lietrospective Criticism. 715 



purposes of a promiscuous flower-garden bog mould with me is indispens- 

 able : my flowers, according to my neighbours' report, look more healthy 

 than theirs ; and, when asked for my method, I refer them to the peat. It 

 keeps the ground tight, admits, and above all retains, moisture. There 

 are few plants with which it does not agree. [Mr. Walker (p. 706,) attests 

 the absurdity of denominating as " bog earth " the natural soil of American 

 plants. — J.D'\ 



Iron Stakes for supporting Rose Plants, S^c. I perfectly agree with Mr. 

 Hislop (p. 284.) in the economy, beauty, and safety of iron rods for tall 

 flower stems and shrubs, but I would not recommend his poker-like shape. 

 I had some made two years ago, according to that fashion, but found them 

 frequently give way, or bend, in a storm of wind. The simple six-feet rod, 

 of any required thickness, can be purchased and fashioned by any village 

 blacksmith, and will be found to answer every purpose. We must not 

 forget, that the more simple and unpretending the support, the more we 

 admire the flower, and neglect the art which has attended it. — J^. S. July. 



ReviarJcs confirmatory and critical on some Articles in the Gardener'' s 

 Magazine. — Sir, I cannot help remarking how much my opinion coincides 

 with certain parts of your Magazine which I have read ; and thinking, as 

 you do, that we ought not to conceal any thing we may discover which 

 may be useful to others, particularly when disclosing it does no injury 

 to ourselves, I beg space for a few observations. 



Planting Potatoes ivhole (Vol. V. p. 294-5. 718— 722,).— I quite agree 

 with Mr. T. A. Knight in planting potatoes whole. As a testimony, I will 

 state an experiment of mine in 1828. I planted four plants containing two 

 eyes to each ; four, the crowns containing perhaps five or six eyes each ; 

 four small whole potatoes (what are here termed chats) ,• four large whole 

 ones (or what are termed Ware potatoes). Now for the weight of the 

 produce of each kind : the produce of the first four roots weighed 8 lbs. ; 

 that of the second four, 1 1 lbs, j that of the third four, 15 lbs. ; that of 

 the fourth four, 16 lbs. I think this will make clear to any one that the 

 reverse of what is generally followed ought to be practised ; namely, to 

 plant crowns or whole potatoes in lieu of a plant with two eyes. This is 

 even the second trial I have made, and found it the same ; but I was not 

 so particular in the first experiment as in the second, having determined 

 by my eye, the difference was so obvious. I think this of the greatest 

 importance to the agriculturist. If it holds good for an acre, what a 

 difference in the produce ! The object of a little extra-seed bears no com- 

 parison to the extra-produce ; and, besides, the labour of cutting is saved. 



Light Arable Soils may be too much pidverised. I quite agree (from 

 experience) with Mr. Wallace (Vol, VII, p. 336.) in thinking light soil 

 sometimes injured, rather than improved, by too much digging, &c. I have 

 for some years adopted the plan of sowing August tui'nips on ground 

 hoed and raked, in preference to digging : provided the ground be in 

 good heart, and not too much bound, I find the seed vegetates much sooner, 

 and is less infested with the fly; and, as the plants grow faster, and bid 

 defiance to the fly, they make less top, but better roots. 



Mr. D. D. Neeve's Meridian Pits (Vol. VII. p. 289—292.). I cannot 

 help saying, that my experience, and that of two or three of my acquaint- 

 ances, are quite contradictory to Mr. D. D. Neeve's position, that dung 

 excluded from the external atmosphere will heat the better : I find it 

 quite the reverse. I know two persons who have been induced to build 

 pits for melons, &c., with a chamber under for dung, but failed in obtaining 

 sufficient heat after two or three days ; and they informed me that they had 

 observed that the very person who had even written in favour of this plan 

 always had external linings ; which is a proof his chamber did not answer 

 the end intended. I, this season, built a pit for heating, with a chamber ; 

 but with the precaution to enable myself to make holes and apply exter- 

 nal linings ; these I soon found to be necessary, I have even- before now 



