III2 



Gardening for Amateurs 



Odds and Ends of Interest 



SOOT and Bone-meal. As nitrogen 

 and phosphate of lime are the principal 

 requirements of lawn grasses, the 

 merits of soot as a nitrogenous fertiliser 

 must not be overlooked. It should be 

 used for top-dressing lawns, and it 

 may be applied in the autumn after the 

 mowing ceases for the season, or in ex- 

 ceptional cases deferred until February. 

 It is important, however, that it be applied 

 some time in advance of mowing, so that 

 the rains may wash it in. One peck per 

 square rod, or a handful per square yard, 

 makes a wonderful difference in the growth 

 of the grass. Bone-meal is a nitrogenous 

 and phosphatic fertiliser of special value for 

 lawns on sandy, loamy, and peaty land. A 

 suitable dressing is 4 Ib. per square rod. It 

 may be applied in suitable weather any 

 time from November to February inclusive, 

 preferably when the grass is dry, so that as 

 little as possible may cling to it. Where soot 

 has not been applied, the dressing of bone- 

 meal may be doubled. 



The Uses of Corrosive Sublimate. 

 Mercuric chloride or corrosive sublimate is a 

 very powerful poison, so that its use must be 

 attended with the greatest care. Get 1 oz. 

 of the powder, place it in a quart bottle of 

 lukewarm water, and shake it up occasion- 

 ally until it has dissolved (label the bottle 

 " Poison "). When worms are troublesome in 

 the lawn, add ^ gill of the liquid to every 

 2 gallons of water, and spray this over the 

 surface of the ground. The application 

 should be made in showery weather, when 

 the pests are near the surface. Always re- 

 move dead worms from the ground after- 

 wards, especially if any fowls have access 

 to the place. For soil pests about the rockery 

 and for insects which harbour in old wood, 

 about the walls or inside the house, few sub- 

 stances are better than corrosive sublimate 

 employed as above. It will do no harm to 

 roots or foliage, but, of course, should be 

 used in the evening or after rain. It is not 

 a remedy for slugs, but a good deterrent 

 which reduces their numbers ; always apply 



as much of the liquid as would be given at 

 the usual watering operation. Those who 

 require large quantities will find it more con- 

 venient to pour the quart of strong liquid 

 into some 30 to 40 gallons of water and to 

 use that solution. To get the content or 

 volume of a pail multiply half the diameter 

 (the average or middle diameter if the pail 

 has sloping sides) by itself, the answer by 

 3y, and this answer by the depth of the pail, 

 all measurements being in inches. Divide this 

 by 277, and the result represents gallons. 

 Should the weight of liquid be desired, re- 

 member that every gallon of water is 10 Ib. 

 Making Wood Ashes. Many gardeners 

 have a lot of woody matter to dispose of in 

 autumn and winter, and this they cannot 

 do better than reduce into a manurial pow- 

 der known as wood ashes. Collect all herba- 

 ceous stems, the year's prunings, thorns, 

 grass, excess leaves, and the like, dry them 

 well, and set them on fire on a hard smooth 

 piece of ground. Let them burn away, but 

 try to choke the glowing mass of residue by 

 throwing wet leaves or turf on top of it. A 

 valuable manure mixed with an equally 

 valuable charcoal will be obtained, and it 

 ought to be preserved in a dry place. It 

 may then be applied to all soils, and at any 

 time, at the rate of J Ib. per square yard. 

 Wood ashes are rich in potash and will often 

 contain as much as one-tenth of this manurial 

 substance, that from young leaves and shoots 

 generally being the richest product. Beech 

 ashes are also rich in phosphates. They are 

 excellent for spreading over lawns, and 

 possess a decided tendency towards the 

 destruction of moss. They also contain a 

 small percentage of salts of iron and man- 

 ganese, both of which are of material benefit 

 to the bacterial contents of the soil. Mixed 

 with farmyard manure and left to decom- 

 pose, they form an exceedingly rich nitro- 

 genous manure, speedy in action and highly 

 valuable for leaf crops and for application 

 generally in the garden. The charcoal present 

 has a sweetening, antiseptic action in the 

 ground, and it also helps to conserve those 



