MARCH 21, 1912. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



21 



NUMBER OF CARNATION FLOWERS. 



1900-1010 1010-1011 — 



Total. Av. pit. Total. At. pit. 



Beacon 14,053 18.3 13,608 1T.7 



W. Perfection.. 11,672 15.2 8,460 11.0 

 Encbantress ...11,289 14.5 11,242 14.6 

 Average for 1909-10 is for November to May 1. 

 Average for 1010-11 is for October to May 1. 



It is interesting to note that in the 

 Enchantress rust is more abundant in 

 the sections containing four units of 

 nitrogen. This is in accordance with 

 the observations of other experimental- 

 ists. 



As far as can be determined at pres- 

 ent, the results verify the statement 

 made last year, that just as good flowers 

 can be grown with commercial fer- 

 tilizers. It yet remains to be deter- 

 mined whether better flowers can be 

 obtained. 



Commercial Fertilizers Are Strong. 



However, in the case of commercial 

 fertilizers, it must be borne in mind 

 that they are extremely concentrated 

 and so must be used with caution. An 

 injudicious use of these fertilizers will 

 be followed by greater disaster than 

 in the case of natural manures. 



According to the results secured from 

 the work at the experiment station, 

 we consider that it would be advisable 

 to use chemical fertilizers in the grow- 

 ing of carnations. We recommend, 

 however, that only a small area be de- 

 voted to their trial during the first 

 year. This is essential, as there must, 

 first, be a decision as to what amount 

 may be applied to the particular soil 

 used. A chemical analysis will not show 

 how much fertilizer need be applied, as 

 an analysis shows the entire amount of 

 an element in the soil and not the 

 amount that will be available during 

 the year. The amount required must, 

 then, be determined by experimenta- 

 tion. 



What Florists Should Try. 



We suggest that the florists of the 

 state devote a small amount of space to 

 the use of commercial fertilizers, and 

 we recommend that the following appli- 

 cations be the basis of the work, as 

 they may be considered safe in the aver- 

 age soil: 



Dried blood, 2 to 4 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. bench, 

 5 in. deep. 



Ammonium sulphate, l^^ to 3 lbs. per 100 

 sq. ft. 



Acid phosphate, % to 1 lb. per 100 sq. ft. 



Potassium sulphate, % to 1 lb. per 100 sq. ft. 



Manure to be applied at rate of about 3 to 4 bu. 

 per 100 sq. ft. 



From the work carried on, it has 

 been found that ammonium sulphate 

 gives the same results as dried blood 

 and so the two may be used inter- 

 changeably. Both are used to supply 

 nitrogen. The only noticeable differ- 

 ence in the use of the two substances 

 is that the soil dries out sooner where 

 ammonium sulphate is used. 



In applying these fertilizers we 

 recommend that the entire amounts of 

 acid phosphate, potassium sulphate and 

 about one-fourth of the dried blood or 

 ammonium sulphate be incorporated 

 with the soil before planting. If the 

 fertilizer be applied after the soil is in 

 the bench, it should be allowed to stand 

 for a day or two before planting;, to 

 avoid any possible corrosive action on 

 the roots by the fertilizer. The re- 

 mainder of the dried blood may be 

 added in two or three applications, as 

 desired. 



If it is found, as the season advances, 

 that the amount of fertilizer applied 

 is insufficient, more may be added as a 

 top-dressing and worked into the soil. 

 In this case, as in the first applica- 

 tion, care must be exercised not to ap- 



Herman B. Dorner. 



(In charge of the work for Floriculture at the Illinois State Kxperlment Station.) 



ply it in too large a quantity, or dam- 

 age will result. 



Effects of Excess of Fertilizer. 

 In rearranging the experiments in 

 house No. 2, it was found advisable to 

 devote some space to a test of the 

 effects of an overapplication of fer- 

 tilizer. Eighty feet of bench was set 

 aside for this purpose. This was di- 

 vided into eight sections, four of which 

 were planted with White Perfection and 

 four with White Enchantress. Fer- 

 tilizers were applied as follows: 



Manure at rate 125 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. 

 Dried blood, 4 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. 

 Acid phosphate, 1 lb. per 100 sq. ft. 

 Potassium sulphate, 1 lb. per 100 sq. ft. 



This combination was applied to all 

 the sections with the exception of one 

 control in each variety, which con- 

 tained only the amount of natural man- 

 ure applied to all. After the plants 

 were established, two sections were 

 given weekly applications of dried 

 blood, two were given acid phosphate 

 and two potassium sulphate. Up to 

 date, fourteen applications, amounting 

 to fifteen pounds per forty square 

 feet of bench space, have been applied. 

 This is at the rate of thirty-seven and 

 one-half pounds per 100" square feet. 

 Becords of Blooms. 



The following table shows the num- 

 ber of flowers cut to March 1: 



WHITE ENCHANTRESS. 



Calyx. 

 Half 

 Total. O.K. split. Split. 



High nitrogen 299 252 4 43 



High phosphorus.. 324 285 7 32 

 High potassium... 319 284 2 33 



Control 279 224 1 54 



Stem-Strength. Flower. 

 Imper- 

 12 3 Soft. feet. 



High nitrogen 247 48 4 36 23 



High phosphorus. 298 26 . 1 3 

 High potassium.. 294 24 1 . 1 



Control 276 12 . 1 4 



WHITE PERFECTION. 



Calyx. 

 Half 

 Total. O.K. split. Split. 



High nitrogen 326 307 2 17 



High phosphorus.. 359 316 4 39 

 High potassium... 317 284 33 



Control 327 286 41 



Stem-Strength. Flower. 



Imper- 

 12 3 Soft. feet. 

 High phosphorus.. 232 84 10 9 17 



High nitrogen 274 81 4 14 9 



High potassium... 236 84 16 7 7 



Control 236 83 8 17 18 



Half splits are those where the calyx is partly 

 broljen, but not enough to put them among the 

 splits. 



Under "Stem-Strength," 1 Includes all stems 

 that hold the flowers upright, 2 those stems that 

 allow the flowers to bend over and 3 the very 

 \veal£ stems. "Soft" refers to flowers of poor 

 texture. "Imperfect" refers to all other impsr- 

 fections. 



Observations taken in the house show 

 no appreciable differences as yet in the 

 sections with large quantities of phos- 

 phorus and potassium. 



In the heavy nitrogen sections the 

 foliage appears to be a little bluer. The 

 stems, however, are much weaker, as 

 is shown by the table, and more flowers 

 are soft and imperfect. The petals do 

 not have the finish of those of the con- 

 trol sections. 



Commercial vs. Natural Manures. 



The object of this experiment is to 

 compare carnations grown with commer- 

 cial fertilizers with those grown with 

 natural manures. In this experiment, 

 as in the former, White Perfection 

 and White Enchantress were used. Each 

 variety had two sections, containing 

 264 plants. One section in each variety 

 was devoted to commercial fertilizers 

 and the other to natural manures. 



In the commercial fertilizer section 

 the followirg quantities were used: 



Jontinued on page 4S.] 



