August 24, 1871. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOKTIOULTDRE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



141 



of 113 that we could substantiate the assertion that the produce, 

 and consequently the value, of the patch would be increased 

 instead of deteriorated. On the contrary, the performance 

 was regarded as a piece of impudent robbery, more especially 

 aa gardeners are not expected to know anything of farming or 

 meadows. How can they '? However, our success was com- 

 plete. The yield of hay was nearly doubled, and in the autumn 

 the grass was green and sweet, resorted to by cattle and sheep 

 in preference to any other part of the meadow. The issue 

 was that a regular supply was granted so long as the bargain 

 was implemented in the same way. And what was the process? 

 •Simply first to mow as closely as possible the grass, then to 

 skin off the turf as thinly as it would hang together and bear 

 handling. Then the 3 inches of soil lying immediately under- 

 neath the thin skin, and which contaiaed the roots of the grass, 

 was taken for the garden. The spice was filled up with old 

 rich soil, such as is not vcy difficult to procure about most 

 :garden establishments ; at least moat gardeners will be glad to 

 provide such, by hook or by crook, to exchange for maiden 

 loam. The surface was rolled down firmly, turfed over with 

 the same turf, and well rolled again ; the soil exchanged, 

 being much richer than the loam, yielding not only better but 

 «arlior grass, while it was utterly unfit for the potting bench. 

 The result was, a grant of as much soil yearly as was required. 

 Of course, it would have been much better, and quite as harm- 

 less, to have taken the turf; but we ran no risk of committing 

 •ourselves; and every gardener knows what a boon it is to get 

 even that which lies immediately below the thin skin of turf, 

 instead of being compelled to work with any rubbish he could 

 otherwise scrape together. By this method not even a season's 

 sward is saoriiioed ; but if ihe turf be taken, and the ground 

 .properly laid down firmly, and sown thickly with permanent 

 grasses, and fenced round for a few months, it is difficult at the 

 close of the season, except by close inspection, to know where 

 the turf has been removed, unless it be by the rich verdure of 

 the spot. 



This question is one of vast moment to successful culture ; 

 ■and we feel confident that if many who, under an absurd dream, 

 deny such a supply, were to submit to one trial, there would 

 not in the end be any objections to take the requisite amount 

 «ach season. And we are certain that many a just complaint 

 from the gardener would be avoided, and the produce of the 

 garden vastly improved. 



While we thus point out the groundlessness of the idea that 

 gardeners would deteriorate the value of grass land by the 

 process we have described, it is but right on the part of garden- 

 ■firs to be as sparing and economical with Eoil so obtained as 

 possible, and not to break into fields more extensively than is 

 absolutely necessary; for we admit the process does create an 

 •eyesore and disturbance for a short time. We have known the 

 loam shaken from old Pine plants, French Bean pots, from 

 Melon and Cucumber pits, made no further use of, but either 

 wheeled into an open quarter of the garden or to the waste 

 heap, while it might perfectly well have been made use of for 

 many purposes — such as mixing up for potting and boxing 

 ^ower garden plants. Heaps of good soil are often collected 

 with other rubbish under potting benches, and then taken to 

 the waste heap. All such ought to be sifted, and the good soil 

 spparated from the other matter, and a place set apart for 

 'forming all soils collected in this way into a heap that can be 

 profitably used in many ways, with which all gardeners are 

 conversant. Hundreds would be glad to use what some refuse, 

 and in refusing, and drawing too greedily and injudiciously on 

 fresh supplies, are to some extent perpetuating the tenacity 

 with which so many owners of land refuse their gardeners fresh 

 supplies. — (The Gardener.) 



DECOMPOSITION versus COMBUSTION. 

 At this time there is to be seen in the kitchen garden a large 

 heap, consisting of many cartloads of vegetable refuse, such 

 as hedge and Laurel clippings, old Strawberry plants, and 

 cuttings of fruil^ trees of various sorts, the whole of which will 

 be shortly buried at a depth of 18 inches below the surface of 

 the earth. This vegetable refuse will form a stratum 6 inches 

 thick, and will be well trodden in before the 18 inches of earth 

 are placed over it. From an experiment I made last year I 

 have come to the conclusion that this is the most economical 

 mode of disposing of all vegetable refuse. The product of the 

 large heap in the garden, if burnt, might be a few bushels of 

 aehes, worth 5d. the bushel, the effect of which would only 

 last one season, whereas the effect of a well-trodden-iu 6-inoh 



stratum of vegetable matter would last several years. The 

 decay being very gradual, there would be a continual supply of 

 carbonic acid in solution with water to the plants above. As 

 might be supposed, the superstratum of 18 inches of earth 

 becomes thoroughly drained, and if examined will be found 

 to be full of rootlets, and I have observed that Strawberries 

 grown in ground cultivated in this manner not only acquire a 

 large size and very fine flavour, but do not flag in hot and dry 

 weather. 



