1 4o 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
February, 
1014 
IS he “KENT” 
KNIFE MACHINE 
For Cleaning and Polishing Steel Knives 
Household sizes, 3, 4 and 5 knife, 
including carver, S13.75, S22.00, $32.00 
is practically the only means by which these 
keen edged necessities for the dining table may 
be always kept as clean and highly polished 
as on the day of purchase. 
It is worth its cost alone in the satisfaction 
a well polished steel knife affords the user. 
The "Kent” Knife Machine has been used 
for years in every European home where the 
advantage of the steel knife over the silver knife 
is appreciated. A few turns of the crank are 
sufficient to clean and polish the most discolored 
table or carving knife. The work is done by 
leather discs and emery and there is no danger 
of knives being scratched or injured. 
Sole Agents for 
the United States 
Jewis&CJongeh 
45th Street & Sixth 
Avenue, New York 
Treat yourself to a 
usutmss aprg} 
f It’s a little marvel. The ideal outfit for garden, farm and home. 
Practical forspraying, white-washing,as a fire extinguisher and 
for many other purposes. Well made in the most practical way 
for hard use and lastingservice. Manyotherstylesof thefamous 
await your inspection at your dealer. Some Deming Sprayer is 
sure to come up to you r requirements, for we make pumps for 
every need and purpose. All are made just as well as we 
know how after thirty years of experience. For thorough work 
use Deming Nozzles. Nine kinds in many styles—all guaranteed. 
Write for Useful Spraying Guide. 
Tells when and how to spray in garden, field and orchard. Fully de¬ 
scribes complete line of Deming Spray Pumps. Ask for your Free 
copy and name of nearest Deming Dealer to-day. 
THE DEMING CO., 428 Depot St., Salem, Ohio 
Hand and Power Pumps for all Purposes 
Dreer’s Dahlias 
Dreer’s Special Dahlia Catalogue 
is absolutely necessary to all who wish to keep down-to-date 
on the Dahlia interest which is sweeping over the country. 
Mailed FREE. Please mention this publication. 
Pajony-flowered Dahlia. 
HENRY A. DREER, 714 Chestnut St., Philadelphia | 
W E grew more than 50 acres last 
year. Over 800 varieties in¬ 
cluding the cream of the world’s 
novelties as well as the best of the old 
favorites. 
As cut flowers for decorating or 
sending to friends, nothing equals 
Dahlias in the late summer or fall. You 
can cut them by the armful every day 
from even a small bed. The newer 
types are a revelation to most people. 
taking the wrong combinations. The only 
thing of which there is any practical 
danger of having an over-supply is nitro¬ 
gen, and there will be no danger of this if 
it is applied in the way suggested. 
But the problem does remain as to what 
are the most effective and the most eco¬ 
nomical materials to buy to obtain our 
needed supply of plant-foods. The ma¬ 
terial most universally known and used 
for this purpose is, of course, manure; 
and where good, thoroughly rotted ma¬ 
nure can be had for not more than $7 or 
$8, delivered on the ground, it is prob¬ 
ably as satisfactory as anything that can 
be used, especially for the person who has 
not had much gardening experience. This 
is true, although it is a fact that the actual 
plant-food contained in manure usually 
costs more than it would in the form of 
natural or chemical fertilizers. The rea¬ 
son why the manure is preferred is that 
the plant-food it contains seems to be in a 
form especially agreeable and acceptable 
to all plants, and also furnishes a con¬ 
tinuous supply throughout the year. 
]■ urther than that, it directly supplies a 
large supply of humus to the soil, making 
it light and friable and especially capable 
of absorbing and retaining through dry 
spells a large amount of water, with the re¬ 
sult that plant growth is not checked for 
want of moisture. 
But the proportions of plant-food — ni¬ 
trogen, phosphoric acid and potash—con¬ 
tained in manure are usually not just 
right, there being too little potash and 
phosphoric acid in proportion to the 
nitrogen; and also in many places it is 
becoming impossible to get manure. 
Therefore, we are coming more and more 
to depend largely upon other materials. 
The most valuable and available ma¬ 
terials containing nitrogen are nitrate of 
soda and animal tankage; the former con¬ 
tains approximately 15% of nitrogen, 
which is immediately available or ready 
for use by the plant. On account of its 
clean and convenient form to use, and its 
quick action, it is extremely valuable as a 
top dressing to maintain or stimulate 
growth in a crop which is lagging. 
Animal tankage varies in its analysis, 
but usually the higher the percent of nitro¬ 
gen, and the higher the cost per ton, the 
cheaper will be the actual plant food per 
pound contained in it; besides the nitro¬ 
gen, it contains a considerable proportion 
of phosphoric acid, but this amount is 
usually in an inverse ratio to the amount 
of nitrogen. 
The material most used to obtain phos¬ 
phoric acid is acid phosphate (ground 
phosphate rock treated with acid) ; this is 
on the market in most places in two 
grades — 14 and 16%; the latter is the 
cheaper to use, though costing a little more 
per ton. The use of acid phosphate alone, 
at the rate of 400 to 800 pounds per acre, 
will give splendid results in the garden 
where the soil is known to be deficient in 
phosphoric acid. 
(Continued on page 150) 
In writing to advertisers please mention House & Garden. 
