62 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Mr. Hart: Mr. President, when you 
once get the convention to talking on this 
subject, I think there will be plenty said, 
because as a rule there is not time enough 
given to allow each one who wants to 
speak on it, time to do so. 
I really haven’t anything special in 
mind to say at this time. Just now, I 
would rather have a receptive mind and 
wait for some one else to say something 
about it. 
Just a minute, though. One little mat¬ 
ter I noticed in the papers that have just 
been presented, is to avoid cultivating in 
the spring. I cultivate early in the sea¬ 
son pretty thoroughly with a Cutaway 
harrow, and later, when the drought is 
on, I use a weeder or what is practically 
a horse rake, running over the ground 
often. 
When the rains begin, I let the grass 
and weeds grow, or plant legumes. 
I apply my fertilizer in November and 
cultivate very lightly then, and so far as 
my experience goes, I have never seen 
any bad results. I believe that cultiva¬ 
tion in the colder months will start the 
tree out sooner. I also think that the ap¬ 
plication of fertilizer at that time will re¬ 
tard it. When I put my fertilizer on in 
November, I like to have it worked into 
the soil a little ; therefore I give it a slight 
cultivation; just enough to put it under 
the surface. I think that fertilization 
late in the season helps the root growth 
a great deal but does not materially has¬ 
ten the top growth. Of course, it is not 
desirable to hasten the growth when there 
is danger of a cold spell. 
Fertilizing in November, I think, coun¬ 
teracts the effect of the little cultivation 
necessary to work it into the surface, and 
there is no hastening of the growth or 
making the tree tender in the winter. 
Mr. Brown: I do not quite understand 
Mr. Hart’s theory that the fact of fer¬ 
tilizing will retard the growth of the tree. 
Mr. Hart: You know that the root 
system of your trees grows freely in the 
winter. If you give them fertilizer in 
November, the root growth will be more 
vigorous. The top is not likely to start 
until the root growth about ceases. In 
that way, I think the fertilizing at that 
time rather retards than hastens the 
starting of the tops. 
Mr. Brown: What is the composition 
of the fertilizer? 
Mr. Hart: I give them my regular 
formula; that is, a first class orange tree 
fertilizer; about 4 per cent, ammonia, 6 
per cent, available phosphoric acid and 10 
to 12 per cent, potash. 
Mr. Williams: What proportion of 
fertilizer do you give them in the fall as 
compared to the spring and summer ap¬ 
plication ? 
M<r. Hart: I don’t fertilize in the 
spring until about the time the rains com¬ 
mence in the early summer. I do not 
think I fertilize as heavily as a great 
many do. The largest application that I 
ever made to any of my trees is twenty- 
four pounds in a year; twelve pounds at 
a time, two times a year. I give them 
pretty nearly the same each time. My 
land is good land and I do not think it 
requires as much fertilizer as pine land 
generally does. Mine is what is gener¬ 
ally called gray hammock. 
In addition to this, I give them an ap¬ 
plication of lime; and I have a man right 
now hauling in humus or leaf mold from 
