7.—1846.] 
THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. ; 29 
PLANTING SEASON. 
i 
HE following descriptions of NURSERY STOCK 
may still be had of W. Rocers & Son, Nurserymen and 
i anters, t the prices advertised in 
the Gardeners’ Chronicle on the 15th November last :— 
SEEDLING. Oak, English Durmast, 1, 2, 
Ash | and 3 fe 
eech Sycamore, 2 feet 
Pineaster Willow Come-well, a valuable 
merican species for coppice 
or hop-poles, 1 foot 
Laurel, 1, 2, and 3 feet 
Stone Pine ». 
Oak, English Durmast (Sessili- 
flora), the largest and most 
valued species 
| 
| 
Sea Pine. E . 
TRANSPLANTED. Rhododendron, 1 to 2 inches, 
Alder, 2 to 4 feet 0s, per 10! 
Ash, 1 to 2 feet » 8 to & ins., 60s. per 1000 
Beech, 2 to 4 feet » 5 to6 ins, 80s. per 1000 
Birch, 2 to 4 feet 5 12 to 18 ins., 20s. to 30s. 
Elm, 1 to 2 feet | 
Clematis Azurea grandiflora, 
Fir, Scotch, 1 to 4 feet 9s. per dozén. 
Arbutus (seedlings), 40s.p.1000 
^ Sea Pine, 1 to 2 feet Perpetual Tree Violet, 50s. 
», Pineaster, 1 to 2 feet e 
Poplar, 2 to 4 feet 1 
Tf ordered in less quantity than the above quotations, the 
charge will be at retail prices. 
Waste Lands planted by contract.—Gardeners of experience 
and ability recommended, 
| into an air-tight damp Vinery, and leave it expos d 
to the sun and its own powers of growth and see 
what will become of it. At first it will push 
vigorously, but its vigour gradually diminishes ; 
then on a sudden all the eyes break into laterals, 
more puny than the first; these produce a second 
brood of yet weaker laterals, and thus the growth 
proceeds; till at last, growth stopping from utter 
exhaustion of the physical powers of the Vine, the 
extremities rot away, and a few months reduce the 
highest vigour to the lowest debility. 
Try the same experiment with a hardy plant in a 
Ward's case. Exactly the same result, mutatis 
mutandis, is obtained. Absence of ventilation pro- 
duces first debility, and then death. 
In the invaluable collection of scientific papers, 
by Mr. Anprew KNIGHT, collected into a volume, 
after his death, we find it stated at p. 224, that 
change of air is (to plants) to a very limited extent 
necessary or beneficial. But this opinion is opposed 
to every other part of Mr. Kwronr's experience, 
and was probably a hasty expression; for in other 
i he loses no opportunity of contradicting 
The Gardeners’ Chronicle. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1846. 
MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 
UE T RR 
Horticultural . 
Tora, Feb. 174 Pinon ZR iod a 
Warongsoax, —,18-Soclety of Arta. .  . . Sra 
Sarvkoatw — SI—RoyalBotánlo e s o, . 4M 
Tue competition among the growers of Carcko- 
EARIAS does not appear to be now carried on with 
its old spirit, and those who have visited the metro- 
politan exhibitions for the last two or three seasons, 
must have been disappointed at not finding it occu- 
pying a more prominent situation at such shows. 
"The flower in itself is gay and attractive, a. profuse 
bloomer, and a general favourite ; it also embraces 
now a variety and beauty once unknown; we 
therefore hope to see the competition revived, and 
a station for it maintained next in order to the Pe- 
largonium. s 
It may be alleged that sufficient encouragement 
is not given to its production ; and that the prizes 
‘offered for it are becoming by degrees more beau- 
tifully small. But we contend that the prizes dimi~ 
nish because the spirit of competitors flags; and 
because they cease to produce anything worthy of 
ahigher standing. We therefore venture upon a 
few hints to exhibitors for their better guidance. 
The sorts exhibited should represent the chief 
improvements which are to be found among the 
modern flowers; they should be judiciously selected 
from different classes, There should be the minute 
spotted sorts with delicate grounds ; those with a 
large patch of velvety colour in front surrounded 
by yellow, white, or buff colour; the large spoited 
flowers, which have lately occupied the attention 
of growers, and which are infinitely varied and 
beautiful ; and more especially the stripes. Such 
a combination of attractive features would form a 
collection that would compel attention from the 
most indifferent spectator. 
For the production of the striped Calceolarias 
we are entirely indebted to the skill and perse- 
verence of Mr. PrANT, Nurseryman, Cheadle. As 
they are at present little known, we may as well 
state that the colour of these varieties is distributed 
in clear and well defined stripes of purple, crimson, 
or brown upon white, yellow, and buff grounds. 
