1843.] 
THE GARDENERS 
CHRONICLE. 
427 
NOW ON SHOW, AT 
OUELL & Co.’s Nursery, Great Yarmouth, a 
splendid Specimen of their FUCHSIA ST. CLARE, upwards 
of Nine Feet in Circumference, literally covered with bloom, to 
which they respectfully invite admirers of this elegant tribe of 
Plants to inspect..—June 22, 1843, 
The Gardeners’ Chronicle, 
SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 1848. 
MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 
‘Tuesday, June 27 Zoological 
29 | s Royal Botanic, 
Wednesday, June 28. .f arviico: Botand 
‘dudiday. 4 Horticultural 
Tuesday, July 4 “nee 
Friday, July7 +. +. + Bota 
Couxrny Suow, Monday, July 3. Slough Pink and Heartsease. 
Tis Potato crop has of late years been seriously 
affected by a disease which consists in the production of 
tubers, instead of stems, when growth first commences 
after planting, and in the loss of all further power 
of vegetation consequent upon this malformation. 
e have examined several specimens of the disease 
without succeeding in discovering the smallest trace 
of organic injury, and we feel satisfied that there is 
nothing in the visible formation of the Potato which 
will account for it. All the tubers, young and old, 
seem perfect. : 
It is therefore probable that Chemistry must be 
called upon to explain the source of the mischief, and 
that some deficiency or excess of the proximate prin- 
ciples lodged in the tuber will be found connected 
with it. Although we have nothing positive to state 
in confirmation of this suggestion, yet there are some 
facts which may possibly lead to the discovery. We all 
know that the Potato-shoots, when first produced, are 
fed by the matter lodged in the tuber from which the 
shoots proceed. ‘That matter consists largely of 
starch ; an insoluble substance, which only becomes 
capable of nourishing a young shoot by changing 
into gum or sugar. Chemists tell us that such change 
is effected by a form of matter which they name 
jastase, in which nitrogen is an element, Since we 
know that the quantity of azotised matter * found in 
a Potato varies very considerably, it is probable that 
the quantity of diastase also varies, and that in some 
eases it may be altogether insufficient to render the 
starch soluble, except to a small extent. If that were 
So, the bud, when it springs from a tuber, would be 
unable to grow into a shoot bearing leaves, but would 
develop itself in an imperfect way, and remain as a 
little tuber, without any power of growing further. 
This may be the history of the disease in the 
Potato now under consideration ; and if so, it would 
perhaps be removed by adding azotised manure ; for 
the latter, when decomposing in the soil, may furnish 
the nitrogen that is required. It is true that diastase 
is a peculiar compound, and that we have no authority 
for supposing diastase itself likely to be formed in a 
Potato by the addition of azotised matter to soil. On 
the other hand, we know so little of nitrogen, and its 
action in vegetation, except that its influence is most 
important, that it is a fair subject of speculation. If 
eaves cannot decompose carbonic acid, except in the 
presence of nitrogen, it may very well be that starch 
also cannot change into sugar or gum except in its 
presence, and that in any nascent state it may act just 
as well as if produced by the decomposition of diastase. 
‘We would recommend then those whose Potatoes 
are thus affected to manure them at once with 
Water containing ammonia. This can do no harm, 
and may do good. Experiment, too, is somewhat 
favourable to the trial ; for lately, in the Garden of 
the Horticultural Society, some Potatoes which had 
Hot made their appearance above ground at the time 
When others planted at the same time were in full 
Vegetation, were, at the desire of Mr. Edward Solly, 
Watered with a weak solution of muriate of ammo. 
Nia ; when ina few days the leaves and stems came up, 
and are now the most vigorous of all. 
