424 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 15, 18S3. 
■“ humus ” is often employed to denote the soil to which we refer, but 
the word expresses no exact idea, nor is it, perhaps, possible to make 
it do so. Perhaps we might say it is the remains of animal and vege¬ 
table matter, in which, among other germs, bacteria swarm, and in 
wdiich earthworms can exist. It may be doubted if bacteria exist in 
peat, and certainly pure peat sustains no •worms ; yet from the point 
where pure peat ends—where bacteria appear and worms live—to the 
richest garden mould, there is any amount of difference from a soil 
that is poor and yields little food either to animal germs or plants, to 
that which is rich and is capable of supplying much to both. It is 
not merely a question of quantity but of quality. Ten per cent, of 
humus may exist in soils and represent but little food in reserve ; five 
per cent, may be all the amount, yet contain more than the ten. We 
■suppose humus from Eye straw is humus still, and that from sewage 
nothing more ; but they must be vastly different in many respects. 
Even when neither are in a condition to yield anything the reserve 
matter stored in both must differ greatly. For this reason the humus 
in gardens which results from good manure, or even from vegetable 
refuse, must differ from that in fields -which result only partly from 
manure and greatly from corn and grass roots, stubbles and dead 
weeds. The one contains in its organic part much nitrogen, the other 
not much ; the one is rich in phosphates and potash, the other in 
■silica. But we might go on indefinitely enough. Humus is an inde¬ 
finite term. Like loam, like peat, like the animal and vegetable king¬ 
doms, it begins at 0 and amounts to any sum fancy may fix. 
But though the thing itself is indefinite it has certain properties 
which are definite enough. Like clay, iron oxide, and other soil 
constituents, humus has the property of keeping manurial matter 
from being washed from the soil. Of all soil ingredients humus 
attracts and holds water best. Very light-coloured soils are ill to 
warm, and part Avith their heat most readily. When darkened by 
bumus they absorb heat more readily and retain it better. Most of 
the nitrogen present in soil is in the humus. It also supports a 
bacterium which not only converts the nitrogenous matter present 
into nitric acid, but also that of applied manure. When organic 
matter is absent this change does not take place. In it geic, humic, 
ulmic, crenic, apocrenic, and other acids, including carbonic, are 
always present, AA r hich not only combine Avith ammonia to prevent its 
■escape, but continually act as solvents on the mineral plant-food 
present. It is these that render lime soluble and cause its rapid 
disappearance from highly manured soil. These, acting on tricalcic 
phosphate, render it dicalcic, in Avhich state it is easily attacked by 
the roots of plants. When they reach the iron which binds some 
subsoils into “ pans ” it is dissolved, and the pan put an end to. 
It is to humus that the fertility of American forest and prairie 
land, as well as the famous black soil of Eussia, is OAving. It is the 
food liberated from the over-abundant humus of old garden soils by 
the application of lime that causes it to do instead of manuring, so long 
as the humus holds out. It increases the fertility of A r ery sandy soil 
almost as much as clay would do ; in addition to its manurial effect, 
and it lightens as Avell as enriches heavy clay. It is always largely 
present in rich old pastures, and then misleads those Avhcse ideas of 
■“ loam ” are A r ague. It is for Avant of it at the surface that neAV-laid- 
down grass pastures are thin of turf, weedy, and poor. Yet it may be 
too largely present, as it often is in old garden soils, which then get 
to be so full of worms that the soil gets greasy, sour, inert; so that 
Cabbages Avill not groAv in it, Potatoes are bad, fruit trees get rank 
and unfruitful, their roots die, and the tops canker. Lime will cure 
all this as has elseAvhere been shown. But neAv soils contain often 
not enough, and their fertility would be greatly increased by its 
presence in larger quantity. Ordinary manure and the addition of all 
sorts of vegetable refuse will secure this end. When artificial manure 
is used, and indeed in all cases, this could be done by keeping ev T ery 
bare inch covered with A’egetation to be dug in. Twelve per cent, 
may be regarded a9 a medium amount of humus. If beloAv this, 
efforts ought to be made to increase the amount, especially in the 
case of very light or A’ery heavy soils. If much above it its reduction 
would be no evil, but the reverse, for too much greatly encourages 
vermin of all soris in addition to the other evils named.— 
Single-handed. 
GARDENS ABOUT BRISTOL. 
OLD SNEYD PARK. 
There are few more delightful places than this, the summer residence 
of F. Tagaart, Esq. The landscape is wonderfully varied, and includes 
Clifton, with its numerous handsome residences, in the background. To 
the left is the noted Clifton suspension bridge with its romantic sur¬ 
roundings ; then there is the valley of the Avon, through which immense 
quantities of shipping goes to and returns from Bristol; while beyond 
this valley the glorious expanse of forests known as Leigh Woods are to 
be seen in all their beauty. The autumn tints this season are unusually 
bright and good, and many a pleasing picture might easily be painted 
from the pleasure grounds of Old Sneyd Park. The place, too, is well 
kept up and proves very attractive to the many visitors who avail 
themselves of Mr. Tagaart’s kindness in throwing open the place once a 
week during the time the grounds are at their best. One of the features 
of the place is the large circular carpet bed disposed near the carriage 
front entrance, and this at the time of my visit was looking remarkably 
well. In the centre stands a large handsome vase, but the square base 
of this rather interferes with the design for planting. Fully 8000 plants 
are required to fill this bed, these including all the approved sorts of 
Alternantheras, Iresines, Sedums, and other “carpeting” plants. In 
some of the panels Tradescantia zebrina was very effective, as was also 
the creamy variegated Pelargonium-like Tropoeolum nanus Warrenii. 
