The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-07-09
Plsnt Culture IN Moss.

4 novel feature. and one that atir.scs-
ed some attention ~ the recent Recent :
Park show, was some baskets q plants
said 10 have teen grown IN prepares
moss sni entirely without soil Theex-
hibltor WAS CAPTAIN HSlfor,i Thomson.
who claims 70 have discovered = new
method q thus growing plants, Some
time ago Frenchmal u the name Il
Du1le>nll ssaIenfe6 3 kind q ier1ilSEizss
moss icT tie purpose 0S growing paansS
without soil With ms production q
NJ DlsgaeSElli, Captain Thompson S1steS
that be made several Experiments which
resulted II his Considering 4 Os,ea q
serious objections S11G WAS TT No means
certain n rs results These EleleczS
CAPTAIN Ileulnr,So1 hSS tI2sssavuTa5 u
TgLllezsy Il : lSN -esSSESsl55sn y 81 which
he has experimental an 3sy means n
which lse states he ysrlsIaEszt-l sl1e 1l,xg.l5-
AM TalsE1> which Il exhibited "a Wed
nessay. Having 5ozal HAT II Is1l-les-
nj : NUS ! Was quite possible Il --rslE
plants without s05l- II ~ 81 @@srS ID
prepare . 1eTtilizing s115sS1z-lca which
would enable plants % is g0eWn II Il
+ without the precautions Necessary II Is
| ing DumesHll : moss, and he thinks that
he has heen perfectly successful IN his
i endeavoTS-
1 He states that plants Ia sllI bloom
can be taken out OF the ground or cut Of
pots, and after ali the earth has been
carefully washed of, planted in moss
which has been previously prepared
with fertilizing fibre. They never even
flag, but grow more luXuriantly than in
soil" The plants shown by Captain
Thompson fully bore out his statement,
for it would be difficult to imagine more
luXuriant plants than those he showed.
They consisted OF tuberoses, begOniaS.
yarigated Wits, gardenias, fuchsias, ira
deScantias, and others. All were furn-
ished with healthy foliage, and were for
the most part carrying flowers. The adj
vantages OF this method are stated By
the inventor 10 be twO-fold: first, the
extreme lightness of number of plants
when grown together in one basket an
other is the portability, an advantage
which renders plants grown in this way
particularly suitable for the embellish-
ment OF rooms and windows No doubt
to those who live in towns, where pot
ting soil Is not easily procured, this moss
would be special boon, on account OF
its lightness, portability, and cleanliness
but in the country, where mould is read
lily obtained, it would probably be less
trouble to grow plants in the usual way,
and we presume that Captain Thomp-
sons invention commends itself to towns
people. In small pamphlet the meth
cd Of applying this moss is explained as
follows:
Take the plants you wish to put into
the basket, carefully wash off all earth
from the roots with tepid water, taking
care not to injure the roots in doing so
then plant them III the ordinary way in
the mess, which should be previously
well wetted if possible, keep the basket
III warm place free from drought for
three or four days. The plants can. if
! wished, be transplanted from earth when
il 1ull bloom; they will not feel the
check. After two months the upper LAYER
OF moss should be removed. and SINH
lar quantity Of my moss put in its place.
II selaginella is grown on the surface OF
the moss las in some Of the baskets
shown before the Botanical Society it
should be carefully removed first and re-
placed after the moss has been changed.
The baskets do not require watering Of
tener than plants grown in earth do. The
weight OF the baskets will show if they
want water. THE G0lden.