December 9, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDE GER. 
513 
until the growth is considerably advanced, and that heat at the roots in 
the early stages is not necessary. I think Mr. W. Taylor expressed a 
view of this kind in the Journal of Horticulture, but his idea referred 
more to Vines not started before March, therefore had no bearing on the 
question of warmth to the roots of early-forced Vines. Mr. Coleman and 
others are more pronounced, for, whilst believing in affording warmth to the 
outside borders of early-forced Vines, it is advised not to be applied until 
the Vines are fairly moving. Therefore I have only to say that bottom 
heat, as regards Vines is a vexed question, and of less account than 
formerly, on account of there being quite a revolution in Vine culture. 
The advantage of fermenting materials as a source of heat and a 
supply of moisture to the atmosphere cannot be disputed. A good bed 
or ridge of fermenting leaves and dung add something more than the dry 
heat of hot-water pipes, and are more genial to vegetation. The question 
arises, Is it necessary or advisable to supply vapour analogous to that of 
fermenting materials? Some contend that moisture is all-sufficient, 
that feeding tbc roots is only essential. Others are equally decided as to 
the value of an ammonia-charged atmosphere, whether it be had from 
fermenting materials or afE >rded in liquid form to available surfaces. If 
we are satisfied that those means—evaporation from troughs filled with 
water or liquid manure and sprinkling available surfaces with liquid 
manure—are superfluous, we advance in the direction of economy of 
material and labour. If, on the other hand, they are beneficial, the ques¬ 
tion arises, When and how to use the substance P I have used liquid 
manure for generating an ammonia-charged atmosphere, and of all those 
employed I con- ider none equals urine collected in a tank, where it is, of 
course, decomposed, and diluted with six times its bulk of water is safe. 
What a lot of trouble some take in making borders for Vines, See. Some 
time back a range of fruit houses was erected in a certain garden. Vines, 
Figs, and Peacbes were planted in borders that would serve two or three 
years. This left a great chasm inside, also outside. The fruit borders 
were full of roots and extension was needed. Soil, turf, bones, and labour 
could not be obtained. Instead of the inside border being widened, the 
openings in the frent and side walls were knocked out; a width out equal 
to the border was made. The inside border space was filled with Oak 
and Beech leaves, a bed a yard deep and about 9 feet wide, added to as 
required. The outside border opening was also filled when hotbeds were 
wanted, and frames placed on them. This succeeded beyond expecta¬ 
tion. The fuel bill was one-third lees, the fruit crop better than where 
the borders were two-thirds wider, and the manure— i.e., leaf soil—is 
better, as it was soaked three times with liquid manure in the course of 
the season. The roots ran freely in the leaves and prospered. The whole 
of the leaves were cleared out for fertilising the soil of the garden for 
vegetables, &c.; the short was used as a mulch for the roots in the border. 
In this way we have an annual width of border, a supply of food each 
season, and a third of the artificial heat required, all for a small outlay in 
labour - Utilitarian 
THOUGHTS ON CURRENT TOPICS. 
The feast of Chrysanthemums being practically over, an opportunity 
is afforded for a consideration of other subjects that have necessarily 
remained in abeyance during the past few weeks. The great autumn 
flower has done its duty and had its day—a short but brilliant reign 
without a rival, and glad must many of its votaries be now the court has 
nearly closed. Its cultivators can now compare notes and commence 
preparations for another session, as well as settle down to other duties 
that are embraced in their calling. 
Before dismissing the topic of showing Chrysanthemums, I may 
ptrhaps give utterance to a thought somewhat in advance of the times 
perhaps, and perhaps not, for it is a matter of history that the same idea 
occurs to sundry minds almost simultaneously. A great 50-guinea 
challenge trophy will have to be provided some time for Chrysanthemums, 
as has been the case with Roses, and will be again. Which of the 
Chrysanthemum societies is to take the lead in this enterprise ? There 
are plenty of well-to-do patrons who would subscribe a guinea or half-a- 
guinea each towards such an object if an appeal were made by an authori¬ 
tative body. For such a prize it would be reasonable to expect that all 
sections of Chrysanthemums would be included in the contest. A trophy 
of this value with, say, five other good money prizes would command 
support, and such a class would be formed as would “ take the town by 
storm.” But what town ? That is the question. The idea is broached, 
and there I leave it, to expand or to be relegated to the limbo of wild 
notions, never mayhap to be resuscitated. 
I OWE a reply to Mr. J. Muir who on page 412 appeared to rejoice in 
the possession of fine samples of flat Onions, which the “ improvers ” have 
produced by a process of selection. I ventured to suggest in the issue of 
October 28th that a valuable food crop was being spoiled by a false standard 
of excellence that appears to be accepted by exhibitors and recognised by 
judges at vegetable shows. From that opinion I do not recede, and I 
will state the reason why. Mr. Muir brings a serious and well-founded 
charge against the monstrosities I have in view, that I did not advance— 
namely, ihe proneneis of flit Onions to split, and thus render a crop 
worthless. But, even assuming they do not split, I do not despair of 
showing how thoughtless, not to say irrational, it is to encourage the 
production of the pancake-like specimens that find favour with many 
cultivators at the present day. 
