576 Domestic Notices. — Retrospective Criticism. 



Art. III. Domestic Notices. 



ENGLAND. 



IPOMotA Learn, turned out in June into an open border, and trained against 

 the east end of the stove-house in the Oxford Botanic Garden, has thriven 

 exceedingly, and has produced its beautiful blossoms in tolerable abundance. 

 — W.H.B. [So it has at Rose Hill, under the management of Mr. Ogle, 

 where we saw several square yards of terrace wall covered with its blooms on 

 October 15.] — Cond. 



Hedera Helix. — At Godston, near Oxford, amongst many fine specimens 

 of ivy which thrive on the ruins of the nunnery, are two which more particu- 

 larly attracted my observation. One has a trunk which measures, at about 1 ft. 

 from the ground, full 3ft. in circumference; and then divides into two branches, 

 each being about half the size of the main stem : the other is flattened by its 

 close contact with the wall, from which it projects about 10 in., and is, in its 

 widest diameter, 1 ft. 4 in. The branches extend a considerable distance over 

 the old walls, and have not the least appearance of decay. — W. H. B. 



Art. IV. Retrospective Criticism. 



Virgin Soil. (p. 70.) — A paper of mine on virgin soil (p. 70.) was written 

 in consequence of a letter which appeared in the Gardener's Gazette, 

 signed R. By your Magazine for August, I find that Mr Lymburn was 

 R. and that he differs a little from me in opinion. However, as he truly 

 says, " the difference is more in the application of the term than in any thing 

 else." Perhaps I ought to have been more careful how I expressed myself: 

 for instance, when I mention that I hardly knew what an alkali was, although 

 it is pretty well understood what constitutes an alkali, he or any one 

 else might see I expressed myself in a joking way ; when alkalies are derived 

 from rocks, better have them ground. Mr. L. considers that a tithe of the 

 labour I bestow on the study of bees would be better applied to the study 

 of geology and chemistry: this may be true; but if he considers the study of 

 bees a small one he is mistaken, for illustrious men of all ages have thought 

 it worthy of attention. Among the ancients were Aristotle and Virgil; among 

 the modern naturalists we have Swammerdam, Reaumur, Huber, Bonnet, 

 Hunter, and others. But to return to the subject of virgin soil; whether that 

 term ought to be applied to surface soil, I mean that from rich pasture land, 

 or subsoil as Mr. L. will have it ; to the latter, I will not dispute, but observe 

 that subsoil would be of little use for the same purpose that gardeners put 

 the former to. Mr. L. observes that a little of the latter is useful, mixed with 

 " soil so spent and worn out that no manure we put on it will renovate its 

 lost powers." But the grand question is, what are those lost powers ? 

 Mr. L. has given a very good account of the manner in which soils are affected 

 by manures and by different kinds of crops ; still there are some things yet to 

 be learned on this subject. In my former paper I mentioned that Mr. L. 

 considered that the excretions from the roots of plants may have something 

 to do with it; but we have yet to learn if there be such a thing after all as 

 excretions. May it not have been a fungus that led to such a notion ? — 

 J. Wighton. Cosset/ Hall Gardens, August 26, 1842 