These beautiful markings begin round the opening 
of the flower, and gradually increase in breadth 
towards the sides, much in the way of a Carnation. 
Charming as they already are they will, doubtless, 
become much improved; for we entertain no doubt 
that so practised a grower as Mr. Pranr will soon 
throw some fresh blood into them now that he has 
once hit upon the means of producing them.—H. 
Mosr gardeners believe that VENTILATION is as 
necessary an operation in glass houses as in dwelling 
rooms; but they are far from agreeing as to the 
time when, or the mannerin which, or the extent to 
which, it shonld be employed. Some say that it is 
necessary in order to dry a place when it is damp ; 
others that flowers will not set without it; and some 
that it makes Grapes keep. Nor are gardeners to 
be blamed for entertaining opinions thus crude and 
ill-digested; they have naturally looked to phy- 
siologists for the science of the thing, and physiolo- 
gists have told them nothing. It is true that they 
have stated that ventilation assists the sap to rise, 
and have even discovered that it remoyes delete- 
rious emanations, and moreover lowers temperature ; 
but that is all. And we freely confess that there is 
more reason on the side of the practical men than 
of the philosophers. However both are agreed that 
ventilation is important from whatever cause; and 
that is something. 
Ifa man should doubt that fact, let him puta Vine 
it. Thus, in an account of a curvilinear Vinery he 
attributes the inferior quality of Queen-pines grown 
in it to “the want of efficient ventilation ;" and he 
proceeds to state how he remedied the evil by an 
improved mode of ventilation. 
“In my house, with a curvilinear roof, I acquired 
the power of almost wholly preventing any change 
of air whatever; and I exercised that power too ex- 
tensively, after the fruit was shown, and particularly 
after a part of it had nearly acquired maturity. In 
the last spring I adopted a mode of ventilation, from 
which I expected to derive all the advantages of 
change of air, without materially lowering the tem- 
perature of the house ; and the success of it has 
greatly exceeded the expectations I had entertained. 
I shall best be able to show the advantages of this 
mode of ventilation, by giving a slight sketch of the, 
form of a section of my house, in which D marks 
the position of cylindrical passages of nearly two 
inches diameter through the front wall. Through 
these, which are placed 18 inches distant from each 
other, along the whole front wall of the house, the 
air, whenever the weather is warm, is suffered to 
enter freely, and its entrance is at other times more 
or less obstructed in proportion to its coldness ; but 
it is never wholly excluded, except during the nights 
in very severe weather. The passages through the 
front wall are placed at just such a distance from the 
ground, as will occasion them to: direct the air,which 
enters, either into contact with, or to pass closely 
over, the heated covers of the flue. It consequently 
becomes heated, and is impelled amongst the Pine- 
apple plants,which stand in rows behind each other, 
each row of plants being so far elevated above that 
before as to place every plant at nearly an equal 
distance from the glass roof. A thermometer was 
placed at H, being equally distant from each end 
of the house, and I had the satisfaction to observe, 
that the temperature of that part of the house in 
which the thermometer stood was raised between 
two and three degrees, when the external air was at 
40°. This effect was, I conclude, produced by the 
heated air being impelled into the body of the house 
amongst the plants, instead of being permitted to 
rise, as it had previously done, and to come instantly 
into contact with the roof; and by suspending light 
bodies amongst the plants, I ascertained that the 
previously confined air was thus constantly kept in 
a state of rapid motion. The air is suffered to es- 
cape through passages of four inches wide and two 
inches and a half high, at E, which passages are 
placed at the same eqnal distances as those in the 
front wall, and, like those, are opened or closed as 
circumstances require. The trouble of opening or 
closing such passages, after substances of proper 
form are prepared and suspended for the purpose, is 
very small, much less, I think, than that of moving 
the lights of any house of ordinary construction ; 
and the effect of the kind of ventilation obtained 
upon the growth of my plants and fruit, is everything 
I wish it to be.” For the plan referred to see 
Physiological Papers, t. 7. 
This paper is dated October 1822 ; but he had 
long before demonstrated the indispensable neces- 
sity of motion to plants, In a paper communicated 
tothe Royal Society, April 21, 1808, we find the 
following remarks :— 
«The effects of motion on the circulation of the 
sap, and the consequent formation of wood, I was 
able to ascertain by the following expedient. Early 
in the spring of 1801 I seiected a number of young 
seedling Apple-trees, whose stems were about an 
inch in diameter, and whose height, between the 
roots and first branches, was between 6 and 7 feet. 
