582 



THE GARDENERS 1 CHRONICLE. 



[Sept. 1, 1855. 



will h e no apprebenakwi >" their uae of Buffering from 



the remedy adopted in England for the cure of that 



Wood Field, and Banbury: I kwood, Randall, and Co.: 

 Wijcan, White, and Wig»nfl; Jones, Armstrong and 

 Moon* Craftier, Humble, ami Son; Jackson and Green- 

 alade : Tim. Richardson and Sons; UubTmrd and Strutter; 

 Thomas Waterman and Co.; Kitchin Thornton; Pike, 

 Leake, and Co.; G. Hewitt and Co.; Pn ?****> * n ' J 



Co and W. II. Teuton; W. Cosier; J. P. Knight; 



R. v i T. ColUs. 



in 



mand 



Home Correspondence. 



Fences.— Observing of late several articles on fencing 

 ... your Journal, I submit that one kind may be suitabl e 

 for cue place but might not bo so in another ; for in- 

 stance, a cold bleak country would like to have shelter 

 and protection, whereas IB warmer Off more genial 

 localities, the more I is are open to the influences of the 

 sun and air and freed from hedge-row timber the 

 better. At this moment I will more particularly con- 

 sider the question of fences generally. Grant we have 

 stone, iron, and different sorts of living stuff at corn- 

 ton walla to many may be unsightly, but where 

 mania are near and stones large enough to make a 



gged topping, make good fences, take up little space, 

 are inexprn- • and durable. The second I prefer to any 

 other, viz , a good substantial iron hurdle, with 4 up- 

 right ♦, with an iron post buttressed alternately on either 

 aid* . taking up no room, harbouring neither weeds nor 

 vermin, removable from place to place, and has its worth 

 a'i old metal. But what's the last ?— balance the first 

 and greater outlay with the second and lesser expenses; 

 remembering, however, the aunual outlay for keeping 

 live fences in repair. I have nothing to say against the 

 following kinds of hedges :— Hollies, Blackthorn, Quicks, 

 or Sweetbriar mixed with Beech or Privet, but one and 

 all of them require time to become real and substantial 

 fences; all require two-sided posts and rails — often to be 

 renewed, often stolen, always closely to be looked after; 

 and if you will count your cost of labour, timber, and 

 nails for 5 or 6 years, you will find a good deal of money 

 has been disbursed. It may be asked whether it is 

 better to plant your live fence on the surface of the soil 

 or on a bank ; if on a bank a ditch on either side to form 

 it is usual, which cattle breast, and the ditches are 

 trampled in and pouched, and the outflow of drains are 

 stopped up if carried into them. If on the surface, it 

 requires a long time before a substantial good fence can 

 be got up ; and if the fields are pastured with sheep, 

 vacancies and gaps are sure to be made in it by being 

 browsed. '1 he best Quickset hedge I ever saw was made 

 after this fashion — a wall of 18 inches high and 9 inches 

 wide, with Quirks planted on both sides of it. Although 

 an advocate (from experience) of an iron hurdle being 

 the best and the cheapest in the end, it must be a strong 

 one, with buttressed props; a slight one does not answer 



in any way tlie view I take upon the subject. Rhyl. ■ 



As regards mixing and rearing hedge plants no 

 general rule can be laid down, for scarcely two men 

 can agree as to what is the best hedge mixture. Soil 

 ami climate are the two most essential points to be 

 studied in the rearing of plants adapted for hedging. 

 In good soil and for agricultural purposes nothing can 

 supersede the White Thorn. For ornamental and lawn 

 fencing the kind of plants to be chosen must be left to 

 the taste of the planter ; a good many varieties of ever- 

 green plants have been recommended, and many more 

 might be named, all well adapted for forming beautiful 

 hedges, provided such suits the owner's taste, and the 

 soil in which they are to be planted. As to keeping 

 hedges when reared, surely u A Northern" is acquainted 

 with better implements than a pair of rusty scissors 

 for clipping or cutting hedges ; keeping the latter narrow 

 at top instead of broad, which is generally termed "wedge- 

 shaped," is certainly the best form. «A Northern" 

 must have few hedges under his management if he can 

 find time to dress them annually with a pair of scissors ; 

 [ hope that he will try the implement mentioned by u A 

 Yorkshireman " last week ; Sanderson's (of Dunse) is 

 the best hedge bill I ever tried, it can be had of any 

 respectable ironmonger or seedsman. I have travelled 

 in Scotland and in the north of England, aud I can 

 safely say that the best hedge fences 1 ever saw were 

 wedge-shaped ; they are the easiest kept, and with 

 fair management live longest ; they should be dressed 

 annually. The Far North, Aberncthy, Strathspey 9 [Scot- 

 land. 



