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5.—1846.] 
THE GARDENERS’ 
CHRONICLE. 3 69 
or demerits of the several varieties, and when ordering 
a supply from a nurseryman, we are consequently un- 
able to make a selection. Now, if any of your corres- 
pondents would furnish a list with such descriptions as 
I have alluded to, it would be highly acceptable to 
many in this country who, like myself, can look to 
nothing but such a list to guide them in choosing the 
most desirable varieties, and in judiciously contrasting 
their colours in the planting. To give an idea of the 
mildness of this climate, I may mention that I have 
now (19th January) four Chrysanthemums still in 
flower in the open air, on one of the walls of my garden, 
viz, Minerva, Duchess de Montebello, Campestroni, 
and Starry. — Clericus Hibernicus, St, Olan’s Rectory, 
Coachford. 
Planting Fruit Trees.—I would recommend every- 
body about to plant, and desirous of bringing the trees 
into a good bearing condition, with the least amount of 
labour, to plant them high and with the roots barely 
covered : if on newly trenched ground, to plant on the 
surface, and just to cover the roots over. Four years 
ago, I planted three young Peach-trees ; the ground 
haying been previously trenched, I trod it down, re- 
filled the space with soil, and again trod it down, until 
the whole was level with the surface of the border, and 
perfectly smooth ; I then placed the trees on the plane 
surface, covered their roots with soil and trod it down 
as before. They made excellent bearing-wood the first 
easonj bore a few fruit the second year; the third 
year I had a fair average crop, and in the fourth year 
an excellent crop of very fine fruit, which I consider to 
be a decided proof of the superior effects of shallow 
planting ; whereas, trees planted deeply in the usual 
way, have been seven or eight years before coming into 
bearing at all, and then the fruit has been of very infe- 
rior quality, which to amateurs and persons possessing 
small gardens, must be very disappointing. In prepar- 
ing a border, the soil I prefer is: the green sods from 
a loamy pasture, chopped fine with the spade.—J. L. 
Snow, Swinton Park. 
Spot on the Pelargonium Leaf.—1 have for the Jast 
few years had from eight to twelve thousand Pelargo- 
niums under my care, and was never before last year 
troubled with the spot. When shifting my plants last 
spring, I made use of more rotten dung than on any pre- 
vious occasion. After shifting, my plants grew away 
very rapidly ; still I observed that they made but little 
root, and that what they did make rotted off as soon as 
formed, until I think about the 10th of June, when we 
had a few days in which the sun shone very powerfully. 
About that time the plants became spotted, particularly 
those in the pits, which had their lights entirely off 
during the day, and tilted during night, and in wet 
weather. Cold and damp are generally thought to be 
the principal causes of the evil; but, if cold and 
and damp were the causes, I should think the present 
the most likely season of the year for the plants to be 
affected in ; but to all appearance they have quite re- 
covered ; if it were possible, however, to have a few 
days' sun, as powerful now as in June (up to October the 
sun has great power for a few hours in the middle of 
each day), I think that in a few days they would be as 
badlyspotted as ever,theroots being in no better condition 
than they now are, Want of sufficient feeders to sup- 
port their foliage against the effects of a parching sun, I 
imagine is the cause of failure ; therefore, the spot will 
appear or not, according to the richness of the com- 
post in which they are potted. Of plants standing in 
pits upon ashes where any of the roots had found their 
Way through the bottom of the pots they were quite 
healthy, and appeared to be starting in all directions for 
suitable food ; in such cases the plants were scarcely at 
all spotted, although the roots in the interior of the pots 
were equally bad with those of plants standing next 
them ; the first plant that broke after having been cut 
down, I put into smaller pots,using the same compost as 
in the spring shifting, and they became spotted equally 
bad as ever,—the roots went off justin the same way; 
those that did not break till three weeks later were put 
-iato nearly all forest loam and silver sand, and although 
standing on the same bed next the others, they did not 
show the least inclination to spot. I also put in a few 
pans of cuttings in the same compost, half of which 
failed, and the other half made little or no root till after 
they were potted off. In the rest of my cuttings (about 
7000 principally in loam and silver sand), I had not a 
failure worth speaking of. I have now shifted rather 
better than 1000 for forcing, using a mixture of four 
parts loam, one dung, one peat, and one silver sand.— 
Zarrant. : 
Polmaise System of Heating.—The accompanying 
wood-cut represents a stove which we consider to be 
calculated to perform all than can be required under 
the above system of heating. It is the invention of 
Mr. Samuel Hall, the engineer, and as far as our ex- 
perience goes has given satisfaction wherever it has 
been applied, acting as a means of ventilation, as well 
as of warming. It possesses this advantage, as well as 
others, over Arnott’s, and most of the stoves which 
only radiate heat. Wherever it is fixed, the air is in 
constant motion, and by fixing it outside a building, any 
quantity of fresh warm air may be admitted. For hor- 
ticultural purposes the ornamental exterior may be dis- 
pensed with, reserving only the fire-box (in which the 
merit of the invention chiefly consists, by giving a large 
Surface of heating power ina small compass); this 
may be done very economically, and by any bricklayer, 
and as the fire-box is cast in one piece, and of very 
Considerable substance, it is not liable to the objection 
wrought iron stoves ; neither is it subject to become so 
quickly red hot, nor so soon cooled under trifling varia- 
tions in the activity of the fire. In adapting this fire- 
box, the plan we propose is simply as follows :—To 
construct the furnace part of fire-bricks, or lumps, 
whereupon the cast-iron box may be placed, and in all 
other respects to follow the directions already given in 
the Chronicle. The motive for raising the fire-box is 
twofold, viz., to obtain a greater depth from the feed 
door to the fire-bars, so that sufficient fuel may be sup- 
plied to last for any required length of time, and also 
in part to adopt the excellent recommendation of Mr. 
