FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
198 
which tangerines can be made to mature 
earlier than they otherwise would? Can 
it be done with fertilizer? 
Mr. S. E. Inman says that he has 
wrestled with that proposition for years 
and that he had used all methods that 
seems reasonable and that have been rec¬ 
ommended. He has given up the question. 
He saw no appreciable advantage or re¬ 
sults from the various materials applied. 
He had used the iron sulphate (copperas) 
without any appreciable results. 
Question 33. What is a good fly re- 
pellant to keep flies from our stock? 
Dr. Stockridge replied that a good fly 
repellant could be made by the use of two 
parts of whale oil or fish oil and three 
parts crude petroleum. Apply this to the 
animal by means of a brush, swab, or even 
by spraying. This repellant will last for 
an indefinite time, depending upon the 
condition of the atmosphere. If very dry 
and windy it is like to dry off pretty soon, 
otherwise it may last for a day or so. 
Question 34. How about using saw 
palmetto and all such trash as mulching 
and shall we leave it there or plow it 
under. 
President Hume replied that if you 
want to mulch your citrus trees, use 
anything that may come to hand, includ¬ 
ing daily newspapers providing the news 
is not “too hot.” 
Question 35. I have three grape vines 
which bloom freely every year but do not 
put on much fruit. They were raised 
from cuttings six years ago, are vigorous 
growers, each different variety, name un¬ 
known. One is a white grape, one small 
black, the other medium sized purple. 
The original vines came from some Flor¬ 
ida nurseries. What is cause and rem¬ 
edy? 
President Hume replied that he did not 
know, and no one else in the audience 
was willing* to give an explanation on 
the difficulty. 
Question 36. If fertilizer containing 
nitrate soda, H. G. sulphate, potash and 
basic slag is broadcast over grass in a 
grove and the grass is cut and left on the 
ground, after a few good showers of rain 
will the results be satisfactory or will a 
part of the fertilizer be lost, and what 
part? Would you advise some other 
source of phosphoric acid. 
Col. S. H. Gaitskill concluded that less 
of the sodium nitrate was lost from the 
soil that was generally assumed. 
Professor Rolfs discussed the question, 
and stated that the amount of phosphorus 
lost per acre was quite negligible, and that 
the amount of potash lost was equal to 
20 or 40 pounds of the high grade sul¬ 
phate of potash, the amount of ammonia 
lost would vary according to the elements 
from which it was derived in the open 
sandy soil. The amount would not be 
very large in the compact clayey soil. 
The amount would be less than generally 
assumed. In open sandy soil it is fre¬ 
quently very large. 
