September 28, 19l2. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



739 



investigation. 



STERILISATION OF SOIL. 



In your reply to " F. B., Yorkshire," page 

 695, you there state that the sterilisation of 

 the soil is distinctly beneficial, but the 

 methods by which it can be the most satis- 

 factorily carried out by the general body of 

 cultivators require further 

 and with this statement I am in full agree- 

 lent. Perhaps it may be of interest to know 

 the method we have adopted here, as the 

 soil was so infested with eelworms that cu- 

 cumbers, melons, tomatoes, and many other 

 things were complete failures before half the 

 season was over, owing to the destruction of 

 their roots by the pest. As other means 

 tried, such as soil fumigants, carbon bisul- 

 phide, etc., failed to prove satisfactory^ we 

 tried steaming in the following way : 



A strong pitch pine chest, or tank, was 

 made and connected to the injector pipe of 

 the boiler used for driving the dynamo of the 

 electric light installation. The tank is made 

 of 2J-inch plank of the following dimensions, 

 inside measurement, viz., length 6ft. 2in., 

 width 2ft. lin., depth 2ft. 3in.; the ends are 

 g^rooved into the sides and held in position 

 by four iron rods or long bolts across each 

 end outside, with a |in. thick iron plate to 

 prevent the heads of bolts and nuts cutting 

 into the wood. There are also four iron bolts 

 going through from the top edge to the bot- 

 tom with nuts underneath on each side. 

 The bottom and both ends are bolted through 

 in the same way to prevent any movement 

 or opening of joints from the pressure of 

 steam. 



Inside in the angle formed by the botto 

 and sides a 2^ in. square piece of wood is 

 fixed, the full length of the tank, also acro^ 

 each end; these act as bearers, to take a 

 very loose-fitting false bottom. When this 

 false bottom is in position there is then a 

 clear space, or chamber, underneath. Into 

 this space^ or chamber, the steam pipe is 

 brought in at one end, and the pipe is taken 

 about a foot into this space. The false bot- 

 tom is of ordinary inch-thick deal, but this 

 I find is not stout enough to carry the weight 

 of soil, and is bored with fin. holes all over 

 at SIX inches apart, these holes giving the 

 steam free access to all parts of the soil. 

 There is a very close-fitting lid for the top. 

 The tank is fixed outside, and stands about 

 a foot from the ground on two brick piers; 

 there is a fall of an inch at the end opposite 

 to where the steam pipe enters, and here a 

 tap IS fixed to draw off any water formed by 

 the condensed steam. There is ,a length of 45 

 l^'^ steam pipe from the boiler; 



this distance was unavoidable on account of 

 other buildings. The work was done by a 

 local engineer, and the cost, including brick- 

 work, etc., was about ^6. 



Thc^ apparatus has now been in use nearly 

 years, and has proved a great success, 

 as, since using the sterilised soil I have not 

 lost a plant of any kind from an attack of 

 eeiwortn. When using the tank we fill it 

 ^ini loam, loaf-soil, or whatever the material 

 J"ay be. leaving a space of four or five 

 "^ches at the top, put on tin- lid and t\irn 

 wK Vvf about 4.01b. pre^sun\ Ndw, 



r! f 1 , above is the most nractical 



method of sterilisation 



I 



caiiiiot 

 I know 



but 



])ra c 

 say ; 



cviTvone 



for 



SWEET PEAS FOR 

 EXHIBITION. 



It has been my good fortune to be fairly 

 successful as an exhibitor of sweet peas dur- 

 ing the present year, at Reieate, East- 

 bourne. 



Reigate, 

 Hayward^s Heath, and the 



Na- 

 tional Sweet Pea Society's exhibition, but, 

 after all, there is not very much to be said 

 or written about methods: of cultivation. 

 The use of common sense, a love for the 

 flowers, and the powder to profit by close 



that assumes the consistency of putty wlien 

 wet, and bakes as hard as bricks when dry. 

 We have, therefore, to take every advan- 

 tage of good soil conditions, and the sweet 

 peas are planted out as soon after the 

 middle of iMarch as weather permits. 

 Double rows are planted, a foot between 

 each row, and five feet between each double 

 row. The plants are set out a foot apart, 

 three growths only being allowed to ex- 

 tend from each, and those are kept free 

 from side growths. 



Xo feeding is given until the s-weet peas 



■j *. * J * o« 1 WJl 



X answers our purpose, i khow vwi- 

 ^as not the advntage of a steam .Migine 

 tiv ^j^^P^^^' l^iit it would be most instruc- 

 vio^/ ^ther corresiuMultMits would q-ive their 

 thi^u experience on the subject, as I 



bpH 1^ ^'^^ ^'^^"^ sterilised soil is 

 effeef- means will be found for 



f, !^V^^? its sterilisation. I must not occupy 



it h ^P^^^' ^ ^^S^^ st^t^ difference 

 nas made in the growth, etc., of many 

 ^^^^gs under my charge. ' ^ 



H. Reynolds. 

 ^cratby Hall, Great Yarmouth. 



T>arl- 1^^^^ be pleased to publish anv further 

 l^^rnculars on the sterilisation of soil that 



also fify^^^^s may consider of interest, and » — 



Ed ^?P!^i^*i<^e of other of our readers, two lower spits. 



SWKETPEAS AS (iROWX IX TIIK II AY KKSBRACK (;AEDENS. 



observation of the plants' behaviour, are of 

 far more value than any elaborate details 

 of cultivation or manuring, slavishly fol- 

 lowed. 



Ours is a simple procedure. ^Ye sow the 

 seeds in pots during the second week of 

 October, and winter the stock in cold 



aflFording ample ventilation in all 

 but the severest weather. The plot that is 

 to carry sweet peas is trenched three feet 

 deep in November, and plenty of rotten 

 stable manure, with a fair sprinkling of 

 bone-meal, are mixed with the soil in the 



are nicelv in flower 



soot 



and 



liquid from the farmyard are given 



frames 



freely, with an oc^casional top-dressing of 

 some approved fertiliser. For supports we 

 use tall sticks with an accompaniment of 

 stout bamboo rods Tying is regularly 

 attended to, but this is not a verv serious 

 business when the single-stem method of 



Under these con- 



cultivation is practised 

 ditions 



large quantities of 



fine flowers, 



borne on good stems, ^^re produced < 

 long period, and these are suitable 

 for exhibition or home decoration. 



F. C. Beale. 



We have to deal with a heavy clayey soil 



Gardens 



