January 18, 1883.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 45 
require the action of fire to bring them speedily into condition 
for manurial purposes. 
I believe I use these most economically by putting them in 
with the clay which is burned in great quantity every winter ; 
but clay is not burned in every establishment, and then it is 
advisable to have a slow fire for the purpose of bringing these 
harder materials into manageable form. The I re must be a 
slow one, and the materials burned without admitting more air 
than is necessary for combustion, or much of their valuable 
properties will be lost. It should be kept banked up with 
refuse soil, and be simply allowed to smoulder. 
We have now three heaps differing considerably in their 
constituents and also in their texture, and the most economical 
way of using them is to mix them all together before applying 
them to the land. It may seem a good deal of labour to do 
this, and will be beneath the notice of those who can have as 
much manure from a covered cattle yard as they like to use, 
but to others situated like myself it may be worth considering. 
And as good crops are produced by these and similar means, it 
follows that where they are not utilised and labour is cheap 
there must be some waste. 
On large estates there are generally opportunities for collect¬ 
ing leaves in quantity, and these when decayed make an excel¬ 
lent dressing for the land. I used to collect them in autumn 
and winter to mix with the litter received from the stables, 
and thus add materially to the size of the heap ; but I think 
the leaves are made better use of now by allowing them to 
decay where they fall or where they are blown to (of course 
I am not recommending this practice near the mansion or in 
dressed grounds), and then the naturally made leaf soil is 
collected from the little hollows, which for some reason not 
quite clear to myself is very much better in quality than any 
leaf soil which can be made after the leaves are collected in 
heaps. Perhaps it is these very heaps which spoil it. The 
quantities which are blown together in the woods are com¬ 
paratively small ; the air and rain can act on them, and the 
birds by scratching them about not only assist in aerating 
them and breaking them up, but they prevent slugs, worms, &c., 
accumulating, as they are apt to do when the material is 
collected in large heaps. The leaf soil thus obtained is not, 
of course, mixed with the manure for growing Cabbages and 
the like ; it is used for a few favoured plants, but it ultimately 
finds its way into the garden. 
I commend the Crown Manure Company for their attempt 
to help those situated like myself with regard to the manure 
question. Their “ improvers,” if made in a scientific manner, 
ought after a few experiments to be just the thing for us to 
mix with the manure heaps I have attempted to describe, and 
I should think that guessing what they are likely to be short 
of would not present great difficulties to the chemist. I may 
tell those of your readers who are not aware of the fact, that 
artificial manures can be used most economically and with the 
best results when they are used in conjunction with natural 
manures, or on soils where the remains of former applications 
of natural manures are present in quantity.— Wm. Taylor. 
NEW AND CERTIFICATED PLANTS OF 1882. 
MESSRS. H. CANNELL & SONS, SWANLEY. 
The “ Home for Flowers ” has gained a world-wide fame for 
the most popular of plants—florists’ flowers ; and the advance 
effected in many of these in recent years, which has been directly 
or indirectly due to Mr. Cannell’s attention, is considerable. All 
the best of softwooded indoor plants, such as Pelargoniums, 
Primulas, Begonias, Cinerarias, Fuchsias, and many others, have 
been submitted to a course of improvement ; and to the satisfactory 
results obtained, exhibitions in all portions cf this country, and 
gardens in both the old and new world, have amply testified. As 
one stage in this onward career it may be well to note the novel¬ 
ties that made their appearance from Swanley during the past 
year, and also some of those which will be placed in commerce 
during the present year. 
Fuchsias. —As one of the classes of plants to which Mr. 
Cannell first gave his attention the Fuchsias merit prominent 
notice. Novelties, however, are not numerous amongst these now, 
and apparently so great a degree of perfection was obtained in 
the past that there is little room left for improvement. A few are 
occasionally added, and well merit the attention of growers and 
lovers of Fuchsias generally. One of last year’s novelties is Nellie 
Morton, a seedling from the well-known Miss Lucy Finnis, and 
with similarity of habit and colour, differing, however, in the 
flowers being less double and in smaller clusters, so that the 
branches are more erect than in Lucy Finnis. It is very free, 
graceful, and attractive, and will no doubt become as great a 
favourite as the older form. A variety that will be sent out during 
the present year is Mr. Rundell, which was raised by Mr. Todman, 
and is an improvement on Earl of Beaconsfield. The great recom¬ 
mendations of the novelty in comparison with the older variety 
Eig. 11.—Chrysanthemum Star of Whyke. 
is the better form of the flowers, its quick growth, and free- 
flowering qualities, in other respects it is similar to that. 
Pelargoniums. —Continued progress is being made with these 
plants in nearly all sections, and their numbers are increasing 
extremely fast. The chief difficulty now is in selection, as few 
can grow one-tenth of the really good varieties offered, but the 
advantage of having so many to select from is that most varied 
tastes can be suited. Zonal Pelargoniums have deservedly re¬ 
ceived much attention in recent years, and at Swanley the large 
collections of both single and double varieties afford abundant 
evidence of their usefulness. For two very pretty single varieties 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons were awarded certificates in 1882. and 
the honour was well bestowed. These are Improved White 
Clipper and Mrs. Gordon. The former, as its name indicates, is an 