As “dot” plants Sempervivum arboreum aureum was very attractive, 
and Chamsepeuce diacantha, American Agaves, Echeverias, and other 
succulents figured well in this excellently designed and planted bed. 
Other beds were well planted, and the long mixed borders near the house 
were gay with Marguerites, single Dahlias, Japanese Anemones, Violas, 
and other well-known bedding plants. There are also good herbaceous 
borders near the kitchen garden. 
The conservatory adjoining the house contains a good assortment of 
plants, including a fine specimen of Cibotium spectabile, and a recess 
with its miniature fountain and banks of Ferns as viewed from the rooms 
presents a delightfully cool and pleasing appearance. There are a 
considerable number of plant and fruit-growing houses, but they are 
rather scattered. Orchids are extensively growD, some of the specimens 
being exceptionally large, while several choice kinds not always to be 
seen in a healthy state, notably Cypripedium niveum, in large pans are 
growing freely. One large basket of Stanhopea grandiflora had recently 
produced thirteen strong flower spikes, and others had done nearly as 
well. In order to prolong the duration of the usually short-lived 
Stanhopea blooms, Mr. Miller, the energetic and practical gardener in 
charge, stated that he hangs the baskets under a tree on the lawn before 
the buds have expanded, and here they gradually open and keep 
fresh and beautiful a much longer time than if bloomed under glass. 
Several plants of Oucidium macrophyllum were blooming strongly and 
prove serviceable at a time when Orchid blooms are rather scarce. 
The back wall of one of the plant stoves was beautifully furnished with 
a mixture of fine-foliaged Begonias, Tradescantias, Panicum, and Ferns 
in variety, the soil for these being enclosed by strong wire netting. 
Among the specimen plants were large highly coloured Crotons; 
Dracaenas, and such Ferns as Gymnogrammas, Adiantums, and Davallias 
are in fine condition. Rondeletia speciosa is largely grown, and its 
bright orange-red flowers are very showy and serviceable, while two very 
large specimens of Abutilon Boule de Niege in an intermediate tem¬ 
perature yield a profusion of white flowers all the year round. When 
allowed to grow to their full extent as at Old Sneyd this and other 
Abutilons, such as Fire King, Fire Fly, and Golden Gem, are wonderfully 
floriferous, and are particularly well adapted for planting in large 
conservatories. 
The most serviceable range of houses are in the kitchen garden. One 
compartment devoted to heat-loving plants was quite a treat to me, so 
healthy and cleanly grown were all such kinds as Poinsettias, Eucharis, 
Pancratiums, Crotons, Gardenias, Allamandas, and Dipladenias. On the 
back wall and roof the Allamanda Schottii, Bougainvillea glabra, and 
Dipladenia boliviense—the flowers of the latter being the finest I have 
yet seen—were charming. Dipladenias, including the richly coloured 
D. Brearleyana, were also flowering freely. Poinsettias planted out and 
trained over a wall were growing luxuriantly, and from these last season 
were cut whorls of floral leaves 23 inches in diameter. Eucharis 
amazonica are exceptionally well grown, one pot alone having produced 
120 flower scapes this season. It was here that the magnificent specimen 
pot of Eucharis that proved so attractive at the grand show held at 
Manchester in 1880 was grown. The monster specimen of Latania 
borbonica is also noteworthy. Soot is Mr. Miller’s favourite stimulant 
or fertiliser, and I noticed it had been employed when watering a great 
variety of plants, including the Eucharis, Gardenias, and Poinsettias. 
It is most easily applied when kept mixed in the form of paste and stored 
in a flower pot. A small piece only should be used, or just sufficient to 
blacken the water. 
Grapes are well grown in the various houses, and a few days prior to 
my visit a considerable quantity of half-ripened late sorts had been 
stolen. The thieves, however, overlooked a fine crop of Muscats in the 
next house, among which much the best in point of weight and appear¬ 
ance of crop is a seedling Muscat, said to be the result of a cross between 
Canon Hall Muscat and Golden Champion. It much resembles the 
Canon Hall in its general appearance, but apparently is a better setter, 
and it seemed to me to have a less pronounced Muscat flavour. The 
Peach house is being re-arranged, and will eventually produce a much 
greater number of fruits than heretofore. The wire trellises are now 
arranged across the house at right angles with the front, and about 5 feet 
apart. A coarse-mesh strong wire network is employed, and arranged so 
as to admit of the trees being planted in pairs back to back and yet clear 
of each other. This profitable method of training Peach and Nectarine 
trees, which appears to be fast gaining ground, does not interfere with 
the cropping of the back wall, and in this case, the house being high and 
light, there will be no necessity to unduly restrict the growth of the trees. 
Peaches succeed admirably on the open wall in the neighbourhood of 
Bristol, and at Old Sneyd I saw a quantity of fine fruit on Lord Palmerston 
Peach, and Victoria Nectarine and other varieties had done well. Two 
immense Fig trees yield great numbers of fine fruit. They receive the 
benefit of the shelter of a high stone wall, but are not closely trained 
and in this free state the growth is short-jointed, hardy, and fruitful 
The more Figs are pruned and nailed-in, the more gross and delicate the 
