42C 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUK.E AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ June 6, 186S, 



more so than any other remaining there during the wintor, 

 andthat the crop which is best to follow another cannot he 

 so precisely determined upon beforehand as to pass into a 

 rule. There ai'e some crops, however, which it is advisable 

 to avoid as a snccession to the Brassica tribe, and one of 

 these is Carrots. Totatoes. however, may do, and Dwarf 

 Kidney Beans and Scarlet Euuners, as well as Broad Beans, 

 and if neccss.ai-y a portion of the ground may be set ap;xrt 

 for Celery, and the trenches beinjj dug early and well 

 rnajmred. Lettuce or some other light ci-op may be jjlanted- 

 upon the ridges. "We have likewise often had summer 

 Cauliflower there, and sometimes a small-topped I'otato : 

 but it is not advisable to plant anything that is likely to be 

 late in coming off, for it must be borne in mind that the 

 Celery is the legitimate crop, and its welfare must not be 

 sacrificed for the sake of a temporai-y occupant. 



The rotation of crops is a subject which has been often 

 adverted to in these pages, but I may observe that circum- 

 stances frequently occur to derange any established rule, 

 and it becomes necessai-y to make the most of the ground. 

 A crop of late spring Broccoli may occupy some out-of-the- 

 way place where it would be useless to sow Peas on account 

 of the ravages of small bii-ds, and when it might be too late 

 to plant Potatoes, or, in fact, they might not be wanted 

 there, whilst sundry reasons point out tho desirability of 

 planting the plot mth winter stuff again. This certainly 

 may be done, but the ground must be liberally manured, 

 and, what is equally beneficial, it will have to remiiin two or 

 three months of the early part of summer idle or nearly so ; 

 certainly a crop of Potatoes or Kidney Beans may in some 

 cases be taken off the ground, but such crops ought not to 

 remain longer than is absolutely necessary in order to insure 

 a due growth to the winter occupants, and where ground is 

 plentiful and manure less so, a rest in the growing season is 

 beneficial. There are many other cases in which any esta- 

 blished rule for a change of cropping must be broken through, 

 and with little or no detriment to the vegetable grown, only 

 it is necessary, as above obsei-ved, to avoid, if possible, crops 

 succeeding each other that resemble one another in their 

 reouirements, as the Cabbage and Broccoli family all do; 

 for although they may be made to do good service on the 

 same ground for a few years, it is only at the expense of the 

 manure-heap or their quality. It is the same with other 

 plants, and as an example bearing on this point some flower- 

 beds were once pointed out to me that were not at all satis- 

 factory, the plants being as much disposed to die as grow, 

 and plants of exactly the same kind had occupied the same 

 beds for a succession of years or until the ground was sick 

 of them, as the common expression is. Eobust crops, like 

 those of the kitchen garden when afforded plenty of good 

 manure, are less likely to suffer, still a change is advantage- 

 ous and may generally be accomplished without loss to tho 

 quantity of ground required for each crop, and with much 

 benefit as regards the quality of the produce. I am sure 

 "BrKNTwooD, P. D.," will excuse my differing in some little 

 details from his excellent paper, which I conmiend to the 

 general rea<ler, especially to those near large towns, where 

 every inch of ground has to be made the most of. — J. Kobson. 



LIQUID MAXUEE. 



The advantages accruing from the judicious application 

 of liquid manure to various garden crops, have been so ably 

 advocated, its value shown, and the results obtained by itis 

 use 80 olton stated, tliat it may seein unnecessary to say 

 anything more on tho aubject. It is not with a desire to 

 depreciate the value of manure in a liquid form, nor because 

 I have any discovery to impart, tlmt 1 take the matter up; 

 but to stale my own experience with liquid manure as ap- 

 plied to most flowers, fruitH. and vi^getables u«ually culti- 

 vated in gardens. I have foimd tliat, great as tlie Ijoncfits 

 derived by the horticnlturiat from judicious and sciiaonablo 

 applications of manure water really are, there h everything 

 to dread from injudicious and unsea-sonablo applications. 

 It varies much, and it is so diflicult to know how much to 

 dilute it, in order to have it of the right strcnj{tli, that it it) 

 dangerous in inexperienced hands. I will, therefore, note 

 the various forms in which it has been applied. 



