Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women - Wise Acres Yearbook (Ambler, PA)

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Wise-Acres •♦♦a • — ■ ■ humus of the woods and the sand of the barrens all have their characteristic inhabitants. The proper amount of sun or shade is also important if plants are to do their best. It is desirable to test soil, not only to determine a plant’s preferences, but also in the effort to satisfy that preference under artificial conditions. Several methods have been developed for testing the soil, which are suitable for this work. The sample to be tested should be carefully selected. If the test is to cover more than one spot, a portion of soil should be taken from various parts of the area, and the samples thoroughly mixed together before the test is made. The simplest test is made by the use of litmus paper, but this method cannot be accurate. In Dr. Wherry’s pamphlet, mentioned above, a Single Indicator method made by the use of bromo-cresol purple is described, the outfit for which may be secured from the Wild Flower Preservation Society. From this has been evolved the more accurate Multiple Indicator method. Bulletin 312 of Wisconsin Experiment Station describes the Truog Test, which is especially arranged for field use. The test set put out by the LaMotte Chemical Company, of Baltimore, is one of the simplest, and only takes a few minutes to operate. They also furnish a booklet which gives a valuable list of plants with their preferences. Another test is called the Kenney Indicator Field Set; there are also other sets put out by the various State Colleges. Having determined the plant’s preference in soil, it is necessary to produce artificial conditions as near the natural ones as possible. Where acid conditions are desirable, avoid a situation which has been recently limed, or fertilized with bone meal, wood ashes or manure, and especially avoid regions of limestone rock. To be sure that the soil has the proper reaction, it is best to test it by one of the methods previously mentioned. If the ground proves to be neutral or alkaline, there are a number of methods which may be employed to acidify it. The addition of peat moss or upland peat, which is formed by the decomposition of organic matter under acid conditions, is an excellent material to dig into (he soil. (Avoid the light peat imported from Europe, as it contains very little humus.) Decayed oak leaves may be applied in large quantities if they are available. Spent tan-bark and hard wood sawdust are also used sometimes. Both should be used with caution until the value of the available type is ascertained. Sawdust from certain trees—as pines— may be injurious when fresh. Both of these are best applied as a surface mulch. All these materials have the added value of increasing the humus supply in the soil, which is so often deficient under artificial conditions. Aluminum sulphate is a white powder which has an irritating habit of finding its way into the nose and throat but it is most valuable where extremely acid soil is desired. This may be applied at rates varying

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School of Horticulture — — Making Our Wild Flowers Feel at Home Helen I lebard and Elizabeth Kid gw ay How often when roaming in the woods do you see a delicate flower and think how delightful it would be if it would only grow at home; and how often do you uproot this poor foundling and carry it home, only to have to die in unfamiliar surroundings? Most wildings are even more particular about their conditions than are garden flowers, and every care should be taken to supply their exact needs if you attempt to grow them. There is little material available on this subject, since interest in it is comparatively new. Mr. Durand is the only one I know of who treats it extensively. His books, “Wild Flowers and Ferns in Their Homes and in Our Gardens” (formerly published under the title, “Taming the Wild-lings”) and “My Wild Flower Garden” are both full of valuable material for those interested in this work. Dr. Wherry, of the United States Department of Agriculture, has made an extensive survey of soil reaction and has published an excellent bulletin on the subject (Soil Reaction in Relation to Horticulture—Bulletin Four of the American Horticultural Society, published May, 1926), which may still be available. This pamphlet contains a list of plants with their soil preferences, as well as much information on soil reaction. “The Book of Shrubs,” by Alfred Hottes, contains many facts which might be applied to wild flowers as well as shrubs. Some pointers might be gleaned also from the current books on rock gardening and from Gray and other botanical books. Then there are always the catalogues, whose enchanted pages can arouse the frenzy of the most languid gardener. Firms which deal especially in native plants, as Robbins, and Purdy, give some cultural directions in their catalogues, which may be followed. Aside from these sources, you have your own observation to guide you. A careful study of a plant’s natural surroundings may reveal its secret to you. Probably the most important things to notice are the neighboring trees. Oaks, hemlocks and others create an acid soil by the decay of their foliage. Other plants, as Azaleas, Rhododendrons and Kalmias may be accepted as an indicator of acid soil, as they will not thrive in any other type. Peaty bogs are essentially acid in reaction, and the familiar red cedar (Juniperus viryiniana) is another indication of acidity. Wherever more accurate knowledge is desirable soil should be taken from near the roots of a thriving specimen and tested by one of the methods described below. After soil reaction, probably the most important thing is soil texture; the shale of an outcropping ledge, the deep

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School of Horticulture ♦+n —» ■ from one quarter of a pound to three pounds per square yard, according to the degree of acidity desired, and the directions you happen to be following. Scatter it evenly over the surface of the ground and allow it to leach in. Hemlock extract and commercial tannic acid are both recommended at the rate of one part to fifty parts of water. Also sulphur dug into the soil is reputed to acidify it gradually. Where peat moss or other organic agents are available they are preferred because of the beneficial effect on the texture of the soil. Where expensive hauling makes these prohibitive, or when the acid thus applied becomes spent, aluminum sulphate and the others are valuable. Where some kind of fertilizer is desirable for acid soil plants, as in the case of Rhododendrons and other Ericaceous shrubs, ammonium sulphate, skimmed milk or buttermilk may be used as nitrogen carriers. Acid phosphate and sulphate of potash may be used to supply the other plant food requirements necessary. Care should be taken to balance the elements properly: a mixture of ten pounds cottonseed meal, four pounds acid phosphate, and two pounds of sulphate of potash at the rate of one eighth to one quarter of a pound is suggested by Mr. Hottes. When watering Ericaceous plants, and others which like acid soil, avoid the use of hard water, as it contains lime. If no other kind is available, one-half pound of aluminum sulphate may be dissolved in forty gallons of water to counteract the effect. In dealing with wild flowers, we rarely have difficulty with too acid soil, but if such an occasion should arise, there is always our old friend lime. If use of this would be too radical, the slower acting bone meal might be applied. If it is to be a woodland garden, and the soil is not already rich in humus, peat moss or partially decayed leaves will improve it wonderfully. Where the soil is heavy clay, sand should be dug in for most plants. Try to give each plant its natural place—in sun or shade; high or low, well drained or boggy ground; acid or neutral soil. If you succeed in doing this, plants cannot help but thrive. A set of terms to apply to various degrees of soil acidity has been developed which make it easy to divide the plant material into groups which require about the same care. The most acid group is referred to as Superacid (pH3.1—4.0). Sphagnum moss is about the only thing that will grow in this type of soil. Arbutus (Epigaea repens) thrives in Mediacidsoil (pH4.0—5.0), which is sometimes more popularly referred to as C. Most of our upland woods, as well as much of our meadows and marshes are Subacid (pH 5.0—6.0). Azaleas and Rhododendrons like soil of this type which is often termed B. Minimacid (pH 6.0—7.0) or A. soil is found in meado vs and w oods of limestone regions, and in gardens under standard cultivation. Only on limestone ledges, piles of manure and woods wrhere there is an accumulation of black leaf-mold is 19 Us