436 



THE GARDENERS 



CHRONICLE 



containing both those substances m ust be 



ft manure wum»u**~s — — — ~- . 



cener.illv valuable, and therefore more certain in us 

 effect* than a manure which contains only one or 

 the other ; but also that such a manure would act 

 in a very different manner on different soils, and 

 applied to different plants. For example, good 

 farm-yard manure, applied to a soil rich m earthy 

 phosphates, and abounding in bone earth, will, 

 vertheless, be fonnd to do good, and cause the 



ne 



and 



ana mxuuauw , uub ww«~ — *- » , 



which it contains, but chiefly from the presence of 

 a certain quantity of ammonia, nitric acid and 

 iters capable of yielding those substances by their 

 r.-i.- „ \r«.™who?Ps« the same manure, an- 



Nevertheless, the same manure, ap 



not the 



ma 



putrefaction. *i« 1 — . . • j'l'i. 



plied to a soil containing no phosphoric acid, but 



artificially supplied with salts of ammonia, will also 



be found to act beneficially ; in this case it - — * * u - 



ammonia, but the phosphoric acid of the manure, wmcn 



is of importance. Or, if in place of applying a 



mixed manure such as we have imagined, to these 



*«?o soils, we were to take simple chemical manures 



say phosphate of lime and sulphate of ammonia, 



we should probably find, that upon the one soil 



the phosphoric salt was the best manure, whilst 



upon the other the salt of ammonia would produce 



the best effect. It is plain, then, that the value of 



these different elements of manure must depend on 



the wants of the plant, and on the capabilities of 



the soil. 



The conclusion, therefore, to which M. Payen 

 arrives, namely, that the mineral manures, consist- 

 ing chieHy of phosphate of lime, and containing 

 little or no organic matter, are of comparatively 

 trifling value, and that they act so slowly as to be 

 of small profit to cultivators, is perhaps rather too 

 sweeping a condemnation. Undoubtedly they will 

 not supply the place of ammonia, but at the same 

 time they are valuable manures, and on certain soils 

 the cost of their use is amply repaid, especially 

 when they are employed in conj unction with animal 

 or ammoniacal manures. In the composition of 

 artificial manures, M. Payen fully admits the value 

 of sulphuric acid as a solvent of phosphate of lime; 

 and he insists strongly on the great practical value 

 of charcoal, when associated with rich animal 

 manures. 



In concluding his report, M. Payen well observes, 



that there is one thing wanting which would be a 



very great aid to the cultivator, and that is, that all 



artificial manures should be designated by plain 



and simple names, expressing their real nature, and 



that their exact chemical composition should be 



honestly stated, as their purchasers would be no 



longer deceived by mysterious names, or misled by 



vexatious uncertainty as to the real value of the 



manures they buy. On this point there can be no 



doubt as to the evil, though the remedy may not be 



quite so clear. Perhaps the best advice which can 



he given is this — buy only of respectable dealers, 



and do not be deceived by cheap manures ; if you 



are tempted by what is termed a bargain, you are 



pretty sure to suffer in the end ; good manure is 



well worth its fair market value; the trash which 



dishonest dealers sell you is often not worth having 



as a gift. 



SPRING FROSTS AND FRUIT GROWING. 



This is the fifth consecutive spring in which the hopes 

 of the orchardists have been blighted by severe late 

 frosts. In 1846 they commenced. We had in that year 

 a very forward spring, for on February 26 the blossom- 

 buds of the Pears were bursting, and Roses were show- 

 ing their flower-buds ; but on March 20, the thermo- 

 meter registered 18°, or 14° of frost ;the Pear-buds were 

 frozen through, and nearly all failed. 



1847, April 16.— Thermometer registered 22°, or 10 Q 

 of frost, the blossom-buds of Pears had not burst ; but 

 in spite of that, all the Marie Louise were destroyed. 

 Of other sorts, the crop was tolerably abundant. 



