i888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



15 



there is 110 essential difference between fertilizer 

 as plant food, and manure as plant food, except 

 in the matter of application. If you dry some 

 horse manure, fine it up and take a microscope 

 to look at it, you will see nothing? but bits of 

 ^rass in (greater or less deforce of fineness ; all 

 there is in the manure, of phosphoric acid and 

 ammonia and potash must be, in a liquid stutc, 

 sucked up by these little bits of grass. We know 

 that there is one-half of one per cent of pota,sh 

 and phosphoric acid and nitiogcn in barn ma- 

 nure. This is a very small per cent., and this 

 shows that the ofBce of the vegetable wa.ste is to 

 jfive bulk to the manure, and to hohl tttgether 

 the potash and phosphoric acid and nitrogen 

 there is in it. We want to have a conceutrateil 

 form that the plants can take up readily. 



Manure and Fertilizer. I want to make this 

 comparison. You may take a steer and feed 

 him on grass and meal, and that all goes to make 

 his growth, take the manure from that steer, and 

 put it on your land. But if the st*.'er dies, take 

 him t^> the fertilizer manufacturer and have him 

 made up into fertilizers. All that you get from 

 him was in the gniss and meal that he ate ; so all 

 there is in the manure comes from the gi'a.ss and 

 meal; they are the same thing, only that from 

 the animal is concentrated, and easily handU;d. 



Market Gardening. 



Continued from page 271.1 



If to be composted with alkaline .sub- 

 stances, the compost may be used after 

 being exposed one winter, but with barn 

 yard manure, night soil or animal matters, 

 the longer time is better. 



Animal manures used in the fresh state should 

 be immediately mixed with the soil, but most 

 vegetation does better if the manure is com- 

 posted and fermented before using. In animal 

 manures decomposition must be prevented, the 

 valuable portion preserved from dissipation in 

 the air; that it may ferment heat must generate, 

 and its moisture be retained, while an under 

 layer of absorbent substance should be placed 

 to retain itfi soluble parts, and as fast as thrown 

 from the stable it should be covered with muck 

 to retain the ammonia. Hoi-se manure, especi- 

 ally, begins to heat and lose amm()nia almost 

 immediately, and, having the solid and liipiid e.v- 

 crements mixed together is particularly rich in 

 nitrogen and the phosphates. Peruvian Guano 

 is a manure of this class. It is the dung of birds 

 that feed upon fish entirely, hence the manure is 

 rich in nitrogen, and in a fresh state should not 

 come in contact with seeds or roots. Bone man- 

 ure is prepared by the use of sulphuric acid or 

 pulverizing by grinding, forming one of the 

 most valuable manures, in which are united the 

 most desirable organic and inoi-ganic manures. 



Refuse Hops of the breweries are also valuable 

 for the garden, not only as a fertilizer, but as a 

 pulverizer of the soil, a top dressing to hold 

 moisture, a protection from frosts in winter, a 

 generator of heat for hot-beds, and when thor- 

 oughly decomposed, as a covering for delicate; 

 seeds, and I make it a point to incorporate de- 

 composed Hops largely in the soil forearly plants 

 in the forcing house, t^f saline manures, the 

 most valuable is ashes. Potash is one of the 

 elements drawn largely from the soil, and iishes 

 contains besides potash, many elements condu- 

 cive to growth, and may be applied directly, or 

 comp<)Sted with (jther matter. 



Tools. The garden roller may be of two cast 

 iron sections, eighteen or twent.v inches in diam- 

 eter, with an iron handle. Weights may be at- 

 tached to make it heavier. It may also be con- 

 structed of wood. The hand Ireetle is a substi- 

 tute for the roller on very small plots of ground. 

 It is a hard wood plank two or three inches thick, 

 fifteen to eighteen inches long, ten inches wide, 

 with a handle inserted in the centre. 



Drill markers are made of wood, and the teeth 

 placed at a greater or less distance, as the differ- 

 ent varieties of seed re(iuire to be sown. 



For digging purposes, I prefer the digging fork 

 to the spade; its prongs enter the soil more easily 

 than the broad blade of a spade, and by striking 

 the mass as turned over by the fork, it is pulver- 

 ized better, but in many operations the spade 

 and shovel are indispensable. The pronged hoe 

 and steel rake are also essential ; lately I have 

 used the steel rake to do all my first stirring be- 

 tween the rows of Onions, Beets, Carrots, etc. 

