540 
AMEEIOA^T AGEIOULTURIST. 
[December, 
Scattering Fertilizers by Hand. 
Professor Storer, of Harvard University, has 
been experimenting with a view of answering the 
question: “About how much of a given fertilizer 
would a man naturally throw from his hand in 
sowing an acre ?”—A half acre was measured off, 
marked with stakes, and a careful laborer, familiar 
with such work, without any knowledge of the in¬ 
tended experiment, was set to scattering differ¬ 
ent kinds of fertilizers, “ as if he were sowing 
grain thickly.” The following were the results 
per acre : nitrate of soda two hundred and four¬ 
teen pounds, muriate of potash one hundred and 
seventy-three pounds, superphosphate of lime one 
hundred and seventy-three pounds, blood, bone, 
and meat-dust fertilizer one hundred and twenty- 
four pounds. The last named substance was a 
light, soft and dry powder, the dried refuse of a 
slaughter house, weighing fifty pounds per bushel. 
The superphosphate was a dry powder, weighing 
sixty-eight pounds per bushel, and the potash-salt 
was likewise a fine powder, sixty-nine pounds to 
the bushel. The nitrate of soda was somewhat 
coarse, and a bushel weighed eighty-eight pounds. 
A second set of sowings, was likewise made by a 
tall young student in every way the opposite of the 
careful laborer. He carried the fertilizer in a bag 
slung on his shoulder, and walked at a more rapid 
pace than his predecessor, who carried the fertil¬ 
izer in a pail upon his arm. His scatterings were : 
nitrate of soda one hundred and ninety-four 
pounds, and muriate of potash one hundred and 
sixteen pounds. The difference in the case of the 
soda-salt is not great, and two hundred pounds may 
be taken as the average amount a person will con¬ 
veniently scatter upon an acre ; with the potash 
salt the difference between the sowings was greater. 
Ivies—Growing and Training. 
The Ivy is one of the oldest and most venerable 
of all climbing shrubs, and preeminently the 
poet’s vine. In some of the older countries, es¬ 
pecially in England, where the climate is particu¬ 
larly favorable to its growth, the Ivy is very at¬ 
tractive, and is said to reach the greatest perfec¬ 
tion there. Travellers who have journeyed through 
that country, describe the old Ivy as clinging 
closely to, and completely covering the walls of 
ancient castles and churches, and often it runs 
rampant over the fields, mounting stone walls, 
clinging to treesj etc. The Ivy in our climate is 
entirely hardy, enduring the severest winters with¬ 
out protection. If the vine is allowed to grow 
over the walls of a dwelling, either on the inside, 
in a living-room, or on the outer walls of a build¬ 
ing, it is not only beautiful as an ornament of the 
home, but beneficial ; in a sanitary point of view 
it is regarded as useful. Some plants of Ivy grow¬ 
ing in the living and sleeping rooms, will do more 
to keep the atmosphere of the apartments pure and 
wholesome, than anything we can possibly imagine, 
and we recommend their more extensive cultivation 
in malarial localities. The Ivy may be easily culti¬ 
vated from slips or layers. In soil, sand, or even 
in pure water, cuttings will root, and they will 
take up with aimost any kind of soil, but that 
which can be easily kept loose, is preferable. The 
Ivy is partial to shade, and if it never saw the sun it 
would make no difference, as it would grow and 
flourish just the same. There is no sight more at¬ 
tractive in a window-garden than a fine Ivy vine 
trained up the casement, over the wall and ceiling; 
its dark, rich, glossy leaves, and thrifty look, make 
it an object to be admired. When grown in pots 
in the house, the soil will soon become ex¬ 
hausted, if the plant is growing rapidly, and it 
should be changed or enriched with decayed ma¬ 
nure at least once each year, care being taken not 
to disturb the roots to a great extent. It is a mis¬ 
take to allow Ivies too much pot-room; they will 
do better if the roots are considerably confined. 
Soap-suds or liquid manure if applied once a month 
when the plants are growing, will promote a lux¬ 
uriant growth. When dust accumulates on the 
leaves, as it will, if grown in-doors, wash off 
with a damp cloth or sponge; if this is long neg¬ 
lected, you need not be surprised if you soon find 
that the leaves are covered with red-spider or 
scale-lice. Cold water is the best wash; when 
using this, be sure and treat the underside of 
the leaves as well as the upper surface. We 
would recommend the “ English Ivy ” as being the 
best sort for general cultivation. 
Cuttings in the Window Garden. 
Those who try to raise plants from cuttings in 
their window gardens, fail more frequently than 
they succeed. A cutting is a smali branch, or 
short piece of stem, and usually with its leaves. 
A CUTTING POT AND BEI.L-GLASS. 
These leaves are constantly evaporating water, 
which, so long as the cuttings remain attached to 
the plant, is supplied by the root. When the 
slip is severed from the plant, the supply of mois¬ 
ture is removed, but as evaporation continues, the 
leaves wilt, and the cutting itself will soon die. 
The air of our living rooms is exceedingly dry, and 
is thirsty for moisture. If cuttings are set in a pot 
of soii, the dry air takes up moisture from their 
leaves, more rapidly than it can be supplied from 
the soil, through the wounded end of the stem, 
and the slips soon fail. If we place a bell-glass 
over the cuttings, as in the engraving, the air 
within the glass soon becomes saturated with 
moisture, and, as it can take up no more, it no 
longer makes a demand upon the moisture of the 
cuttings. Prevenung evaporation in this manner, 
is often called by gardeners “keeping close.” 
