BASIC Plant Culture 
In this short guide it is taken for granted that most trees and shrubs require normal food, air 
and water. Plants very easy to grow are referred to as ‘tolerant,’ or may have no notes whatsoever. 
Light—'‘sun,”’ ‘‘shade.’’ Plants that get along on 
little light are marked ‘shade’ in this Guide. Those 
that need a great deal are marked ‘‘sun.’’ Normal plants 
are not marked—they live in sun or part shade. 
Soil—‘‘barren.’’ Clay has no air, sand no water or 
food. Even mixed clay and sand alone does not make 
soil fit for most plants. 
“*Loams.'’ As soon as humus is added, the soil be- 
comes a normal’ soil. Air, food and water all com- 
plete. In addition, soil bacteria start living on the 
humus and release nitrogen thus making ‘‘top-soil.”’ 
“Rich,” ‘‘fertile.’’ Soils with much humus are fertile. 
By renewing the humus and bone meal such soils are 
permanently fertile. Commercial fertilizers must be re- 
peated every year, as the fertilizer leaches away. 
“Loose,” ‘heavy.'’ Roots get oxygen from air that 
filters into the earth. Some plants need more than 
others; these must have loose soil and will suffocate in 
heavy damp clays. Such plants are marked ‘‘drain’’ in 
this Guide. 
“Damp.” Roots can only use chemicals that are dis- 
solved in water. Some plants need more than others 
and are marked “‘damp.”’ A loose soil quickly dries, a 
heavy soil keeps damp. Thus water and air for the 
roots are both present in a mixed soil. Normal plants 
that thrive in this “ordinary garden soil’ need no 
notation. 
Humus. In some form, is useful to all plants. 
1. Lightens heavy soil; lets light soil hold moisture. 
9. Is nature's own food (nitrogen via bacteria). 
3. Renew every two years. 
Lime. 1. ‘“Sweetens’’ the soil. 2. Promotes decay 
(humus into nitrogen). 3. ““Flocculates’’ clay (makes it 
into loam). 
Acid. To acidify soils, aluminum sulphate is quickest, 
but there is danger of damage in heavy soil. Straight 
sulphur (in commercial form as powder) does the same 
job in about 2 weeks and is harmless and easily ob- 
tained. An ounce to a square yard, sprinkled on the 
surface. 
Fertilizer. All plants in gardens benefit by having 
plenty of food. 1. Strong growth (hardier). 2. Healthy. 
@ Ferto-Pots are made of kiln-dried cow manure. 
The pots soften up in the moist soil, readily available 
to the roots of the growing plants. 
Start your seeds, seedling plants, cuttings, bulbs, 
etc., in Ferto-Pots and insure quicker, better results; 
no wilt, no setback in transplanting; less plant loss. 
Pot and all goes into the ground without disturb- 
ance or shock to the root system and continues to 
feed the growing plant. 
(Postpaid) 
OF inchmdiameterte ae a ae ee LOO for $9.50 
O Vem Ch eClatieeek wats nities aaa: 100 for 92.75 
Saeinch, dtameterars «cu wel «as 100 for 3.25 
@ Manure Bricks. Dried, pressed, cow manure. 
A one-pound brick readily dissolves in 4 gal. water. 
Fine plant stimulant. (Postpaid E. of Miss.); 8 bricks 
for $2.00. (50 bricks not postpaid) for $11.00 
3 
BOOKS 
Manual of Cultured 
Trees and Shrubs (Reh- 
der). Unique. In a mere 
990 pages is all most of 
need for complete refer- 
ence. Our hardiness chart 
adapted from this author. 
New edition. . .. $12.00 
The Book of Trees 
(Hottes). Fine introduc- 
tion to trees. Complete, 
except on conifers. $4.00 
The Book of Shrubs 
(Hottes). Grand compan- 
ion to the above. Com- 
plete, except Azaleas, 
(Alene Soha, Senate ERS $4.00 
Climbers and Ground 
Covers (Hottes). Com- 
plete (250 pp.), new 
(1948) and the only work 
covering these types we 
CnOWREE oe weal. 5.00 
The Book of Perennials 
(Hottes). Not complete 
on new Varieties, but the 
best non-technical book 
we know......-- $2.75 
Azaleas (Hume). New 
1948, 184 pages. New 
kinds, growing practices, 
from author's own experi- 
CACER Oe ee Poel 
The Pruning Manual 
(Bailey). Frank, non-tech- 
nical advice, nothing left 
out—a substantial volume. 
Nera eet ec are era $4.00 
Garden Flowers in Color 
(Foley). Here is the only 
book to show the impor- 
as noted in 
this catalog 
We recommend. 
Prices postpaid 
tant garden flowers in ac- 
curately colored photo- 
graphs — 350 of them. 
Also brief culture.. $2.95 
Garden Bulbs in Color 
(McFarland, Hatton, and 
Foley). 275 color plates 
form an invaluable aid to 
the selection and arrange- 
ment of varieties for your 
garden. Also 100 _half- 
tones and cultural direc- 
tions. 296 pages.. . $3.49 
Hortus Second—Garden 
Dictionary (Bailey). Per- 
haps the best dictionary 
for America. Covers 
everything from forest 
trees to vegetables and 
house plants. 778 pages. 
J ee Oe es ee $7.50 
The Cultivated Conifers 
(Bailey). The best for the 
evergreens—descriptions, 
culture, diseases, photos. 
404 pages...... $10.00 
Standard Cyclopedia of 
Horticulture (Bailey). 
Again, in our opinion, 
the best non-technical 
complete reference book. 
New edition 1947. 
cee ty Stes ts $37.50 
Garden Dictionary (Tay- 
lor). (Gold Medal of 
Mass: Flort soe), 
1,200,000 words, 500 il- 
lustrations. Sold at $17, 
and now. reduced to 
$5.00. Very complete 
and satisfactory. 
MAP: The numbers | to VI in the map refer to Zone 
numbers printed after each plant name throughout this 
Guide. It shows the northern limit beyond which any 
given plant cannot grow. (East of Indianapolis, a 
damper climate makes all evergreens hardier, West of 
Indianapolis hot summers make deciduous trees hard- 
ier than rated in this Guide. 