Dbajrimos or the DutromLL contnin some of tho soluble 



and most fertilising constituents of the manure. Those who 

 allow them to run to waste lose the ammoniacal substances, 

 the alkaline matters, and the phosphates. To collect the 

 drainings it is necessary that the litter or fresh dung be 

 laid on a concrete floor sloping from the centre to the sides, 

 and all round there should bo a channel or gutter concreted 

 or made impervious to water, and falling to the liquid manure 

 tank, which should be sunk about a foot below the surround- 

 ing ground level, and be made so that no water but what 

 comes from the manure-heap can pass into it. The tank is 

 best of iron, with a lid perforated with half-inch holes, 

 through which the liquid enters tho tan);, and is cleared of 

 straw, &a. A tank 6 feet square, and 6 feet deep, will be 

 large enough. This will hold all the liquid that will 

 drain from the dunghill for three months, with the usual 

 average of rainfall. If the drainage from the stables, the 

 cowhouse, pigstyes, and slops from the house, are conveyed 

 to the tank, it will be full in a month or so. I must observe 

 that there is a great difference between the drainings of an 

 exposed dunghill, and those fi'om the stables and offices, in 

 which urine enters largely. The liquid from the dunghill 

 is much less strong, and may safely be applied in moist 

 weather undiluted, or in dry ijerioda diluted with an equal 

 quantity of water. That from the stables, ofiiees, &o., being 

 much stronger, requii'cs to be diluted with at least four 

 times its bulk of -^vater, and occasionally six times will not 

 be too much. If, however, all the waste of a house pass into 

 the tank, and is only so much dirty water, then it may not 

 be necessary to dilute the liquid at all, but take care to 

 have it weak enough. The liquid from stables, cowhouses, 

 &c., and household offices is fuUy six times stronger than 

 the drainings of a dunghill. 



An iron tank is certainly expensive, but I have no hesi- 

 tation in pronouncing such tanks the best I have had ex- 

 perience with. The next best, in my opinion, are those of 

 stone fastened together with ii-on cramps, and the joints 

 cemented, but x'rior to cementing the joints on the inside, 

 ramming firm the soil at the sides, and at the bottom, too, 

 beneath the stone bottom. The joints should be well 

 cemented, and the tank covered with flagstones with a move- 

 able lid or trai) door. Stone tanks are equally durable with 

 ii-on ones. Another durable tank is formed with brick sides 

 and a puddled bottom, the sides outside the brickwork being 

 also pudddled, and having a closely-boarded top or flag- 

 stones as a cover. In forming these tanks care should be 

 taken to make the bottom very firm, and to carry it beyond 

 the brickwork, so that the puddling carried up outside the 

 walls may unito with the bottom. Not only should good 

 clay be used, but it should not be made very soapy by 

 pouring water upon it; if it is sufficiently moist to be 

 rammed or beaten fii'mly ifc will stand water bettor than 

 very soft clay, for such is apt to crack in dry weather, 

 whdst moderately dry clay can be made firmer, and is not 

 so liable to crack. The joints of the bricks may be stopped 

 with cement, but this is not necessary if the clay be rammed 

 suihciently. Tanks with brick walls laid in mortar, cemented 

 over inside, and resting on a flagged bottom with tho joints 

 cemented, are excellent receptacles for manure water. Com- 

 mon casks may also be used ibr the same i)urpo30 ; it is only 

 necessary to dig holes and let them into the ground, pre- 

 viously making the bottom as hard as a barn floor with clay, 

 and ramming clay very firmly round them, and if this is 

 done effectually they form excellent reservoirs for either 

 licjuid manure or soft water. These tubs are best connected 

 with each other by a lead pipe, and there is no fear of 

 leakage if tho clay is well rammed, and not very wet. 



In addition to providing a tank, it is desirable to have 

 water near at hand, with which to dilute the contents. It 

 ia not only necessary to provide tanks for manure water, but 

 also for rain water from the buildings ai-ound, which is too 

 generally conducted to drains. In order to provide against 

 di'y periods, the manure tanks must necessarily be in the 

 ground ; but those for rain water should be raised above the 

 Burface, and may consist of a number of tubs ranged side 

 by side, and connected with each other by lead pipes. These 

 elevated cisterns being furnished with a tap and hose, tho 

 garden crops can be watered without much hand labour, 

 the puuqiing of water into the water-cart or cistern being 

 avoided. A little contrivance, and some additional oxpenso 

 at fir8t,_would effect a great saving of labour, and watering 



