80 THE FLORIST AND 



Mr. Editor: — Your correspondent "Anthophilus" seems to have found at 

 "mare's nest" in the fact that plants can be grown without peat. Indeed, 

 he actually believes it. It would be a greater wonder to me to see plants, 

 of the kind he mentions, grow well in it, if the peat he alludes to is the marsh 

 mud that I see some gardeners collecting, drying, and storing past under 

 that name. One thing I wonder much at is, that I never see any of them 

 using it by itself in their plant culture; — perhaps they would grow too well. 

 Traddles thinks they would not grow at all in it; but he is no authority. I 

 would hesitate in making the remark, did I not see encouragement loaming 

 through some late articles in your pages. That I have known heaths on the 

 tables at Chiswick with very little peat about their roots, not more than a 

 * 'night-cap" full to the bushel. This was merely tried as an experiment, 

 not from a scarcity of good peat — real fibry stuff, fit for footballs— ^hat had 

 to be cut with a chopping-knife before it could be used. 



I had hoped that the mysticism of compost making was at an end ; but in 

 a late "New York Agricultor" I observed a specimen which, a century ago, 

 would have immortalized the author. It is a border for growing grape vines, 

 composed as follows — I omit the quantities of each, which are considerable : 

 Bones, sculls of sheep and oxen, pulverised charcoal, oyster shells, leather 

 scrapings, coal ashes, blacksmiths' cinders, leached ashes, iron filings, well- 

 decomposed manure, street scrapings, garden soil, yellow loam and sod. The 

 writer premises that he is " very particular with his border," and " waters 

 with soapsuds every Monday — one pailful to a root — and on Friday with 

 guano." If this is not horticultural charlatanry it is a very near approach to 

 it. Such exposures go farther in retarding than advancing the subject they 

 pretend to simplify. Many who would gladly undertake the culture of grapes 

 would give it up in despair, if they seriously believed such a conglomeration 

 of substances was indispensable for their growth. Your calendar writer may 

 snuff out his farthing candle in the face of this bright light. He is content 

 with well drained "garden soil," trenched two feet [deep, and mixed with 

 charcoal and bones. The latter substance is very generally recommended 

 as a manure for grasses. Wonder if the idea was taken from Plutarch? He 

 informs us that " the Massalians walled in their vineyards with the bones of 

 their enemies that they had slain, and they produced a prodigious crop the 

 next season." Truly, "there is nothing new under the sun." This was some 

 2000 years ago. 



You remark that the London Horticultural Society have been trying sul- 

 phur and lime to prevent mildew, and think it will do it. They need not 

 think anything about it, its efficacy has been fully established long ago. As 

 like as not they picked up the remedy from Allen's treatise on the vine, pub- 

 lished some years ago in Boston ; but, of course, they must find it out for 



