Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-03-15
HORTICULTURE.
Two Splendid Articles Read Before the
Horticultural Meeting on
Saturday.


"horticulture" is derived from two
Latin words: hortus, garden and cul-
tura, culture. Hence we have garden
culture, or, the art of cultivating gar
dens.
But what is garden? Webster de-
fines it to be, "a place for the cultiva-
ton of fruits, flowers. or vegetables"
We understand horticulture then
to be the art of growing fruits, flowers,
and vegetables.
While each of these departments of
fruits, flowers, or vegetables. require
J in certain particulars, different meth
DDS of cultivation and care there are
some general principles which apply
alike to all, and which we desire to
briefly consider.
/. The first prerequisite to success
is GOOD SOIL. By good soil we mean
soil in which there is an abundance of
the elements necessary to plant
growth, and those elements in such
condition that they can be readily
taken up by the feeding roots of the
plants and carried through the cir
4 culation to build up the plant tissue,
and develop the fruit.
A plant, whether of fruit, or vege-
table, or flower, cannot grow without
an abundance ofproper food any more
than can pig, a calf, or a child
There are many elements required ia
plant growth and the most of them
are found in sufficient quantities in
nearly all soils; but the three principal
elements, and those which need to be
furnished in abundance are nitrogen,
potash, and phosphorus. There is an
abundance of the first in the air but it
is no more accessible to most plant
growth than the NOW of good hay to
the growth of the COW that is tied just
beyond the reach of it. Glover, peas
and other legumincus plants will eX-
tract the nitrogen from the air and
store it in their roots in the soil where
it can be used by other plants after the
decay of the roots in which it is stored.
Potash is obtained cheaply i'm wood
ashes and these should he freely used
in the garden. Ground bone yields
a large per cent of phosphorus which
is used largely by the plant in the
growth of the SEED, and not in the
structure of the plant, hence with the
exception of the continued cropping of
certain fruits it may not be necessary
for Iowa hOrticuturists to supply more
of this element than will be obtained
from liberal supply of stable manure,
which contains all these elements,
nitrogen predominating, but where a
liberal supply of grain has been fed
potash and phosphorus are found in
considerable quantities. This should
be used unsparinglv in preparing the
garden soil. Extra care, however,
should be used in thoroughly mixing
the manure with the soil. An over
feed of meal has killed many an ami
NAL, whereas If the meal had been
mixed with hay they would have eat
en- only what would be beneficial, so,
many tender plants have been made
sick. stunted and killed outright by
having their feeding roots come in con-
tact with large lump of rich manure
This brings us to the second division
of our subject viz:
2. The preparation of the soil.
After liberal coating of fine manure
the soil should be thoroughly worked
and PULvERIzED to depth of at least
nine inches, and deeper would be bet
ter. / would suggest that it be plowed
first about four or five inches deep and
then with disc, or other cultivator
that 1t be THOROUGHLY CULTIVATED,
going over it four or five times with
the cultivalor and the same number of
times with drag with sharp and
long teeth, thus mixing the manure
with the soil. Then pillow again deep
er than before and repeat the operat-
ion with cultivator and drag until
there isn't hard lump in the soil. 1t
will pay to be thorough here. This
process not only pulverizes the soil but
it airates 1t and the oxygen of the air
unlocks the food for the use of the
young and tender rootss
8. Good seed, or plants. Care
should be taken to get first-class plants
or seeds that are adapted to this lati-
tude and climate. Don't depend on
transient peddlers who have no re-
putation at stake; but patronize home
and well established nurseries and
seedmen whose interest it is to fur
nish the best i'm their line.
4. CULTIVATION. Cultivation should
begin, with few exceptions immediate
ly after planting. 1t should be shall
low and with a cultivator with small
teeth that will keep the soil fine and
loose. 1t should be frequent and con-
tinuous. With a constant blanket of
two inches ofdry, loose surface soil, we
may almost defy the hot sun and wind
to dry the. soil beneath so as to ma
terialiy injure the growth Of the
plants. A rich soil, properly prepared.