sprayer and a small fly sprayer will do for house plants. Price, Garden Volc, 4 oz. for 
30c postpaid. Use Garden Volc also against Scale Insects. 
Garden Success requires aggressive effort on your part. One can always blame the 
bulbs for failure, but it does not advance one’s knowledge of gardening. 
ACID AND ALKALINE SOILS 
Most plants thrive in mildly acid, neutral or mildly alkaline soils. But others do not 
have so wide a range of tolerance. Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camellias, Gardenias, 
Zantedeschias, Caladiums (and other members of Arum family), Nerines, Haemanthus, 
Gloxinias, Begonias, Orchids and most shade loving plants require an acid soil. Some like 
Gladiolus prefer mildly acid to neutral soils. Bearded Iris do best in neutral to alkaline 
soils. The acid-alkali balance depends upon the concentration of hydrogen ions in a 
saturated solution. This is expressed in pH units. pH 7 is neutral. Below that the acidity 
increases; above it the alkalinity increases. For the mathematical, I will explain that 
the numeral is the negative logarith denoting the concentration of hydrogen ions in 
gram atoms per liter. | 
Soiltex Outfit. This small kit will enable you to determine the pH of your soil. 
No chemical knowledge is needed. Full directions for its use are included. Price $1.00. 
If your soil is too alkaline for the plants you wish to grow, the remedy is to add 
humus. Imported peat is the most acid. Some American peat is acid but some of it is 
actually alkaline due to minerals contained. Oak leaf mould is very acid. 
Canadian Peat. We can furnish this to near-by customers for $5.00 per bale, or 10 
Ibs. for $1.00. Or we will send 25 lbs. net in a strong burlap sack for $2.00 f.o.b. 
La Verne. Buy locally if you can. If ordered, ask your Express Agent the rate. 
Rootone induces quick rooting of bulbs, cuttings and the sprouting of seed. As the 
result of its action bulbs make a more vigorous root system and grow larger and 
produce greater increase. Slightly moisten the base of the bulb and cover with a thin 
film of Rootone. Dip end of cuttings into the powder. Tumble seeds in a jar or seed 
envelope with the powder. Roll the coated seed out and save remaining powder. Price, 
one-half ounce, a good supply, 50c postpaid. 1-lb. can, for very extensive planting, $5.00. 
Vitamin B-1 is a useful stimulant for plants, we believe. We have used it in 
transplanting bulbs and other plants with apparent usefulness. 100 tablets, 75c. 
Directions for use, applying only to our own tablets. In transplanting bulbs or any 
plants, loose roots, dissolve 5 tablets in 1 gal. of water. Soak roots in this 15 to 30 min. 
Pour solution around plant when set. To stimulate growing plants, for the first appli- 
cation, dissolve one tab. in 2 gal. water. For succeeding waterings, use 1 tab. to 4 gal. 
water once a week. Warning. Do not soak dormant bulbs in Vit. B-1. It rots them. 
Sources of more information. Subscribe for Flower Grower, Albany, New York. 
$2.50 per year. $4.00 for 2 years. Send directly to them. Also join local garden clubs. 
Plant Societies are of the greatest value to amateur gardeners. Some of them issue 
year books or publications of great value. Others have meetings and lectures. I belong to 
and recommend those mentioned below but there are many local groups as well as 
national, not mentioned, that are of great value. 
American Plant Life Society. Note mention of this under Amaryllidaceae. The 
American Horticultural So. publishes the National Horticultural Magazine, quarterly, 
which members receive. This beautifully printed and illustrated magazine covers entire 
field of horticulture. Send $3.00, annual dues, to Am. Horticultural So., 821 Washington 
Loan and Trust Bldg., Washington 4, D.C. The Midwest Hemerocallis So., send: $3.00 
to Pearl Sherwood, Atlantic, Iowa. North American Gladiolus Council, send $1.00 to 
A. Bazdorf, Lincoln Park, N. J. 
GARDEN REFERENCE BOOKS 
Bailey’s Cyclopedia of Horticulture. This 3-vol. set of over 3,600 pages describes 
almost every cultivated plant and has a wealth of culture information. On Orchids alone, 
this work is most valuable for its descriptions and culture instructions for almost every 
orchid in cultivation. The same is true for all types of bulbs, plants, shrubs or trees. 
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