Nierembergia 



Nitrification 



Propagation, By seeds sown in slight heat in 

 February. 



Soil. Rich loam in a warm position. 

 Principal Species and Varieties : 



affiuis (see alba). rosy pur., car. red, Ivs. 



alba, 3', sum., per., wh. large. 



(syn. affmis). tomentosa, 9' to 1;V, sum., 



colossea (ace tomeutosa). grh. or hlf-hdy., pk., 



sylvestris, 4' to 5', sum., wh. (KI/H. colossea, fee 



the best. p. 115). 



Tabacum, 4', sum., ro. variegata, variegated 



macrophylla, pale red, Ivs. 



Other Species : 



acumiuata, 3', sum., wh., longiflora, 3', Aug., wh. 



grn. noctirlora, 2' to 3', Aug., 

 acutiflora, 2', Je., wh. wh., pur. beneath. 



Bigelovii, 3', sum., wh. albinora, wh. 



fragrans, 4', sum., grh., persica, 3', Aug., wh., 



wh. grn. 



glauca, 15', Aug., grh. rustica, 2', Jy., yel., grn. 



shr., yel. snaveolens, 2', sum., wh. 



Langsdorffii, 5', Aug.,per., wigandioicles, sum., grh., 



gru. yel. wh. 



NIEREMBERGIA. 



Description. Very pleasing half-hardy or hardy 

 annuals or perennials (ord. Solanacese) of herb- 

 aceous habit, which make good plants for rock- 

 work or for growing in pots. 



Propagation. By seeds sown in a warm house 

 in summer or early autumn, and by division or 

 cuttings in spring. 



Soil. Loam, with some sand and well-decayed 

 manure, or a little leaf soil. . 



Other Cultural Points. All the Nierembergias 

 like a good supply of moisture, and the hardy 

 rivularis grows best if the pots are stood in pans of 

 water. Slugs are very destructive to this species. 



Principal Species : 



gracilis, 9", sum., hlf- rivularis, 6", Jy., hdy., 

 hdy., wh., streaked pur. creeping, wh. 



Other Species and Varieties : 



aristata, 6", Jy., ann., atroviolacea, 1', hlf- 



wh., pur. hdy. , dark vio. 



calycina, 9", Jy., hlf-hdy., White Queen, wh. 



procumbent, yel. linariaefolia, 6", Jy., wh. 



frutescens, H', Je., hdy., Veitchii, sum., grh., pro- 



bl. cumbent, lil. 



NIGELLA. (FENNEL FLOWER, LOVE-IN- 

 A-MIST, DEVIL-IN-THE-BUSH.) 



Description. Curious, but attractive, hardy 

 annuals (ord. Ranunculaceaa), with elegant foliage 

 and pretty flowers, so surrounded by the foliage as 

 to give rise to the name of " Love-in-a-Mist." 

 Sativa is said to be the " Fitches " mentioned in 

 Isaiah. 



Propagation. By seeds sown where the plants 

 are to bloom, in March or April, and well thinned 

 out. 



Soil. Any good garden soil. 



Principal Species : 



damascena, 2', sum., bl. hispanica, 2', sum., deep 

 or wh. A pretty plant. bl., pur., or wh. 



flore-pleno, double 

 flowers. 



Nirfitlarium (see Karatas). 



jfiebuhria oblongifolia (see Mtenta, oralifolia"). 



Other Species : 



ciliaris, 1', Jy., yel, 



corniculata, 1', Jy., yel. 



Garidella, _!', Jy., br., sativa, H', Jy., yel. 



orientalis, H', sum., yel., 

 red spots. 



gru.(/.Xigellastrum). indica, bl. 



NIGHT SOIL. 



This is composed of human excrement, forming 

 one of the richest, most powerful, and best of all 

 manures. Its composition is generally carbonate 

 of soda, sulphate of soda, ammonia, phosphate of 

 magnesia, phosphate of lime, sulphate of potash, 

 chloride of potassium, chloride of sodium, and 

 phosphate of soda. The usual practice is to mix 

 it with garden soil, adding lime to take away the 

 offensive odour. After standing for several weeks, 

 it may either be dug into the ground or used as 

 a top-dressing. - It is useful for almost all kinds 

 of crops, especially those that are naturally fast 

 growing. 



NIPA. 



This genus of stove Palms (ord. Palmse) is com- 

 posed of one species, fruticans, which is a rare 

 plant with graceful, feathery leaves and a curious, 

 creeping stem. Of the numerous Palms it is one 

 of the most difficult to grow. At Kew it has been 

 found to succeed best in loamy soil, with the 

 lower inch of the pot submerged in the water of a 

 warm tank. 



NIPH^EA. 



Stove herbaceous plants (or/I. Gesneracere), with 

 soft, hairy stems and leaves, white flowers, and 

 creeping roots, requiring similar treatment to 

 Achimenes (which see). 



Principal Species : 



oblonga, 1', win., wh. 



NITRATES. 



Though nitrogen is the most common gas, it is 

 of no value to plants in a free state, and can only 

 be of service when presented to the roots in com- 

 bination with some . mineral, e.g., sodium nitrate, 

 or, as it is more commonly known, nitrate of soda. 

 Soluble forms of nitrogen are absolutely indis- 

 pensable to plants of all kinds, but at the same 

 time, they are readily washed out of soils contain- 

 ing no crops during winter, - and during times of 

 excessively heavy rains. Therefore land of a light, 

 sandy consistency should be sown in the autumn 

 with Mustard or Cole seed. The roots will prevent 

 the nitrogenous matters from being carried away 

 by drainage water, and in the spring, the plants 

 will, if turned in, serve as an additional manure. 



NITRIFICATION. 



With the great advance during recent years in 

 all branches of agricultural chemistry and botany, 

 has come a knowledge of the changes taking place in 

 manures when applied to the soil. The most import- 

 ant of these is that of nitrification, or the conversion 

 of various nitrogenous animal and vegetable matters 

 into such compounds of nitrogen as may be readily 



Nightshade (see Solanum"). 

 Nightshade, Enchanter's (see Circcca). 

 Nightshade, Malabar (see Saselld). 

 Nightshade, Three-Leaved, (see Trillium). 

 Mgyers (see Turnip Samfly}. 

 N'ir/rHella (ace Habcnaria). 

 Niphobolus (see Palypodivm), 

 Ntphopsis (see Polypodium). 



