0 DD) DPD () AN) ) LD) ED) LE) ER EP > (> 0-9 
months after these are put in the ground before de- 
composition, so necessary to make conditions 
right, occurs. When you get Oak Leafmold, it is 
alive with this helpful bacteria which releases 
nitrogen, phosphorus and potash over a long per- 
iod so that it wears well and feeds plants for sev- 
eral years. Chemical fertilizers, minus this bacteria, 
give a ‘lift’ to plants but often wear out just when 
the plant needs food most. 
LEAFMOLD IS NATURE’S OWN FERTILIZER 
Let's forget the merits of chemical fertilizers 
versus Oak Leafmold a moment and ponder this 
fact — Nature grew Hollies with leafmold millions 
of years before man-made fertilizers, so why is it 
not logical to use Oak Leafmold rather than man's 
imitation? All I do is to use more of it around the 
roots of Holly than is found in Nature. If I could 
get no more Oak Leafmold, I am afraid I would go 
out of the Holly business. 
On my Holly Farm, we are rooting many thou- 
sands of Holly cuttings each year. These are 
placed in small pots filled with Oak Leafmold. As 
they grow, the plants are transferred to larger pots, 
then placed in Nature Packed wire baskets, and on 
into “wells” in our Holly orchard, where they ma- 
ture into large specimens. From small pots to and 
including the ‘wells’, our Hollies grow in pure 
Oak Leafmold. 
But there is a catch in the above procedure. 
Large Hollies are selling well, and I want to keep 
on growing a few hundred each year — yet in my 
Holly orchard are many holes actually dug and 
waiting for trees that are selling so fast they never 
find their way to the orchard. 
The larger specimen Hollies in our Holly or- 
chard are growing in “wells” filled with Oak Leat- 
mold as mentioned above. We do not cultivate 
but try to mow the weeds twice a year. During 
the fall or spring, we scatter over the roots of 
each big Holly several bushels of tobacco (dust 
or crushed stems). Tobacco supplies extra potash 
and helps the fruiting. 
Here is something that has often puzzled me. 
Folks buy Hollies, and find no fault whatever with 
the purchase price; then kick like everything over 
the cost of fertilizer (mostly Oak Lecatmold) which — 
will keep the Holly growing on to make the in- 
vestment worth while. 
I believe my son, Tom, now has the answer to 
this problem. During the winter we have sold many 
large specimens for spring delivery and planting. 
0 a 0-0 0-SE () ERD 0 OD 1) GRD () CEED<) CED) 
