SOIL CONDITIONS:- In what kind of soil are you attempting 
to grow flowers? Will it grow good garden truck? If 
so , it will usually produce fine flowers , and in .tjie case 
of "bullous flowers a good crop of hulls. If your toil 
is not as productive as you think it should le, haVe it 
tested. Your state agricultural college will do th\s at 
a minimum cost. Your soil might require some element, to 
counteract some other predominating element. If too 
alkiline, continuous applications of animal manure or 
leaf mold will help to neutralize it. If it is of an 
acid nature, lime will help balance it. However, very 
little of Dakota 1 s soils require lime and especially in 
the Slack Hills region. In many instances shade and tree 
roots affect plant growth much more than poor or uni :Tr\un 1 
soil and no amount of soil building will overcome tuis. 
FERTILIZERSAs we have of times stated there is no vettor 
all purpose fertilizer than animal manures and sc far as 
they affect the soil there is little difference in the 
different kinds of such fertilizers as they are all 1c - 
eficial. Ho: ever , there is one precaution which we have 
always stressed—never use fresh manure in close proxim¬ 
ity to lulls, seeds or plants as it will infect lulls 
and burn tiny roots and plants. A sma.ll amount of well 
rotted manure may le used in planting lulls, seeds or 
plants but it should le thoroughly mixed with the soil. 
LEAF HOLD is one of'natures lest fertilizers. If you are 
fortunate enough to le in a locality where it is possible 
to obtain leaf mold (rotten leaves) you have access to a 
soil builder which can always le depended upon unless your 
soil if of an acid nature. During our trips of inspection 
and judging of flowers about the city, many of the finest 
exhibition blooms were found growing in beds of leaf mold 
brought down from the hills. In the same yards with some 
of these beds were soils that wouldn't grow 
u O c.lx k> , 
S ou¬ 
tlines it is difficult to obtain leaf mold, but it is worth, 
all the time and effort expended. 
CORRECT CATERING- HSTKODS:-Use cure in watering. The larger 
plants with more leaf surface are more likely to require 
water than the younger ones, for it t is through the leaves 
that water is withdrawn from the plant. If the leaves 
appear limp and hang like rags, then water is neededv-tho 
this is not likely to happen if 
stirred 
fne soil has been kept 
