r ‘BEHAN 
REMARKABLE RESULTS WITH G' _ 
GRANULATED MOSS PEAS IS TOMAIO-'-CUijIivATI-Ho. 
By Mr. W. Hagedorn, Koah, North. Queensland, Australia. 
Several tomato beds were treated with .granule bed 
German mosspeat, while others were treated in the customaiy v7t L/ 
with fertilizers only. Tomato seedlings were planted at the same 
time in sections which were treated with moss peat and j.n ot^eis 
without such treatment. Naturally, in all those sections where mess 
peat was used in the soil, fertilizers were also employed wie ' . 
tomato-seedlings were planted and, in addition, the soil aroun . 
seedlings was covered with moss peat.* 
While during the first month the seedlings on both 
sections grew equally well, a little later the plants.on those be s 
which were not treated with moss peat began to show signs oia^cay. 
The leaves lost their dark-green color and the plants lost blossoms 
as well as the fruits just forming. On the.other hand, the cult 1 
vations treated with the moss peat were a picture of.perfect health, 
blossoms abounded, the plants wore full of small fruit and the 
leaves of a wonderful,dark-green color. 
At first the cause for this difference in the do*r 
velopmcnt cf the two sections could not be detected because no 
rasites were visible on any part of the plants above the soil, con¬ 
sequently, it was evident that the cause for the wilting o^. the 
plants on the untreated section must be below the surface. On 
pulling out some of the plants it appeared.that they were badly 
attacked by nemathodes (a kind of thread like worm) which had 
troyed more than half of the root-system. Within J-l/2.weeks o 
whole cultivation on the untreated section had fallen victim to t e 
attacks of the above named enemy and all plants haa died. 
A close examination of the tomato-plants raised in 
the section treated with moss peat proved the following: in this 
section the nemathodes prevailed also and had attacked the root- 
system, but the destructive work of the nemathodes was not equal 
to the vigorous growth of th^ roots. The nemathodes wore simply 
powerless; the more they tried to destroy the.fine roots.the more 
the roots developed, reaching far into the soil and finding nourisi 1 
ment. In spite of the numerous enemies the splendid growth 01 the 
plants continued. Above ground 60 to 80 large sized tomato-fruits 
matured, while below ground the attacks on the roots continued out 
without the slightest effect on the cultivations. 
This practical experience proves the eminent value 
of a soil treatment with German moss peat in tomato-cultivations. 
ither experiments were carried out with moss peat 
in seed-beds for raising seedlings of cabbage and tomatoes, and 
here the result was equally astonishing. While these seed-b'eas pro¬ 
duced absolutely first-class, strong and healthy seedlingstnosu 
raised at the same time without moss peat proved a total failure. 
The experiences with the seedlings raised in moss peat were abso¬ 
lutely satisfactory. NM-ver before have we seen such healthy plan s 
with such a tremendous root-system. They stood the transplanting 
into the fields very well, there was no delay in their.development 
and the loss was below 17>* In all 120,000 tomato-seedlings and 
11,000 cabbage seedlings which were treated with moss peat were" 
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