 The triangular hoe is of some merit, being poss- 

 essed of sharp corners for the roots. The dibble 

 is used in transplanting all kinds of Tilants that 

 readily succeed when moved. The seed drill is 



one of the labor saving implements, and no gar- 

 dener can afford to be without it. 



Botation. The same crops cannot he grown 

 year after year upon the same soil, without re- 

 cbicing its pnjductivcness. Hence as dillerent 

 plants reipiire different substances to perfect 

 their growth to maturity, the rotation of crops 

 is an important matter to the gardener, lus in a 

 judicious rotjition every element in the soil is 

 taken up by the different crops. However fer- 

 tile the soil may be. a succession of exhausting 

 crops should not be grown upon the same land, 

 especially as it renders them more liable to the 

 attacks of their particular enemies. Many in- 

 sects injurious to vegetation, deposit their eggs 

 in the soil beneath the plants which they have 

 infested, that their young may come forth to 

 commit their ravages upon the succeeding croi)s, 

 but if this is changed to a distant locality, they 

 may perish for want of proper food, and so also 

 of the seeds or spores of dises^ses in the soil. 



Perpendicular or tap-rooted plants, with but 

 few side roots, receive most of their sustenance 

 from considerable depth ; horizontal rooted 

 plants find their food near the surface. Various 

 plants by means of their roots act differently; 

 thus, fibrous surface roots break up and lighten 

 the surface soil, whilst the roots of Clover and 

 the likc-rootcil plants have a similar effect upon 

 a ileeper iiortion. The most exhausting crops 

 are those in general which perfect their seeds, 

 as they draw from the soil more largely of its 

 ammonia, phosphates, etc., than that required 

 in the growth of all othei portions of the plant. 



To obtain the highest results, there must not 

 only be a general rotation, but sub-successions 

 each year as main crops are remo\'ed. It is not 

 always necessary to wait until the first crop 

 occupying the ground is removed before another 

 is put in, a garden well warmed and cultivated 

 with these second crops, will produce a surprising 

 amoinit of vegetables. The same surface only 

 needs to be hoed, manured, and kept free from 

 weeds, as if it produced but one crop, though 

 somewhat more is requix'ed, but nothing like the 

 amoimt needed to produce the same amount of 

 crops separately. 



Culture of the Chinese Primula. 



[Abstract of a paper read before the Birminffhnm, 

 Eng, Gardeners^ Sooiety, by Mr. Horton.] 



Allusion was first made to its first intro- 

 duction from Canton, in l.SOO, by Capt. 

 Kowe, who fonnd it as a cultivated plant 

 in China, and to its being figured in the 

 Botanical Register in 1831 ; at which time 

 several varieties mtist have been cultivated. 



It Ls not necessary to particularize the ctTorts 

 which have, by hybridization and selection, 

 enabled us to euli\en the dullest and most sun- 

 less period of the year, with innumerable varie- 

 ties of this beautiful plant. 



Seed Sowing. Sow the seed in new, or at least 

 clean pots or pans, with )ilenty of drainage, 

 under a layer of sphagnum, in a soil consisting of 

 three-jnirts thoroughly decomposed cow manure, 

 which has been well baked to destroy any insect 

 life, and one part of sifted cocoanut fibre, cover- 

 ing seed with paper; plunge the pots to the rim 

 in a bottom heat of from 65° to 70°; as the seed 

 vegetates remove the paper. For pricking off 

 four to five in a pot, the compost should consist 

 of one i)art turfy loam, one part leaf-mould, one 

 part silver sand, adding a little well-decomposed 

 cow dung, the whole being made fine. 



For the final potting, use the following com- 

 post ; turfy loam, one bushel ; leaf -mould, half- 

 bushel; marl, which has been exposed to the 

 frost and air, one-third bushel; coai-se gritty sand 

 one-third bushel, a six-inch potfull of commer- 

 cial fertilizer, and the same quantity of powdered 

 oyster shells; also a five-inch potfull each of 

 soot and lime, and to these ingredients a nine- 

 inch potfull of roughly broken charcoal, well 

 int*.'r-mixing the whole. 



To have go(Kl plants in bloom in seven or 

 eight-inch pots in November, seed should be 

 sown not later than January 10th. 



Treatment. Before re-potting, thoroughly 

 water every plant the day previous, Sf) that the 

 ball of soil when removed into a larger pot, is in 

 a good condition to undergo the oiteration. 

