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GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



acted practically in a similar manner, although the action 

 of the oxide is in some respects more rapid. Since that 

 was written, however. Dr. Hutchinson has shown that so 

 far as the soil population is concerned there is a funda- 

 mental difference between the two. inasmuch that quick 

 lime acts as a partial sterilizing agent causing a decrease 

 in the numbers of the harmful soil organisms, and fol- 

 lowing upon this a marked increase in the numbers of the 

 beneficial ones in a degree much greater than results from 

 the application of lims in the form of carbonate. We 

 have previously mentioned in these columns that the 

 harmful bacteria, being larger, are much more easily 

 killed than the good ones and that it is therefore possible 

 to use certain methods of partial sterilization which will 

 not kill the more minute soil iiopulation that are of value 

 to the plant. 



Another partial sterilizing agent is frost, and this is 

 one of the reasons why the turning up of the soil in late 

 autumn does so much good, because in this way a greater 

 part of the soil is exposed to freezing influence. Still 

 another advantage gained by this practice is that, as the 

 soil population reside for the most part near the surface, 

 when ground is spaded or plowed in the spring just be- 

 fore the seed is sown, we bring up that portion of the 

 soil which has the few'est bacteria and until this new sur- 

 face becomes populated the young plants do not grow so 

 freely, besides the additional fact that soil turned ovei 

 before winter works much better in the spring and is 

 mechanically better for quick germination. 



^■Kol'I:RI.^• proportion i-:d pl.wt food.s. 



Another interesting question has recently been opened 

 up in relation to plant food — and a bacterium is just as 

 much a plant as a cabbage — which it seems worth while 

 to glance at. 



It has been for some time known, in connection with 

 animals, that a properly proportioned mixture of pure 

 protein, carbohydrates, fats and mineral substances do 

 not constitute a perfect diet ; the animal may keep alive, 

 but it makes little or no growth, it fact it may develop 

 diseases like beri-beri unless some organic food which 

 appears to contain some unknown ''accessory substance," 

 such as milk, eggs and raw vegetables, are supplied, and 

 in the case of those human animals whose diet consists 

 mainly of rice the substance appears to be found in the 

 husk of the grain which when eaten entire the disease 

 known as beri-beri is prevented. To this accessary sub- 

 stance the name \'itamine has been given. 



There does not appear to be anything far fetched in 

 drawing an analogy in this connection between plants 

 and animals. In fact the necessity for some unknown 

 substance to the growth of plants has been proved in the 

 laboratory by Maze, who found that while plants made 

 some growth in pure water-culture when supplied with 

 all the mineral salts that their chemical composition 

 showed was necessary, yet nearly ten times as much 

 growth was made when supplied with spring water. Al- 

 though an analysis of the spring water gave nothing that 

 the plants were not already receiving, yet there is no 

 doubt that this water did contain something vital to the 

 ])lants' well-being. 



There is another point which .appears to have a bearing 

 upon this question. 



Practical men have for the most part always been of 

 the opinion that stable manure, ground bones, and other 

 fertilizers of an organic nature are of greater value to 

 the plant than chemical or inorganic fertilizers contain- 

 ing the same amount of plant food. Experiments in the 

 field have proved that soil upon which nothing else but 

 inorganic fertilizers are used becomes after a few years 

 pr;icticallv sterile. Therefore it seems clear that plants 



require a mixed diet, and that their food must contain 

 some "accessory substances," call them Vitamines or 

 anything else, in the same way that such are required by 

 animals. 



IMPORTANT POINTS TO BEAR IN MIND. 



Exigencies of space require us to leave our subject, 

 which we do with reluctance knowing that in this article 

 merely the surface has been scratched, but we hope that 

 enough has been stated to show in some degree why the 

 following points connected with handling the soil should 

 be kept prominently in mind : 



Where there is insufficient natural drainage, such 

 should be supplied. 



Deep and thorough plowing or spading, to be carried 

 out in late fall as far as possible. 



Manure with organic fertilizers rather than with in- 

 organic. 



Keep ground between plants continually and thor- 

 oughly cultivated for the purpose of aerating the soil and 

 supjilying oxygen, and conserving moisture. 



^Maintain a supply of humus and nitrogen by turning 

 under green crops containing a large proportion of 

 leguminous plants. 



Sow cover crops early in the autumn for preventing 

 the unused plant food, especially nitrates, left over by 

 the crops, being lost. 



Use lime regularly in small f|uantities at a time. 



It must l>e remembered that there are no short cuts to. 

 fertilitv. Science does not promise any way of getting 

 round the old injunction "in the sweat of thy face shalt 

 thou eat bread." What science has done, and is doing, 

 is to dignify the gardener's and the farmer's calling by 

 revealing" something of the romantic wonders and beau- 

 ties of the principles involved; it shows how their labor 

 may be better directed as their konwledge of the pro- 

 cesses of Nature become fuller and more enlarged. 



True Cooperation 



\\'hat is it to lo\e one's neighbor as one's self? Why, 

 to wish him equal . . . ad\-antages, and character, 

 and to do what is possil)le to help him secure them. 

 But it takes time to liuild a man. much more time than 

 to build a house, or a busines, as a rule. Wealth alone 

 makes neither superiority, equality, nor inferiority ; 

 neither character nor happiness. To pauperize one's 

 neighbor by merely presenting him with the fruits of 

 another's careful thought and hard work is not to love 

 him as one's self. To put him in a position where he 

 can claim what he has no fitness to do, or be, or have, 

 is not to love him truly. To encourage him to magnify 

 the material, as compared with the intellectual and 

 spiritual, is not Christian love. "Cooperation" is in- 

 deed a Christian ideal; but such cooperation should be 

 genuine, hearty, not merely technical, — not an en- 

 forced, but a \oluntary cooperation, — if it is to bear 

 good fruit. K. P. Harrington. 



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DO you find the columns of the Garden- | 



ERS' Chronicle interesting? Car- I 



I tainly you do, or you would not be perusing | 



I them. Your gardening neighbor, were he j 



I familiar with them, would become equally | 



I interested. Why not recommend the Gar- j 



I DENERs' Chronicle to him as a guide to | 



I his garden work? He would appreciate it 1 



I — and so would we. | 

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