Buy any horticultural peat locally if possible. Danish peat is one of the most 
acid but is quite lumpy. It is fine for basketing Laelias and other orchids. 
When used in soil it is better to soak a day or so then rub thru a coarse screen 
or break up lumps by*hand. We prefer to break it up and make finer in tex- 
ture also when used in potting Begonias, Gloxinias, etc. 
Vitamin B1 is a useful, stimulating food for plants and reduces the shock 
of transplanting. 
Please note our listing of these useful products under Garden Supplies. 
Sources of more information. Subscribe for Flower Grower, Albany, New 
York. $3.00 per year. $5.00 for 2 years. Send directly to them. Tell them that 
you are subscribing on my recommendation. I have read and advertised in 
this magazine since its inception by Madison Cooper (long ago) as the Glad- 
iolus Grower. 
Join your local garden club and be active in it. Tell your fellow members 
about our catalogs and price lists. 
American Plant Life Society. Note mention of this under Amaryllidaceae. 
The American Horticultural So. publishes the National Horticultural Maga- 
zine, quarterly, which members receive. This beautifully printed and illus- 
trated magazine covers entire field of horticulture. Send $5.00 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? Ned: 
POTTING DIRECTIONS 
Bulbs bloom better in pots that are not too large. A 24%” Amaryllis will 
do well in a 6” or 7” pot. Many use a 5” size but I prefer to give as large a pot 
as will be favorable to flowering. Give larger or smaller bulbs of any sort, pots 
in proportion to this size, that is, 2 or 3 times the diam. of bulb. Small bulbs 
may be planted 2” or 3” apart in any Size pot. 
Most large bulbs, like Amaryllis, may have 2/3 of bulb above surface but 
small bulbs, especially Anemones and Ranunculus, should be covered. about 1”. 
Use clean pots. It is advisable to boil and scrub the surface. Even new 
clay pots should be boiled, or soaked for two days to remove chemicals. Cover 
the hole at bottom with a piece of broken pot, concave side down. Above this 
place small pieces of broken pot and gravel. This helps to drain away excess 
water. Over this drainage material we usually place a handful of sphagnum 
moss to prevent the soil from sifting into and clogging the drainage material. 
The drainage must be perfect and it is essential that the soil above this 
drainage be of a friable texture that permits water to pass thru freely. 
The best soil is a rich sandy loam with the addition of plenty of humus. 
For humus one can combine rotted leaf mould and old rotted dairy manure 
well broken up and rubbed thru a screen of smallest gauge. For most plants 
the proportion can be 2/3 sandy loam, 1/3 humus. 
Fertilizers. Many advise the addition of fertilizer to potting soils. We 
never use any except the rotted dairy manure and leaf mould and sometimes 
a tablespoon of bone meal. If new roots come into contact with much fertilizer 
they are burned. Commercial fertilizer is especially a hazard. A potted dor- 
mant bulb, seed or plant must be babied to the extent of giving only a light 
diet. A rich, full meal will often cause failure. We prefer to get them well 
started and growing and of some size before adding more fertilizer, if any. 
The chief food of plants is carbon dioxide taken from the air thru the foliage. 
Water, nitrogen and minerals come from the soil. 
For the starting temperatures and further culture of the plants please 
read ‘General Cultural Directions” and the culture advice given with the 
listings. Be sure to read both. 
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 informa- 
tion. 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. Price $37.50. This is the most 
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