Seven Highlights of 
tac 
WEST CHICAGO 
ILUNOIS 
Good Suap Culture 
Steaming—to 180° 
—does a lot of 
good things to 
your Snapdragon 
soil. It cleans up 
disease organisms, 
kills soil-borne 
weed seeds, in- 
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I. SOILS (Preparation, Management) 
Really important point here is plenty of organic matter. Our 
formula: 
60% garden or field soil—any type or color, but one that 
grew good field or garden crops. 
20% peat. 
20% well rotted cattle manure. 
Once every year add 1 wheelbarrow full of rotted cattle ma- 
nure and three pounds of superphosphate 20%, per 100 square 
feet of bench area just before steaming. 
FEEDING: We feed in dilute liquid form to maintain follow- 
ing nutrient levels: 
Nitrates 20-40 parts per million Spurway. 
Potash 20-40 parts per million. 
Phosphate 3-5 parts per million. 
We maintain these levels right thru the winter. It just doesn’t 
pay to starve them. 
Il. SOWING DATES 
The dates given here are intended as suggestions only—based 
on our experience here in the Midwest. Many things can throw 
them off. Examples: 
1. Hot, dry, bright fall—will bring Christmas crops in early. 
2. Unusually dark, cloudy fall-winter, delays late winter 
crops, especially if night temperatures are lowered. 
3. The tables are based on raised benches, 50° night tem- 
peratures most of the winter, at least. We have seen a 
Valentine’s Day crop flower over a month slower than the 
following table—grown on deep ground beds, 45° nights 
all winter, and in dark houses. 
4, Your local climate. Where winters are warm and sunny, 
winter Snaps will bloom about as fast as the May-June 
crops on these tables—in four months instead of six. 
5. Varieties differ in blooming dates. 
Pinched Crops 
50° most of the winter, raised benches, medium early varieties. 
Sow Flower 
July 20 Mid-Dec. 
Aug. 1 Early Jan. ; 
Aug. 20 Early Feb. 
Sept. 5 Early March 
Sept. 25 Early April 
Nov. 20 Mid-May 
Single Stem 
Raised beds, 50° most of the winter. 
Sow Flower 
July 20 Nov. 15. Earlier if fall is hot. 
Aug. 1 Dec. 15 
Aug. 12 Jan. 1 
Sept. 1 Feb. 1 
Sept. 8 March 1. 1-2 weeks later if very 
cloudy winter. 
Octal April 1 
Dec. 1 May 1 
Feb. 1 June 1 
April 23 Aug. 1 
May 23 Sept. 1 
Hl. DIRECT BENCHING 
. of seedlings is the way in our experience. Definitely 
superior growth, much less labor. It will work, even in hot 
weather, if 
A. Soil is steamed. Plant within 24 hours of steaming. 
B. Mist seedlings within minutes of benching—and regularly 
till new roots show. 
C. Have soil moist before benching. 
D. Plant shallow. 
K. Be sure soil is porous, open. 
F. Have fertilizer levels neither way high nor too low. 
IV. PINCHING 
Wait till breaks show in leaf axils—plant usually 6-8 inches 
high. Then pinch to leave 3 pairs of leaves (plus small seed 
leaves at bottom). If plant is pinched before side shoots show, 
it will give 2-3 shoots instead of 4-5. 
V. TEMPERATURE 
Normal during firing season: nights 50°, cloudy days 57°, 
sunny days 65°. 
If we experience 2-3 weeks of cloudy weather, we drop grad- 
ually to 45-52-60° till sunny weather returns. Failure to drop 
temperatures in dark weather causes stubby spikes, soft 
stems, breaking out of bud tip. 
Vi. SUMMER-FALL SNAPS 
- were a dollar-maker again last year. Direct planted, 
single stemmed, they flower in less than 3 months from bench- 
ing, are in good demand. Make several sowings so they will 
keep coming in. 
Vil. SINGLE STEM 
No-pinch growing seems to be accepted more each year. Rea- 
sons: 
A. A quicker crop—gets in up to 2-3 weeks sooner. Bench 
cuts out faster, more evenly. Total saving over pinched crop, up 
to 5-6 weeks in winter. 
B. Fewer culls—more uniformity. 
C. Controlled flowering date—by making a succession of 
properly scheduled sowings, you can be in cut when you want 
them—or steadily from January to June, as we do. 
Keep a record of your own Snap sowing and flowering dates—and adjust your schedules for best results. 3) 
