776 



The Weekly Florists* Review. 



APRIL 



1S9S. 



often observe, especially among fruit 

 trees, that we have one year fruit, the 

 next year growth, when we have fruit 

 we have no growth, when we have 

 growth we have no fruit; growth re- 

 suscitates life, fruiting spends it. 



Science teaches us that in both the 

 animal and vegetable worlds, repro- 

 duction requires of its host the high- 

 est elements they contain, using up 

 their most costly products — phos- 

 phates, nitrates and albuminoids. Here 

 nature teaches us a lesson which we 

 very seldom heed, we hear it often 

 said: "Last year was the apple year, 

 this year it would be unreasonable to 

 loolv for any." We heed the saying — 

 rather than nature. Others again be- 

 lieve that an over crop of fruit is sure 

 to kill any tree, so after the fruit is set 

 and partly developed, they forthwith 

 commence to thin it out. "A half loaf 

 is better than no bread." But if trees 

 are expected to live and flourish every 

 year, if we expect to gather quality of 

 fruit, nature says, "Thin out the flow- 

 ers," by doing so we save a large 

 amount of energy, and we also give to 

 the flowers that are left, a much better 

 chance to develop and fertilize. In cut 

 flowers such as chrysanthemums, car- 

 nations, roses, etc., we fully realize 

 the value of this, we assist nature, but 

 we seem to forget the teachings of na- 

 ture altogether in fruit trees. 



Another instance in this line is the 

 securing of the hay crop. Just before 

 the hay is cut we often see on bright 

 days, clouds of pollen flying in all di- 

 rections. I sometimes wonder if it 

 could be possible to form an estimate 

 of how much is annually wasted in 

 this way. The soil has yielded its best 

 elements, the hay has lost its finest 

 flavor, and the roots are debilitated in 

 consequence. 



Roots. 



We might next consider briefly one 

 or two things connected with roots. 

 Roots of course have several func- 

 tions such as fixing, absorbing and 

 storing. They absorb all the food the 

 plants require for building up new tis- 

 sue — with the exception of gas. All 

 the food is absorbed in liquid form, and 

 is accomplished by the young growing 

 roots or root fibrils. The roots in their 

 disposition are very unlike stem and 

 branches; while the branches are sym- 

 metrical the roots are asymmetrical, 

 they are to be found in the largest 

 number wherever the greatest in- 

 fluence is. In this they have a sense 

 of discrimination; they twist them- 

 selves round any piece of charcoal, or 

 bone, or other attractive substances. 

 They are attracted by their influence, 

 and of course the lesson would be to 

 have the soils and manures well mixed, 

 that the roots may be as symmetrical 

 as possible, occupying to the full, the 

 soil in which they ramble. Besides 

 the presence of certain mineral con- 

 stituents in the soil, there are other 

 conditions required for the healthy 

 growth of roots, the principal condi- 

 tion being free access of oxygen. Not 



only is oxygen required for the decay 

 of the different organic substances in 

 the soil and preparing them tor ab- 

 sorption with the water, but all heal- 

 thy roots require it to sustain the old 

 and develop new cells. The soil should 

 always be in a condition to admit air 

 freely, not only from the top, but pots 

 should always have air space below. 

 In the cultivation of fruit trees and 

 vegetables this is also useful, and the 

 knowledge has been instrumental in 

 doing away with the old fashioned ob- 

 noxious system of planting roots deep 

 in the soil. I can remember some of 

 our old gardeners planting trees 1% 

 feet deep. This knowledge has led 

 men to be more rational, and 6 inches 

 -is usually the depth we find trees 

 planted now. The old men were 

 frightened for their trees being blown 

 over, while we assist them with a 

 stake. This surface rooting is much 

 more observable in some trees than in 

 others. 



