Apiul 4, 1{)V2. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



11 



Silicii or quart'/., Ix'ciuiso it is so hard 

 and insolublo, is the cliief ingredient 

 botii by volume and weifjht of all soils. 

 It is a combination of silieon and oxy- 

 <icn. Alinninum probably comes next in 

 cibuinlance, being a fundamental con- 

 stituent of true clav, feldspar and mica. 

 One of the otlier elements in the soil is 

 oxygen, whicdi occurs free and in com- 

 bination with nearly all the other ele- 

 inents. Carbon occurs as part of the 

 luimus, also united with calcium and 

 magnesium in the form of carbonates; 

 also as carbonic acid gas, which plays 

 such an iinportaiit i)nrt in the solution 

 of ])lant food. Sulpliur occurs as sul- 

 ])liates. Hydrogen is united with oxygen 

 in the water. Chlorine occurs in limited 

 (piantitie.s, gener;illy in the form of com- 

 mon salt, sodium chloride. It seems 1o 

 be in some way essential to plant life. 

 Phosphorus is never found in nature in 

 a free state, but always combined with 

 some otlier substance. It is generally 

 • listributed through the soil, but in 

 small quantities, and is essential 1o 

 plant life. 



Nitrogen is found in the soil in a 

 combined form in the humus and the 

 vegetable and animal matter, which 

 upon decaying give up tiie nitrogen in 

 the form of ammonia, wdiich is turned 

 into nitric acid by bacteria. The nitric 

 acid unites wtli potash, soda or other 

 soil ingredients and is taken up by the 

 plant as a nitrate. Nitrates are ex- 

 tremely soluble and easily Avashed out of 

 the soil. Calcium and magnesium, in 

 the form of carbonates, compose th(> 

 limestone beds of the earth. Both cal- 

 cium carbonate, or lime, and magnesia 

 are necessary plant foods, and both are 

 generally present in the soil in sufli- 

 eient quantities to sujiply the plants 

 with the required amount. Potassium is 

 another element found in soils which is 

 very necessary. It is widely dis- 

 tributed as a constituent of some feld- 

 spars and micas. Sodium, which is the 

 base of common salt, is also widely dis- 

 triliutcd. ]t resembles potassium as a 

 (diemical element, but can in no sense 

 take its place in plant life. Iron is al- 

 ways ])resent in the soil in suflicient 

 quantities for the jdant. 



It would be supposed that, to find 

 what foods are necessary for soils, all 

 that would be necessary would be 

 (diemical analysis of that particular 

 soil. Then if any element was found to 

 be lacking in sufficient quantity, the 

 addition of this or these elements 

 would give the desired results, lint 

 chemical analyses of the soil as they 

 have been made, unfortunately, can 

 and do throw but a dim and uncertain 

 light upon either tlie condition or the 

 amount of plant food a soil may con- 

 lain. 



Futility of Chemical Analysis. 



It is true that the results of these 

 aiialys(>s show a marked difi'erence in 

 soils, i)ut, from the data at hand, tlu^se 

 \ariations may reasonably be supposed 

 to b(> due more to the relative size of 

 the soil grains tiian to any chemical 

 differences in the com])osition of the 

 soil. Taking an a\'erage nt' diffi^rent 

 analyses of soils, the following has 

 been stated by one writer: On a farm 

 where a three-year rotation composed 

 of corn, clover and oats was followed, 

 the corn and oats being sold and the 

 straw, fodder and clover returned to 

 the ground, there would be potash 

 enough to last 1,521 years; soda, 4,050 

 years; magnesia, 3,300 years; lime, 



Alfred Burton. 



4,387 years; jihosplioric acid, only 512 

 years; suljduiric acid, 292 years; solu- 

 ble silica, 17,G50 years. 



These amounts of plant foo<l are 

 what chemical analyses have told us 

 were in the top foot of sdil, and we 

 know that ]dants send their loots forag 

 iiig two, three and four feet ilown. And 

 the subsoil is sometimes richer in cer- 

 tain ingredients than the surface or 

 toji soil. 



Seeing these figures, a man taking ii[) 

 fainiing wlio was not familiar ^\■\t\\ 

 agricultural or liorticultural jtuisuiis 

 would think it su[>erllu()us to add any 

 more of these elements to his soil. 

 When his fields contained alread*- 

 nearly two tons of IV O^, in eai h acre, 

 and over three tons K.. O, ot wliat 

 earthly use would it be to add a paltry 

 twenty-five or lifty pounds more.' Why. 

 it would be lost. .V <diemist with the 

 most accurate and careful analysis 

 could never find it. It would be money 

 thrown away. 



Put we know from juaetical expcii- 

 ence that niiudy-niiie times out of b'n 

 his crops would be incri'ased more than 

 enough to pay for the manure or fei 

 tilizer added. \\'e know that, in spite 

 of these figures, \vliicii there is no rea- 

 son at all to doubt, soils do need fertil- 

 izing, that they do pla\ out, tiiat farms 

 do run down and be.-ome unpio<luctivv\ 

 And only by feeding can the soil be 

 kejtt up to its full fertility. 



So we cannot !>(> go\'erned by a 

 chemical analysis as to the different 

 elements our soils ikm^iI. The only way 

 is by experiments anil careful observa- 

 tion. 



(Coiitlmu'ii iin iniKo .■)(i.l 



PALMER SUES NEW YORK STATE. 



Admitting that tli:' <lread gypsy moth 

 was found in two azaleas in his green- 

 iiouses at Lancaster, X. \., hut denying 

 tiiat it was in other azaleas ami rlio- 

 dodemlions that coniprisecj a shi|iment 

 which was destroyed by the Stat(^ De- 

 |iartment of .\gricultuit', \\'illiam .T. H. 

 Palmer has instil nteil suit against the 

 State of New York for $12, 000. 



Mr. Palmer has applie<l for a writ 

 of mandamus for State Commissioner 

 (ah in .1. Ilusoii, to determine the value 

 di' the lioxes. containers and jdants de- 

 sti-iiyed. The commissioner declares that 

 the dread moth, last October, got as far 

 as Lancaster, so near PulValo, it is said, 

 that City Forester Piler got an attack 

 ol' chills, and that former Commissioner 

 Person, who was tlin in otlice, notified 

 Mr. Palmer that the plants were infest- 

 ed and, on f.ailure to ilestroy them, the 

 stati' did the work. 'I'he commissioner 

 further charges that .'^Ir. Palmer, con- 

 tiar\- to the law goN-erning j'lant slii[i- 

 nients t'loin I'orei^ii stati's, unpacked the 

 >liipinent. and that thei(di\- th(> jiest 

 spread to the ('nti:<' sliipmeiit. Mr. 

 Palmer denies all ihat and declares 

 that the state wantonl;.- (h-stroyed \alu- 

 able iiuiserv stock. 



Hartford, Conn. Sp,;n- & :\rc:Manus, 



the .\syhiin sti'eet llorists, have pur- 

 chased a Pord didivry car. It is said 

 tli;it the film has heri'tofoi'i* had heavier 

 cars in use, but ll^is lately arrived at 

 the conclusion that the light I''ord deliv- 

 eiy car is preferable and that the fu- 

 ture for sncdi vehicles is in li:;ht weight, 

 espiM-ially wlu're concerns do not care 

 to il(di\er over ^ou or 1.2i'0 poiiudg. 