My Flemish Pears have been much destroyed by 

 myriads of yellow flies, and three remedies, which I 

 have tried for them, have proved useless. I washed 

 one tree with the engine, and while wet dusted it all 

 over with soot. I allowed that to remain on four days 

 and then washed it off. For another tree I used 

 2 lbs. of sulphur in solution, and for a third tobacco- 

 jmce. None of these applications, however, were 

 effectual in removing the evil. Do you know of any 

 rem ly ? Would it be well to give the trees liquid 

 manure at the roots in order to improve the size of the 

 fruit ; and if so, is it proper to mulch with a view to 

 prevent evaporation \ Would mulching with Grass 

 tiave a bad effect in preventing the sun's rays promoting 

 the ripening process ! Any information on these points 

 wouW oblige A Constant Reader, Cupar, Fife. [ Do not 

 use Graaa-mulching. As to the fly, before suggesting 

 any remedy for it we must know what it is 1 



Vanilla.-Hwmg succeeded this spring-in ripening 

 a considerable number of Vanilla pods, a phenomenon 

 has come under my observation which appears worth 

 noticing, namely, the formation of very delicate needle- 

 shaped crystals, both on the surface and in the interior 



ol the pods when slowly dried. I suspect they Will 



prove some peculiar alkaloid to which the plant owes its 

 flavour. My mode of treatment after they were 

 gathered was first to dry them slowly by hanging them 

 up in the stove in which they had been cultivated ; they 

 were afterwards laid to dry in a warm sitting room, 

 and finally put away in a wide-mouthed glass bottle, 

 exposed to moderate light. Notwithstanding all the 

 <lrving to which they had been subjected, one or two 

 pods show. 1 svmptoms of mould, but the crystallisation 

 of which I speak is quite distinct from this, the crystals 

 bein^ needle-shaped and prismatic, apparently trian- 

 gular, about one-twentieth of an inch long and under. 

 The interior of the pods where, in ripening, they have 

 burst open, is quite brilliant with them. /. Rogers. 

 [The crystals are understood to be of either benzoic 



or cinnamic acid.] 



« Sir Harry " Strawberry.— In answer to the para- 

 graph signed " Fragaria," in last week's Number, I 

 have advertised in another column some few testimo- 

 nials respecting this Strawberry from amongst numerous 

 others which I have received from various parties. I 

 was not aware, until I was favoured by the paragraph 

 in question with the information, that this Strawberry 

 was held in such slight estimation at the Horticultural 

 Fete at Carlisle. Having had awarded it there the 1st 

 prize, I of eonrse imagined that the award of the judges 

 at such an exhibition was right and indisputable. R. 

 Vnderhi/l, Sir JIarry's Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham. 



Vim Disease.— I do not know whether it may be 

 among the facts tending to throw light on the Vine 

 disease, that in the case of our own houses the Grapes 

 were first affected at the western end, the blight gra- 

 dually passing on through the last month or more to 

 those that until lately appeared quite healthy at the 

 eastern end ; and within a day or two I have observed 

 that some of the leaves and branches are assuming the 

 same mouldy appearance. All were, I imagine, quite 

 healthy in colour until the early part of last month. 

 The two houses have a southern aspect, are separated 

 by a stone wall, and are ventilated from the roof. They 

 receive but little care ; but last year so few branches 

 were blighted by the mildew as to lead to the hope these 

 were accidental, and that the disease had not attacked 

 the Vines. It is now unmistakeable. L. P., Plymouth. 



Importance of Urine as Manure.— This, ; when allowed to 

 become putrid, contains a large quantity of ammonia. 

