406 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November 2, 1882. 
plantation, from which she sold in one year 43,000 quarts of berries, 
worth, at eight cents a quart, $2440 (about £480), which was more 
than the tenant made from all the other crops on the farm .—(Prairie 
Farmer.) 
MILDEW ON PEAS. 
I AM glad to see this subject being discussed by your corre¬ 
spondents, and I trust something will be found to reduce if not 
destroy this fungus, although I fear, after reading Mr. W. G. 
Smith’s article, there is not much to hope for. I quite agree with 
J. S., Ripley" that it is caused by drought and damp, the former 
more especially ; but I think as a rule late Peas are sown too 
thickly, and when grown up they are like a thick hedge, and in 
consequence when heavy autumn rains come they hold the wet for 
a long time and mildew soon attacks them, which is not the case 
with thin rows, at least such is my experience, and as a proof of 
that I will endeavour to explain an instance. On the 1st of June 
this year I sowed two rows of Ne Plus Ultra 9 feet apart; the 
seeds soon germinated, but early one morning I noticed several 
jackdaws fly from my Peas, and I found a quantity pulled out 
of the ground. I watched for and shot two of the birds, which I 
placed on the ground some distance apart between the rows of 
Peas. I thought this would frighten the others, but it was not 
so, for the jackdaws watched me too, and when I was gone they 
would pounce down for a few more Peas. In a few days, however, 
I noticed that for a certain distance away from the two dead 
birds the Peas were not touched ; so I had them transplanted to 
make up the rows as far as I could, and they were very thin, but, 
however, I decided to stake them. The Peas grew very fast, and 
by the beginning of September were higher than the sticks, which 
were quite 7 feet out of the ground, flowered well, and they have 
continued bearing a fine crop of Peas since. In fact my employers 
say they are the best they have had this season ; yet on looking 
through the rows this morning I could not detect the slightest spot 
of mildew ; but they are as healthy as I could wish, and this day 
(October 23rd) I gathered nearly a peck of full pods. On the 
other hand, I have two rows of Omega in another part of the 
garden that are very thick, and the inside and under growths are 
affected badly with mildew. In conclusion let me add that Ne 
Plus Ultra and Omega are in my opinion the two best late Peas 
we have.—F. H., Oxon. 
THE MANURIAL VALUE OF PHOSPHATE OF 
MAGNESIA. 
( Continued from page 388.) 
I have now to bring down the abstracts of field trials on dif¬ 
ferent forms of phosphate of lime to the October number of the 
Journal of the Chemical Society for the current year. My last 
letter finished with those included to the end of 1881. 
5. No. ccxxx., page 89. Manuring experiments at the experi¬ 
mental station at Gottingen, by G. Drechsler. Little reliance can 
be placed on the results, which were very variable. This variation 
was most probably due to differences in the soil, and also to ex¬ 
ternal influences on the growth of the roots (sugar Beet), which 
influences produced a greater result than the manures. However, 
taking the results as they stand, precipitated phosphate appears to 
have been the most beneficial. 
6. Page 90. The experiments undertaken by the Rochester 
Farmers’ Club on a 2-feet deep sandy loam (subsoil chalk), con¬ 
taining N.= 0 21, K„O=0 08, PoO.,= OT2 per cent., were made 
with the object of testing the value of various forms of super¬ 
phosphate as compared with insoluble phosphate on the growth 
of Swedes. The maximum yield was obtained by the use of dis¬ 
solved bones, the minimum by the use of finely powdered raw 
bones. Several of the manured plots are below the unmanured 
plots in yield. 
7. Page 91. Bone meal, dissolved coprolite, coprolite powder, 
precipitated phosphate, &c., were applied in equal money value as 
manures on plots aV acre by J. W. Kimber. Dissolved bones 
produced the best, and powdered phosphorite the worst crop. 
That coprolite powder produced a better crop than bone meal is 
explained by the fact that the latter, being very light, great diffi¬ 
culty was experienced in introducing evenly into the heavy soil. 
The precipitated phosphate was heavy and lumpy, and therefore 
it was less active than superphosphate or dissolved bones. 
8. Page 91. Experiments on Turnips by E. W. Prevost. The 
plots were -„V acre, and were in two sets, both in triplicate. When 
the manures were applied in quantities containing equivalent 
amounts of phosphoric acid, the increase in yield over the un¬ 
manured plots was, in the case of insoluble phosphate, about 
18 p.c. ; in the case of superphosphate, about 29 p.c. When the 
quantities of manure added were of equal money value, then the 
increase over the unmanured plots were respectively 30 and 53 p.c. 