1848, April 27.— A sharp hoar-frost, thermometer 

 registered 2 , • or 5- of frost ; nearly all the Pear blos- 



trd^/r* , T ^y were iu full bloom, and owing to 

 the beautifu and favourable weather in the early part 

 ~ -i month, gave high promise of an abundant crop 



*U, or nearly all, failed. This was a very early 

 and rery agreeable spring ; for on May 1 4, 1 gathered 

 a fine bunch of Roses (Madame Laffay and Baronne 

 Prevost), from the open borders. 



1849, April 16.- After a spring-like January and 



February, winter paid us a visit ; on this day a heavy 



m of snow took place, and on the 18th, a sharp wind 



Host ; thermometer registered 19°, or 13° of frost. Many 



varieties of Pears ; were nearly in bloom. Beuire <te 



Capiaumont and Williams' Bon Chretien were rather 



backward I had hopes that their woolly coats would 



have saved their b ossoms ; but I find, a little further 



on, the folio wing entry :-« Aprii 30 : Bon Chretiens and 



Capiaumonts in full bloom, their flowers are very abun 



dant, but small, the petals crimped or curled ; thev 2- 



pear injured Are they ?- Another enti4 answers 



Alas 



registered 23°, or 9 Q of frost. April had been dry, 

 sunny, cold, and very favourable to fruit blossom; 

 Pears, Plums, and Cherries were all in full bloom, and 

 nearly all perished ; Apples were not in blossom, their 

 buds were just open, but so nicely covered with their 

 downy coat, that it was hoped, and I remembered as- 

 serted, they had not received any injury ; they blossomed 

 towards the end of May in apparently great vigour and 

 certainly with much beauty ; every petal was perfect, 

 and every stamen and pistil appeared to do its office, 

 but after a brisk wind one night, scarcely a germ was 

 left on the trees, and the ground was strewed with the 

 hopes of the orchardist 



I think I never heard it more than once asserted 

 that no fears need be entertained of spring frosts unless 

 the blossom is nearly or quite expanded ; the above 

 memoranda seem to contradict this. I have known 

 many disastrous fruit seasons, but never oue like that of 

 1850 ; I had not enough Pears for even one moderate 

 dessert by the beginning of November ; Plums were 

 equally scarce, for only two varieties out of 200 bore 

 any fruit ; one, the Early Prolific, a hardy sort, raised 

 here from seed from the Precoce de Tours many years 

 ago, and the other the Prune d'Agen or Date Plum, 

 from the south of France ; these both bore an abundant 

 crop, and they have both withstood the frosts equally 

 well this spring ; the Prince of Wales, a very hardy 

 Plum, lost all its blossom by the frosts of 1849 and 

 1850, 'although the trees bloomed vigorously, but this 

 season there is a good crop on my young trees ; it is 

 really very odd to find a tender French Plum, a very 

 old variety, growing alongside (which is the fact) of 

 a hardy English seedling, bearing equally well the 

 rigours of our climate. 



1851, April 26th, 27th, and 2$th, sharp frosts ; ther- 

 mometer registered 25 i% , or 7° of frost. Louis Bonne 

 Pears, Beurre' d' Amanlis, Beurre d* Aremberg, and 

 many other varieties, and all the Plums, were in full 

 bloom ; Beurre Capiaumont, the most backward, its 

 blossoms not expanded. The weather was dry, and the 

 blossom did not appear to have received any injury. 

 The petals did not turn brown, and the germs were 

 fresh and green, and not black at the core, as last year. 

 All the Pear bloom, indeed, seemed to be so vigorous 

 and healthy as to defy the effects of the frosts. 