Usually the edge of the bell glass sits upon the 
surface of the soil of the pot. Some pots are made 
with a groove in their rim, which receives the edge 
of the glass. Small cuttings may have a tumbler, 
goblet, or other glass turned over them. All who 
would grow plants from slips, cannot procure 
such glasses, and must contrive some other method 
of “keeping close.” A small glazed frame, like a 
Wardian case, may be set over a pot of cuttings. 
The pot may be set in a tight box of tlie proper 
size, which may be covered by a pane of glass. If 
the top of the box be cut sloping, like a hot-bed 
frame, more light will be admitted. There are but 
very few plants that have not been propagated by 
cuttings of some kind, and if the amateur garden¬ 
er fails with one method, he shouid try another. 
Wardian Cases—Jardinieres, etc. 
A Wardian Case consists of a base, generally 
an oblong box, covered witli a square glass frame, 
under which certain plants can be successfully 
grown. This is now considered by many as a 
desirable ornament in the window-garden dur¬ 
ing the winter months. When neatly and artis¬ 
tically filled with suitable plants, a Wardian Case 
becomes a thing of beauty. These cases can be 
easily and cheaply made by any one possessed of 
ordinary mechanical skill. The base or box should 
be oblong in shape, at least eight inches deep, and 
lined inside with zinc or tin-plate, securely soldered 
to prevent the water and soil from staining the 
wood. A case made in this manner wiil endure a 
number of years without decaying. Over the case 
a square glass frame should be made to fit snugly. 
and it should be from eighteen inches to two feet 
high, so as to allow the plants that are to grow under 
it plenty of room. When the case and frame are 
finished,the whole should be mounted upon a stand, 
or legs can be made, and under them place casters, 
by which to easily move the case about. Be¬ 
fore planting, make a small funnel hole through 
the bottom of the box, to allow the surplus water 
to escape rapidly, and before putting in the soil, 
cover the bottom of the box two inches deep with 
broken crocks or charcoal, or even gravel, to facil¬ 
itate a rapid drainage, a matter absolutely essential 
to the healthy growth of plants. Fill the box 
within an inch of the top with fine, rich, peaty 
loam, and all will be ready to receive the plants. 
Those suitable for growing in a case of this kind, 
should be such as will live and thrive in a moist, 
still atmosphere, and are of slow growth ; all ram¬ 
pant, rank growers must be discarded as being 
wholly unsuitable, as they would soon become of 
such proportions that they could not be confined in 
so limited a space. The following plants are emi¬ 
nently suited for Wardian Cases, Jardinieres, etc., 
viz; fittonias (gymnostachyum), fancy caladiums, 
tradescantias, Cissus discolor, and gesnerias. Some 
varieties of crotons, dwarf-growing begonias, fancy 
ferns, lycopods, etc., etc., are very useful for 
this purpose. In arranging the plants in the case, 
particular care should be taken to have, them so 
placed that the tallest growing ones wili be in the 
center, and grading downward, according to size, 
the lycopods being on the bottom. The whole 
surface of the soil may be covered with the trailing 
Lycopodium ; by placing small pieces here and 
there, it will soon spread over the entire surface, 
making a beautiful ground work of purplish-green. 
Small, highly-colored sea-shells, and beautifully- , 
colored pebbles, are scattered about among the 
plants, to enhance the beauty of the whole. After 
the case has been filled, the soil should be thor¬ 
oughly soaked with lukewarm water. Remove the 
case to a shady place for three or four days, to al¬ 
low the plants to recuperate, after which it can be 
placed in the full light with safety. The lid or 
top should be lifted whenever there is excessive 
moisture on the inside, which will be indicated by 
the moisture trickling down on the inside of the 
glass. As a rule the plants should have fresh air, 
by lifting the lid for a few minutes each day, but 
beware of all cold draughts, or too much exposure 
to chilly atmospheres. Ordinarily, once a month 
is often enough to water. This must always be 
governed by the circumstances, but they should 
never be allowed to become dry, remembering that 
with warmth and moisture success is certain. 
Blue Hydrangeas, 
That old-fashioned flower. Hydrangea HorUnsia, 
is still a favorite with many. Its enormous flower 
clusters are ordinarily of a deep pink color. Occa¬ 
sionally, the plants, without any known cause, pro¬ 
duce light blue flowers. Flowers of this color are 
more showy than the ordinary pink ones, and many 
have claimed to be able to produce blue flowers at 
will, by giving the plants particular mixtures of 
soil, especially those containing a.large proportion 
of peat or muck. Those who have tried growing 
the plants in such soils, have rarely been rewarded 
by blue flowers. An English gardener now claims 
to be able to change the flowers to blue, by the 
following treatment: He mixes a good potting 
soil of loam, leaf-mould, sand, and a little bone- 
dust, and to each bushel of such soil, adds four 
ounces of sulphate of iron (copperas), in coarse 
powder. The plants, after blooming, have their 
stems cut back to two or three eyes. When they 
commence to grow, they are potted in the above 
described soil, shortening back the large roots. The 
plants are kept dormant during winter, and when 
they begin to grow freely the following spring, are 
watered, at each alternate watering, with a solu¬ 
tion of alum, made by adding a teaspoonful of 
powdered alum to a quart of water. After using 
the alum water for two weeks its strength is 
slightly increased. Weak liquid manure is given, 
and the plants frequently syringed while growing. 
