318 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April la, 1888. 
mising for a good show. One of the leading northern exhibitors 
intends to be present, and I hope to hear that more will be able to 
say they will come south in a day or two. I hear the flowers have 
come in rapidly since the change in,the weather. When vegeta¬ 
tion has for long been in suspense by adverse weather it is astonish¬ 
ing how rapidly it moves with a favourable change. I hope 
members and visitors will not only attend in force themselves 
but w’ill also bring their friends with them. An excellent luncheon 
wilt be provided at the “ Hotel Windsor,” quite close to the Drill 
Hall, at 1.30 P.M., tickets for which can be obtained from the Secre¬ 
tary or Chairman of Committee, the Rev. H. H. D’Ombraiii, ‘‘Hotel 
Windsor,” Victoria Street, Westminster ; also from any member of 
the Committee. The Council of the Royal Horticultural Society 
have kindly placed the Drill Hall at the service of the Society, and 
Mr. Barron wdll receive the entries from exhibitors as usual. Other 
spring flowers besides Auriculas are likely to be exhibited, forming a 
really good spring show, and a large attendance of visitors would 
make things lively and pleasant all round. — James Douglas, 
Hon. Sec. 
ARTIFICIAL MANURES FOR PLANTS. 
1 HAVE repeatedly noticed, when reading the various controversial 
subjects which are from time to time brought forward in the horticultural 
press, that one of the contending parties will assert that in some moment 
of weakness and bewilderment his opponent has put forward arguments 
that prove beyond dispute the correctness of the views they were 
intended to refute. This appears to be the course taken by Mr. M. 
Coombe in his latest contribution to this subject, but I think a few 
words may be given on the other side of the question. 
I am quite prepared to uphold my previous statement that we should 
aim at giving plants as far as is practicable “ Food that is varied in its 
chemical constituents according to the nature of the plants that are to 
receive it, the object for w'hich they are intended, and the condition 
they are in at the time it is applied.” Now I maintain that this cannot 
be done in so satisfactory a way by continually tiiving one kind of 
manure either in a liquid or solid form as by varying the food supplied 
according to the stage of the plant's growth. As my opponent is so 
emphatic in his opposition to my remark that “ a knowledge of chemistry 
may enable us to form various manures whieh are likely to supply the 
most suitable food,” 1 will offer no objection to his proposed substitu¬ 
tion of the word “ undoubtedly,” as I am by no means opposed to the 
generally acknowledged fact that a knowledge of chemistry is extremely 
useful to both gardeners and farmers. What I wish to point out is, that 
it is not wise to place too much reliance on only a rudimentary 
knowledge of it ; because, before we can carry out the theories of 
chemistry in a simple, sound, and practical way, much time must be 
spent in making experiments ; minute caleulations must be made to 
find out the component parts of soils, manures, plants, and the various 
gases they imbibe from the atmosphere. In the case of plants in 
pots, when we have so many differently constituted to deal with, it 
would be altogether too troublesome and expensive a method to have 
different manures for each, and I maintain that unless we do that we 
must depend to a very great extent upon what experience and observa¬ 
tion teach us are applicable to plants generally; and I think 1 am on 
firm ground in asserting that the greatest part of successful gardening 
has been accomplished by giving plants and fruits a systematic change 
of manure. 
Your correspondent shows us that the Potato contains .50 per cent, of 
potash and only i per cent, of lime, while the Grape Vine contains 
them in nearly equal proportions, and asks if these facts cannot be used 
to considerable advantage in the preparation of our composts and plant 
food. My answer is, Certainly they can, and 1 also add that gardeners have 
long since found out that farmyard manure (which is saturated with the 
urine of quadrupeds), and the refuse of the farm and garden converted 
into ashes, supply a large per-centage of potash, and form one of the best 
of all manures for Potatoes. It is also admitted by the majority of 
gardeners that Vines require a larger per-centage of lime than most 
other plants, and in the preparation of their composts for making Vine 
borders generally add a certain proportion in some form or other, unless 
they are .satisfied that the soil already contains a sufficient quantity, 
which 1 think myself is rarely, if ever, the case. 
But after knowing these facts I cannot agree that anyone would be 
wrong in treating his Vines to a course of Per.ivian guano, as I consider 
it one of the best and most powerful of all fertilisers for Vines if applied 
at the right time and in propor quantities, but I think no successful 
grower would depend solely upon its use as a manure foi them. Neither 
does it possess such a large per-centage of ammoniacal constituents as 
some people imagine. According to Dr. Ure guano consists of the fol¬ 
lowing proportional constituents : Azotised organic matter, including 
urate of ammonia, and capable of affording from 8 to 17 per cent, of 
ammonia by slow decomposition in the soil, 50'0 ; water, IPO; phosphate 
of lime, 2.'5-0 ; ammonia, phosphate of magnesia, phosphate of ammonia, 
and oxalate of ammonia, containing from 4 to 9 per cent, of ammonia, 
IS’O, siliceous matter, DO. These figures show what a powerful and 
efficient fertiliser it is, and explain why we hear of failures resulting 
from its use, simply because it has been used too freely. Use it at the 
rate of 2 ozs. to a gallon of water, or sprinkle on a Vine border 5 ozs. 
