1844 ^ 



THF FINEST DUTCH HYACINTHS and OTHER 

 BULBS DIRECT FROM HAARLEM. 



YOL'ELL and CO. beg to inform their Friends and 

 the Public they have just received their first Importation 

 . th« above in the finest possible condition, Catalogues of 

 kSTcan be had on application. They are enabled to offer 

 ~3* fi° esl Doub,e or Sin e ,e Blue, Red, White, and Yellow 

 Hracinths at IS*, per down." 



Very fine ditto 12*. per doz. 



«ne ditto . 6*. „ 



And otner Roots at equally moderate prices. 

 P s _Bolbs will be added as compensation for long- carriage. 

 Great Yarmouth Nursery, August 22, 1844. 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



Zty Cffrarftengrg* Cfpantcle 



571 



SAT I'll DAY, AUGUST 24, 1844. 



MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 



Tcniut, - pt. 3 Horti.uliural .... 3 r.u 

 «..».*. Sept. « Botanical . . . . . 8*.*, 



COUNTRY SHOW. 

 , Aug. 87 Knaie thorough Horticultural and Floral. 



At the request of a correspondent, we beg to state 

 that those who are desirous of using Sulphate of 

 Iron for the purpose of disinfecting manure may 

 procure it wholesale of Mr. Wm. Northcott, 13, 

 Rood-lane, Fen church-street ; or Mr. Fothergill, in 

 Thames-street. 



>s nw flowers or new fruits are not often fit sub- 

 jects for Leading Articles. But a case has arisen 

 to which it seems desirable to attract particular 

 attention. 



Among the countless species of rare plants, for 

 the introduction of which this country is indebted to 

 the Indian Government, there is a little hardy 

 evergreen shrub called "the small leaved Oleas- 

 rov or Ela?agnus parvifolia, having the aspect of the 

 Bohemian Olive when out of flower, but being greener, 

 and, like it, exhaling a delicious fragrance when in 

 blossom. The shrub would not attract notice if it 

 were not for its sweetness and being evergreen. The 

 warm summer has brought the plant into fruit, in 

 the Garden of the Horticultural Society ; and it is 

 this which leads us to notice it. 



Under a south wall it is loaded with clusters of 

 the most beautiful berries, not bigger than a Pea, 

 and totally unlike any fruit as yet found at the 

 dessert. They are oval, and bright red, but all over 

 their skin are scattered innumerable silvery scales, 

 which dim the redness, except where it peeps out 

 between them, and gives the berries a singular mot- 

 tled appearance. Inside is an angular stone, with a 

 thin shell. The flesh which covers it is of the con- 

 sistence of a Plum, and of so very pleasant sub-acid 

 a taste, that, if there were more of it, the fruit would 

 certainly be held in as much esteem as Plums. 



Now it strikes us that in this instance we have at 

 last the promise of a new class of fruits, if gardeners 

 will set themselves to cultivating it. The plant 

 possesses the important attributes of hardiness, abun- 

 dant bearing, and good quality ; but the fruit is in 

 the usual state of wildings-lean and bony. The 

 latter defect was once the fault of the Peach, the 

 Plum, and the Cherry : we see what cultivation has 

 brought them to; and the success of perseverance 

 without skill in working upon those fruits, seems to 

 justify our hoping as much from the Eteagnus, when 

 subjected to perseverance aided by skill. What 

 chance has brought about in the course of centuries, 

 acience may be expected to effect in a few years. In 

 snort, we believe that the fruit of the Eteagnus may 

 oe brought to the same condition as the Plum, by 

 judicious management. 



