Place a thick layer of wet sphagnum on bottom and sides of basket. It should 
be well compressed and at least 1” or 2” thick. For the center one can use a mixture of 
peat, leaf mould and sand,—or any soil formula favorable to the plant. For certain 
Orchids, Episcias and sometimes other plants, we use only sphagnum thruout. 
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 dormant 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. 
When bulbs are well rooted, liquid fertilizer can be used once a month. Weak liquid 
manure is excellent but not quite as well balanced as Spoonit. 
For the starting temperatures and further culture of the plants please read the culture 
advice given with the listings. 
Sources of Further Information. Please note our Garden Reference Books. Join local 
garden clubs. Subscribe for as many garden magazines as you can. We especially recom- 
mend Popular Gardening, Dept. H, 90 State St., Albany, N.Y., and Flower Grower, Dept. 
H., 99 N. Broadway, Albany, N.Y. We are charter subscribers of both. I suggest you buy 
copies of each at your newsstand. You will probably then subscribe for both of them. 
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. Price 
$40.00. It is the most monumental work in any language on the entire field of Horti- 
culture. It is an ideal gift for a plant lover. 
Hortus Second (Bailey). A concise Dictionary of Gardening. This 778-page volume 
lists and describes nearly every plant offered in catalogs, and some that are not in the 
Cyclopedia of Hort. It contains only a few culture hints. Both works should be in every 
garden library. Price $10.00. 
The above publications are subject to price changes, without notice, by the publishers. 
In the case that prices again rise on these or any books listed here we will notify the 
customer. The customer may then accept or cancel order. 
A Southern Garden, by Elizabeth Lawrence, a handbook for the Middle South. A 
most useful handbook for all gardeners, north or south. Bulbs and all garden plants. 251 
pages. Price, $3.00. 
Enjoy Your House Plants. Excellent handbook of window gardening by Dorothy 
Jenkins and Helen Van Pelt Wilson. 238 pages. Price, $3.00. 
American Orchid Culture. Edward A. White. This is a complete handbook of Amer- 
ican Orchid Culture for both commercial and amateur growers. Most interesting accounts 
of Orchid hunting trips, in many lands, are related. 14 beautiful color plates and many 
other illustrations. A beautiful, interesting, useful book. 276 pp., $6.00. 
Greenhouse Gardening For Everyone. Ernest Chabot. Important factors are noted, 
including correct temperatures for forcing plants, bulbs, and orchids. 266 pp., $4.00. If 
you have a greenhouse, this is a necessity. 
How To Grow Rare Greenhouse Plants. A new book on greenhouse gardening by 
Ernest Chabot. Complete directions for greenhouse culture of 260 rare plants. Being 
non-professional or amateur, Mr. Chabot knows best an amateur’s problems and how 
to advise him. Everyone having a greenhouse should have both books. 182 pages. Illus- 
trated. $4.00. 
Geraniums, Pelargoniums, by Helen Van Pelt Wilson. 248 pages, 7 color plates, 
many drawings and illustrations. Best book on this subject. $3.95. 
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