GUERNSEY LILY. 



237 



GUMMING. 



droppings of sea-birds, dried and pulverised 

 by the heat of the sunj is an important 

 manure, which is collected in small islands 

 on the coast of Peru and some other parts 

 of the world, and imported in large quan- 

 tities into the United Kingdom. Its weight 

 per bushel is about 70 Ib. ; if heavier than 

 this, the additional weight per bushel would 

 tend to show that it has been subjected to 

 adulteration. By analysis it has been found 

 that very nearly one-half consists of organic 

 matter, of which about a fifth part is 

 ammonia ; about a fourth part of the 

 entire mass is calcic phosphate, and of the re- 

 maining fourth about two-fifths are alkaliile 

 salts, a considerable part of which is phos- 

 phoric acid. There is no doubt that guano 

 affords a valuable manure, useful for all 

 purposes in the garden. It is veiy similar 

 in its constituents, and the relative quantities 

 of each that it contains, to farm-yard 

 manure, but being more highly concentrated 

 and therefore less in bulk, and differing 

 from the latter in being dry instead of wet, 

 it is more handy for use in small gardens, 

 and therefore demands the attention of all 

 whose gardening is restricted to space and 

 operations that are alike limited in character. 



Guernsey l$y(nat,ord. AmaryUidese). 



The flower of the Guernsey Lily, or 

 Nerine sarniensis, is of a pale salmon 

 colour, and by no means so brilliant in 

 colour as many varieties of the species to 

 which it belongs. It must not, however, 

 be confounded with the Belladonna Lily, 

 another amaryllid which it greatly resem- 

 bles in form, habit, and manner of growth. 



The bulbs of these lilies arrive from 

 Guernsey early in August, with the flower- 

 Imd ready to expand, so that by the end of 

 the month they are in full bloom. Orders 

 should therefore be given early for them, 

 as they are too advanced to travel safely 

 when ordered late in September. 



Culture. Plant in moss, cocoa-fibre, or 



water, in any ornamental vase, c., and 



GUERNSEY LILY. 



they will bloom as well as if planted in the 

 richest compost. 



Gumming. 



When gumming occurs in fruit-trees, to 

 a considerable extent it is difficult to get 

 rid of it, but if the trees be only slightly 

 affected scrape the gum clear away and 

 well wash the parts of the trees from which 

 it has been removed with toft water, applied 

 with a brush. It is supposed that gumming 

 is due to too great luxuriance of soil or 

 over-manuring, and must be stopped by 

 judicious pruning of young shoots in sum- 



GUNNERA SCABKA. 



mer. Root pruning is a preventive, and it 

 has been found of advantage to lift the 

 trees and plant them in poorer soil. 