In the vegetable garden we do not 

 cultivate continually to keep down 

 plants that are not wanted, but rather 

 that the surface may be kept open for 

 the access of oxygen. This cultiva- 

 tion also serves another purpose. In 

 dry weather we often find a hard crust 

 on the surface of the ground. This is 

 caused by the deposition of saltpetre 

 and other salts. In dry weather eva- 

 poration is excessive, the moisture in 

 the ground gets worked up, and sinks 

 lower and lower till it reaches the per- 

 manent water level. Capillary tubes 

 are formed and the water from the 

 permanent water level is brought up 

 with the salts in solution, the water is 

 evaporated, and the salts are left, thus 

 forming the crust. By hoeing (or cul- 

 tivating) this crust is broken up, the 

 capillary tubes are cut and the much 

 needed moisture is left in the soil to 

 nourish the roots. 



These are well known principles yet 

 I served under a gardener who held 

 a good position, and he would not al- 

 low us to hoe amongst the vegetables 

 in dry weather, for fear we would 

 loosen the ground too much and let 

 in the drought. 



Leaves. 



One could say a great deal about the 

 form, structure and function of the 

 leaf — but time will not permit. Leaves 

 are literally the lungs of plants. They 

 must have a supply of sunlight and 

 they must be green; this green sub- 

 stance (chlorophyll) is formed only in 

 the presence of light (an exception be- 

 ing' in fern where a certain degree of 

 heat is suflicient) and gas is only lib- 

 erated under its influence. The gas 

 of the atmosphere enters the leaf by 

 means of small opening stomata, it is 

 there decomposed, its oxygen is re- 

 stored to the atmosphere, while t'le 

 carbon is chemically united with the 

 water and other mineral substances 

 (from the roots) to build up new and 

 organic compounds. 



Plants also carry on a process of res- 

 piration, this goes on continually, ir- 



respective of the presence or absence 

 of light, but during the day-time the 

 feeding by the decomposition of gas 

 and assimilation is so greatly in ex- 

 cess of the respiratory act, that it com- 

 pletely overshadows it; during the 

 night no assimilation is taking place, 

 so the taking in of oxygen and giv- 

 ing off of carbon is more easily per- 

 ceived. 



It is owing to this process of respi- 

 ration that the atmosphere of our 

 greenhouses is always so heavy and 

 dense in the mornings, and it is be- 

 cause of this that medical men tell us 

 never to have many plants in our bed- 

 rooms. 



Botanists do not readily go in for 

 freaks in nature and they tell us that 

 a leaf is not a leaf at all unless it be 

 a green one; economically this is true, 

 for it is only the green part of the leaf 

 that is of any use to the plant; this is 



I why cuttings of variegated plants are 

 difficult to root, and why variegated 



I plants are generally delicate. 



Classification. 



We might now consider very brief- 

 ly classification. The system of class- 

 ification as devised by Jussieu is every- 

 where recognized at the present day; 

 unlike Linnaeus he takes into consid- 

 eration the whole organization of the 

 plant With its properties and habits. 

 The principal thing needed in classi- 

 fication is a thorough knowledge of 

 structure and an acquaintance with the 

 general outlines of the different or- 

 ders. A gardener with a thorough 

 knowledge of classification is seldom 

 at a loss to find out the name of a' spe- 

 cies or variety, provided he has good 

 works for reference. 



Besides the advantages which classi- 

 fication gives in finding the names of 

 species and varieties, it also helps us 

 largely in cultivation. Take for ex- 

 ample the relationship of any of our 

 orders, say the ericarae. Not only is 

 there a similarity in external appear- 

 ance but with very little exception the 

 habits of life are the same. They all 

 find themselves more or less at home 

 in a soil mostly composed of peat or 

 leaf mould and while they detest a 

 sour soil, yet they love to be kept 

 damper at the roots than the general 

 run of plants; their roots being hard 

 and fine, they naturally require this. 

 They also have a characteristic aver- 

 sion to lime. I served at one time 

 under a famed heath and azalea g ower 

 and he would use nothing but rain wa- 

 ter in watering his plants (the local- 

 ity was one in which lime abounded); 

 some were apt to call him eccentric, 

 but his results proved that there was 

 method in his eccentricities. 



On the other hand if we take the or- 

 der leguminosae, we find them quite 

 the opposite, they more or less abound 

 where lime is to be found. The Irish 

 shamrock being an example of this — 

 the country is rich in limestone. 



The solanums again are more or less 

 fond of carbonaceous matter. Cruci- 

 ferae use up lots of potash and so on. 