Tus important effect of the stimulus incessantly 
applied to Horticulture by the Horticultural Society 
‘as never more conspicuously manifested than on 
Saturday last, as many of our readers can bear wit- 
hess. The cultivation of some of the plants was 
Mite wonderful, nor was the total absence of bad gar- 
ening much less surprising. In former years, the 
€xhibitions of the Society have been what those of the 
“toyal Academy still are—a few noble speciméns of 
art, many good ones, and a great number that reflected 
No Credit on the senders. But the latter class is now 
fairly eradicated, and it would have been difficult 
nd on the late occasion a plant really discreditable 
0 the grower, with the exception of one exhibition of 
Roses, F 
\ For this result, the Horticultural Society have an 
“ndoubted right to claim credit. It has arisen entirely 
* Matter containing nitrogen, 
out of their determined perseverance in refusing 
rewards to ill-grown plants, and in applying their 
ample funds to the encouragement of good cultivation 
instead of mere collecting. By setting their faces 
steadily against all attempts at obtaining prizes for 
plants merely because they were new, they have raised 
the standard of British Gardening a thousand per 
cent., and placed it in a position from which nothing | 
can now make it descend. Complaints have indeed | 
been made of the operation of this system, and | 
a few gardeners have withdrawn from competi- | 
tion at Chiswick; but in doing so, they only pro- | 
claimed their unskilfulness by tacitly declaring that | 
the standard of cultivation’ fixed by the Society’s | 
Judges was too high for their abilities. In the mean- | 
while their places haye been taken by better men, who 
have had the talent to appreciate the true principles 
of cultivation, and to apply them more skilfully than 
has ever been done before to practical operations. The 
miserable Kalmias and wretched forced Roses, whose 
just condemnation a few years ago by the Judges pro- 
duced so much discontent, have disappeared ; and he 
would be a bold man who would now venture to pro- 
duce them ; for bad as was one of the exhibitions of 
Roses in pots on Saturday last, it was better than 
those to which we allude, and it was the only instance 
of really bad gardening which met our eye. 
We would ask any unprejudiced person whether 
this improvement would have taken place if the 
Judges had been weak enough to allow themselves to 
be intimidated into awarding high medals for low 
skill, merely because high medals were offered, and 
none but bad specimens produced. To have done 
this would have been not only to offer a premium for 
apathy, but absolutely to discourage exertion ; because 
if exhibitors had discovered that the prizes were 
awarded under all or any circumstances, they would 
have had no motive to cultivate their plants better 
than ordinary. Their great object would have been 
to ascertain what plants in their own possession were 
not likely to be produced or exhibited by others, and 
then by sending} them to the Garden’ they would 
have easily secured a most unmerited and unwise 
reward. But the Judges stopped this promptly by 
declaring that they would not award prizes, whatever 
might be offered, unless the objects produced were 
really worthy of the distinction; while, at the same 
time, they often marked their sense of really good 
gardening by increasing the medals promised by the 
Society. g 
Among the beautiful species that graced the tables, 
Orchidaceous plants commanded the greatest admi 
tion. A deep bank of the rarest, the gayest, the 
sweetest, and the most graceful of these charming | 
flowers, a hundred feet in length, formed a spectacle 
such as has never before been seen in Europe. Some 
Heaths, from Lucombe and Pince, of oxeter, 
exhibited among miscellaneous subjects, obtained a 
Gold Banksian Medal, although nothing higher had 
been offered in that class than the Silver Knightian, 
The large collections of Stove and Greenhouse plants 
from Lady Antrobus and Mrs. Lawrence were each so 
good in their way, that they both received the highest 
prize ; and no fewer than seventeen medals, altogether 
of the value of 25/., were assigned to single specimens 
of new or rare ornamental plants. Such circumstances 
sufficiently indicate what this Exhibition was, 
We were sorry to see some instances of exhibitors 
entering their plants in wrong classes, for all such 
instances are necessarily passed over by the Judges. 
Some persons, too, could not reach the garden in 
time, and were excluded altogether. We trust that 
they will be more exact on a future occasion. 
On Wednesday, the 12th of July, the last of these 
Exhibitions for the present year will take place ; and 
it gives us great pleasure to announce the intention of 
the Duke of Devonshire, on that occasion, to open his 
beautiful gardens and grounds to all the visitors to the 
Society’s Exhibition. Few, except the personal 
friends of his Grace, know anything of this delicious 
residence, and the permission to stroll through so 
charming a retreat will, we are sure, be regarded by 
the visitors a8 au act of the greatest kindness on the 
part of the noble President of the Society, 
o 
t 
Tuers are many clergymen, retired merchants, 
and tradesmen, who take pleasure in rural occupa- 
tions, but who would be afraid to embark in the pre- 
carious speculation of farming. A neat house or villa, 
with a good garden, and a few acres of land, naturally 
suit the ofium cum dignitate of those who have been 
long engaged: in the active pursuits of life and are 
now come to the age of repose, while they still want 
some stimulus to exertion, without much care or 
fatigue. From the questions which are repeatedly 
asked us on very simple subjects of practical hus- 
bandry, we presume that some general practical 
instructions as to the useful, if not profitable manage- 
ment of a few acres of land may be interesting to many 
of our readers, and useful to another class, whom we 
consider as, peculiarly our scholars; we mean young 
gardeners, who may often be intrusted with the 
management of such parcels of land in addition to 
that of a garden. We will therefore, in a few short 
articles, give some hints derived from actual practice, 
which may be useful to those who take pleasure in the 
occupations of the country, and who may not have 
| leisure to read books on’ Agriculture, or to study 
minutely the best practices of improved husbandry. 
