108 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
says, “Very large percentages of ferric 
(iron) hydrate may, especially in the ab¬ 
sence of lime carbonate, render even large 
supplies of phosphoric acid inert and use¬ 
less by the formation of a totally insoluble 
ferric (iron) phosphate/’ It is probable 
that the free use of carbonate of lime on 
iron hardpans, which occur to a consider¬ 
able extent in this State, would have a 
beneficial effect, by preventing the phos¬ 
phoric acid from combining with the iron. 
The fact that we find phosphoric acid in 
most of the rocks containing iron, may 
I believe, be taken as evidence that there 
is this tendency for the phosphoric acid 
to combine with iron. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
After all it is not so much a question 
of whether we use n or 13 per cent, of 
potash or 5 or 6 per cent, of phosphoric 
acid. When the crop is gathered we 
would probably not be able to detect a 
difference of one or two per cent., for we 
usually apply more than the plant can 
utilize. It is a question of getting the 
greatest possible benefit from the 5 per 
cent, of phosphoric acid or the 11 per 
cent, of potash that we do apply. If un¬ 
favorable conditions make the greater 
portion of this ineffective, it may mean a 
shortage in crop returns of 1-4, 1-3 or 
even 1-2 and this becomes a serious mat¬ 
ter. There is, I believe, room for great 
improvement along the line of making 
the fertilizers that we use more effective. 
The profits will come not so much from 
saving the cost of one or two per cent, 
of plant food, but rather from the in¬ 
creased yields due to deriving full bene¬ 
fit from the whole amount applied. 
STUDIES. 
Mrs. N. M. Prange. 
Mr. President , Ladies and Gentlemen : 
This paper, like my others, is not claim¬ 
ed to be in any way the product of orig¬ 
inal research, but is the result of careful 
study. Really during the past twenty 
years, I have had a great deal of practi¬ 
cal experience with Florida soil in the 
production of both fruit and vegetables, 
but this has only helped me to under¬ 
stand my studies, for before taking up 
this fad, I gave but superficial attention 
to the groves and while managing the 
truck farm, brought about enviable re¬ 
sults by plain common sense, or perhaps 
it was nothing but luck. At any rate it 
was by no scientific knowledge. As I look 
back to those days I can see where I 
could have saved work and made even 
more money by actually understanding 
what I was doing. 
It has been my aim in these papers to- 
show people who do not aspire to become 
leaders in this line of thought, how easy 