These trees stood about 8 feet from each other ; 
and, of course, a free passage for the wind to act on 
each tree was afforded. By means of stakes and 
bandages of hay, not so tightly bound as to im- 
pede the progress of any fluid within the trees, 
[ nearly deprived the roots and lower parts of the 
stems of several trees of all motion, to the height 
of 3 feet from the ground, leaving the upper parts 
of the stems and branches in their natural state. 
In the succeeding summer, much new wood accu- 
mulated in the parts which were kept in motion by 
the wind; but the lower parts of the stems and 
roots increased very little in size. Removing the 
bandages from one of these trees in the following 
winter. I fixed a stake in the ground, about 10 feet 
distant from the tree, on the east side of it; and I 
attached the tree to the stake, at the height of 6 feet 
by means of a slender pole about 12 feet long ; thus 
caving the tree at liberty to move towards the 
north and south, or more properly, in the segment 
of a circle of which the pole formed a radius ; but 
in no other direction. Thus circumstanced, the 
diameter of the tree from north to south, in that 
part of its stem which was most exercised by the 
wind, exceeded that in the opposite direction in the 
following antumn, in the proportion of 13 to 11." 
* When a tree is wholly deprived of motion, by 
being trained to a wall, or when a large tree has 
been deprived of its branches, to be regrafted, it 
often becomes unhealthy, and not unirequently 
perishes, apparently owing to the stagnation of the 
descending sap, under the rigid cincture of the life- 
less external bark.” 
We omit a portion of this communication, in 
which the supposed reason of the phenomenon is 
explained, because we doubt its soundness. The 
facts, however, are indisputable. 
Mr. Knrcur therefore proved experimentally that 
motion is essential to the well-being of plants. In 
other words, he showed that what is daily happening 
before our eyes is not accomplished in vain. But 
why should we suppose that it is? What right have 
we to imagine that the breeze, the storm and the 
hurricane even, are phenomena caused by the Al- 
mighty for no sufficient reason? that such disturb- 
ances of the elements are incidents either harmless 
or destructive, but of no moment in the economy of 
the universe ? that the world would be as well, nay 
better, without them? Do we not, on the contrary, 
know that every part of the system of the universe 
is dependent on some other part? that there is not 
an eyil, of whatever magnitude, which has not its 
counterpoise ? and that, regarded as a whole, each 
natural pl is of indisp ble necessity to 
the free operation of others ? In fact, it is an axiom 
in gardening, that we approach perfection in pro- 
portion to our exact imitation of the means which 
Nature takes to'attain her ends. Every great 
failure has arisen from our not being able to read 
the book spread open before us; every advance 
has been caused by partial interpretations of the 
mysterious truths which it explains. All the phases 
of air-heating, of air-damping, of lighting, of potting, 
of training, are but so many examples of this, And 
all our present deficiencies will, by degrees, disappear 
under a more correct appreciation of natural truths. 
As the matter now stands, we heat well, we build 
well, we light well, we damp. well, but we do 
nothing to keep the air in motion. That is the 
object next to be looked to with anxiety ; for we 
may depend upon its being one of the cardinal 
points of successful cultivation. How, indeed, can 
we imagine that the eternal shifting of the air, and 
fluctuation of temperature, and variation of mois- 
ture, to which Nature exposes plants all over the 
world, are unimportant to them, and may be dis- 
peused with, without prejudice to their health. It 
is in part on account of the efficiency in this 
respect of the Polmaise, or radio-thermal, mode of 
heating, that we have thought it desirable to bring 
it under the notice of the public; and we propose 
in next week's Paper to inquire wherefore motion, 
independently of its being a constant phenomenon 
in Nature, is so indispensible to the health of 
plants, 
CULTIVATION OF GINGER. 
Now that so much improvement has been made in 
struetures for hortieultural purposes, and that bottom- 
heat may be obtained by means of air or vapour-heated 
chambers, it may be well to introduce the cultivation of 
those tropical esculents for culinary purposes which 
hitherto have only been grown as objects of curiosity 
in our stoves, and amongst which Ginger deserves & 
place. 
In eultivating the common Ginger, the most essential 
requisites are heat and moisture ; therefore, about the 
beginning of March, procure some of the dormant roots 
and divide them into pieces, with a single bud or eye to 
each ; pot them in small 3-inch pots in soil composed. 
of light sandy loam and well-decomposed cow-dung, in 
equal proportions; then place the pots either in a 
Cucumber-pit or other forcing-house, where they can be 
freely supplied with moisture, after the plants com- 
mence growing, and where the tem erature is never 
below 60°. By the end of April or beginning of May, 
the plants will be ready for either transferring into large 
