Rules, Notes and Recipes 
169 
much used by florists, these are heated by coils behind the driver’s seat, 
connected with the exhaust. Provision for interior lighting must also 
be considered. It is recommended that the maximum speed of light 
cars for florists’ uses should be up to 25 miles per hour. A special 
space should be arranged for pot plants under the body of the car, to 
have a movable top. Plate glass sides are often or generally adopted. 
Many florists have their cars built to order. 
Balled Shade and Ornamental Trees. — By the term “balled” 
we mean trees that have been lifted from the nursery rows with a ball 
of the earth in which they originally grew intact. The ball of earth 
containing the roots is then carefully wrapped in burlap and corded. 
Trees handled in this manner may generally be shipped and safely 
transplanted at unusual times — may be shipped with all the top and 
foliage, with every assurance that they will, we are assured, live and 
grow. 
Basic Slag. — This is not a complete manure, consisting of nearly 
half lime, and about 18 per cent, of phosphoric acid. This, with the 
lime, constitutes its value. It also contains magnesia, and more than 
enough sulphate of iron. But it is destitute of potash; and when 
using (at the rate of 4 oz. to 8 oz. to the square yard, or 7 lb. per 
square rod) it should not be employed at the same time as sulphate 
of ammonia, as the two manures do not “agree.” The sulphate should 
be employed a month or five weeks later. Basic slag is obtained as a 
powder, and should be dusted on the land carefully, as it is irritating, 
and even dangerous, to inhale it. It is a very cheap fertilizer, and 
should be used in all gardens for fruit, flowers, or vegetables. It is 
best for heavy land, and should be applied in Autumn, and hardly later 
than the middle of March if it is to be effective. 
Birds, Some Useful.— Other notes on birds, especially their treat- 
ment in Winter, and on birds’ nests appear in this edition. The follow- 
ing birds are, on the whole, useful to farmers' and gardeners. Their 
habits and characteristics are treated of in Farmers’ Bulletin 630 of 
the U. S. Dept, of Agri., which may be consulted: Bluebird, robin, 
titmouse, wren, brown thrasher, catbird, swallow, towhee, sparrow, house 
finch, grackle, brewer blackbird, Baltimore oriole, Bullock oriole, mea- 
dowlark, red winged blackbird, bobolink, crow, blue jay. Pacific Coast 
jay, phoebe, kingbird, nighthawk, woodpecker, cuckoo. 
Bacterized Peat or Humogen. — Much has been claimed for 
this substance, and it is a little disappointing to find that some tests' 
gave negative results. This bacterized peat is sent out in two forms: 
(1) fibrous material to incorporate with the soil; (2) a powder for top 
dressing. The powder was applied to Wheat and also to Clover hay at 
the rate of 7 cwt. per acre, but “produced no result whatever on either 
crop.” The fiber was tried on Potatoes, being put in ridges before 
planting uncut sets. A plot in which bacterized peat to the extent of 
5 cwt. per acre was used gave a smaller yield than that to which no 
artificial manure was applied. The best return was obtained from a 
standard dressing of artificials. Half of this standard dressing, with 