a*S A ™/ take is this : - As soon as the P lant 

 31? °i WS /^ ll ' ever y means that experience may 



ofVl n d !* taken in order t0 ™<*»se the size 



«rt^ S Umber of the berries - Those means are 



Acessn-e thinning, constant watering with liquid 



jnanure, and full exposure to the sun. Such 



of Thl i" ay - e ex P ectetl to increase the size 

 me berries immediately. The seeds of those 



VW 8 r u ** Sown in veT Y rich soU >* the 

 amnle % seedlings should be promoted by 



watpr;n r00m J i the roots > active manure, copious 

 such in •• e bri g htest sunlight. In two years 



with an L anc f WiU have Produced strong seedlings, 

 the beHn • nce of firm ^ell-formed wood. In 



wrjodshni^i the third y ear > the oldest and test 

 Olive m 8 rafted on the common Bohemian 



be cot Vp C^ ns angustifolia), stocks of which should 

 the irraft y ° r the P^POse. The succeeding year, 

 haninc .u may be ex Pected to bear. When that 



in Persia, although it is too insipid for European 

 tastes. By that means an immediate enlargement of 

 the fruit would be certainly obtained; but, perhaps, 

 at the expense of its quality. 



Should these remarks attract the attention of any 

 ingenious experimenter, we would Biggest, in addi- 

 tion, that some experiments ought at the same time 

 to be made upon grafting the Oleaster, because the 

 operation is not at present practised, and it is uncer- 

 tain what method may be most successful. And if 

 this point were not determined beforehand, the seed- 

 ling scions might die, after all the pains of rearing 

 them, and the whole work would require to be com- 

 menced over again, or at least an entire season mirflt 

 be lost. ° 



There will probably be some difficulty just now in 

 procuring the Small-leaved Oleaster, but the Fellows 

 of the Horticultural Society will easily obtain it 

 another year. In the meanwhile, if nothing else 

 comes of these suggestions, it is useful to make the 

 tree known, as a capital ^hrub to be introduced into 

 game preserves, for the sake of its berries. Any quan- 

 tity of the seed can be procured from the Botanic 

 Garden, Saharunpur. 



Among the luxuries which seem necessary I 

 the state of a great man's household are all 

 sorts of flowers, fruits, and vegetables, forced into 

 unnatural maturity at unheard-of seasons. The m is 

 mentibw <zstas is the measure at patrician gudening : 

 and so completely has the taste for pr< mous enjoy- 

 ment fastened on the public mind, that the "forced" 

 things, which opulence only can command, are valued 

 at a great price, while the very same objects, left to 

 Nature for perfection, are too often consigned with 

 indifference to the multitude. Did the expense con- 

 nected with such unseasonable gardening insure equi- 

 valent advantages, it would be a harmless indulgence, 



and wise mode of eliciting skill andstimulatingtoexer- 

 tion. Were the subjects of it, brought to maturity three 

 or four months before their customary period, really 

 improved in quality, or even rendered as good as they 

 naturally are, there would be still greater reasons 

 •for its encouragement. But, in the majority of cases, 

 the pallida poma of the Romans are only another 

 name for the forced productions of modern England; 

 and many of the objects thus early acquired are inferior, 

 in every important respect, to what they are when 

 suffered to mature at the allotted time. Their great 

 recommendation is, that there must have been an 

 unusual outlay of money and skill in rearing them. 

 Such an outlay may, no doubt, be defended on many 

 grounds, and we are the last to depreciate the con- 

 summate skill with which it is often applied. We 

 would only impress upon gardeners that it is not, as is 

 often supposed, the sole end of their profession. 



The great end of gardening is to improve the 

 qualities assigned to plants by Nature, to the utmost 

 extent of possibility, and it is a secondary object to 

 bring such things into use at any period besides the 

 natural one. 



It is therefore a question of some moment, whether 

 those means, which are so efficient in forcing, might 

 not be more usefully employed in ameliorating the same 

 productions at the natural season ; and also, whether 

 intrinsic excellence ought not to be sought for more 

 than that fictitious value which attaches to unseason- 

 ableness. Let no one fear that wealth would lose its 

 mark if this were so. There can be no difficulty in 

 seeing that money and talent will always keep in 

 advance of limited resources in the hands of the 

 ignorant, and that the distinction which is now 

 attained by forcing would be equally, and we think 

 better, established by superiority of produce. That too 

 is surely a less enviable distinction which depends 

 on having things out of season, than the one which is 

 founded on real and decided excellence of quality. 