May Wth. — Again a frost, and this time a heavy hoar 

 frost of 6°. Nearly a thousand fine trees of the Beurre' 

 Capiaumont, from 5 to 15 years old, were in full bloom, 

 as were the trees of Marie Louise, which this year 

 blossomed some days later than usual ; still they did not 

 appear injured, for their petals for several days held 

 their snowy whiteness, and the germs of the fruit were 

 green and fresh : but in lieu of swelling, they remained 

 stationary, and, after a brisk wind, nearly all fell, 

 leaving very many trees quite bare, and on others but 

 a very thin crop. All the trees of the two sorts last 

 mentioned are fine healthy standards, and half 

 standards, on Pear stocks. To my surprise, many 

 young pyramidal trees, on Quince stocks of three or 

 four years' growth, although on bloom at the same time, 

 have escaped, and are bearing a fair crop ; as have also 

 some Pears raised from seed, the blossoms of which 

 seemed injured by the petals turning brown, yet they 

 have set their fruit freely. Of Mr. Knight's Pears, 

 the Althorp Crassane seems the hardiest, the Dunmore 

 has failed. This is the sixth consecutive season 

 in which the Marie Louise Pear has totally failed on 

 standard trees. I remember the late Mr. Wilmot, 

 of Isleworth, telling me I think, in 1849, that he intended 

 to cut down all his trees of this sort, owing to their so re- 

 peatedly failing ; this is the fifth spring in which we have 

 had these destructive frosts, and I hope it finishes the 

 cycle. I remember some years since, after a series of 

 abundant fruit seasons, saying, that our climate seemed 

 so changed for the better, that I thought it must be fixed, 

 and that destructive spring frosts were matters of 

 history ; let us now hope that our cycle of abundance 

 is near at hand. Apples are an abundant crop, and 

 Plums of hardy kinds are also abundant, as are Cherries. 

 I am inclined to think that the cold damp weather had 

 much influence on the Pear blossom, for trees against 

 wooden fences and other sheltered places, well pro- 

 tected with Fir branches, shed nearly or quite all their 

 blossom without setting their fruit. 



Tender varieties of Plums, such as Green-gage, Coe's 

 Golden Drop, Imperatrice, Reine Claude de Bavay, 

 and some others, young trees in pots in one of my 

 orchard houses, with a bush hedge for a back wall and 

 a Yew hedge for a front ditto, have set more fruit than 

 they are able to bring to perfection ; as have also some 

 Fears in pots on Quince stocks. Some Peaches and 

 fcectanne* m a like structure are also full of fruit ; 

 while those against walls in this neigbourhood, whether 

 protected or not, have totally failed. The trees are 

 a so blighted and in a bad state. The trees under 

 g ass, owmg, I suppose, to their being kept perfectly dry 

 all winter, are in a fine healthy vigorous state 

 no curled leaves and no aphis to £ seen. To 

 more completely exemplify the effects of our wet 

 mild winters on fruit trees, some Plums which have 

 been with th* Peach trees in the same house ever since 



W[ lo 



tor these blighted Plumsh^r= _ _^ 



of those which had been wbX?? 5 ?^. 

 have had exactly the same tr*!* nnd * *C* 

 plenty of fruit, but to^^SF*** - ***£* 

 from their roots having been exn^ Ppareoti J 

 of winter and early spring Drv^ to *• * 



* 



springs 



crystal palaces. 



j tuua wet winteri 

 *"* gardens H 





BRITISH SONG BIR Ds 



(Cage Bibds. No 2? m 



No. XXXVIL-W. have &£* t , 

 spots where the nightingale doe *° 



a not 



*+** 



* *non those localitf-T^ 1 

 presence (mm ,„.T? *■* 



,s H«*«J wear mat this bird loves HZ?**- 

 well as soc.ab.hty. Safely hidden i?T?'" 

 branches of an evergreen, or buried in aT * H 

 copse, he feels himself secure from ham?!* 9 ** 



freely 





acquaintance of his tender-hearted' »,«.! i *** 

 advent with listening ears and a joyN^**} 



precincts of their grounds he takes up hU aL. * 

 wandering bevond uppsw \h a A K—u_ m, """^ 



samebiri,^ 



55 



regularly every y ear-provided he has no. oeen nwO^i 

 and provided he has not been deprived of hi F* 

 Such an offence contra bonos mores would Wii 

 for ever ! Wfll * 



Surrey Kent, and Middlesex, are the countie, 

 ^TlJ? the N^htingale,- perhaps be«J ^ 





°t everything tb 

 shrubberies,*^ 



and thickets, wherein abound all varieties of M 

 life ; these, with gliding streams, running broobS 

 flowing springs, make up their little heavenTlT 

 piness. They visit, in addition, Berks, Sussex, hi 

 Cambridgeshire, Herts, and other neighbouring u2 

 Hampshire is the god of their idolatry. In the Uk tf 

 Wight, for instance, I have seen, even in the first vei 

 of April, some scores of Nightingales ; and so Um> 

 To look at each little happy rogue as he sat beoaii 

 branch, shivering with song, you would think tint- 



M From every feather in hii frame 

 He poured the notes ." 