This operation costs rather more than trenching, it is in- 

 finitely better, and, as it lasts several years, the cost per annum 

 would be very trifling. Probably this woody matter should not 

 be thicker than the little finger, but I should tbink there would 

 be no fear of mycelium. It it be necessary to hasten the decay 

 of this vegetable layer, a little lime on the surface of the soil 

 would soon form lime water, and finding its way downwards 

 thus effect the object. — Obsebvek. 



SHRUB BEDDING versus FLOWER BEDDING. 



As we have arrived at that period of the season when the 

 effect, either good or otherwise, of present arrangements and 

 combinations in the flower ground can be taken into account, 

 and the propagation and preparation of next year's supply of 

 bedding stuff are being cared for, we purpose saying a few 

 words with regard to an aspect of the bedding system that 

 we should like to see more attended to than it is. We allude 

 to what may be provisionally termed, shrub bedding. Instead 

 of the custom which at present almost generally prevails of 

 filling every bed in the flower or dressed ground solely with 

 their usual gay but tender and ephemeral occupants, we strongly 

 advocate a fair proportion of the beds being made objects of 

 perennial beauty, by filling them with happy combinations of 

 hardwooded, hardy, low-growing, persistent-foliaged shrubs, by 

 the judicious and tasteful use of which effects can be produced 

 quite as pleasing and far more lasting than can be had from 

 the present system of flower-bedding only. 



In the different beautiful varieties of Ivy, which are now 

 available, we have material for the moat varied and effective 

 beds. Of Ihe common and variegated Hollies the aame may 

 be said. The many varieties of low-growing Conifera3 afford 

 subjects admirably adapted and easily available for the pur- 

 pose. We have seen very telling beds formed by such simple 

 combinations as the variegated Savin for the centre mass of a 

 bed, and ita Tamarisk-leaved variety for a marginal belt. 



A bed of the golden Thuja aurea edged with the Tamarisk 

 Sivin, or vice versa, is very effective. For setting in a belt 

 of contrasting colour, miniature plants of the golden Thuja 

 would be admirably adapted. Cupressus Lawaoni, which is 

 most patient of the use of the knife, would make a good central 

 mass in a comparatively raised bed, which might be belted 

 with a glaucous zone of Sivin looped at intervals with Thuja 

 aurea, or the common Heath-like little Juniperus ericoides. 

 The mention of Heath reminds us of a spot where just now a 

 beU of the common Ling or Broom Heath forms one of the 

 greenest and most refreshing-looking margins possible to a 

 shrub bed. Many of the lovely evergreen American peat 

 shrubs are well suited for our purpose. The neat little 

 Pernettyas, with their tidy foliage, pretty little white flowers, 

 succeeded by rich trusses of beautifully-coloured berries, may 

 be used with good effect. In the way of variegated foliage, the 

 shrub-bedder has material that can fully rival the flower- 

 bedders' Golden Chain, Mrs. Pollock, Flower of the Day, and 

 other popular bedding Pelargoniums, in such never-dying, 

 frost-defying, and persistently beautiful subjects as the golden 

 and crimson, and other variously-tinted Ivies, Euonymus 

 japonicus variegatus, the white creeping E. radicans, hhamnus 

 Alaternua variegatus, and though last, far from least, that 

 most recent and perhaps greatest acquisition of any, the 

 beautiful golden variegated Coprosma Baueri. — (Irish Farmers' 

 Gazette.) 



Mr. KtrcKER's Orchids. — At the sale of these, which waa 

 continued on the 9th, 22ndj and 23rd inst., Mr. Stevens realised 

 the following amounts for some of the specimens — •viz., for 



Pleione maenlata, £7 ; P. Wallichiana, £5 5s. ; P. humilis, £6 6s.; 

 Aerides affine, Loddiges' old variety, £8 10s. ; A. virens, Kenrick's 

 variety, fine specimen, £5 15s. ; A. Larpentte, £5 ; A. Lobbi, £5 10s. ; 

 A. Fieldingii, a very fine specimen, thirty leaves, £15 ; A. rubrnm, £5 ; 

 A. Schrcederi, fine plant, £6 10s. ; Cattleya Keichenheimi, £17 10s. ; 

 C. exoniensis, £12 ; C. labiata var. Sion House, £6 ; C. Schilleriana, 

 magnificent specimen, £19 19s. ; C. amethystoglossa, fine specimen, 



