FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
97 
At present I think all the basic slag is 
imported, and is a by-product in manu¬ 
facturing steel from an iron ore contain¬ 
ing a high percentage of phosphorous. 
To one ton of iron ore, looo pounds of 
rock lime is added, and this material hav¬ 
ing a great affinity for phosphorous, takes 
up this element from the iron, and when 
drawn from the converter, the slag is at 
the top and usually runs about, fifty per 
cent, of the original charge. 
At the steel works in this country I un¬ 
derstand the slag is cooled with water 
which cracks it into small pieces, it is 
then used to balast railroads. We pay 
from $20 to $22 per ton in large lots 
for the imported product which runs 
about 17 per cent, available phosphoric 
acid, and 50 per cent, of lime. If the Ala¬ 
bama slag is of the same quality is seems 
to me that our Jacksonville manufactur¬ 
ers could give us a pure form of phos¬ 
phoric acid, and at less expense than the 
high grade acid phosphate is now costing 
us. 
During our meeting at St. Augustine 
Mr. C. G. White gave us the results of 
some very interesting tests made in 
growing Irish potatoes with slag phos¬ 
phate, and says, “Slag phosphate does sur¬ 
prisingly well and as far as one test 
goes, sustains the European experiments 
as to its value on sour soils, also the re¬ 
sults at the Ohio Experimental Station.’' 
Why is it we have so little exchange of 
thought in regard to fertilizer? Is it be¬ 
cause we are ashamed to admit a lack of 
knowledge, or that we are perfectly satis¬ 
fied with our own mixtures or manufac¬ 
tured goods? Even if we are, I believe 
we should express ourselves more fully, 
thereby saving the Novice much time and 
expense. 
H—7 
This subject has been discussed in the 
meetings for several years and many 
plans have been given in recent reports 
for surface and sub-irrigations. Proba¬ 
bly the best plan for sub-irrigation is that 
in use at Sanford among the vegetable 
growers, and fully discribed in Year Book 
for 1903, page 60. It is just as necessa¬ 
ry to have drainage, as irrigation, and if 
I could have only the one, I would 
choose drainage, but with this plan at 
Sanford it acts for both. Water from 
artesian wells being the source of supply. 
These wells are less than half the depth 
of those in the Manatee section, I have 
never heard that the water from the San¬ 
ford wells has an injurious effect. 
We, on the Manatee use surface irriga¬ 
tion from artesian wells, carrying the wa¬ 
ter either through cement pipes under 
ground, in ditches, or canvas hose to all 
parts of the grove. 
Some assert that artesian water has kill¬ 
ed a great many trees, we admit that in 
some cases this is true, but largely due to 
the lack of drainage. An excess of rain 
fall would probably have the same effect. 
We should be cautious as we approach the 
rainy season and not fill our soil too full 
of water, for if we do we shall certainly 
suffer from the result. 
The following is a discription of the ir¬ 
rigating plant of the Wills grove at Suth¬ 
erland Florida, as given me by Mr. Wills. 
The plant is supplied from a pond or 
small lake, with this as you will see, he 
can Spray his trees with clear water for 
the red spider and purple mite. 
Sutherland, Fla., April 24, 1906. 
My Dear Mr. Waite : Our Irrigating 
Plant is equipped with a White-Blakleslee 
20 horse power engine and a Rumsey rot- 
