212 



THE GARDENERS' 



CHRONICLE. 



coarse to pursue lies half way between these two ; 



but certainly, if we had to choose between the one 

 or the other, we should prefer the latter. One 

 reader remarks, respecting our late observations on 

 the absorption of ammonia by soils, that it is very 

 unfortunate that we are not able fully to explain the 

 cause of this absorption ; and another points out 

 that the statement is by no means new, and that the 

 absorption of manure by soils has been long known, 

 as illustrated by the old custom of making compost 



Total, 





heaps. It has unquestionably been known for a 



7 * . • *v * --.'I _.U:^1» *o in nr\w\^o\ with Hpi»aV- 



long time, 



that soil which is in contact with decay 



ing manure becomes rich and fertile, but the cause 

 of this has never been in any way investigated ; and 

 the fact itself, though known to many, has never 

 been systematically recognised, or even acknow- 

 ledged as a sound practical deduction. In that very 

 curious old book, Sir Hugh Plat's " Jewel House of 

 Art and Nature," published in 1594 by Alsop, 

 " near the upper pump in Grub-street/' there are 

 some most sensible remarks on the management of 

 manure in general ; and after pointing out the waste 

 which dung generally suffers from drainage, evapo- 

 ration, and exposure to the air, he goes on to show 

 that the goodness which drains away is not alto- 

 gether lost, but is in great part absorbed by the soil 

 below. We shall give this statement in his own 

 words : " And here it shall not be altogether un- 

 profitable to let all those gentlemen and farmers, who 

 are desirous of some special good mold for some 

 smal purposes, to understand that after they have 

 disburthened the ground of this great muckheap of 

 theirs, that if they will yet dig a foot and a half or 

 two foot under the same, that by this means they 

 shall obtain a most fat and rich earth, and very apt 

 for divers plants, as our ordinary gardeners can suf- 

 ficiently witnesse." We might, if it were worth 

 while, quote a number of similar statements from 

 other old authors, all showing that this effect of the 

 soil has been long half known, and yet never applied 

 or studied in the manner it deserved. 



A good deal of mystery used formerly to veil the 

 use of lime ; there was no doubt whatever as to its 

 practical value, and the important effects which it 



Eroduced, but the theory of its action was far from 

 eing satisfactory. It was well known that all 

 plants contained a portion of lime, and it was 

 therefore pretty certain that they could not grow 

 well in soils which did not contain any lime ; beyond 

 this, there was little or no evidence, and it must be 

 confessed that the remarkable effects which lime 

 generally produces, would hardly be supposed to 

 arise from its absorption by the growing plants 

 alone. Liebig showed that one effect which the 

 addition of quicklime to soil produces, is the libera- 

 tion of a considerable quantity of fixed alkali, for- 

 merly existing in the soil in a state of combination, 

 and set free by the chemical powers of the lime. 

 We now see another effect which lime may pro- 

 duce, in its property of aiding the soil to absorb and 

 retain ammonia. It is probable that lime, like all 

 the best fertilisers and improvers, acts in several 

 ways, and that it is, therefore, impossible to explain 

 its action by reference to any one effect exclusively. 





carts, carters, market fees, &c, about 3t. 10$. 



about 4-5J. 



I am acquainted with a garden which contains 60 

 acres of choice fruit trees, whose blossoms were all 

 destroyed by frost during three consecutive years. 

 Now, on these 60 acres, the same expenses are incurred 

 every year, whether they bring forth fruit or not ; so 

 that taking this loss, that of Broccoli from frost, and 

 other things, into consideration, the profits of the 

 market gardener are not so large as at first sight they 

 would appear. No doubt, in favourable seasons, they 

 make a considerable sum of money ; but owing to the 

 vicissitudes of climate, the introduction of duty free 

 foreign productions, and the fluctuation of prices, this 

 | desideratum is, at least, rendered very precarious. We 

 have few instances, indeed, on record, of market gar- 

 deners becoming rich. By means of perseverance and 

 great industry, however, they manage to live comfort- 

 ably, and effect much good in the country, by spending 

 large sums of money in labour ; but as I have just 

 shown, the profits of the occupation are small. 



I have endeavoured to ascertain the number of acres 

 under cultivation for the supply of the various London 

 markets, and the result of the inquiry is, that about 

 12,000 acres are occupied by vegetables, and about 

 5000 by fruit trees. These lie chiefly in the counties 

 of Middlesex, Essex, Hertford, and Bedford, on the 

 north side of the Thames; and Kent, and Surrey, on 

 the south side ; and some 35,000 people are employed 

 on them. But this is not taking into account those more 

 distant counties which, by fits and starts, send up the 

 produce of acres of Turnip tops, Cabbages, Peas, and 

 other things ; while hundreds of acres in Cornwall and 

 Devonshire are employed in growing early Potatoes, 

 Broccoli, Peas, &c, which reach London by rail. 



In writing these papers, I have endeavoured, as far 

 as possible, to steer clear of mentioning names of vege- 

 tables, knowing well the labyrinth into which such 

 a subject would lead me ; for their aliases are endless. 