Rivers, to let the fire have its first and greatest effect 
upon the fire-bricks, so that the iron box would last for 
many years, and yet by its extent of surface, and 
superior conducting powers over the fire-brick, give off 
a very large quantity of heat (economising fuel thereby). 
x 
Reference to Plan.—A, the stove; B, the furnace; C, ash 
hole ; D, feed door ; E, door to remove clinkers, &c. ; F, cold 
air drain ; G, G, G, hot air chamber and flue into house; H, 
punched zinc nailed on to wooden frame for hot air to pass 
through. 
In all other respects the arrangement of air drains, &c., 
might remain as already proposed ; but we think per- 
forated zinc much preferable to the blanket for several 
reasons, viz., as dispersing the air better, and also as 
being more under control in regard to the quantity of 
moisture evaporated; for the blanket, if placed under a 
stage would be continually liable to become wet, when 
a dry atmosphere might be required. [We do not 
understand how moisture is to be derived from per- 
forated zinc.]—Stephenson and Co., 17, New Park- 
street, Southwark. 
Brick Stoves.—At St. Petersburg, where immense 
Stoves of briek are in general use, the cement used in 
their construction is neverlime-mortar. Clay is always 
used, or rather such a mixture of clay and sand as 
constitutes a good brick earth. Great care is taken in 
the preparation of this substance by kneading it. For 
instance, the quantity required for four or five very 
large stoves was, I saw, laid upon. a smooth floor, and 
mixed with water sufficient to bring it to the con- 
sistence of stiff mortar; two men in their boots then 
trampled on it, turning over the mass from time to 
time, and picking out the small stones. They continued 
thus kneading it for two days. The bricks for stoves, 
especially the glazed bricks for the outside, are formed 
with channels in them, for receiving portions of the 
clay, to serve as ties between brick and brick. A stove, 
when built, is left at least a month to dry before a fire 
is lighted in it.—M. B. 
Parrots; Cure for Gout or Rheumatism.—The follow- 
ingreceipt hasthe merit of being very simple,andhas been 
so efficacious in many instances to those who suffer from 
Rheumatism, that if Mr. H.’s parrot (see p. 37) were 
mine, I should certainly try it. I recommend putting 
the bird into a warm bath of the following infusion, 
and giving some of itinthe water he drinks, or moisten- 
ing the bread with it, so as to have some portion of the 
infusion swallowed : — Take three handsful of dried 
flowers of Yarrow-stalk, leaves andall ; put them intoa 
vessel with two quarts of water, and let it simmer over 
the fire for 24 hours; then let itstand to cool, and 
strain it. A wine-glassful to be taken before break- 
fast, and repeated two or three hours after. Hot 
fomentations of this infusion are also very beneficial. 
The herb is extremely common in every Grass-field, 
and may be bought of any herbalist for about 8d. a Ib. 
If Mr. H. is induced to try this receipt, I hope he will 
make known the result.—A Reader. 
Tulip-tree (see p. 56).—To make Orange-wood tooth- 
pieks:—Saw the wood across the grain, in suitable 
lengths, say 3 inches, and let them stay till seasoned. 
Split into thin layers, and scrape to a point with 
glass, or, better still, a joiner’s serapingiron. Any 
child who has made spillikins can do it. They easily 
discolour from dirt, or even the air, so when finished 
and tied up in small bundles, they must be kept in 
paper.—F. M. S cc iA 
Passiflora edulis.—In cultivating this for its fruit I 
have frequently | been doomed to disappointment by an 
apparently healthy plant loaded with fruit suddenly 
withering in consequence of gangrene surrounding the 
stem immediately below the surface of the soil. To re- 
medy this I grafted P. edulis on P. quadrangularis, 
justly conceiving, as I have since found, that the more 
woody stem of P. quadrangularis was better consti. 
Mr. Rivers has justly made against the durability of | tuted for resisting the disease than the semi-woody 
stem of P. edulis. The mass sent of extravasated sap 
from the graft, 9 inches above the soil, is a consequence 
of want of nourishment from the root; an abortive 
attempt to form roots, which, in the Pine-stove, where 
it grew amongst the effluvia of fermenting leaves, and 
that arising from occasional waterings with liquid 
manure, and the generally moist atmosphere, main- 
tained the extensive surface of spongeolie development, 
and no doubt was capable of, and did imbibe, a very 
iderable portion of is} t.—G. M. Elliott. 