 This is clearly appreciable when it is stirred up, the 

 effect produced being such as to affect the eyes similarly 

 to salts of ammonia. This valuable manure then is 

 easily attainable, inexpensive, and only requires the 

 trouble of collecting. The exact quantity of this liquid 

 that plants will make use of, or are capable of assimi- 

 lating, I am unable to determine. But it is wiser and 

 better to apply such substances weak and often than to 

 furnish them in excessive doses. The proportions in 

 which I have used it to Pine plants, vigorous growing 

 soft-wooded stove plants, Vines in pots, &c, first allow- 

 ing the liquid to become putrid, was I pint to a 4 gallon 

 pan, and that the leaves of plants do to a certain extent 

 absorb ammonia from the atmosphere is undoubted 

 (see Dr. Lindley's "Theory of Horticulture"). I have, 

 therefore, used the urine in the above proportion for 

 syringing Pine plants ; under such treatment the 

 leaves assume a deep green and a robustness of growth 

 which is not effected in the absence of such matters 

 being applied. To Celery, Cauliflowers, Onions, Lettuce, 

 and the like, I have used 1 quart to 4 gallons of water, 

 with equally good effect. The above experiments were 

 carried out in gardening, but they equally apply to 

 farming. An easy method for the practical farmer to 

 obtain a valuable manure, either to drill with Turnips 

 or to apply as a top dressing to Wheat, would be to 

 collect the parings of hedge banks, clay or strong 

 loam, burn or char them, and soak them with the liquid. 

 After burning or charring, such substances possess the 

 power of fixing ammonia to a great extent. Such work 

 could be carried out on a farm, as well as in a garden, 

 when the weather in winter would permit of little else 

 being done. 0. 0. W. 



Transplanting Large Trees at Ounnersbury Park. — 

 Mr. Barron is mistaken in stating that the major part of 

 the trees here were moved under his direction or that 

 of his man. Such superintendence certainly did not 

 extend to more than a fourth of the number transplanted 

 here last autumn ; and with the exception of the large 

 Douglas Fir, a Spanish Chesnut, the Cupressus macro- 

 carpa, many equally large as he transplanted, such as 

 Deodars, Cryptomerias, &c, from 10 to 20 feet in 

 height, were moved by myself, and as you have cor- 

 rectly reported, with perfect success. I observe that 

 Mr. Barron attributes the loss of the top of the Douglas 

 Fir to its toes having been too closely pared. This may 

 or may not be the case. Throwing out a trench round 

 a tree in spring, as was done in this instance, aud filling 

 up with prepared soil to induce fibres previous to trans- 

 planting in autumn, is however considered by many 

 safe practice. Wm. Forsyth, A ug. 30. 



Transplanting Machines— Which is the Best /—With- 

 out entering into the merits or demerits of the different 

 transplanting machines now in 



lit ted, but a year or so would also determine that 

 I think (it may be ignorantly), that Mr. M'Gla 



mach ne surpasses Mr. Barron's and I too could o-m. 



A 



throw 

 of M 



rifeett 



A nach 



Walton a land drain about 5 or 6 feet wide^hul 

 empties itself into the Thames. Both at its upper end 

 at Weybridge, and at its lower end at Walton, 2 mile* 

 apart, this plant is abundant. The drain, which 'is called 

 the Engine River, runs for some distance through my 

 land, and to any one calling on me I shall be glad to 

 point out the plant. It bloomed very plentifully and 

 indeed nearly covers the whole bottom of the Engine 

 River from end to end. J. Cox, Clinton HoiuelfyL 

 bridge, Surrey. 



How to make Yeast. — In your last Number is a recipe 

 for making yeast ; I send another from the " European 

 Magazine" for 1790, which does not require yeast it- 

 for a foundation as the one printed at p. 566 does. It 

 seems to have been considered worthy of a prize 60 

 years ago. The following is extracted from the maga- 

 zine above named, vol 18, p. 192 :— Recipe for the 

 Generation of Yeast. — A premium of 207. having been 

 given to Joseph Senyor, a servant of the Rev. Mr. 

 Mason, from the Society of Arts, Manufactures, and 

 Commerce, we think we shall oblige our readers by 

 extracting from the Transactions of that Society the 

 following recipe. Procure three earthen or wooden 

 vessels of different sizes and apertures, one capable of 

 holding two quarts, the other three or four, and the 

 third five or six. Boil a quarter of a peck of malt for 

 about 8 or 10 minutes in three pints of water, and when 

 a quart is poured off from the grains, let it stand in the 

 smaller vessel in a cool place till not quite cold, but 

 retaining that degree of heat which the brewers usually 

 find proper when they begin to work their liquor ; then 

 remove the vessel into some warm situation near a 

 fire, where the thermometer stands between 70° and 80° 

 Fahrenheit, and then let it remain till the fermentation 

 begins, which will be plainly perceived within 30 hours ; 

 add then two quarts more of a like decoction of malf, 

 when cool as the first was, and mix the whole in the 

 second or larger vessel, and stir it well in, which mutt 

 be repeated in the usual way as it rises in a common 

 vat ; then add a still greater quantity of the same 

 decoction, to be worked in the largest vessel, which will 

 produce yeast enough for a brewing of 40 gallons. 



if. N. 9 Aug. 26. 



