pro- 

 duce that species of plant. The land is 

 said to be sick of the crop. 



This condition of the soil may be 

 remedied by thorough autumn cultiva- 

 tion and adding the inorganic elements 

 taken out, or by changing the species 

 of plant and putting back part of the 

 inorganic matter taken out. 



There is a great difference between 

 a barren soil and an exhausted soil. 

 An exhausted soil may be only ex- 

 hausted or tired of one particular crop, 

 and yet capable of producing good 

 crops of some totally different plant. 

 The problem for the gardener and 

 farmer is to supply the balance of 

 plant food for the growing crop, en- 

 listing in his service the unseen forces 

 of bacteria and gases and liquids of 

 the soil and air. 



[To be contlnned.] 



When the Easter Orders are Ready for Delivery. 



