68 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 26, 1893. 
Although the amount of manure I use is considerably less than the 
examples I have quoted above, yet it astonishes many who do not use 
much of it. They are equally astonished at the amount of produce 
which comes from my ground. One thing I have found out by experi¬ 
ence, and that is that it does not pay to be stingy with manure. I 
commenced with less—an expenditure of only about £3 per acre, but I 
find that larger applications pay better. Not only the quantity, but the 
size and quality of produce have to be considered. I trust that these 
few remarks may be helpful to your readers.— Walter Kruse. 
TUBES FOR HARDY FLOWERS. 
I JUST refer to the mention made of my suegestion that the fixing 
of the size of tubes or holders of bunches of hardy flowers at 2 inches 
in diameter is in antagonism to that of Mr. Shanks, who favours an 
inch tube only, to point out how very small an orifice alter all is that 
of an inch tube ; indeed it does not exceed two-thirds of the square 
inch, because round. Half a dozen fair sized stems would fill a 2-inch 
diameter tube, because that, too, would be round, and not exceed 
It} inch square. I do not think for one moment that a bunch of flowers 
filling such a tube fairly would be too large, yet I think plenty large 
enough. 
“ S. P. H.” (page 46) shows how his wordy definition of hardy flowers 
includes shrubs. Now I think it is the earnest desire of nearly all who 
appreciate ordinary hardy garden or border flowers, to exclude shrubs ; 
indeed, shrubs being admitted, less conspicuous perennials would have 
poor chance very often. Of course it is imperative that some check 
should be put upon the free employment of varieties of the same kind or 
species. Many exhibit up to twelve bunches, all should be distinct 
kinds ; above that number two varieties of any kind might be admitted, 
but the great aim of competition of this sort would be to popularise 
hardy border flowers, and to encourage the cultivation of many of the 
best. The grower who has fifty distinct kinds is better off than he who 
has ten kinds only, and five varieties of each, even though at one parti¬ 
cular time the latter may make the largest display.—A. D. 
WHAT CONSTITUTES AN AMATEUR? 
“ Observer,” writing on page 44, states that the executive of the 
National Amateur Gardeners’ Association had approached the Eoyal 
Horticultural Society in regard to the correct definition of an amateur 
with satisfactory results. I should like to learn how these satisfactory 
results are evidenced. It is very well known that the R.H.S.’s defini¬ 
tion of an amateur always has been anyone not in the trade, so that 
gardeners constantly and chiefly competed in what are termed by 
courtesy amateurs’ classes. In the Society’s rules and regulations for 
exhibitors, published for the year, there is not a word that in any way 
gives a fresh or diverse interpretation, and yet it is an interpretation not 
accepted by any other society in the kingdom. 
The National Rose Society has amateur classes, but it does not 
recognise gardeners. Practically, the gardener is nobody, and his 
employer is regarded as the amateur exhibitor. Perhaps the R.H.S. 
may take the same view, but then it is an absurd one, as in nine cases 
out of ten the gardener is the real competitor. Now the Auricula and 
Carnation Societies, who.se rules are published in the R.H.S. schedule, 
have no distinctions ; on the other hand, the Pansy Society have a 
definition, and directly excludes all gardeners, or even gentlemen who 
employ any other help but a garden labourer. Clearly we do w'ant 
some national definition of what or who is an amateur, and one univer¬ 
sally recognised. Will the Council of the R.H.S. really tackle this 
matter, and help to the establishment of a recognised definition? — 
F. R. H. S. 
CANKER IN FRUIT TREES—SOIL CONSTITUENTS. 
(^Continued from jiage 48.') 
Enough has been said to show that red soils are Apple producers. 
The stiff hiarn of Sussex on yellow or blue marly clay, impregnated with 
iron (over 6 per cent.) grows splendid Claygate Pearmain and Duck’s-bill 
Apples. Cambridgeshire brick earth on a blue clay subsoil only needs 
two sorts to afford a supply of Apples—namely, Histon Favourite and 
Marfitt's Seedling. On the light oolitic soils over gravel or sand the 
latter variety cankers famously ; therefore we will turn to the sandy 
soils. 
Surrey.—Soil sandy, subsoil sand with ironstone gravel and a hard 
pan below ; canker, all the Hawthornden race, Cellini, Ribston 
Pippin. Kent —Soil thick, light, and sharp loam on ragstone brash ; 
canker. Surrey again.—Peaty soil, subsoil gravel and wet-pan again ; 
canker, Dumelow’s Seedling and Ribston Pippin. Kent once more.— 
Soil light and good, clay subsoil ; canker, Cox’s Orange Pippin. Berk¬ 
shire.—Light shallow loam, gravelly subsoil ; canker. Lord Sufiield, 
Dumelow’s Seedling, and King of the Pippins when the roots get into 
the subsoil. Middlesex.—Light soil, canker after a wet season. The iron 
alias the pan, hence Keswick Codlin, Manx’s Codlin, and Duchess’ 
Favourite surface rooted are not liable to canker in such soil. In 
Denbighshire in light soil over gravel Apple trees canker ; Pears on 
free stocks are nowhere finer. In Bedfordshire.—Sandy and deep ; 
Hawthornden (old and new), Irish Peach, Blenheim Pippin, Ribston 
Pippin, Dumelow’s Seedling, and Annie Elizabeth canker. So much 
for light soils that contain a low per-centage of oxide of iron. 
