170 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
the growing power, phosphoric acid in¬ 
fluences bloom and fruit development, 
and potash hardens the tissues; that 
nitrate of soda is quickly available, and 
sulphate of ammonia more slowly 
available, and probably has gathered a 
very exaggerated conception as to the 
value of “plenty of potash.” With this 
he frequently feels prepared to make a 
formula for fertilizer that will meet his 
“special needs.” 
SPECIALIZATION THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE 
It is a very popular saying that “a 
grower oug'ht to know the needs of his 
crop better than anyone else.” Perhaps 
he ought. In the good old days of our 
grandfather each home was expected to 
provide for the family’s needs. The 
man wlas carpenter, blacksmith, etc., 
while the woman spun, wove, and knit. 
Gradually the economy, convenience, 
and effectiveness of people specializing 
in work became recognized. 
Personally, I can’t see why a grower 
ought to know how to construct a fer¬ 
tilizer formula any more than he ought 
to know how to make his harness or his 
plow. He knows the materials that go 
into the harness and the plow much 
more thoroughly than he knows fertil¬ 
izer materials. In the one instance he 
can appreciate skilled workmanship, 
while in the other he can’t, simply be¬ 
cause lie knows so little about fertilizer 
he doesn’t realize what there is to know. 
Now, understand I am not speaking 
of those of our growers who have 
studied the subject for years and really 
do know what their crops need. There 
is nothing known about fertilizer or 
plant life but what any intelligent per¬ 
son can learn if he will give the matter 
sufficient time and attention, but buy¬ 
ing land and setting some trees doesn’t 
give this knowledge to anyone. 
/ 
THE BEST KNOWLEDGE IS TO KNOW WHAT 
YOU don’t KNOW 
Most of us think it does, though, just 
as we reach this stage. I believe every 
one of the old growers present, some 
of whom have helped to create the best 
commercial formulas on the market to¬ 
day, will willingly own to having known 
( ?) very much more about fertilizer the 
first two or three years of their grove 
experience than they ever have known 
since. 
There comes to my mind a confession 
from one of the most prominent men 
in the state of having used a special 
mixture containing 16 per cent potash 
on one of his young groves. The trees 
were still behind later plantings though 
some five or six years had elapsed. 
My worst “stunt” in manufacturing 
(?) fertilizer was an attempt to get 
ashes by mixing potash, superphos¬ 
phate and lime. Needless to say, 
though the analysis figured right, the 
mixture wasn’t ashes! But it came 
just as near to being ashes as the great¬ 
er number of special mixtures come 
to being well balanced fertilizers from 
right sources and in right proportions 
to give maximum results for the money 
invested. 
I repeat, this stage seems to be a 
natural period in our development and 
