March 4, 1875. ) 



JOUENAL OP HORTIODLTGEE AND COTTAGE GAUDENER. 



170 



I have Baid uotbing about coDsumption of gas, but now I 

 will say a few words on that point. I cannot give tbe quantity 

 this one boiler has consumed for this reason. Tbe first boiler 

 I had made on this principle was very small^only 10 inches 

 in diameter, overcaee and all, and which was to heat a forcing 

 pit ; and so marvellously did it answer that I had the larger 

 size made for the greenhouse precisely on the same plan. I 

 have kept the gas burning constantly under both these boilers 

 since the 10th of November, 1874, to the 18th of January, 

 1875 ; and the meter shows that they have consumed between 

 them 2fi,800 feet of gas at 4s. 3d. per'lOOO— £5 Vis. lOd. worth, 

 or at a cost of Is. 7jd. a-day — a price I should have to pay a 

 man to look after a tire, besides finding the coal. I have two 

 burners under my largest boiler, a small one and a large one ; 

 the former I sha'l use when the weather is mild and I want 

 but little heat, and the latter when the weather is frosty. 



I shall be glad to answer any inquiries through your valuable 

 paper, or show my little wonders (for such I consider them) to 

 anyone of your subscribers who would like to see them. — J. W. 



NOTES EELATIVE TO THE POTATO. 



In the Journal of February 25th, pages 157-8, Mr. E. Luck- 

 hurst gives some notes under the above heading, and as overy- 

 Ihiiig relating to the growth of the Potato must be interesting, 

 especially now when we are thinking of planting our 1875 

 crops, I beg to dissent from some of Mr. Luckhurst's premises. 

 After quoting from Allison to show that greater blight existed 

 on rich soils than on poor ones, the writer says, " In giving 

 this quotation from Allison I do not, of course, intend to infer 

 that a poor soil is at all preferable to a rich one for Potato cul- 

 ture ; that would be simply absurd." 



Here I beg to differ from Mr. Luckhurst, and as one ounce 

 of practice is worth a ton of theory I should like to ask him 

 how he accoimts for the fact that in the district of Lonsdale 

 North of the Sands, North Lancashire, which is surrounded 

 by a tidal bay, close to the lakes, and where the rainfall is the 

 greatest in England, the Potato crop is the soundest in the 

 United Kingdom ! Here we attribute it, rightly or wrongly, to 

 the nature of the soil, our Potatoes being mostly grown on 

 poor sandy lands, and chiefly with nearly dry farmyard manure. 

 Our farmers hold that the lighter the manure the sounder 

 the crop. For many years the staple sort was the Fluke ; but 

 in process of time this variety became worn out by disease, 

 and we are now almost wholly growing Scurries. Last year's 

 crop was the largest and least affected with disease of any we 

 have had for the last twenty years, as is instanced by the fact 

 that good , sound , wholesome Potatoes are selling in our markets 

 at (id. per stone of 14 lbs. 



My own opinion has long been that rich soils and rich 

 manures are the greatest friends to the Potato blight, and in 

 support of this I may instance the experiments made by a 

 friend in a garden, who has also held the above opinion. Year 

 after year he has planted with the smallest possible modicum 

 of light dry manure, taking care to select his seed from Potatoes 

 grown on poor sandy soils, and has constantly taken up prolific 

 sound crops, though the tubers themselves are not so large as 

 those of his neighbours. At the same time the latter, their 

 gardens adjoining his, and the soil of precisely the same 

 nature, have been planting with the richest manures they 

 could procure. The result has been that their crops are 

 invariably diseased, some years so much so as not to be worth 

 lifting. 



I do not profess to treat of the Potato blight on scientific 

 grounds, but experience confirms me in the belief that much 

 of the disease is due to our behaving too well to this useful 

 root. We have pampered it with overfeeding until we have 

 rendered it delicate and liable to decay. 



If anyone wishes to test the truth of my observations, let 

 them take the top off a few rods of old grass land, procure 

 some hardy sound seed Potatoes, and plant them entirely 

 without manure, and I will guarantee a good crop free from 

 disease, and of the finest flavour. If the seed be the remnant 

 of the previous year's diseased crop, of course the trial would 

 not be a fair one. We cannot reasonably look for sound crops 

 from diseased seed, for in this way the disease is mainly pro- 

 pagated. 