 Besides, what will suit one soil will not suit another, 

 and the march of improvement is so rapid that sorts 

 highly valued to-day will be thought less of to-morrow, 

 and will ultimately disappear altogether to make room 

 for more valuable kinds. These then are some of my 

 reasons for not mentioning varieties. 



In conclusion, I trust that some benefit may have 

 been derived from what I have written on the subject 

 of market gardening ; and although a few errors may 

 have crept in, I hope that on the whole they may have 

 given satisfaction. James CuthUl 9 Camberwell. 



TubularBudding wira!^(Km^ EY 



en tuyau a ceil poussant.) Operation. 



[Apr il s 





Fig. 22. 



the barkV? 

 stocks, m .* 



* n g the b«£J 

 be easily dZJ 



th -e latter ^ 



the 



moist 



le3*' 



HI 



be kept fou/ij 

 but it ,JT 



fr °m their!?? 



diateh 

 full 



cloth, 



ln this ther 



xeptf ' 



but it ^ ,• 

 better if tW 

 not cut till igj 

 a short time lZ 

 the buds are2 

 off > and 2 

 ought to beZ 

 s °on put on. 

 Before attest* 



iug to remo*T 

 bark wi^ k 



i 



in«fc 



Fig 



21. 



strong branch 



di(e en flute.) 



MARKET GARDENING ROUND LONDON. 



No. XII. — Is Market Gardening Profitable?— 

 To this question only an approximate answer can be 

 given, owing to the difficulty of getting at the truth of 

 the matter. An acre of early Cabbages on the best 

 land, 18 inches apart, in rows 20 inches asunder, would 

 contain about 1 7,000 plants or so, which, if all sold 

 at Id. each (and good early Cabbages fetch more 

 than that), would realise about 701. ; but then more or 

 less of them always fetch a much lower sum, and, there- 

 fore, we must descend in our scale of prices. The 

 above number at 9d. per dozen would fetch about 50L 9 

 at 6d. per dozen about 351. 9 and at 3d. per dozen 

 about 181. ; an acre of early white Cos Lettuces, grown 

 after Celery upon the richest land, a foot apart each 

 way, would realise Is. per score of 22 to the score, and 

 if all sold at the above price, the aggregate sum would 

 be 90/., but, like the Cabbages, many are sold for much 

 lower prices. Then after Cabbage or Lettuce take 

 Celery. Some plant this in rows 4 feet distant, while 

 others place it 5 and 6 feet apart, and if large fine 

 heads are desired the plants ought to be 10 inches 

 asunder in the rows— say 8000 plants to an acre. This 



number, at Id each, would fetch about 351.; but like numerous, yet they present some slight differences • and 

 other crops, if early and fine, they fetch 1 5d. and 1 8 A each of them has received a number of vulgar ^mes. 



GRAFTING. 



No. XIV. Square Stampeo out Shield Budding : 



fig. 21. (Greffe enecusson, de forme carree ; dite emporte 

 piece.) Operation. — From a strong tree, cut out a square 

 patch, to be immediately thrown aside ; raise from a 



another similarly shaped 

 piece, but larger, and furnished with an 

 eye ; fit this piece into the place of the 

 first; and it had also better be covered 

 with a piece of paper, pierced with a hole 

 for the eye, the whole being secured by a 

 ligature. This mode, but little used, ought 

 to be employed for trees with very thick 

 bark and large eyes ; such as Walnut and 

 Mulberry trees. It may be performed in 

 spring, at the particular time mentioned 

 for budding with the pushing eye ; or that 

 for the dormant eye, in August, or later. 

 Tubular Budding. (Greffe en tuyau 



For performing the opera- 

 tions of the modes of budding included in 

 this series, we ought to choose the moment 

 when the sap is in most abundant flow, 

 in order that the barks of the two parts 

 may be detached with the least possible 

 effort. This disposition manifests itself 

 at two periods ; in the spring, when the ascending sap 

 is in its greatest flow ; and in August, when it is governed 

 by a contrary disposition, known under the denomination 

 of the descending sap. A knowledge of the use of these 

 modes is very ancient. At the present day they are 

 only employed for propagating a small number of fruit 

 trees, principally such as Chestnuts, Walnuts, and Mul- 

 berries. They may be practised with success on vigor- 

 ous branches destined to continue the leading shoots of 

 young trees ; or on some that are very large, when we 

 would wish to make branches grow similar to those 

 preceding them, for this mode cannot be successfully 

 performed except the woods of both parts are young 

 or not exceeding one year old. 9 



Although the modes of budding in this series are not 



per dozen, and there is always an intermediate crop of 

 Lettuce or Coleworts to come off before the Celery 

 wants moulding up. This intermediate crop will fetch 

 about 51., so that the average receipts of an acre may be 

 set down at 901. 