Just a line or two about calcareous soils. Yorkshire.—Calcareous 
loam on magnesian limestone ; canker, Lord Suffield, all the Haw¬ 
thornden race, Calville, St. Sauvier, Ribston Pippin, Alfriston, Lord 
Burghley, and Pearson’s Plate, Dorset.—Soil light and chalky, subsoil 
chalk ; canker. 
Now, in a sandy soil we get, as the result of analysis, a low per¬ 
centage of oxide of iron, perhaps less than 1 per cent. ; but with the 
other constituents fairly good, as per below : — 
“ *Organic matter and loss on heating 
... 2-82 
Oxide of iron 
• • • • •• 
... 0-92 
Alumina 
... 0-88 
Lime. 
... 0-18 
Magnesia . 
• • • • • • 
... 0-12 
Potash 
... 0-07 
Soda. 
... 0-06 
Phosphoric acid . 
... 0-10 
Sulphuric acid 
••• 
... 0 01 
Insoluble silicates and sand 
. 
... 94-84 
100 00 
•Containing nitrogen 
••• ••• 
... 0-12 
Equal to ammonia. 
• • • • • • 
... 0-15 
Elements of Agriculture," Fream, 
lyage 20.) 
The soil corresponding to the analysis is not lit for Apples ; for this 
reason—there is not enough alumina to hold anything in the way of 
manures. But if we apply a dressing of blue clay marl, 100 cartloads 
per acre, during frost, throwing the lumps evenly on the ground, spread 
regularly after a thaw, and fork or plough-in, that land is improved 
50 per cent, as a manure economiser and for producing Apples. Why ? 
Because the elements of which the sandy soil is deficient are supplied in 
the clay marl (too stiff as a soil)—namely, oxide of iron 5-77, alumina 
5'15, carbonate of lime 19'92, magnesia 0'25, potash 0 62, soda 0’09, 
phosphoric acid 0 38, sulphuric acid 0 04, soluble silica 13-45 per cent.— 
clear gains all round of elements essential to plant nutrition. 
It is similar with a calcareous soil as sandy ; both are deficient of 
organic and inorganic substances, A clay soil may contain 7-21 per cent, 
of organic matter, and lose on heating, and a marly soil 10-50, but a 
sandy soil seldom contains 3 00, or a calcareous (chalk) soil more than 
that amount. The iron in chalk soil rarely exceeds 1’50 per cent., its 
alumina 1’75, but it will generally show better percentage of potash and 
phosphoric acid than a sandy soil. Notwithstanding, the chalk soil is 
not an Apple-producing staple. 
Soils, however, are greatly influenced for production by their 
mechanical nature. A loose, good calcareous loam, strong enough to 
grow Wheat, and intermingled freely with flinty particles, may be so 
deficient in food that Apple trees languish in it. I was particularly 
struck with the appearance of an orchard the other day on this forma¬ 
tion (chalk) in Hertfordshire, It is an ordinary orchard attached to a 
farm house, about two acres in extent, planted about twenty-five years 
ago with Apple, Cherry, Pear, and Plum trees, two-thirds with the 
first, and the remaining three in about equal number occupying the 
other third. The Apple trees are all wrecks, dying back by feet in the 
young limbs, and all teeming with swellings and excrescences caused 
by the canker fungus (Nectria ditissima). The Pears are perfectly 
healthy, Hessle and Aston Town fine specimens ; Cherries free from 
gum, Elton and Bigarreau fine trees ; Plums moderate, Victoria best. 
The orchard is in grass, mown, and not manured, but a portion where 
the Apples have failed is planted with Gooseberries and Currants, and 
these are very healthy. Of course, the Apples fail for lack of “ manage¬ 
ment ; ” if BO, why not the Pears and Cherries ? A trench was being 
cut near for laying sewage pipes, and it revealed good soil down to 
3 feet or more, when the soil proved heavier and redder as the chalk 
was approached at about 6 feet depth, which, instead of being white, 
was qnite discoloured and red-rusted. The iron had been washed out of 
the surface soil and accumulated with the alumina over the chalk, and 
that became reddish to a thickness of 1 to 3 feet. The Apple trees were 
famisheds—they wanted iron or manure that contained it along with 
other essential and nutrient elements, but the Cherries and Pears sent 
down their roots and drew up the food essential to their healthy growth 
and the production of fruit abundantly and profitably. 
Let us pass to a heavy cold soil in the same county (Hertfordshire). 
Analysis by Dr. Voelcker 
Organic matter and loss on heating 
... 5-64 
Oxide of iron . 
... 4-39 
Alumina . 
... 6 36 
Carbonate of lime. 
... 13 53 
Sulphate of lime. 
... 0-22 
Magnesia. 
... 0-43 
Potash . 
... 0-43. 
Soda. 
... 0-25 
Phosphoric acid 
... 0-14 
Insoluble silicates and sand 
... 68-57 
100-00 
Containing nitrogen . 
... 0-28 
Equal to ammonia . 
... 0-34 
As compared with the analysis of Mr. Kruse’s soil, that just given 
shows deficiencies chemically of sulphate of lime, 0‘04 ; magnesia, 0-24 
