542, 
THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 
[Aua. 5, 
(where there is not free ventilation,) by the using a pail- 
ful of water with about half a pound of Alum dissolved in 
it. Upon adding the two solutions of Carbonate of 
Ammonia and Sulphate of Alum together, immediate 
effervescence ensues, the alumina is deposited, and the 
ammonia fixed. ow the alumina deposited (if the sul- 
phate is used in tanks) can be employed or not, but why 
not ?—it will be in all probability a subsulphate, and in some 
cases as good as gypsum ; but a little lime thrown upon 
the deposit at the bottom of the tank, where alum is used, 
would soon fix any acid which was free there, and I think 
the combination of the two earths would have no bad 
tendency, but the reverse, in some soils.— Thomas Ingle, 
M.D., La Hague, St. Peter's, Jersey. 
Watering Out-door Plants. —I1 quite coincide with 
“J. L.”’ that the two acknowledged agents in the vigorous 
growth of plants are heat and moisture; but I cannot 
comprehend how he should wish it to be understood, as a 
general rule to go by, that the morning is preferable to 
the evening for watering plants out of doors. “J. 1.” 
states that evaporation is in proportion to the dryness of 
the air,—might it not have been as well for him to have 
said at the same time, that the air is never so dry as when 
ice is forming on the surface of the earth? but I dare say 
J. L.” saw that this was the turning point in his argu- 
ment, and conceived it the wiser plan to leave it out. 
However, that is no reason why it should remain so in so 
important a discussion. It is a well-known fact that the 
sun’s rays impart no heat to the air in their transmission 
to the earth; but any sensible effect produced by them is 
in proportion to the extent they are reflected or absorbed, 
and since the general practice is to give water after the 
sun has passed the horizon, yery little evaporation takes 
place beyond the power which the heat has given to the 
air to carry moisture previous to watering, and this mois- 
ture so carried up will soon again be deposited in the 
form of dew. This last circumstance, with the water 
thrown on, will retard radiation—(or why is it that a clear 
night is more favourable to radiation than a cloudy one #) 
—until both water and dew are capable of rising in the 
form of vapour. Now, I think these statements in some 
degree remove “J. L.’s’’ objections to watering in the 
evening, for I have shown that moisture and heat are not 
removed so far from the plant as he imagined; and also 
that evaporation by evening watering is limited indeed. 
“J. UL.” recommends watering to be done, ‘about or 
soon after sun-rise.’”” Who would disturb the silent dew ? 
“J, L.”’ does not say he would; but how different in its 
effects is his system of watering to that calm quiescent 
state in which plants delight to dwell, compared with 
which ‘‘ J. L.’s’? morning watering is a state of atmo- 
sphere in motion,—anything but conducive to the growth 
of vegetation.—C. 
Watering Out-door Plants—You require an answer 
frae practical men as to whether it is better to water out- 
door plants in the morning or at night. I hae hada gude 
share of both planting and watering in my life-time, and I 
hae come to the conclusion (for I think I hae na been 
blind athegether to the effects of water upon plants that 
has been applied to them by the hand o’ man in the morn- 
ing, at midday, and the gloamin), that gardeners in general 
are great gowks for watering sae muckle as they do. Such 
a statement may not please some o’ them, for I ken 
that there are some gay full chaps belonging to the pro- 
fession, and, according as the advertisements read, have a 
perfect knowledge o” their business in every department. 