The majority of vegetables and fruits that are forced 

 are less nutritious, less digestible, less palatable, than 

 natural crops ; the standard by which their merit 

 is measured is not so much their good quality as their 

 earliness and external appearance. We, however, 

 regard the highest aim of the grower to be the pro- 

 duction of positive rather than comparative supe- 

 riority; and this can only be effected by assisting 



oorcier nower. I o get bad forced Hoses in March, 

 regarded as a matter of more importance than to pro- 

 duce the finest natural Roses in June. To be sure it 

 is very desirable to have Roses, Lilies of the Valley 

 &c, blossoming in winter. The evil is, that the pos- 

 session and improvement of plants in such circum- 



ances is often more cared for than when they 

 flourish in all their natural conditions. 



It is doubtless a proud feeling for a Gardener that 

 he can chain Nature to his side, and, refractory as she 

 is, that he can bend her to his absolute will. It is a 

 great thing thus to assert his superiority over the 

 menial servants of a household ; and we trust that he 

 will ever maintain that empire of intellect which 



liseshim, in the minds of thinking | uople, above the 

 nerd of domestics. Bui we would submit to him that 



his power may lie exercised ami hisempire maintained 

 ui more ways than one ; and that the impi -ment of 

 the absolute quality of a plant is quite as much worthy 

 Of his notice as the forcing its unwilling stores to be 

 given up at all seasons at his imperious command. 

 We none of us like much to act upon compulsion, 

 and we may depend upon it plants agree with us in 

 that respect. 



ON "FIXERS" AND " RETARDERS " OF 



AMMONIA. 

 I think I pen. v, a little confusion of ideas in the 

 way in winch some writers apply the term "fixer" of 

 ammonia to it variety of nubstances which they recom- 

 mend for this purpose. 1 have more than once seen the 

 Garde. " Chronicle quoted as authority on this point ; 

 as, for instance, at p. 41 of Mr. Hannam's useful little 

 work on "Waste M inures." Now, surelv, it is not 

 judicious to apply the same term " fixer" to the effect 

 produced on carbonate of ammonia by sulphuric acid 

 and certain sulphates, and to that produced by charcoal, 

 bog-mould, &c. Uy the former class of substances the 

 csrbonate of ammonia is decomposed, and the sulphate 

 of ammonia is formed ; that is, a volatile salt is replaced 

 by a fixed salt. Here we may say the ammonia is 

 14 fixed." But the other class of substances, the char- 

 coal, &c, effect no decomposition of the carbonate of 

 ammonia: they merely "retard" its escape into the 

 atmosphere; they cannot even retain it for an indefinite 

 period. We are, therefore, producing two very different 

 results according as we use a " fixer" or a " retarder." 

 In the former case we shall apply to the soil a result 

 (the sulphate of ammonia) which must undergo a fresh 

 change before it can be serviceable to vegetation ; 

 whilst in the latter we apply the carbonate itself ready 

 for action. Without speaking positively, I think we may 

 argue a priori that a " fixer" will produce a more per- 

 manently valuable effect on manure than a " retarder," 