Analyses of the roots showed that those grown under the influence 
of the insoluble phosphate, though smaller, contained less water 
and more sugar than those grown with superphosphate. The soil 
contained 9 4 per cent, chalk. 
9. Page 91, by M. Marker. In reference to the yield of com 
and production of straw precipitated calcium phosphate is equal 
in manurial value to superphosphates with an equal quantity of 
phosphoric acid. Pototoes and other fleshy roots, however, gave 
the largest yields with superphosphates. 
10. No. ccxxxii., page 331, by A. Petermann. 
Produce in kilos 
per hectare. 
1. TTnmanured. 34 830 
2. Superphosphate . 34-380 
4. Precipitated phosphate. 34-380 
5. Unmanured. 33 840 
6. Leather meal and soluble phosphate. 37-890 
8. Leather meal and precipitated phosphate . 35-910 
9. Unmanured. 32-940 
10. Sodium nitrate and soluble phosphate. 43-380 
12. Sodium nitrate and precipitated phosphate . 43-830 
The latter manure produced by far the best results. The experi¬ 
ments were made in sandy soil. 
11. Page 333, by A. Emmerling. Experiments on clayey, 
humous, and sandy soils with bone meal steamed and with bone 
meal dissolved. The results confirm previous experiments in 
favour of the dissolved bone, and show marked increased produc¬ 
tion in each case wherein the manure was used. 
12. No. ccxxxiv., page 550, by Hoffmeister. The plots were 
gL- morgen in size, and the manures applied in triplicate, 1 kilo of 
phosphoric acid being applied in each case. The results showed 
that reduced phosphates were as good in their action as the 
soluble phosphates in the soil, which was a sterile sandy soil, very 
poor in lime. 
13. No. ccxxxv., page 653-4, by G. Brown. Turnips were grown 
in five different localities simultaneously. The author thinks that 
the superiority of bone or coprolite to superphosphate, shown in 
seven of the experiments, is perhaps exceptional, and may be due 
to the exceptional dryness of the season from August 5th to 
September 10th, 1880. 
14. No. ccxxxvi., page 767-8. Experiments at the experimental 
stations of the Highland Agricultural Society, by A. P. Aitken. 
Roots in 1878. At Harelaw Swedes were sown, and at Pumpher- 
ston yellow Turnips. The dissolved phosphates produced more 
than the undissolved, the increase averaging about 10 per cent. 
Although the quantity is increased by soluble phosphates, the 
quality is not improved. 
Barley, 1879. At Pumpherston the season was cold and 
damp, so that the ripening period was much delayed. Soluble 
phosphates produced an increased yield of grain over crude phos¬ 
phates of 14 per cent, and the amount of straw was also heavier. 
The equality of yield produced by the superphosphates is to be 
remarked, whilst the yield of the crude superphosphates is very 
irregular. 
Hay, 1880. At Harelaw the soluble phosphate plots gave an 
increased yield over the unmanured of 6-7 per cent.; the opposite 
was the case at Pumpherston, and here the after-action of the 
insoluble phosphates was noticeable. 
Roots, 1880. The ^ 2 -acre plots were sown with yellow Turnips 
(Pumpherston) and Purple-top Swedes (Harelaw). The manures 
were the same as before, with the exception of the addition of 
crude and dissolved curagao phosphate in the place of sodium 
nitrate and bone ash. This year again showed the superiority of 
superphosphates to the amount of 20 per cent., and although the 
per-centage of dry matter is lower, yet the total quantity is 
higher. 
15. Page 770, by Kroc-ker and H. Grahi. Insoluble and soluble 
phosphates with bone meal were employed. These appeared to 
have no appreciable difference with Oats, but with Potatoes the 
action of soluble phosphate and bone meal was very marked. 
With ammonium sulphate the best crop of Oats was obtained 
from bones, the worst from superphosphates. 
16. No. ccxxxviii., page 993, by L. Grandeau. On a soil of 
low quality various crops were growm for eight years. Taking 
the mean yield of all the crops, it was found that precipitated 
phosphate is equal to superphosphate, bone meal is but moderate, 
and phosphorite is poor in its action.— Inquirer. 
Lifting and Storing Beetroot. —It is not safe to leave Beetroot 
out in the open after the end of October, for if frost comes it may 
be injured, and then it will not keep well. The first day when the 
leaves are perfectly dry should be selected for lifting it. When the 
plants are drawn up without the aid of a fork sometimes the bottom 
part of the root is left in the ground, and this allows the juice to 