 About the first week in June, the plants are re- 

 moved to a cold frame with a northern aspect, 

 and set upon a bed of coal ashes, giving the plants 

 all the light and air possible, but avoiding 

 draughts, syringing lightly about four p. m. on 

 hot days, entirely chtsing the frame about an 



hou r subsequently. Shading is not adopted during 

 th(^ motith of June if the plants are not visibly 

 distressed by the omission; but, with the excep- 

 tion of the first week, keeping more or less air 

 on day and night, being guided by the outside 

 temperature. The final potting being done about 

 the middle of June, when the pot containing the 

 plant is fairly well filled with roots; a check at 

 this time would cause the flowers to appear and 

 any vigorous growth to disappear. 



A Fruit Growers' Bureau. 



The Fruit Growers' Bureau of Informa- 

 tion and Distribution was organized May 

 12th, 18S7, in Dover, Del., for the purpose of 

 improving the methods of marketing the 

 Peach and other fruit crops. 



All persons who become membei's of the 

 Bureau, pledge themselves to faithfully oliey its 

 regulations, and confer full authority upcm its 

 officer known as the distributer, to control their 

 shipment of Peaches. Members are without 

 power ()f withdrawal from said bureau, except by 

 written not ice sent to the president of the bureau 

 between Oirtober and the next May. 



The bmeau has an executive committee of 

 seven to be elected annually. In May said com- 

 mittee elects a chairman, who is the presiiling 

 officer of the bureau. 



The executive committee has authority to 

 make new regulations, which, however, nui.\ be 

 repealed or altered at any members' meeting. 

 The executive committee appoints a distributer, 

 a secretary, and a treasurer, who give bonds. 



The distributer has full authority to regulate 

 the consignment of all cars of Peaches of the 

 members. He is located at the central part of 

 the state, where the headquarters of the railroad 

 system is located, and he keeps a list or map of 

 the towns or cities, (within forty-eight hours 

 communication by railroad) that can daily con- 

 siuiie at profitable prices, one or more carloads 

 of Peaches, and he establishes the quota of each 

 of said towns or cities. 



When one hundred baskets of fruit are loaded 

 in a car, and the bureau's local agent has, on the 

 day of shipment, or after 6.00 p. m. on the day 

 previous, endorsed "O. K." on a telegram or 

 message, thus certifying to that fact, owner or 

 agent of said car forwards said telegram or mes- 

 sage to the distributer, mentioning therein the 

 ninnber of the car, the owner's name, the con- 

 signee, and the destination. 



The distributer, on receipt of the same, if the 

 quota of the town selected be not already filled, 

 replies to said agent, "Consign your car No. 



to— (the point named)." If the town selected 



had been previously filled, the distributer so 

 states, and the agent in a similiar manner selects 

 some other town where quota is not complete. 



The bureau is accountable to the owner, for 

 the prompt return of the sales of any car id' fruit, 

 whose destination is changed by the distributer 

 without the owner's or his agent's approval, and 

 the proceeds are sent to the owner, with the reg- 

 ular commission deducted. 



The executive committee selects the most 

 available commission houses in each town whither 

 shijmients are contemplated, and obtains suitable 

 bonds from said houses, to secure the faithful 

 sales and prompt returns for all fruit shipped to 

 them by the distributer. 



All members whose orchards (aged four years 

 or more) consist of 3,000 trees or less, pay an an- 

 nual as.sessment to the bureau of five dollars; 

 those whose orchards consist of over 3,000 and 

 not over .5,000 trees pay an annual assessment of 

 eight dollars; and all other owners of orchards 

 pay an annual assessment of ten dollars. As- 

 sessments are due in advance, and if not paid by 

 the IKth of August in each year, they may be de- 

 ducted from any money of said delinquents, that 

 may pass through the bureau. 



The bureau's agent at each station has a book 

 on file.where all telegraidiic reports of the mar- 

 kets and weather are kept, which reports are ac- 

 cessible solely for inspection by the members. 



Nothing in the rules of the bureau shall be 

 construed so as to jtrevent members from selling 

 their fruit at the homo fruit exchanges or other- 

 wise, at any time, or from shipping by wafer en- 

 tirely under the owner's control. 



The bureau may become united with the Dele- 

 ware Fruit Exchange, but the accoiuits and funds 

 arc to be kept separate. 



Those in favor ot this bureau think that pro- 

 ducera will recei\e a great benefit thereby, they 

 say, in avoiding all glutsin the markets, furnish- 

 i ng reliable commission merchants, they insure u 