Suffolk Natural History Club.— On the 26th of July 

 Professor Henslow, with a party of naturalists from 

 Ipswich, started a working club under the above name. 

 The object is to examine the natural history of the 

 entire county by excursions during the summer, and the 

 establishment of correspondents in various parts of the 

 county. It is hoped that by this means the natural 

 history of the county will in a few years be pretty well 

 explored ; a correct record will be kept of all plants, 

 insects, birds, or any other object in natural history 

 which are met with during the excursions. Any person 

 in the county desirous of encouraging and joining Una 

 club will do well to communicate their wishes eiUier to 

 Mr. Henslow, or to Dr. Drummond,of Ipswich. Iniscmo 



considered to be in a certain degree in connection win 



the museum, and Mr. Knight, the active and intelligent 

 curator, will gladly take charge of all specimens com- 

 mitted to his care which are intended to lliu8twxe * 

 complete Fauna of the county of Suffolk, it oww 

 counties will do the same, how much will be efiectea i 

 a few years? The meeting on the 26th J£ lv .**" 

 Bentley, and Dadnish Wood was explored. KM i cam 

 on unfortunately in the middle of the day. G ^/j" 



JZschynanihus, &c, without Artificial ^ w '™7" 

 Journal of the 14th July, you gave an extract » 

 Hooker's "Journal of Botany" respecting tne 

 judicious treatment of Orchids, in the keeping tnem. 

 too high a temperature. Many other P»«J °f . 

 that particular class will be found to thrive witbow ; 

 artificial heat. I send herewith flowers trom 

 iEschynanthus now suspended from the row o* / 

 greenhouse, which has had no artifici al new, 1 

 actually stood several degrees of frost last . J™^ 

 have also Laererstrcemia indica coming wed m 



Both these 



^1 have thought that 

 an excellent way of settling the matter would be by a 

 public competition at such places as might be agreed 

 upon, giving the competitors a certain number of equal 

 sized trees to transplant, the kinds of trees and con- 

 ditions of soil, &c, to be as near the same as possible. 

 This would certainly aid in settling the many conflicting 

 opinions as to the cheapest and most efficient contrivance 



for the purpose. It would of course take some time to — , 



J settle the success or otherwise of the trees and shrubs are alive, and they have shoots perhaps 



trained against the glass of the greenhouse. JWi ^ 

 are usually, I believe, considered to be stov r 



C. J. £., Abbotsley, Devon. oae f 



The Dioscorea Batatas.— I fear this will prove - ^ 

 the most complete horticultural flams we nave ^ 

 a long time. In common, I suspect, witn so jn 

 dreds of your readers, I purchased some i ftc 

 February last and planted them in pots, p» j^ 

 pots in bottom dieat in a forcing j 10u s e - ^ Dea rance 

 were a long time before they made their a I£ oWever , 

 above ground, seeming to require much new , ^ rf 

 in May they progressed rapidly, so that Dy tf % 



June each plant had formed a tuber about a* » * ff j 



nutmeg 



ich plant had formed a tuber anou* ~ * ff l 



. On that day, after hardening them on % 



is. ~..* u-ZLa first iirenared a ri . u * j . 



planted them out, having first V^t^T^moi j 

 south-eastern slope, the soil being a very & & ^ 

 this I stirred to 2 feet in depth, fixing glasses over 

 quantity of rotten manure. I placed n°g hardy 

 them, considering that if it is really * F° shoU W 

 esculent fit for general culture, such extreme ^ 3Qth 

 not be required. And now for my ****** % oU t; the 

 of June they were much less than when ipw ^ ^t 

 heavy rains in July gave them a n ^ aVV oU t of s^ 

 discouragement; 1 and at this moment omy eg j 0l] g k 