And yet, he is said to be a u melancholy bird 

 vulgar error must now be exploded 

 the year 1851 : 



ortnrtf 





«< 



Therefore be merry, Philomd, 



For thy solicitor shall rather die 

 Than give thy cause away." 





There can be no doubt that our very ch&npfcb 

 climate offers serious cause of offence to this foe rf 

 birds. Our mornings are chilly, our days in 

 (if we have any) are oppressively sultry, and our oakk 

 are decidedly cold, ' What a contrast is presented ■ 

 France ! I had occasion to visit Paris in \U% jrat* 

 the season when nightingales here were becoming dot 

 The treat in store for me on my arrival was beyai 

 description great. Not only did these birds freqiert 

 the gardens of the Tuileries by day and by night, wi 

 every other quarter where green trees could be m 

 (Versailles in particular was a highly favoured kjafet 

 for them) -but the inhabitants of the "gay cm" hi 

 them suspended in appropriate cages in nearly all piri 

 of the town. The Parisians in fact-let me record it to 

 their perpetual praise— seemed nightingale-mad. 



Strange, too, was it that these birds, with as so dji 

 sang abroad, even in the day-time, with the bold* 

 front— causing the very streets to echo to their voice. 

 At night also, when the noise of passing vehicles w» 

 all but deafening, then did these charmers cause ttff 

 melodious notes to be heard high above aU .*J 

 friend, who accompanied me as compagwn « «W£ 

 speedily made up his mind that I wm »"■£ 

 lunatic, and often repaired to his hotel m «FL 

 leaving me to parade the public thoroughfare* 

 ear attent," till long after midnight. 11tfWfltt h 



The very delightful climate of France m"£ 

 for this excellence in the nightingale. ihe .T7i 

 is always clear ; the inhabitants ^^^W 











ery 



tonishment 



trfltf* 



excelled in like degree, to my great asfc 



notes were far more F rfec ^ J™* »3**J 



last 



IT more •*"*• u*kto* 



bly clear, that forj ***, 



mn must have free flj 



, a pu,. atmosphere. I^J 



experienced an immediate and most sua j 





■ ■ ■ l M ■ N ^ I -ne -- -- 9 



they must live in a pure 



from the genial change of climate. 





All this may, and inaeea a«~ ^fc^ *•* 

 nightingale being so particular in » ^ 

 from clrtain localities in England It > ^ 



i 



May 



sharp hoar frost, thermom 



vigorous health, while some trees of the same age w] 



were m pots in the open air, the pots protected f 



he frost with htter, and not removed to the house 



EST in thefr^lection of. a PjS^g|> 

 constitution, and the well-being of .the* J^W 

 and we cannot but admire the ^J n ' tr eD >igr*! 

 so observable in all her works. 1 n e 



Kwhtiitmw to ** £w£ 



till 



February 



i to which Plums « are ~neirto." ,r What 

 vidence this simple fact seems to give, as 

 treatment of the roots of our fruit trees ! 



* Our Ta**Tl»« on the 

 I believe it contains every 



* 



neVted with that Mrd "l^»^»^^p5d<«*j5ii 



'bc*- 



pecuhar opportunities lor no. «-"«.„, with ■» ■»,* 



have enabled me to invest 



friends 



Gardeners' Ckronim^ o0 tbt *iH. 

 , o»..rve, ,» - u..,„in.ed turn,, been ff^ejg* 

 Public Press Into all lands. T» «M f hij m.tDfi** 

 homage ; and I feel proud to have ■* 



MA 



** 