The expenses involved in the production of Cabbage 

 and Celery crops, which occupy the acre nearly 15 

 months, are as follows : — Trenching an acre about 

 21. 10s. ; 30 loads of manure, at 7s. Od. each, say 121. • 

 dunging the trenches for Celery, say 61. ; planting "the* 

 crops, 11. 5s. ; seeds of various things, 10$. ; hoein<* 

 several times, 21. 10s.; rent 91.; tithes 10s. ; clearing 

 off the several crops, say 41. ; washing and packing of 



produce, moulding up Celery, &c, il ; horses, waggons, 



such as pipe-budding, en ckalumeau; flute-budding, en 

 flute oil fiwteau; whistle-budding, en sifflet ; ring-bud- 

 ding, en anneau ; horn- budding, en cornuchet ; cannon- 

 budding, en canon; tubular-budding, en tuyau. The last 

 name appears to me the most analagous to these modes 

 of budding, inasmuch as they all have this form before 

 being fitted on their stocks. 



Of all these I shall only speak of those that are the 

 most in use, and in demonstrating the best of each, I 

 shall mention but two- the first, tubular-budding, with the 

 pushing eye J the second, tubular-budding, with dormant 

 eyes ; and, such as they are described, they ought to be 

 pre ferred for propagating the few plants for which they 

 are suitable. 



buds from the branch or shoot, we ought to «* 

 angular parts above the place where the iSLJ 

 intended, and the same as regards the stock • t£ 

 the summit of the reserved part of the latter i 

 three or four longitudinal incisions in the bark 

 to separate it the more easily, as is represented brfe. 

 A. Then, from among the shoots or branches heZ 

 buds of the sort intended to be worked we d? 

 always one a little stronger than the stock J* 

 trace on it two circles which mark the lengtUfc 

 tube of bark, on which there should be at leastoM 

 eye, and two when they are not widely aDart- 

 letter B. ; P ' 



This part should then be held in the hand duror * 

 or two minutes, in order to warm and expand die tat 

 which will consequently be more easily detached fo 

 the alburnum by a strong twist. This tube should bt 

 immediately transferred to the denuded part of cat 

 stock ; but this being smaller, we strip down the bark 

 till the tube in descending fits tight, all its interior part 

 being then in contact with the alburnum of the stock. 

 Thus adapted, we sometimes bring up the strips of bark 

 around the tube, to protect it from the too great conaa 

 of air. At other times, and more generally, the \m 

 bark is cut off ; but in this case it is necessary to pre 

 down the naked part of the stock above the tube & 

 thin strips, so as they may form a fringe to protect the 

 parts operated upon from air and water. , 



Tubular Budding with Dormant Eyes :% 21 



(Greffe en tuyau a anl dormant.) — Thk i 

 practised exclusively, during the month, d 

 August, with wood produced by the spring 

 sap. The part from which the buds are taken 

 ought to be as thick as possible ; and as wi 

 as it is separated from the parent tree, we rt 

 off the leaves, preserving a small portion t* 

 their petioles ; then we should adopt w* 

 to raise the buds. This operation differs n* 

 from the preceding, except in slitting the tat 

 longitudinally, laying the tube open thrap 

 its whole length, and thus giving the faafojf 

 of extracting it from all obstructing or » 

 herent parts. This done we present it to » 

 stock destined to receive it, and of whii* 

 preserve the top ; the lower part of it »* 

 be of the same thickness as the tube of &» 

 to be applied to it. From this part we «•»* 

 a tube of bark of the same dimension* 

 the other, by which it is immedia^ 

 placed, and so as the edges may every*** 

 coincide : then it is kept in its jhfV 



Fig. 23. 



winter. 



till 



the 



ligature, which had better be renwfrf tag 

 We defer cutting off the head of U*»*j 

 ill spring, in order that the budded part may F^rS 

 the growth. This mode, difficult to perform, fl JJJ^ 

 for propagating some delicate trees, of which . ^ 

 are not easily raised in spring, and of wnic ^ 

 scending sap is absolutely necessary for W s 

 buds applied to them. ^ i 



I here finish the description of the »* JJ^ rf 

 inarching, grafting, and budding, which 1 L| S ^J[ 

 indispensable utility to amateur proprietors. ^ 

 collection will, I trust, supply for all that l f'JJ^ 

 the greater part of which are minute, and ° ^ 

 descriptions would be tedious and unint erwj* 

 readers.— Translated from the French oj V * 



BRITISH SONG BIRDS 



(Cage Bibds, No. 8.*) . k « 



If you place a we»«^£ 

 is objectionable for birds, when »t*ing^ ^W^ 



No. XXIV. „~ r— . , m 



breeding-room, it should be of zinc, ana m ^^ 

 similar to, though of a less size than, tne ^^ t 

 tinder my observations on an av !f r ^ to**** ^L 



selves all over, it will be needfoHoJiave^ci 



• I am constantly being asked, by pr l '* ^fi^i jW 

 where they can obtain cages for canaries ,g ^ gg 

 larks, and nightingales, made according to y preu a^j^ 

 fitted up with suitable baths, &c. I a J? "^St. AndreJ^ 

 all such parties to Mr. Cliffobd,^ 24, ^ eed y ex^p, 

 Uolborn, who has offered to undertake tn e i v fof ^ 



any orders entrusted to him, eitn «' *°;££ B in t*f "J* 

 is one of the "very few "who deal koneW^ ^ Ib s* 



good " song bird," and may be safeiy cuu 

 dealings with him for many years. 