Fermentation of Potatoes.—I lately sent you a notice 
(see Gardeners’ Chronicle, 1845, p. 838) of an instance 
of some Potatoes having been stored away in bean-dust, 
and the heap having heated so much as very nearly to 
produce spontaneous combustion. J haye another fact 
of the same kind to mention, which I met with yester- 
day at Hadleigh. You noticed in the Gardeners’ 
Chronicle, about four months ago, Mr. Joseph Rand 
having obtained starch from 30 sacks of his bad Pota- 
toes. The same gentleman had selected 18 sacks of his 
best for the purpose of carefully preserving them. They 
were the Early Shaw, and had been taken up the end of 
August. These he spread upon a wooden floor of his 
malt-house, and thoroughly exposed them to the air, 
with access of light ; and after having had them twice 
carefully picked over, and having removed such as 
seemed likely to decay, the sample was stored away in 
a manner I am about to describe. In the process of 
drying germinated Barley in the malt-kiln, a large pro- 
portion of the sprouted radicles fall through certain 
holes perforated in the tiled floor upon which the Barley 
is spread, and collect in the heated chamber below. .As 
the dust from the coke rises into this chamber, the 
dried radieles become mixed with it, and the whole is 
called malt-dust, in order to distinguish it from the 
mass of dried radicles which are obtained: in a clean 
state upon dressing the malted Barley, and which are 
called malt-coombs. This latter material is given to 
cattle, but the malt-dust is considered to be fit only for 
manure; though some persons rather disreputably (I 
am informed) mix it with the malt-combs, and sell the 
whole by this name. Mr. Rand, thinking that the 
malt-dust, from its extreme dryness, would afford an 
excellent packing material for his Potatoes, spread a 
layer of it in a small chamber of his malt-house, and 
having placed a layer of Potatoes upon it, so that they 
were not in contact with each other, he then added 
more malt-dust, and then another layer of Potatoes, 
and so on, till the heap was about 5 feet in depth. This 
was done in October. About a fortnight ago, a party 
from the Excise, called “ the generals," went over his 
malt-house, and, while they were poking into every 
corner of the place, happened to stir up this heap of 
malt-dust and Potatoes, when, to their surprise and 
alarm; they found the interior in a state approaching to 
ignition. The Potatoes were parboiled and the malt- 
dust perfectly eharred. Immediate precautions were 
taken to remove the heap. Most of the Potatoes, being 
in a foetid state, were thrown away, and the malt-dust 
was laid upon another heap of the same material, with 
the intention of carting it upon theland as manure. In 
a very short time the heap of malt-dust heated afresh, 
and no time was now lost in removing it off the pre- 
mises. I visited the spot, and saw the effect that had 
been produced on the walls and floor. The fermenta- 
tion had even spread to the malt-dust, which had not 
been used about the Potatoes, but had merely Jaina 
short time in contact with that which had, and this was 
now beginning to heat in so powerful a manner that it 
was considered advisable to remove the whole. Mr. 
Rand thinks that the malt-dust would not heat by the 
application of water alone ; and we may, in this case at 
least, imagine that the peculiar state of the moisture 
which exuded from the Potatoes was very likely to ex- 
cite fermentation. I have found by experiment that 
the diseased Potatoes lose weight very rapidly, under 
circumstances where sound ones scarcely lose any. The 
cause is doubtiess to be attributed to the destruction of 
the epidermis.—J. S. Henslow, Hitcham, Jan. 21, 
Effect of the Potato Disease’on the nextY ear's Crop.— 
Much alarm having been entertained. as to what may be 
the effect of the late disease on the future crop, I am 
induced to offer the following observations, which I hope 
will in some degree prove that the calamity may be at- 
tributed entirely to atmospheric influence, and not to 
any inherent disease inthe Potato itself. Likewise, that 
there is no reason to fear a perpetuation of the malady 
through the sets, and no need for any dependence en 
new kinds raised from seed (which by the way, would be 
but an indifferent mode of feeding the millions through 
the current year), or of sending for wild Potatoes from 
America, or elsewhere; or any of the thousand 
and one recommendations based on the belief of the 
disease being generated by the Potato itself. Late in 
the month of June we took up for market nearly the 
whole of a piece of Shaws, the small ones being kept for 
sets, and none of them were, or are to this moment, dis- 
eased ; a small portion of the same piece was not taken 
up for two months longer, and 4 in 6 were diseased. 
The land was planted out with Lovegrove’s and Fox’s 
Seedlings, two of the earliest kinds with which I am 
acquainted, and 12 seedlings of our own, raised two 
years ago (not very early ones). They were grown for 
sets only, and were taken up with the last of the Shaws. 
The two former kinds were in a slight degree injured ; 
all the other kinds suffered as badly as the Shaws. 
About this time we noticed in apiece of Kidneys a large 
patch exhibit the disease in a few days ; another similar 
patch appeared at a considerable distance from the other 
in the same piece ; whereon we had the whole of the 
