Before I get into the discussion of organics, it would be well for me to mention the basic element of my talk - SOIL. Notice I said soil - not dirt. I shudder when someone calls this life giving commodity - dirt. I reserve the word dirt for adverse publicity relative to a person's behavior. The trees in the forest - the fish in the sea - the birds in the air - the insects in the rose garden - all forms of life owe their very existence to this stuff we call soil.

I had the matter of the importance of soil brought home to me recently. I attended a funeral and was witness to these words as the casket was being lowered: "Ashes to ashes - dust to dust." That's a sobering reminder of how important this commodity we refer to as soil is to all life on this planet.

Of all creatures on earth, man changes the form of soil most to his liking. He scratches it, hoes it, plows it, bulldozes it, and blasts it with explosives, just to change its form. But to improve its quality is another story we want to explain in detail.

Organic material in various forms has been with us since the beginning of time. There was a time when this great country could boast of abundant virgin lands which bustled with fertility. The advent of the bulldozer and other giant earth-moving machinery had not been introduced to wreak havoc on fertile fields. America was primarily an agrarian society. Crops and vegetation thrived abundantly in such an environment. It was not long until colonization brought with it careless use of land. Consequently, the rich fields became areas of substandard soil. No longer could crops thrive. Man, with his shopping centers and subdivisions had raped that which mother nature had provided for centuries. To the everlasting credit of the conservationist, America was spared total desecration of fertile fields. Ways to revitalize soil were introduced and soon the public realized that fertility must be preserved if a nation was to be fed. 

One of the principal methods of restoring the soil deals with composting. This is as Mother Nature provided. Rosarians have long practiced composting and regard this material as black gold. Our Creator has provided billions of micro-organisms which convert organics into usable fertilizer for plant life. Let's talk about this microbial activity and you will begin to know the process of feeding hungry plants.

Did you know that a square yard of fertile soil - four inches deep - has more micro- organisms and useful bacteria in it than all the people who have ever lived on earth? This giant army of living creatures are continuously at work devouring available organics and transforming them into a usable form for hungry root systems. These microscopic organisms actually digest the organics and their resultant excrements are transferred to the roots. It is nature's way of regulating the flow of food to the plants. Water and oxygen are also necessary. The oxygen is piggy-backed on the water which acts as a conduit. This bacterial activity keeps the micro-organisms alive and performing in the life cycle of the plant. For this reason, soil should be kept loose and pliable for optimum results.

As a Consulting Rosarian, I make numerous house calls. One of the major problems confronted concerns the planting mix where roses reside. We find them in chert that is absolutely void of organics. Not even an earthworm will take up residence. Fortunately, there is a remedy. This is where organics enter the picture. Simply restore nutritious elements to the soil in organic form. These materials come in various forms - manures - peat - composted leaves - ground bark - mushroom compost - to name only a few. 

Restoring soil fertility has long intrigued me. First, I experimented with Winchel's Wizard. This was a combination of three ingredients - mostly alfalfa meal. One drawback was the material required a "crusting over" delay before working into the soil. Then we tried a better product, Howard Walters' concoction called "Fragrant Formula." This was a decided improvement but contained an offensive odor in the fish meal. It, too, required a waiting period. Surely there was a more pleasant way to feed organically. Along about this time I met Clayton Beaty. Through his efforts and expertise we were able to produce "Mills Magic Rose Mix" which also contained fish meal but we quickly deodorized it. Once this was accomplished, we were off to the races in market acceptance. You know the rest of the story. It is now the number one organic food among successful rose exhibitors. Rosarians from all 50 states rely on it to win in rose shows. The American Rose Society granted its seal of endorsement after a year-long testing program. 

Another product in the Mills Magic Rose Mix family of products is Mills EasyFeed. This is a combination of chemicals and organics. It acts as a booster fertilizer that markedly accelerates the flowering process and quality of bloom. These products represent concerted effort to restore soil quality and nourish hungry plants. 

I would be remiss if I failed to mention a factor in soil composi-

tion that many people overlook. It 
is establishing the proper pH factor in the soil. No matter how many nutritious elements are added to soil, all of this action would go for naught if the pH factor is wrong. Being too acid or too alkaline locks the nutrient transfer which spells doom to the fertilizing process For roses, the soil should be slightly acid - around 6.5. A pH meter or a soil test will determine this and is highly recommended to be performed annually. It is simply a guess to do otherwise. Sometimes you can be lucky - but a soil test makes it a surety.

Remember - soil is the stuff that makes life. Keep the soil fed and it will feed your plants. Your reward - healthy plants and seeing your roses enjoy blue-ribbon quality.