I have said that the 1874 crop of Potatoes has been the 

 heaviest and most free from disease of any that we have had 

 for many years ; and lest any of your readers should fancy that 

 we have had an exceptionally dry year, I may say that our 

 rainfall in 1874 was 54.45 inches, and that rain fell on 207 



days. In May we had 1.8.3 inch ; June, 1.08 inch ; July, 

 2.86 inches ; August, 0.32 inches. 



The general impression seems to be that the Potato disease 

 is due to atmospheric causes. To this I would reply. Is cur 

 atmosphere changed from what it was prior to 1845? Were 

 rot the same causes in operation prior to that year as now? 

 This theory is accepted simply because it takes the matter 

 out of our hands. It is a non-preventible cause, and takes 

 from our shoulders the responsibility of providing a remedy. 

 My impression is, that although the remedy is a difiicult one, 

 yet we have a remedy. 



To the introduction and general use of artificial and rich 

 manures the disease is due. Year by year we have weakened 

 the constitution of the Potato by over-indulgence in good living, 

 and as it has taken somethinglike thirty years before the etlcte 

 invalid has reached the full state of corruption, so it will take 

 many years of united — and to be effective it must be united — 

 retrogression to bring it back to its original state of hardihood 

 and health. — Beta. 



MEALY BUG. 

 Though we often hear of plans for getting rid of this horrible 

 insect, I should from observation very much doubt if it ever 

 is entirely eradicated from any collection of plants on which it 

 has once been established in any force. Where from previous 

 neglect it has once gained a firm footing, it appears to require 

 ciinstant care and labour to keep it down, but I much ques- 

 tion if it ever is quite got rid of so as not to appear again. 

 Can any of your readers say if such is the case to their know- 

 ledge ? I cannot help thinking that in new houses it would be 

 far better if people would take care to avoid its introduction 

 than inquire how best to combat it. It is now nearly thirty 

 years since I made up my mind never to grow mealy bug what- 

 evtr else I grew, and having as much glass as most persons in 

 the nursery business. Icon say what everyone cannot say — that 

 I never have grown it. Knowing how impossible it would be 

 to prevent its introduction, I gave strict orders that any bought- 

 in plant should be carefully examined, and for a time kept as 

 much as possible by itself, and that if any trace of mealy bug 

 was seen on it, it should be at once burnt whatever its value. 

 Few years have passed without a plant or plants being burnt, 

 but the whole value of such plants has been very small, whilst 

 if this pest had once been established in my houses it would 

 have taken the labour of an extra man or two to keep the 

 plsnts clean. Now it is a great pleasure to enttr a house 

 100 feet by 80, where almost evtiy pillar has Stephanotis 

 growing up it, and say you will find no mealy bug anywhere 

 here. Prevention in this case is better than tuie. — J. E. 

 Peaeson, Chilu-cH. 



CULTUEE OF THE HYACINTH IN GLASSES. 



Eeikg desirous of assisting, however limited may my power 

 of doing so be, I beg to tender a few remarks, quite as much 

 to solicit as to furnish information. It is not to be wondered 

 at that so much uncertainty should exist by the culture of 

 Hyacinths in glasses. Many are the inquiries from ladies why 

 the Hyacinth so often fails. The atmosphere of the hall and 

 room is so variable — sometimes close and stifling, often subject 

 to draught, and always much drier than plant houses; these 

 conditions and neglecting to change the water are the chief 

 sources of Hyacinth failures. 



The Hyacinth glasses are so well known that I need not 

 describe them, but 1 may just mention that in selecting glasses 

 always choose coloured ones and with the lower part the widest, 

 to allow the roots to have plenty of room. The glass ought 

 to be at least 9 inches long, with a cup at the top to contain 

 the bulb ; they should be filled with clean soft water just up 

 to the neck, but not to touch the bulb. 



The time to do this depends upon the wishes and wants of 

 the culti^ ator. If desired early they should be put into the 

 glasses as soon aa the bulbs arrive from Holland. When 

 they are so placed, and at whatever time, they should be put 

 into a dark cold room for twenty to twenty-five days to cause 

 the root to be formed previously to the bloom bud appearing. 

 Examine them occasionally and remove gently any scales that 

 may be decaying, but be very careful not to injure the young 

 roots, which will soon be seen brealving through the skin at 

 the base of the bulbs. One drop of spirits of hartshorn put 

 to the water of each glass, changing the water every week and 

 adding the same small quantity of the hartshorn, is bene- 

 ficial. They should be brought into full light of the window, 



