68 
THE GARDENERS’ CHRONICLE. 
[Fes. 4, 
ated with a Mr. Bickes, of Kastel. In another 
column will be found a letter upon the subject, to 
which we invite attention. 
Auruoven Farming is not exactly our vocation, we 
are always glad to open our columns to the principles 
of cultivation ; for they are the same in Agriculture 
as in Horticulture, only that the former applies them 
on the larger scale. We, however, like our neighbours, 
find a pretty considerable number of people who 
laugh at principles, and tell us that there is nothing like 
practice ; in which they are so far right that principles 
would be of little use unless practice carried them into 
execution. We cannot, however, too often assert, that 
practice without principles is a broken reed to lean 
upon, and will most undoubtedly fail those who cling 
to it alone in the coming storm ; and we now extract 
from our excellent contemporary, the Maidstone 
Journal, a specimen of the effects of people knowing 
something more than their grandfathers; which 
specimen we advise all the rule of thumb folks to 
examine for themselves. 
At arecent meeting of the Maidstone Farmers’ Club, 
the President, in giving the health of one of the 
Members, a Mr. Barnes, took occasion to make the 
following remarks :—“ Not only was that gentleman 
very eloquent and instructive at their meetings, but he 
carried out in practice what he advanced as theory. 
Last year, he (the President) paid him a visit just 
before reaping, and the difference between his Corn 
and that of his neighbours’ was such as no one would 
believe who had not seen it ; he saw some pieces close 
to his land, where there was hardly two quarters an acre 
of produce, while on Mr. Barnes’ there was not less 
than four or five quarters an acre. That was a very 
extraordinary difference in such a district as_ the 
Weald of Kent, and in such a season as that of last 
year, it struck him with surprise.” Mr. Barnes, 
in reply, ascribed his success to the outlay of capital 
in under-draining and manuring, and among other 
things, stated that “he had not been a grower of T'urnips 
for some years, having formerly attempted it and failed. 
However, after wnder-draining to some extent, he 
attempted again this year, and_ succeeded beyond 
anything in that neighbourhood.” We trust Mr. Pusey 
will ask Mr. Barnes for his evidence when he has 
obtained the committee which we understand it to be 
his intention to move for as soon as Parliament meets. 
Tas importance of Bottom-heat, not only for Pines 
and Cucumbers, but for everything else in some degree, 
is now generally acknowledged ; and since mature has es- 
tablished it as something like a general principle all over 
the globe, I see no reason why we should be sceptical as 
to its utility. 
If a Nurseryman is anxious to propagate a valuable 
plant, he generally has recourse to bottom-heat. A gar- 
dener waters his Vine or his Peach-border inside the 
house with tepid water (seeing that he has no other means 
of conveying a degree of warmth to the ground), in order 
to get a fund of sap in motion to supply the demand made 
by the buds in the earlier stages of development. In forc- 
ing Asparagus or Seakale at an early period, the process 
will be extremely tardy, unless we can command a bottom- 
heat of about 80°. 
It appears somewhat astonishing to think that the Pine- 
apple should luxuriate in a bottom-heat of 90° or 95°, 
whilst a temperature of 703 or 75° is found sufficient for 
the top. The discrepancy in nature does not amount to 
this ; therefore it is plain that, although nature is, as to 
general principles, an unerring guide, yet a great latitude 
has been provided for by the great Architect, both with 
regard to heat and moisture. Indeed, had it not been so, 
man, beast, and vegetable could not so readily have 
adapted themselves to change of situation, and the valuable 
Potato must have remained to grace its native hills in 
vito. - 
I see that in Dr. Lindley’s “ Theory of Horticulture,” 
the average heat of the earth during each month is given ; 
but there needs, I think, a classification, founded on the 
natural divisions of the seasons. I will therefore, to draw 
attention to the subject, suggest that, tor all practical pur- 
poses in gardening, the year might be divided somewhat 
after the following manner : 
Ist, accumulating period, (say) May, June, July, Aug. 
2nd, stationary period, (say) September and April. 3rd, 
dispersing period, (say) October, November, December, 
January, February, March. 
