48 
ABSTRACT OF PAPERS OF HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
immense quantities exhaled from the lungs of 
animals, the atmosphere contains but a small 
quantity, as was before stated, and hence the 
importance of giving motion to the air in hot- 
houses. For plants feed through their leaves 
and skin, as well as by their roots, and it is 
obvious that air passing quickly over the sur- 
face of a plant will part with its carbonic acid in 
greater abundance than when it rests upon 
the absorbing surface in tranquillity. The 
roots require that air containing carbonic acid 
should have the freest access to them, on 
which good potting greatly depends, as does the 
operation of draining, which derives a large 
part of its advantage from the freedom with 
which carbonic acid can find its way to the 
roots of plants through the numerous chinks 
and crevices that lead the water into the 
drains. — Dr. Lindley's Lecture. 
On Transplanting Peas foe Early 
Crops. — It has been a rule with some of the 
old gardeners for manyyears to transplant their 
first crops of early peas. I have been in the 
habit of doing so for thirteen years, very suc- 
cessfully, with my first early peas, and also 
with my first large late peas. Our practice 
is very simple ; the compost we use is as free 
from rotten dung as we can get it, the peas 
are sown in pots all over the surface, and the 
pots are placed either in cool frames or in 
moderate heat, as may be deemed necessary. 
The time of sowing depends on the season, 
the earliest is about the middle of January ; 
at the time of planting, the ground which has 
laid in ridges during the winter is first levelled 
down, and trenches are then cut through it by 
line, somewhat sloping, in the same way as 
for planting box, and deep enough to admit 
the roots of the plants without bending them. 
The peas are turned out of the pots, and about 
two inches of the bottoms cut off before the 
plants are separated, and in parting them care 
is taken to keep them in tufts of about four or 
six laying them into the trenches, and filling 
up with the natural mould, if dry enough ; 
but if not, with some mould which has been 
kept dry. I have now one long row of the 
frame pea, planted, as described, on the third 
of last month, which is three inches high, while 
another by the side of it, sown in the natural 
way, and which had made its appearance above 
ground before the others were planted, are 
very little more than one inch high. Mr. 
Knight recommends poor light soil for trans- 
planted peas, but I differ from him by expe- 
rience ; for when I have planted peas without 
manuring the border, my crop has been very 
inferior. I find when transplanted peas do not 
thrive well, that they are very apt to bring 
small pods not half filled. — The above is the 
substance of a letter by Daniel Judd, F.H.S. ; 
and in a note the secretary observes, " Mr. 
Knight's object in surrounding his transplanted 
peas with a poor and light soil, is to check the 
luxuriance of growth, and consequently to 
induce early maturity. The quantity of pro- 
duce would certainly be increased by using a 
rich soil, as proposed by Mr. Judd but this 
increase would be at the expense of the easi- 
ness of the crop, which is the main point to be 
gained by the practice recommended. 
[This, like everything else, requires a mid- 
dle course. The poor soil would risk the loss 
of the crop altogether : the rich would go to 
the other extreme ; the sowing should be in 
poor soil, and the planting out in better, but 
not over rich.] 
Tobacco Water for destroying Insects. 
— The tobacco liquor I have used is procured 
from the tobacco manufacturers. In the pro- 
cess of preparing tobacco for use, the dried 
herb is steeped for a certain period, and the 
water which it has absorbed is afterwards ex- 
pressed from it, into the water in which it had 
been steeped. This liquor is to be purchased 
at eight-pence or ten-pence per gallon from 
the manufacturers, and should be obtained as 
pure as possible without adulteration. One 
gallon of the liquor is stronger than any that 
could be made from steeping several pounds 
of prepared tobacco in the same quantity of 
water. The mixture of the tobacco liquor 
with water is in the following proportions, 
and should be applied to the trees by means of 
a garden engine, or syringe, taking care, in 
its application, that it is given so forcibly that 
the under side of the foliage is well sprinkled. 
For the destruction of the green-fly, I mix one 
gallon of tobacco liquor to five gallons of pure 
water; this quantity is sufficient to wash three 
trees, twelve feet high, and each extending 
fifteen feet in breadth. For destroying the 
black insect, one gallon of liquor to three of 
water. For destroying the caterpillars on 
pear, apple, plum, and apricot trees, and on 
gooseberry bushes, one gallon of liquor to 
four of water. The above proportions have 
been frequently tried, and have never failed 
of success. — Letter by Mr. J. Harrison. 
Forcing Gooseberries and Currants. 
— I have uniformly succeeded in ripening 
gooseberries and currants in peach-houses, in 
pots : in the beginning of November I select 
healthy year-old plants, and pot them in the 
size called twelves ; these are then plunged 
to the rim in a border, and covered with any 
loose material, to protect the roots from frost. 
Towards the end of January they are removed 
into the peach-house, and by the end of April 
the fruit is ripe, and may be sent to table, 
growing on the plants. A succession crop is 
secured by taking another set of pots into the 
peach-house in the middle of February. — 
Letter by Mr. James Hay. 