 if we reason according to the present position of 

 the still advancing inquiry that is making into the 

 theory of vegetation. According to Boussingault it is 

 probable (and Liebig states the same thing), that the sul- 

 phate of ammonia must be decomposed, and the carbonate 

 of ammonia restored, before the nitrogen can be fixed in 

 a plant. I find some writers on Agricultural Chemistry 

 very careless in the terms they make use of: they talk 

 of ammonia when they mean carbonate of ammonia, and 

 of lime when they mean carbonate of lime. This con- 

 ventional negligence may not mislead proficients in che- 

 mistry, but we, who are only partially initiated, are 

 sometimes apt to be puzzled by such inaccuracies. Pre- 

 cision in the application of technical terms is the very 

 oul of science. I have penned these remarks in conse- 

 quence of seeing that Mr. Mechi, in his third letter on 

 Agricultural improvement, speaks of introducing into 

 his tank ** a layer of earth or gypsum between each layer 

 of manure," so as to secure the ammonia. I do not 

 know whether it has occurred to him that the action of 

 the two substances here named must be different ; the 

 former being what I have called merely a "retarder," 

 whilst the latter may very possibly be truly a " fixer." 

 I have just read Mr. Mechi 's letters with very great 

 pleasure. This is indeed something like coming to the 

 point. If Mr. Mechi be correct in his speculation, — and 

 his arguments appear to be generally such as should com- 

 mand attention,— then must our present race of farmers 

 turn over a new leaf, or most assuredly some of them 

 will get pushed from their seats. Mr. Mechi reposes a 

 laudable confidence In what practical men have shown to 

 be advisable, and a wholesome faith in what science has 

 proved to be true. He is now trying, on a very bold 

 scale, to apply the best resources of practice and science 

 to the regeneration (I think we may call it) of a wretched 

 hungry soil, and its conversion into sound fertile land. 



*n5 P simn- he l ame P rocess of manuring, thinning, 

 ripe T,7 S , hould ^ followed, until the fruit is 



fruit will i i- ubt can exist that the first seedlinii 

 *>* the n ate a raanifest tendency to enlarge; it 

 ^cceed in j g ain ed— for the moment we can 

 cha «Re *NP roducin g in a plant a disposition to 

 wiI1 goalon ' fr ° m ex P erience > that the change 

 tn ^ dlspositio Way * provided we con tinue to encourage 



, »vt"i'oi!L e T ay ^^ **' t0 hybridise this small- 

 teD sis, wS e L' VUl ? the Zin ^yd, or Eteagnus hor- 



^ truit is as larce as an Olive, and eaten 



iarge as an Olive, and eaten houses or 



Nature at the right time, instead of overstraining her »—-.?, . . ,. . , 



, ° .- a ■ , »• , ,y - i ?u rt „ rt Let all farmers watch him narrowly, but let them be verv 



energies by an artificial stimulus. Certainly there ^ c ^ „ . „«;„j„;„ u; j,««ncuucinocTery 



" /• , . .i , _ a? . .i J ,„ i cautious of prejudging h:m, as it seems bv his own 



are exceptions, but they do not affect the general - ..° * -■ U J 



argument, and we pass them by for the present. 



Let it not, however, be supposed that we depreciate 

 forcing, properly so called. We would simply urge 

 that it is not of first-rate importance, and that the 

 greatest share of a gardener's attention should be 

 bestowed on giving his produce the best quality at 

 the season when it naturally appears. 



With respect to flowering plants, no one needs 

 telling that their productiveness, their beauty, and the 

 fragrance of their blossoms, are materially l ened by 

 forcing ; and yet how many of them are hardly ever 

 grown except for blooming early. The Hyacinth, for 

 instance, is universally used for decorating plant- 



account many of them are disposed to do. If his spe- 

 culation should only prove half as successful as his 

 enterprise and intelligence deserve, the laugh will be 

 sorely against some of our farmers of the old school. Let 

 them rather read Mr. Mechi's letters, and digest them ; 

 then, whether this particular speculation of his prove 

 successful or not, they will not fail to profit largely by 

 his reflections, and improve their own notions by his sug- 

 gestions. — J. S. Henslow, Hitcham. 



n. 



THE ROSE-GARDEN.— No. 3 



(Continued from page 52 1 .: 



Annual Pruning.— The annual pruning of the tree 

 Rose takes place in the first week in March. Previous 

 to detailing the manner in which this must be done, it 