Of course the above-assumed periods refer to the heat- 
ing of the earth by the sun ; and by “stationary” I mean 
those periods when the average temperature of the atmo- 
Sphere and of the earth are nearly the same. 
t will be seen ata glance that the above is a mere spe- 
culation, and therefore cannot mislead; but of course 
there isa meaning in everything. Thus, the accumu- 
lating period sets everything in the vegetable kingdom in 
motion, and progressively increases that motion up to the 
time that the meridian sun exhausts the tender leaf; at 
which period there is, and had need be, the most complete 
action of the root by means of bottom-heat ; this conti- 
nues until the fruit is perfected, and the bud filled and or- 
ganised for the ensuing year, 
_ The stationary period is the withdrawing of excitement 
in the autumn, which allows the vegetable system to in- 
cline to its period ofrest ; and again in the spring, to 
prevent the too eager buds from hurrying into action. 
The dispersing period, in which the vegetable world, 
no longer needing the excitement of bottom-heat, returns 
a part of its borrowed store to the atmosphere, there to 
alleviate, in some degree, the rigours of the season, if the 
winter is long and severe.—Iobert Errington, Oulton, 
near Tarporley. 
TRELLISES FOR CLIMBERS. 
‘KEE 
Cz 
= 
= 
EFFECTS OF PUTRID VEGETABLES, &c. ON 
THE GROWTH OF PLANTS. 
Ir is well known that in adding decomposing vegetable 
matter to the soil, we supply to plants those substances 
which enter into their composition, and which exist in 
different states of combination. When such matter is to 
be applied as a manure to plants whose roots are confined in 
pots or any other given space, it must be made soluble in 
water; and chemical analysis plainly shows that all plants 
are resolvable into a certain number of simple bodies, and 
that these bodies enter readily into combination with water. 
Water, therefore, is apparently the source through 
which this nutriment is to be conveyed to the absorbent 
vessels ; and wishing to have ocular proof of the effects 
of such a liquid, and that too in as economical way as 
possible, I had an upright cask, with one end taken out, 
filled with leaves of Cabbage and any other succulent 
plants ; these were pressed down, and rain-water was 
added until the mass rose level with the surface. In this 
state putrefaction proceeded quickly, and in three or four 
weeks it was complete; this, however, depends entirely 
upon the state of the weather. 
That I might be the more certain of its fertilizing effects, 
500 scarlet Pelargoniums were subjected to an experi- 
ment. These had been exposed for the greater part of 
the year to all the variations of the weather, being pot- 
bound, having literally nothing to subsist on but what 
was supplied to them in a fluid state. One-half of them 
were supplied with the liquid from the cask, the other half 
with rain-water, and this experiment was carried on for 
upwards of a month—a sufficient time to prove its use- 
fulness. 
At the expiration of that period, no one ignorant of 
their treatment could have believed that they were all of 
the same age, and had been treated alike in every other 
respect ; the difference was so much in favour of those 
that had been supplied with vegetable liquid; they had 
not only grown more vigorously, but their leaves were 
larger and of a darker green. 
However fertilizing this liquid may be of itself, it is 
made still more so by the addition of animal urine in lieu 
of rain. water ; I also found that the vegetable fibre decom- 
posed with greater facility when acted upon by the urine of 
cattle ina fresh state, at the same time that the latter 
forms a liquid, holding in solution all the ingredients that 
constitute the food of plants, and fitted to supply nutri- 
tion in that form in which it can be received by the most 
minute spongiol When Or that had been 
sickly for years, were supplied with this liquid, their 
leaves turned from yellow to green, they bloomed freely, 
and set their fruit the same year. 
That this fluid may not receive more than its due, J 
will subjoin the previous treatment of the above plants. 
Early in spring, all the earthy matter was washed from 
their roots; they were repotted into fresh soil and plunged 
in a gentle hot-bed, where they made numerous fibres. 
The liquid was then copiously given; and at no time 
should this or any other artificial liquid, unless in a very 
diluted state, be applied to plants where a deficiency of 
fibres exists. I have supplied this liquid to numerous 
stove and greenhouse plants, with very beneficial results, 
more especially to those with succulent roots, and at no 
time did it destroy or fail in its effects. Unless sulphuric 
acid or some other fixing substance is mixed with it, this 
liquid cannot be used in any confined apartment, on ac- 
count of the noxious effluvia that is given off. Where a 
constant supply is required, two casks or cisterns are ne~ 
cessary, that the contents of one may be putrefying while 
the other is in use; the portion that remains after the 
liquid is drawn off, if mixed with light loam, forms an ex~- 
cellent compost. — Robert P. Drummond, Foreman, 
Minto House, Roxburghshire. 
ON MANURING WITH GREEN CROPS.—No. VIII. 
(By Proressor Cuarues Sprencen. Translated from 
‘man. 
ntinued from page 52.) 