I canna mak ony sic asseverations, {for I ken fu’ weel 
there is mony a thing I would need to be instructed in, 
and that 0’ watering amang the rest ; I hae been like mony 
more in the world that hae watered and watered and better 
watered, and the crops made little progress for it a? ; and 
ae day, when I was unco tired at the wark, I sat down on 
the edge o’ the water-barrow, and looked up to the cluds, 
and I may say prayed for rain, but I thought again that 
the age o’ miracles was gane by, and I remembered that 
man had a rational soul within him, and if {he would 
just exercise the faculties that his Maker had given him, 
he might be a great deal better off, for we often act as if 
we were animals o’ instinct, and as if we had nae reason 
to guide us ; and when I say that Lintend to water a great 
deal less than I hae done, you are not to imagine that I 
live in, or even in the neighbourhood of the parish of Dreep- 
daily, where Andrew Fairservice served his time, and 
learned to grow Green Kale beneath glass, and forced 
Nettles for early Greens. I will not be able to explain 
my meaning perhaps in Natural Philosophy terms, for I 
am no sae weel acquainted wi’ radiation, absorption, eva~ 
poration, latant heat, and mony mae words that are used 
noo-a-days as I would like to be; but I get wonderfw’ help 
frae that wonderfw’ book ‘‘ Brande’s Dictionar,’’ whare 
ane will get a’ the kittly words explained that lie between 
Abaciscus and Zygophyllaces, and every gardener should 
try and be able to lay his hand upon ane as soon as he 
can. AndasI was saying before, when I was resting upon 
the water-barrow, with my elbow upon my knee and my 
head upon my lap, a thought came into my head, that 
something else might do far better for growing crops than 
watering them; 1 thought if something like a mack- 
intosh could be had for summer crops, it would be a great 
benefit to them,—something ye ken that would keep in the 
heat and the moisture, and no interfere greatly with the 
working o’ nature, and after trying various substances that 
did not answer so weel as I would like, they ware soon laid 
aside, but I mak mysel’ believe that I hae succeeded at 
last, but the stuff is so common and so cheap, and so 
muckle despised, that I maybe shouldna tell ye what it is 
Untill it be better proved; at ony rate it has been as a 
sheet-anchor to some of my crops this season. I am think- 
8 we all had our share of cold and wet in the spring 
months of this year; then came June with hirstering heat, 
which rent the earth about the roots of our crops, and 
although hoeing and pulverising were practised among 
some vegetable crops, and water besides, they appeared to 
be dieing in the spring of their days ; then was the time 
that I spread the mantle over their roots,—it appeared as 
refreshing to them as the shadow of the Gourd was to 
Jonah in the land of Assyria, They improved every hour 
after it was put on, and those that were left without it have 
made but a sorry appearance. What I hae said will per- 
haps not please you for an answer to your questions, but 
I think you will be ready to admit that it would be a great 
improvement in gardening if crops could be made to thrive 
weel in hot weather without water being applied to them 
by the aid of the gardener; some may be so wedded to 
the water-tub and the watering-pot, that they will not easily 
part with them. For my part, Iam heartily tired of them, 
and intend to use them as seldom as possible.—A Moor- 
land Gardener, 
Maturation of Fruit without being in immediate con- 
newion with Leaves—In corroboration of Mr. J. Mur- 
doch’s statement, at p. 479, that Peaches and Plums will 
come to maturity without leaves being in immediate con- 
nexion with them to draw and mature the sap, allow me 
to mention that the same fact has several times come 
under my observation. At the present time I have both 
Peaches and Plums, without a single leaf in connexi 
them in was upon some shelves in front of a Peach-house. 
I believe the chief cause of failure in forced Strawberries 
arises from their being introduced into too warm a place. 
I always find those which I place in my vineries when I 
begin forcing do a great deal better than those introduced 
later.—John Murdoch. 
