THE GARDENERS MAGAZINE. 



SATURDAY, MARCH 5, 1898. 



A SCOT, SUNNINGHILL, SUNNINGDALE, AND DISTRICT none the less intense. Doubtless, these do a large part of the work, but 



Class x. 

 Class 2. 



Class 3. 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW, November 16 and 17. 



Open Prizes — 



Best 24 Japanese Blooms, distinct varieties, ist, £6 ; 2nd, £4 ; 3 rd > £ 2 9 4jh, £1. 

 Best 24 Incurved Blooms, distinct varieties, ist, £4 10s. ; 2nd, 63 *, 3 rd > IOS - 8 



For ^he* Best Group of Chrysanthemums, mixed with Foliage Plants and Ferns, to 

 occupy a circular space not exceering 8 feet ciameter; quality and general effect 

 rn hp the leading features (presented by Miss J. Durnine Smith), ist, £4 ; 2nd, £3 ; 



the combination of both is essential to proper vegetative action. 



SOILS 



During 1897 two series of experiments in potato culture were carried 



W 



to be the leading 

 3rd, £2. 



ARROGATE HORSE AND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



This popular FLOWER SHOW is fixed for August 18 and 19 Over £150 in prizes. 



L. Hobkinson, Secretary. 



SHREWSBURY GREAT FLORAL 

 August 17 and 18, 1898. 

 The Prizes in the Schedule amount to ^950, with Gold and Silver Medals, &c. 



Schedules post free on application to the Hon. Sees., 



Messrs Adnitt. and Naunton, The Square, Shrewsbury. 



ORTICULTURAL SHOW ADVERTISEMENTS are inserted in this 



column at One Shilling per line, the minimum charge being Five Sb illings. Advertise- 



OflW. taS and iao. Alderscrate Street. London. E.C. 



to determine the most profitable varieties and the most suitable manures 

 for heavy and light soils. At the Quemerford station the soil was some- 

 what heavy, and, as shown in the summary of the trials, in our issue of 

 the 19th ult, the best results were in the large group of plots obtained by 

 FETE, the use of complete chemical manure which consisted of equal parts (by 



weight) of superphosphate, kainit, and nitrate of soda. The other 

 station is known as Lickhill, and the results obtained are of considerable 

 value as illustrating the importance of taking into consideration the 

 peculiarities of the soil and climate in determining the course of pro- 

 cedure tobe adopted. At Lickhill, where the soil is light, and contains a large 

 percentage of lime, three of the plots devoted to potatos were not manured, 

 and in these the average yield was five tons fifteen hundredweight and 

 twenty-two pounds per acre. Stable manure was applied to three plots, at 

 the rate of sixteen tons per acre, and these plots gave an average crop at 

 the rate of nine tons seventeen hundredweight per acre. The increase 



A COLOURED PLATE of 



DENDROBIUM SCHRODER IAN UM 



Is presented with this Number. 



bscribers should see that their Newsagents deliver the Coloured from the use of stable manure, therefore, amounted to four tons one 



£5 



The remaining plots were treated with complete 



Notes of the Week. 



LIGHT. 



chemical manure, the mineral superphosphate and kainit being applied 



at the time of planting. To minimise the loss bv drainage, the nitrate of 



soda was applied in dressings at the rate of one pound per perch, three 



dressings being given to the heavily-manured plots, and two to those re- 



M/viir 4.u~ i^mu* a , « j . i_ . A r ceiving the medium quantity of manure. Two plots received dressings 



NOW that the lengthening days have reached the point of equality . , , • i i j , , • 



„- f L .1 ^^-^ • j 11 ^ • j » 7 1 of nine pounds, three six pounds, and one three pounds per perch, and in 



with the shortening nights, and all vegetation is responding to the c ^ . _ A m ^ A ____ f _, „ \ c jT ™ 1 A- 



increasing bounty of the sun by bursting of buds into leaf, and even 

 into blossom, we may not unprofitably devote a little consideration to the 



£3 8s., and the third £ 



£3 



urnnri«rf«i nnt„va ~f fi.:,. li \K wu 11 i .« A , r «• that the medium dressing gave the most satisfactory results, and that the 



wonderful nature of this light, which practically does all the work. If r . . 6 ^ . , ■ , . U1 J ' . c 



u/a rsi^ o c««k^»™ a- it • 1 . most profitable crop was obtained with stable manure. The growth of 



we take a sunbeam and dissect it, as we may do by simply passing it . , * i- i\ * u- wu ♦ ui v a cc a 



thronrrk n f V ;^„ M i_ • c / i n j . - r the plants on the plots to which the stable manure was applied suffered 



through a triangular piece of cut glass, we find it to consist of a , , , * K , A - , i • ^ K u:i * *u 



rr*.r>A t ^4~A ~ : r i j • -i i . t \ , . , less from the drought experienced early in the summer, whilst, on the 



graduated series of coloured rays visible to the eye and others which ! , , , 6 ^ . It • a i a I w u 



• -'l^ n „ i ^««44* ^ 4,u u 4. t .* • v , . other hand, the growth was most rapid afcer rain on the plots to which 



are invisible, and constitute the heat rays. In the rainbow we see this , . , i i * v a t*. ■ * r A. r a *u . 