3. Bannatic Globe Thistle (Echinops bannaticus).— 
This plant, a native of Hungary, has been cultivated for 
some time past as an ornament; it is biennial, and attains 
a height of 8 feet. I may state that I know, from expe- 
riment, that it will be a very valuable acquisition to the 
farmer, as well for fodder as for green manure. As fodder 
it is important, because, if planted the year before, it will 
be 3 feet high by the middle of the following May, and 
furnish an astonishing mass of herbage at a period when 
Red Clover is scarcely 4 or 5 inches high. I have given 
it repeatedly to swine, sheep, cows, and horses, in con- 
siderable quantity, and have always found that it was 
eagerly eaten by them, even when they have had plenty of 
‘lover. If mown when 2 or 3 feet high, it grows up again 
speedily, and can be cut once or twice more in the same 
season. Its qualities for green manure are, that its roots 
reach 3 or 4 feet in the subsoil, that it succeeds very well 
on poor loamy land, does not suffer from either frost or 
severe drought, is not attacked by vermin, and yields a 
mass of herbage nearly incredible; the Magdeburg 
acre ‘will yield, if the Echinops is 6 or 7 feet high and 
about to blossom, 40,000lbs. I have never grown it to 
that extent ; still, from the ground I have planted, I have 
been able to judge of its fertility. It yields an astonishing 
quantity of seed. y experiment, as to its manuring 
qualities, succeeded as well as might have been expected ; 
yet I observed that it decays underground more slowly 
than other plants. If it should turn out to be practically 
a good fodder, which I doubt the less because it is one of 
the Thistles with very soft small spines, the first cutting 
might be used in that way, and the second ploughed in 
green. Considering the Bannatic Globe Thistle such an 
important plant, I examined its chemical composition, 
and it will be seen from the following results how much 
manuring matter 40,000lbs. of the green material will 
furnish. 
1000lbs. of the green plant consist of— 
800-0 lbs. of water in fluid form, 
2:0  ,, nitrogen, probably. 
208" 5) potastte 
17 ,, soda. 
1:6 -4, - limes % 
0-7 4, magnesia. 
0-1 ,, sulphuric acid. 
0:8 ,, phosphoric acid. 
09 ,,  chlorine., 
110:0° -,,° carbon. 
79:0  ,, hydrogen, oxygen, silica, alumine, 
ae, oxide of iron, and manganese—of 
1000,01b. the three latter substances merely 
races. 
1,000 Ibs. of the dry plant contain 700lbs. actually 
nourishing material, amongst which are much mucilage 
and albumen. . 
40,000 lbs. green herbage would, therefore, bring into 
the furrow-slice of one acre, 80lbs. nitrogen, 120lbs. 
potash, 68ibs. soda, 64lbs. lime, 28lbs. magnesia, 4lbs. 
sulphuric acid, 32lbs. phosphoric acid, 36lbs. chlorine, 
and 4,400Ibs. of carbon; consequently, the soil would 
receive from that Globe Thistle more manuring substances 
than from any other plant hitherto known. The small 
amount of sulphuric acid is remarkable. 
For the sake of experiment the seed ought to be sown 
in May, and the plants to be transplanted in July or 
August, perhaps best after Rye. Although this Thistle is 
a plant of easy cultivation, it must be kept free from 
weeds, although they are not likely to overrun it, its own 
growth being so very luxuriant. That its principal suc- 
cess depends on the quality of the subsoil does not re- 
quire further explanation. 
(To be continued.) 
As the busy season of seed-sowing is at hand, proceed 
with the general work both: in the flower and kitchen 
garden, as fast as possible. Borders, containing herba- 
ceous plants, that were not digged over in the autumn, 
should, now that the bulbous plants are above-ground, 
be attended to immediately. Instead of being dug they 
should be neatly forked over, previously dressing the 
ground, if poor, with rich compost or manure, and taking 
care to disturb the bulbs as little as possible. Coarse- 
growing plants, such as Asters, Achilleas, Phloxes, Stenac- 
tises, &c., must be reduced in size. In doing this retain a 
portion of the outside only, removing the other part and 
the centre ; or, if necessary, take the plant up altogether, 
and after adding some fresh compost to the soil, replant 
the best part of the old stool. In this way, neat com- 
pact plants may be obtained, and what is an advantage 
in small gardens, some of the coarse-growing ones will 
be checked in their growth. 
Many of the more hardy of the autumn-struck plants 
for grouping, such as Pelargéniums, Calceolirias, com= 
seit bts 