Prizes for Seedling Pelargoniums.—In the Chronicle 
of July 15 you gave a list of the prizes awarded at the 
last exhibition of the Horticultural Society, in which I 
observe two Silver Knightian and two Silver Banksian 
Medals were given for Cherries, and a Certificate of 
Merit for a seedling Pelargonium, named Psyche. It was 
the opinion of one of the most experienced growers of 
seedling Pelargoniums that Psyche was the best ever exhi- 
bited in this or any other year. Of its merit, therefore, I 
conclude there can be no doubt. It is equally clear that 
one of the objects of the Society in offering prizes is to 
encourage merit, and to proportion the value of the prizes 
to the degree of skill exercised in producing the object 
exhibited. I take the liberty, therefore, of asking whe- 
ther there is not at least as much merit in producing a 
beautiful seedling Pelargonium as in exhibiting a good 
dish of Cherries? A tolerably good soil and favourable 
season will produce fine Cherries without exercising the 
skill of the gardener, but to raise a seedling Pelargonium 
with them, swelling as fast as those that have all the 
appendages necessary to bring them to perfection. Some 
years ago I accidentally broke the leader at the same joint 
from which a fine Fruit proceeded. Although not expect- 
ing the latter to swell any farther, I determined to give it 
a fair chance by bringing the leaves of the nearest branches 
over it, to shade it from the sun. The Fruit swelled off 
and ripened to all appearance in a sound state. In such 
cases, does nature make up the deficiency from the leaves 
nearest to the fruit? or, admitting the doctrine that Fruit 
originates from metamorphosed leaves or wood, is it not 
possible that the whole of the matter necessary for the 
formation of Fruit is deposited in the stem or branch 
previously to the swelling of the Fruit, and that the leaves 
only exercise their proper function with a view to the 
formation of more wood, without any peculiar provision 
for the Fruit?—Dee. [We apprehend that in those in- 
stances the Fruit was not at the end of leafless branches, 
but of leafless spurs, which makes a great difference. It 
is also to be presumed that in the first instance mentioned 
the Fruit was already swelling, and able to attract food to 
itself, independently of the leader that was broken off. No 
doubt, after fruit has acquired a certain size, it becomes 
more independent of neighbouring leaves than when it is 
younger. ] 
Strawberries.—Although I agree with you in most 
things, I beg to differ with you respecting the cutting off 
the leaves of Strawberries at this season; and although I 
do not cut quite so closeas ‘ D. Z.,”” I am sure, from con- 
siderable experience, that the principle is good. In point 
of neatness there is no comparison; the beautiful green 
and feathered foliage of the mowed beds being pleasant 
objects in autumn, and affording quite sufficient covering 
for them in winter; in fact, they may be compared to 
birds after moulting. And to observe the fine plump 
buds of those which have been cut over when they have 
made a few new leaves, the difference is at once manifest ; 
and if done in time and with judgment, the result will be 
a plentiful crop of fine and large fruit the following 
season.—C. W, 7. 
Foreing Strawberries.—Perhaps it may be thought in- 
vidious to object to anything proceeding from so high an 
authority as Mr. Paxton, particularly as the object: was to 
satisfy the inquiries of ‘‘ A Subscriber,’”? as to the best 
manner of preparing Strawberry-plants for forcing. Ihave 
long known and practised (but it was before the days of 
Keen’s seedling, when there was more occasion for it) 
a similar plan to that recommended at p- 480, viz., to take 
runners of the previous season and transplant three of 
them into 32-sized pots, at the end of April or the begin- 
ning of May, plunging the pots in an open piece of ground, 
removing the runners, &c. during the summer, and repot- 
fit for n the present day requires consider- 
able judgment in selecting the parent plants, and some 
experience in the management of them. In this view I 
am confirmed by the awards of the judges at the exhibi- 
tion at Chiswick in June, when they gave one Silver 
Knightian and two Silver Banksian Medals to three seed- 
ling Pelargoniums. With the parties who exhibited on 
those two occasions I have no connexion, but as a Fellow 
of the Horticultural Society of more than 20 years’ stand- 
ing, I feel most anxious that its character for fairness and 
i should be intained.— 7’. H. S. [Wehave 
no doubt that some one of the judges will answer this next 
wi 
eek, 
Rot in Larch.—I observe in your answer lately to a 
question on a subject of great importance—the heart-rot 
in Larches, that you suggest the probability of its arising 
from too much moisture about the roots. My experience 
would lead me to a precisely contrary conclusion, namely, 
that the disease is caused by a deficiency rather than by 
an excess of moisture. At least, I know that the disease 
is prevalent in the dry sandy heaths, till lately so common 
in Cheshire and the neighbouring counties, and I am 
told does not. occur among Larches planted on the sides of 
slaty mountains, where moisture is very abundant. It is 
much to be regretted that by far the greater part of the 
Larch plantations in this part of England have been made 
upon thin, dry, sandy soils, which are by no means suit- 
able to the tree, so that we are not likely to form a true 
notion of its real value as a timber tree in situations where 
the soil will allow it to flourish—[We have stated that 
the subject is exceedingly obscure, and we should be very 
glad to hear what the experience of others is on the sub~ 
ject. Our own impression is, that the published evidence 
leans towards a wet subsoil being the cause of the mis- 
chief; but our correspondent’s evidence seems, in this 
instance, to point the other way. Is he, however, sure 
that the subsoil is dry ?] 
