134 
THE GARDENERS’ 
CHRONICLE. 
[Feervary 2, 1895, a 
with a spike of forty-one fully-developed flowers, 
and this plant a ced in 1892 a spray with forty- 
three blooms, These plants came as quite small 
specimens from — J. Veitch & Sons, of Chelsea, 
seven years ago, and they now cup! small ere 
stove that is devoted chiefly to the culture of Palms, 
Dracænas, Aralias, and similar plants. Iwo years 
ago these Phalznopsis were injured by low tempe- 
ratare during a time of severe frost. Thos, Coomber, 
re Gardens, Monmouth, 
DISEASES OF THE VINE. 
(Continued from p. 101.) 
A seconp disease of the Vine, called“ Anthracnose,” 
has been known in Europe since Pliny’s time, and like 
s pemr rot, is caused by a minute parasitic fungus 
ed Sphaceloma ampelinum en YE and deacribed 
by 3 Cooke in our columns, Jaly 8 “een Light- 
oured and white varieties of Gr rapes are most 
subject to this disease, which first attacks the leaves 
n 
small brown spots surrounded by a darker ring, at a 
later stage the central 5 becomes grey, dry 
and cracked, and often dro n the toes 
and young berries the spots hat frequently a bright 
red ring inside the dark one, and surrounding the 
grey central portion, hence the disease is known in 
n angul anner, 
fun ngus remains. in the _shoots Over one it is 
cut out and 
If the disease ap „ & r composed 
parts of sulphur end lime dusted on the 
Saat is aene ed. too-free use of “fresh 
stable manure is considered to favour the develop- 
5 G. Massee, 
burnt. 
of eq 
ab a d CULTURE. 
he first requirements for a healthful con- 
dition, ind a subseq 
agement is in a controlling degree within pai 
individual direction of each practical gardener, 
indifferent admixture of soils, and an — 
m of oe may be considered at the root 
of a great many complaints of failure in various 
pata 5 horticulture, and in that of To mato 
culture 
A — ‘of wns may be called — s 
or rational when it is based u upon the results 
per, when those with a a com 
will fail; and the same ata: 
force to the ch character of the leaf. 
Pe wee 2 
growth. 
elements of 
To feed plants intelligentl i 
y implies pode 
air degree of two kinds of information, mpre 
t-food amiliarit 
A A ty with the 
a A 17 the general physical properties of 
different kinds of manurial 
prot anurial substances at our 
without 
substances needed for its food. 
of these, in forms in which the plants can use them, 
and hes soil and other circumstances favourable, 
rop will flourish, and the yield be large. 
the salable supply of any manurial element be too 
small, a light yield of fruit is inevitable. If all the 
other conditions for a profitable crop of Tomatos are 
fulfilled in the soil, except that potash is deficient, 
the crop of fruit will surely fail. But if the potash 
be egg et the yield may reasonably be expected to 
be abun 
I e crops from the soil we take away 
plant food. This is the chief cause of soil exhaus- 
tion and plant failure. Lack of fertility is com- 
monly due, in large part, or entirely, to lack of plant 
condition, their texture and relations to beat and 
moisture, than to absolute lack of plant food. Such 
soils want amendment first and manures afterwards, 
From many hundreds of experiments with the 
Tomato, it does not appear that this plant is such a 
soil-exhausting crop as many other horticultural pro- 
The composition of the various parts of 
the Tomato plant, that is taking the average of 
several investigations, has been found to as 
ollows :— 
Percentage composition of the Tomato plant and fruit. 
Various Parts, Water. Ash. Nitrogen. 
In the Stem... 83 61 3°00 0°32 
In the Roots... 73°31 11°72 0°24 
In the Fruit... 93°64 0 47 0'16 
An apm of these analytical results reveal 
the fact that the Tomato fruit contains the 
largest 3 of water, and the roots the least. 
The roots contain in their structure the greatest 
quantity of ash or mineral pe this is what 
might be expected when consider their fibrous 
character. 
fruit, that is, taking it in its fresh condition. 
the foregoing figures we find by calculation that 1 ee 
of 5 of the different parts of the Tom mato- plan 
absorbs or abstracts from the soil the e 
ee constituents :— 
Amounts * gubstance, 3 al matter, or ash Sot E 
in 1 ton of the various pirts 2f the Tom 
Various Parts. Water, fre Minera Nitro; 
Su Substance, Matter (ash). Teer 
W 
In the Stem . „ ra 1＋ : 
In the Roots... 598 263 5 
In the Fruit... in 4 11 4 
A 3 study of these results reveals 
as the roots of the Tomato- o-plant contain 
largest amount of dry su 
os 
the fact that 
by far the 
history of the = er its quality. 
2 charac te 3 e, Ae then su iy 
ver he — to be d gx 
The physical characte 
nen Sr twent 
Seeg of Tomato- fr 3 that is the ee 
3b, and the number cells in the f fruite, have 
r 
‘or domestic Purposes, J. J, Willis, 
(To be continued.) 
—̃ͤꝛ 
OUR POUL TY 
By Harrison WIR. 
(Copyright) ; 
i Ther 
numerous poultry shows for the fancy 
but now also there is a movement, and y 
undoubtedly is a step in the right direction, in 
classes and shows for table poultry, and also for 
clearly the state and quality of the poultry of the 
period. f 
As the season has almost begun for the setting of 
hens and rearing of chickens, it would be well 
note some of the best table breeds of fowler, that are 
not only valuable for the production of early chickens 
but also for keeping on either for exhibition aliva, or 
dead as 3 owls 
I en too much the fashion of late to breed 
IV. 
poultry cocks weighing as much as 16 lb, each, This 
is a — which will be most likely admitted on 
reflection, i 
dicted one of the most dainty portions, would then 
ficient for 
generally “ put on,” fi 
complete. The Asiatics, as a rule, being of this 
character. while the old Kent, Sussex, and 
five and four-toed, pure white-legged varieties, eth 
and deservedly, the very highest position 
purposes as table poultry, The five-toed varieties 
of these are erroneously called me u 
maget pagers if there really be one, 
bird, e comb, pure white hes and feet 
with ih i Da both are “as ol e bill 
as the fowls in the counties a “hen not 
so at Dorking, which was and is no more 
a fatting - station like Heathfield a er 
parishes in Sussex, In point of fact, m 
the “Surrey fowl” sent to the London 
come from Sussex. Of all fowls for treuen 
of flesh, skin, and bone, with the least ofal, with 7 
white fat, is the pure white-legged black- 
red game fowl, of this there is not a peers 
doubt. Its only fault, if any, is that it is not d 
large e for some persons’ ideas, or for 
purpos „ 
a * return to the so-called coloured D 
e have, when of pure breed (which 15 . 
3 now-a-days, though very often ur 
to be so), one of, if not the ee ge of 610 i 
It h n “the” he | 
are and kept bY | 
the table or fot 
w 
butor to the columns of the Gardeners’ C i 
never tired of asserting its great merge pe 
0 
fowl, and needlessly so, a long bress 
contain more flesh than a shorter one, 
depth of keel ever so great. One of the cones T 
of the old southern fowls was their P 