If our observations may appear trivial and our directions 
minute, we repeat that we do not write for experienced 
farmers, nor pretend to develop all the arcana of 
modern scientific Agriculture, with its references to 
physiology, chemistry, mineralogy, and meteorology, 
but simply to tell those who do not already know it 
how they may improve their grass-fields, and make 
the most of any arable land they may occupy, without 
being led into unnecessary expense or ruinous expe. 
riments. 
To begin, we shall take a view of the best manage~ 
ment of ten, twenty, or thirty acres of grass-land, 
more or less rich: in its nature, where there is no 
arable land attached to it, and this will probably be 
the case with the rus of many of our readers. 
There is no family so small but what will produce 
manure sufficient for several acres of land: garden 
refuse and pot-liquor with very little bran or pollard 
will feed a sow or two; and as there is generally at 
least one horse kept for use and a couple of cows, a 
portion ‘of grass-land for pasture and to make hay is 
a great convenience. The stable-dung will probably 
be mostly used by the gardener for hot-beds, and if he 
be not restrained, the whole will be afterwards dug 
into the garden. There is no necessity for this when 
the soil of the garfen is good and has been kept in 
tolerable heart ; besides, much sweeter vegetables, if 
not so large, are raised where more vegetable than 
animal manure is used. Parings of grass where it 
grows rank and weedy, and sods taken from grips 
made to let off the surface water from clay soils, laid 
for a time in a heapand moistened with a little liquid 
manure and then turned over, will make the best 
compost for a kitchen-garden or to dig in around the 
roots of fruit-trees and shrubs: this every good gar- 
dener knows well. What we would now inculcate is 
the economy of manure, so as to have enough for the 
garden, and also for the grass-land. ; 
The stable and cow-house and the pig-sty are 
generally looked to as the great sources of manure—so 
they are on a farm; but where there are only a few 
acres of grass-land and no great quantity of stock can 
be kept, it is the house which is the real producer of 
manure, and that it may be so, there must be an 
arrangement of drains and tanks so that nothing shall 
run to waste. Ifa new house is erecting, the plan of 
it should always take ina geueral cloaca, that is, a 
common sink with a proper barrelled drain, by which 
all refuse liquor is carried to some convenient spot out 
of sight, where there is a copious well-cemented tank, 
arched over, with an opening or door through which 
it may be occasionally emptied and cleaned out. It 
should be divided by a water-tight partition into two 
chambers, so that one may be emptied gradually while 
the other is filling. Into this tank should be brought 
all the liquid parts of the dung of the animals, and 
all the water from water-closets, soap-suds, &c. ; in 
short, it should be a universal receptacle for all waste 
liquids. Close to the tank should be a square pit 
walled round, to receive all the litter from the stables, 
and the solid refuse of house and garden, excepting 
that which the pigs will eat. Into this pit should be 
collected the mowings of the lawn, the sweepings of 
the gravel-walks, and all the leaves which can be col- 
lected. If the heap is moist it will be in a constant 
state of decomposition, which may be artificiall: 
assisted where there is an opportunity, by occasionally 
adding some liquor from gas-works, or guano, merely 
to excite fermentation ; but this is not essential, if 
the tank-liquor be occasionally pumped over it; sods 
and earth may be added if the decomposition appears 
to go on very rapidly. The whole may be turned 
over now and then to accelerate the fermentation, or 
be trod close to check it. In this way a’sufficient heap 
of rich compost may be obtained which will Manure 
several acres of land. If there is a large tank the 
liquid should be pumped into a large cask set on 
wheels, and let out through a hole in the lowest art 
of the cask, so as to flow on a board set slanting under 
it, to spread it over a certain space as the vehicle 
moves on slowly ; a bung or valve keeps the liquor in 
till it arrives at the place which is to be manured. 
This may be done in spring and after hay-making, 
choosing rainy weather in preference. No one who 
had not seen this plan in operation would imagine 
that from a moderate family and only one horse, a 
couple of cows, and a few pigs, ten acres of grass-land 
could be manured every year, and thus twenty or thirty 
acres kept constantly in good heart. The first expense 
Is not great. The common drain carrying off all 
refuse liquids to some distance from the house contri« 
butes to its salubrity. The effluyia of a well-managed 
dung-heap are always keptdownand absorbed by earth, 
80 as never to offend the senses, besides being ont of 