=. Bees.—In answer to your inquiry at p. 519, I beg to 
state that the Bees were in the comb, which hung from 
one of the branches of the Whitethorn.— A Bath Sub- 
seriber.—-—No one is less anxious to prolong this dis- 
cussion than I am ; but as Mr. Wighton seems to say that 
my meaning in one place is not clearly understood, I beg 
to clear away all ambiguities. Before a first swarm is 24 
hours in a hive two or three bits of comb are made, 
and eggs are placed therein. Then, if the queen be 
taken away, the Bees add wax to one or more cells, which 
may be called bent royal cells, for common hee cells 
are horizontal, and queen cells vertical. The wax added 
to the common cells is put in a vertical form. Mr. W- 
saw this part of the cell only, and therefore says that I 
argue unfairly, because I was not at Cossey Hall to see it- 
have seen many like it——I thank Mr. W. for pointing 
out a discrepancy in my article: viz., that Bees have 0 
ting them into pots a size larger in August or S ptemb 
They become fine robust plants; but I do not think it 
commensurate with the extra trouble, though by one cir- 
cumstanced as Mr. Paxton, who has merely to say ‘‘ Do,” 
and it is done, it would be worth trying. I generally 
strike some runners in small pots and repot them again, 
but I am mostly satisfied with the best runners I can find 
in the month of August, when I plant three of them in 
24 or 32-sized pots, according to the size of the plants. I 
prefer wet days to take the runners up, us the mould 
adheres best to them ; but I like to cut off the tips of the 
roots, as it causes them to produce twice the quantity of 
fresh fibres. After I have potted them I place them, if 
it should be hot weather, behind a north wall for eight or 
ten days, after which I plunge them in an open part of 
the garden, in the common soil, up to the rims of the pots. 
A friend of mine, long gardener to Sir William Folkes, 
a successful forced-Stawberry-grower, used to recom- 
mend taking the small runners in the month of 
September and potting them, as he frequently found 
the earliest ones had a disposition to come into bloom in 
the autumn; and the best crop I ever remember to have 
had was on an occasion when the want of pots compelled 
me to put off potting the runners till the first week in 
October; when, fearful that they would not have time to 
make many roots before the season was over, I filled a 
frame with fresh horse-droppings, and plunged the pots 
therein, but without covering them with lights. This was 
the usual custom of the late Mr. Press, long gardener to 
Mr. Gray, of Hornsey, who, besides supplying the wants 
of his master’s family, (1 have heard,) could sead a great 
many to market; and the chief place he had for growing 
eggs later than August. Absolutely speaking, this is wrong 5 
but, generally speaking, it is right. I assure Mr. W. that 
when brood goes back before it is ten days’ old it never 
becomes dry. When speaking of artificial swarming he 
stands on very slippery ground; but I forbear to make 
another remark.—A. Pettigrew. 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
August 1.—R. W. 
R. Colville, J. G. Dyne, P. P. Fitzpatrick, T. L. Hodges, 
; a 
man: s thi ¢ plant will continue in good bearing; 2 
y year: e same plant ont in gi Sane season 
will, 
ordinary growth towards the end of the season, and bear O oante 
growth by 
he ar, 
nm 
ine- ‘as to 
vincan HEHERE to, BAOE: them forward; that the tna) of bos 
branes particularly of those kinds which throw out an al aaa ally. 
of foliage before blooming, should be brought on gr 
might be excited into new 
