270 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
BROADCASTERS (To Secure New Members): 
A. McGill, Chairman 
C. R. Bun- 
Bob Chase 
Charlie Ferguson 
“Stubbs” 
“Honest John” Fraser 
R. R. Harris 
Lester C. Lovett 
C. G. Perkins 
ACID PHOSPHATE SAVES MANURE EROM DECAY 
Valuable Organic Matter Preserved for Soil Building 
Soil and crop specialists at the Experiment Station at Geneva 
recently reported on the # results of some experiments with 
manure in which they found that untreated manure lost almost 
two-thirds of its organic matter in four months, while by adding 
a small amount of acid phosphate to the manure this loss was 
reduced to only about one-fourth of the organic matter. This 
difference is accounted for by the fact that acid phosphate seems 
to check the growth of the manure bacteria which would other¬ 
wise destroy much of the organic material in the manure, say the 
specialists. Every year immense quantities of manure on New 
York farms suffer a considerable loss in this way before the 
manure reaches the soil. 
MANURE HELPS HEAVY SOILS 
Aside from the chemical plant food carried to the soil by 
manure, much benefit is derived from the effect of the manure 
on the physical condition of the soil, declare the station work¬ 
ers. Heavy soils are lightened by the addition of manure. 
Manure also increases the water-holding capacity of the soil, and 
manured soils warm up more quickly in the spring. These physi¬ 
cal benefits are attributed to the humus or organic matter added 
to the soil by the manure, so that the greater the amount of or¬ 
ganic matter added the greater the benefit derived. 
It is also pointed out that manure is deficient in phosphorus 
and that by adding acid phosphate a better balanced fertilizing 
material is obtained. From 80 to 100 pounds of acid phosphate 
per ton of manure is recommended as giving good results. 
PERMANENT AND PROFITABLE SOIL 
IMPROVEMENT 
There are a good many farmers who are trying to make 
a go of it on land which is so poor and run down that it 
simply will not produce at a profit. They must go on 
taking less for their efforts year after year until they 
cannot go on any further—or they can start building up 
their land so that it will begin to bring them increasing 
profits each year. There is no question in any man’s 
mind as to which course he wants to follow, but the 
trouble with many plans for soil improvement is that they 
do not provide a means for making a living, while the 
land is being devoted to the prescribed treatment. 
According to Prof. J. R. Abbott, Massachusetts Agricul¬ 
tural College, the best system of soil improvement which 
he has observed in the last century—and he has seen it in 
operation all the way from the corn belt to the Atlantic 
Coast—is one which while not “spectacularly rapid” is 
economical, sure, and most important, one which pays its 
way as it goes. 
1. Conserve rigidly all animal manures, solid and 
liquid. 
2. Supplement them with phosphatic fertilizers. 
3. Use more clover in “short rotation territory,” use 
nitrogenous fertilizers on the hay crop in “long rotation 
territory.” 
4. Use high-analvsis fertilizers on the cash crop. 
b. Lime when and as much as necessary. 
UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE EXAMINATION 
The United States Civil Service Commission announces the 
following open competitive examination: 
PLANT* PROPAGATOR 
The examination will be held throughout the country on No¬ 
vember 7. It is to fill a vacancy under the Bureau of Plant In¬ 
dustry, Department of Agriculture, for duty at the Plant Intro¬ 
duction Gardens, Glenn Dale, Md., and vacancies in positions 
requiring similar qualifications, at entrance salaries ranging 
from $1,500, to $1,800 a year, plus the increase of $20 a month 
granted by Congress. 
The duties of the position include general nursery work, such 
as greenhouse management, field propagation of hardy plants, 
packing and shipping of plants, and the preparation of the ne- 
nessary records incident thereto. 
Competitors will be rated on practical questions on the hand¬ 
ling and propagation of new plant immigrants and field station 
problems, and practical experience and training in the propaga¬ 
tion of plants. 
GASSING PEACH BORERS 
Troublesome Pest Effectively Controlled by 
Simple Method 
Fruit growers have been much interested of late in the use of 
a chemical compound for peach borers which, under proper con¬ 
ditions, seems to give quite satisfactory control of the pest. 
This compound goes under the name of paradiehlorobenzene and 
is a common and well-known chemical product which can be se¬ 
cured at a very reasonable price from any reliable dealer in in¬ 
secticides. Entomologists at the Experiment Station at Geneva 
have been conducting tests with the material for the past two 
or three years. 
The preparation comes in the form of crystals which are quite 
volatile and give off a characteristic odor. The usual procedure 
is to remove any weeds or grass growing around the crown of 
the peach tree and then place 1 ounce of the crystals in a ring 
about the tree. The soil is then drawn over the crystals and 
banked up slightly about the tree. The gas which is given off 
from the crystals penetrates the burrows of the peach tree borers 
and kills the young borers. 
The Experiment Station entomologists report that their tests 
with paradiehlorobenzene have shown it to be quite effective in 
controlling peach borers, altho they are planning further experi¬ 
ments with the material before announcing any definite conclu¬ 
sions. One interesting feature of the station tests is that trees 
which have been treated for two and three successive seasons 
show no ill effects from the use of the chemical. 
THE YELLOW DOGS 
At the convention of the Southern Nurserymen’s Asso¬ 
ciation at Atlanta, Georgia, the Yellow Dogs held several 
“peaceful” sessions. All the “Green” pups running loose 
around the Hotel Piedmont were rounded up and chased 
into Room 604. where they were duly initiated by “Bob” 
Chase, ably assisted by the Eraser boys. 
R. M. Johnson, W. C. Daniel, W. A. Scarff, Richter 
Smith, Leon Majewski, W. W. Bassett, Morgan Wood, 
James C. Odum, Roy L. Kerr, G. D. Skinner, Jac Katzen- 
stein, Jr.. J. C. Persons, F. B. Anglin, H. H. Lownes, 
W. J. Smart, S. S. Gear, Ray Hastings, A. Etherington, 
James Brodie, W. C. Griffin, James L. Wright, P. J. 
Hjort, W. L. Munroe, Edwin Stark, C. M. Smith, II. L. 
Alexander, N. C. Butt, J. W. Cole, Otis G. West, S. A. 
Ault, E. C. Cook. William Cunningham Yost Grant, Wil¬ 
liam Cunningham Yost Grant, Jr., Gustav Guggenheim. 