The relative values of different types of Onions, as any other products, 
oan only be determined by a commercial test, and by that test garden 
products will be estimated more rigorously than ever in the days that 
are before us. Now that the products of the world are practically brought 
to the same market they must stand on their merits and the weakest will 
go to the wall. In the question of Onions we are behind the times, and, 
what is worse, receding. Others more alert than we, both to getting the 
greatest value from a given plot of ground and meeting the public taste, 
are profiting by our shortsightedness, with the result that English Onions 
are being driven out of the market by foreign samples. It is high time 
something was said on this subject. 
I will now bespeak the attention and unprejudiced consideration of 
all who are interested in the improvement of vegetables in general, and 
of Onions in particular, to an aspect of the question that, I think, has not 
been hitherto presented, yet it is a very practical aspect, and goes to the 
very root of the subject. It will scarcely be disputed that there is quite 
room enough f jr an additional quarter of a pound of Onion to be raised on 
the shoulders of the thin wide-spreading bulbs that cover so much ground 
and rise so slightly above it. Now allow to each bulb a square foot, 
which cannot be called close cropping, and the additional weight stated 
will yield 10,890 lbs. per acre, the value of which at 6 1. per stone of 
14 lbs., or less than a halfpenny a pound, is £19 8s. This extra gain is 
sufficient to pay the rent of the land, also the cost of seed, manure, til¬ 
lage and harvesting, there then remaining the entire crop, if it were of flat 
Onions, for profit. What have the defenders of flat Onions to say to 
that f They cannot show any profit worth mentioning on the culture of 
these, and yet they are honoured and extolled as wonderful productions. 
They are remarkable only for covering the greatest extent of ground and 
giving a correspondingly small weight of produce, and this compara- 
t : vely inferior, as half of it is buried or blanched in the ground, instead 
of by far the greater weight of bulbs developing above it for insuring 
soundness, saleable appearance, and long keeping qualities. Flat 
Turnips are ebsolete, or nearly so, and good farmers wilt not have them, 
and yet good gardeners, or many of them, cannot eee th e fallacy of flat 
Onions. Whoever may be their champion I shall not be envious of his 
name. 
I HAVE been interested in the discussion that arose a few weeks since 
on the question of having water in ashpits beneath boiler fires in gardens. 
It seems to be generally admitted that water there is of service not 
only in allaying dust, but for preventing the incrustation of the 
fire bars with clinkers. This it does, and 1 think it does more. It is 
probably true that many fire bars are warped by expansion, as Mr. 
Bardney suggests, because, as a rule, the longer the bars the greater is 
their liability to derangement. This has been experienced, too, in boilers 
made of a series of very long pipes, the alternate expansion and contrac¬ 
tion dislocating the joints, while an apparatus consisting of a greater 
number of shorter pipes remains sound. But as the presence of water 
in ashpits cannot possibly aggravate the evil of expansion, and is in some 
respects beneficial, the only question to consider is that of having the pits 
so made that a supply has to be poured in periodically to make good the loss 
that occurs by evaporation, or bo arranged that there is a steady inflow and 
outflow, so that the water remains at the same level constantly. Mr. Bardney 
has a-ked what I think of the two plans. I think the old one is the better, 
for an old one it is, as it was my duty to place water in ashpits nearly or 
quite forty years ago, or during the flue-heating period, when a brisk 
draught was, as a rule, more essential than it is in the hot-water system 
of heating. I have long thought the vapour that rises from the water in 
moderation, and it is never very great, acts as a feeder to the fire, and on 
that account warm water confined in the pit is better than a cold steadily 
running stream. I had intended showing the manner in which water in 
the form of vapour assists combustion, but this has been so well done by 
Mr. J. Riddell on page 431 that all I need do is to endorse his remarks. 
I thank the able correspondent alluded to for the new light he has thrown 
on an old subject. 
The trenching discussion has dragged its slow length along over a 
period of two years. If Mr. Iggulden is not satisfied with the extent of 
his defence, I think he ousht to be ; and I am of opinion if he had made 
his case as clear at the first as he has done subsequently, there would 
scarcely have been so much opposition. Instruction has been derived 
by many persons from the discussion no doubt, but I know confusion has 
also been experienced. Your correspondent’s complaints of the soil in 
the fertile district wherein he works so well are neither few nor fir 
between. He ought to rejoice that he has such land to deal with. 
Rightly managed it is a splendid soil. The fine timber all around the 
garden, and the luxuriant crops in it, afford evidence of that stronger than 
columns of argument. The soil is of such a “holding” nature that it 
will retain enough added virtue in the “ upper crust ” for the support of 
crops. But that is exceptional, and the majority of good gardens have 
been made what they are by a well conducted system of deep culture ; 
and granting that it would be a mistake to trench such heavy ground as 
that at Marston and Longleat, it would be a still greater mistake to rely 
on shallow culture as a rule. His assertion that the “ whole business ” 
had been “ overdone ” was too sweeping, for it is manifest his experience 
only extended over a very small part of the “ whole.” Let the character 
of land be considered in deciding on the method of working it, then 
deepen intelligently such as may be improved thereby, keeping it good 
on the surface, and making it better below, and the crops will soon tell 
whether the labour has been wasted or not. The special pleading that 