ai^Prtinn ^rt^ u„ a au U4.1..U 1 , chemical manure had been applied. It is apparent from these facts that 



dissection eflected by the raindrops, and by both these examples we learn , , . 4 V, , 4 , u • , . 



that the apparently simple beam of light is really of a very complex the best course is to use stable manure, supplemented by art.fic.als, in 



nature indeed, while the scientist who deals with it spectroscopic^ will accordance wlth the adv.ee so consistently g.ven m these pages Six 



tell us that besides this mixed and varied nature the little rainbow he Var J etieS W ™ ^ n at the ^ ^at.on two of wh.ch-Read.ng G.ant 



artificially produces is crossed with innumerable dark lines, each of which and S t°urbr.dge Glory-are largely cult.vated m the Calne d.stnct The 



is characteristic of some elemental substance present in the source of the ° ther vanetieS mduded m thC ex P er ™ ent f ^ erC f Dan ' eI R s ^eadnough t 



light, forming, in fact, a clearly written catalogue of the solar materials. and [ m Pf at ° r ' tW ? late ^ arieties ' and E a H y Pur.tan and Read.ng Russet, 



So much for the constitution of the light, which is hardly more wonderful ^h.ch belongs to the m.d-season. The early var.et.es d.ffered but httle 



than its effects upon our floral and other vegetation. Under its genial m P^duct.veness, but Pur.tan was of the finest quahty when cooked. 



stimulus the little green cells, by means of the sympathetic action of the The avera ^ e y f d .^ ^ ° f ^ ™T I V '' ^ ° nS 



chlnmnTi^n ^ 1! 4t . , t , . F . UA ,11C eleven hundred we eht twenty two pounds ; Reading Giant, eight tons 



t^^lZ^ZZ^:^™^ tTentn^ea J g M t we„ ty ^..o pounds !Uani ers D ,ea d „o U / ht ,e ight 



the same weight per 

 shown being in favour of Reading Giant and Stourbridge Glory. They 



increase 



their variety «r wi j • i . ' tons two hundredweight sixty-seven pounas ; atouroriage uiory, seven 



nZwTTlv t u' P ' ^ ^ ™ Cul * t0 ? a PP«atus ; roots, ^ ^ven hundredweight twenty-two pounds. The four varieties proved 



^L2 J^ \^Z m *? V,,i7 " ndergr ° Und t0 find thC ne6dfuI Z^WsnsZtMe to the influence of fertilisers, and yielded about 

 water and earthy materials for the work going on above - the buds of ec l uau y suscepimie iu uic » / 



leaf or bloom are swelling beneath the influence of the' supply from ^ 5 »™ ™* ht ™ ^ ° f d,SCaSed tUberS ' ^ ^ dlffCrenCe 

 oeiow ; the warmth from above and the busy multiplication of the 

 cells within. Lo ! suddenly the brown or black bud splits open, and 

 out come the delicate green embryos of the future foliage to greet the 

 vivifying sunbeam and profit still more by its genial influence. Everywhere 

 m ^ garden and in the grove this wondrous work is going on above 

 an below the ground, and with ever greater activity as the daily reign 

 o» the sunbeam increases. But this is not all. Every blossom has its 



marked in the case of Daniel's Ureadnough 



perator. 



THE PLEASANT SPRINGTIME. 



The snowdrop and crocus, chionodoxa and early scillas are already 



, _ _ passing out of bloom in our London parks, and especially in those cosy 



vvn special hkmg for this or that coloured part of the dissected ray, and nooks and corners where they are planted in the turf, and send up their 



□sorbing that and rejecting the others, greets one's eyes with the tints blossoms above the verdant grass. In the Regent's Park especially, but 



all TT' Y ° n flauntin £ group of golden crocus has sucked into itself, also in other London parks, the planting of spr.ng bulbs m the turf is 



but f bUt the reflected ones ; the scarlet tulip chooses differently somewhat extensively carried out, and charming effects are produced, to 



seedr y herC b this tulip tribe > comes in the curio "S fact that a the great delight of those who frequent the parks. Some years ago the 



then T 8 « k ay f ° r year after year be true t0 its first Iove > as U were > and planting of spring-flowering bulbs in grass lawns was much followed, 



on oth r k " ° CCUrS and ever aft erwards its annual chalice will flame but the application of the scythe or mowing machine when their foliage 



and refl t nCS i alt ° gether - Th e stately lily, white as the driven snow, rejects was in full vigour of development soon caused the death of the bulbs, 



delicate intrusive beams save where the crimson pollen and the At one time the green banks which form the base^of the historic round 



charms g !* e . msh sti gma make contrasting choice to increase the lady's ' — **** 



Windsor 



the sunh ' S ° f C ° UrSe a moot P° int as re S ards the stimulating effect of designs in snowdrops, but they all have disappeared, sacrificed, doubtless, 



and ho m \ how much is actually due to the visible or coloured rays, to the scythe. In our London paiks all these patches are carefully 



merue ^ Tu* 0 th ° Se invisibIe one s into which the dark violet beams guarded, and until the foliage has faded, and their work accomplished, 



may be 1, h Carry With them that P otent factor of warmth. These these precious spots are held to be sacred, and any necessary roughness 



can be f h d " P by a lens or bura ing glass precisely as the light rays of appearance for a time is amply compensated for by the floral service 



» nd yet though no bright spot is visible at the focus, the heat is rendered earlier in the year. It may not be known to many that in the 



