SHADING 109 



ferns, sunlight need never strike them and they will be all the better 

 for its absence. 



Roses, Carnations, Poinsettias and Chrysanthemums don't 

 ever want shade while growing-in a bench, unless you want to shade 

 the flowers a little to make them last longer or to get a better finish 

 on them as you might with 'Mums for the exhibition table or Car- 

 nations during a hot May. 



Just a little experience will soon teach a man when a plant is 

 benefited by a little shade; when there is too httle shade; or when 

 there is too much of it to do the stock good. 



SOIL DRAINAGE PRINCIPLES 



YJ^ITH the possible exception of aquatics, most everything the 

 " florist grows needs drainage in order to do weU. We often 

 overlook this fact in the case of plants requiring moisture, and have 

 them go back on us. Even the greenhouse should be provided with 

 proper drainage the same as the basement of a dweUing, and the 

 heavier the subsoil, the more drainage is necessary in order to keep 

 things sweet. A few 4-in. drain tiles, with a covering of cinders 

 and provided with a proper outlet will in a short time pay many 

 times over for the cost of installation. 



The solid beds in the greenhouse need drainage. You cannot 

 water daily without having drainage to take the surplus moisture 

 away. The more you water the more drainage becomes a necessity. 

 I have seen many acres of orchard ruined by overirrigation which 

 really wasn't due to irrigation at all, but rather to lack of drainage. 

 The very same thing happens in the pot or in the garden on a smaller 

 scale. Soil not properly drained causes sourness and the roots grow- 

 ing in it will decay in time. 



Sour soil is Uke a sour stomach. Lime in one form or other 

 may give relief, but it takes more than that to cure the trouble. 

 In heavy soil in the field you can, during a hot spell, easily over- 

 water and notice the stock going back in consequence, while other 

 stock, not watered, but faithfuUy and persistently cultivated, 

 will flourish. 



Water is a great blessing, but perfect drainage has to go with 

 it. Always see to it that there is plenty of drainage in the bottom 

 of the benches. Allow at least a J^-in. space between the boards 

 and cover the bottom with a layer of long strawy manure or rotted 

 sod before you put in the soil. 



When shifting plants from 2s or 23^s into larger pots, ii you 

 make use of a heavy soil, it is always well to lay a small piece of 

 broken pot, or several of them, archways over the hole in the bottom 

 of the pot. This will insure better drainage, and the larger the 

 pots you make use of, the more it is necessary. 