per square yard, and water it well in. Apply it in this w.ay to Vines 
that arc carrying a heavy crop of fruit, just as the berries commence 
swelling, give another application when colouring begins, and let the 
intermediate waterings be made with liquid from the stable, cow-shed, 
or the drainings from the manure heap, and then see it the results are not 
satisfactory, more so than they would be if liquid manure obtained from 
the other sources mentioned were only used. 
The same course of manures will produce equally satisfactory result*- 
if used for Melon=, Tomatoes, or Cucumbers, but care should be taken to 
always give the strongest manure when the strain upon the plant’s ener¬ 
gies is the greatest. This would certainlj" be giving the plants a 
“ something,” but it would contain fiKxl which experience and observa¬ 
tion had taught us would produce good results. Much depends not only 
upon the kind of food given, but also at what stage in the plant’s 
growth it is supplied. Were I to yive large quantities of liquid manure to 
Melons before they had set their fruits, and to plants before the soil in 
the pots was filial with roots, I should cause the one to become gross 
and unfruitful, and the other to languish and decay. 
1 consider the most striking paragraph in Mr. Goombe’s article is 
the one in which he defines the difference between the practice he 
.advocates and my own, and by the w,iy he put his case I should say he 
would make a grand “advocate” but a poor “judge;” he there sa 3 ’s 
that I prefer to give the plant a strong stimulant to start it, then wait 
for development, afterwards giving it various compounds as fancy 
dictates. This is altogether ml.'-representing what I wrote. I used these 
words : “ If jmu want to induce a strong and vigorous growth give them 
stimuLants inw'hich ammonia-yielding substances preponderate.” Now it 
often happens that this is exactly what we do wish to obtain. A quick 
■and vigorous growth in I’alms, Gannas, and fine-foliaged plants of many 
kinds is very desirable, and for these plants the largest and best 
growers of the day use stimulants abounding in ammoniacal con¬ 
stituents. In other cases where plants are in a stunted or unhe.althy 
condition—as, like human beings, they sometimes will be through want 
of proper nourishment, or of attention at a critical time—for the plant 
the first consideration is to get it into active growth again, and ex¬ 
perience teaches us that such manures as nitrate of soda applied in small 
quantities will have that effect. Is it, then, wrong to apply it to the plant 
any more than it would be wrong for the doctor to prescribe for the 
human being stimulating food consisting of a larger proportion of 
alcohol than he would consider desirable at ordinary times I In both 
cases when the object in view was attained the food given would be 
altered, not as fancy dictates, but such as experience proves to be 
right. From the time a boy first enters a garden with a view to learn¬ 
ing the art, till he relinquishes the occupation he is—or ought to be-- con¬ 
tinually learning the various kinds of soils and manures most suitable; 
for the individual requirements of plants. Is this to count for nothing 
but “fancy / ” If so, I will only s.ay that some of the finest horticul¬ 
tural productions have been grown on this system intelligently carried 
out. 
In regarl to the desirability of giving plants different kinds of 
manures in preference to keeping to one, I think there can be no dis¬ 
puting tha; the greater number of gardeners are in favour of the change- 
Observation teaches them that it produces the best results, arising, I 
believe, partly from the analogy there is between plant and animal life, 
and partly in consequence of the various stages of growth that vege-r 
table life passes through. I turn to the writings of Mr. Molyneux. In 
his book on Ghrys.anthemums I find he says, “ It is not wise to give 
the plants the same stimulants continually.” The writings of other 
prominent cultivators of the day give advice in the same direction, and 
other well-knowm gardeners with whom I have come in contact say 
changes of manure are always appetising. These facts, coupled with 
the results of my own observations, lead inevitably to the conclusions L 
have given. 
In commenting on my remarks about the treatment of soils in old 
kitchen gardens, Mr. M. Goombe says he should prefer a moderate, 
amount of lime and a judicious amount of trenching. That no doubt 
would have the effect of utilising some of the excessive richness in the 
soil, but trenching is an expensive operation, that cannot always 
be c.arried out so much as is desirable. I think I c.an show that the 
application of lime would not “ spoil the soil ” to such an extent as ha- 
considers it would. The application of lime to such a soil as 1 described 
in my last article would have the effect of hastening the decomposition 
of animal and vegetable matters, and of imparting to the soil the power 
of retaining the moisture necessary for the growth of plants. It would 
simply present in a suitable form the food that was locked up in the 
soil, and the plants, by h.aving such a stock of food open to them, would) 
appropriate a far greater share than they would under ordinary circum¬ 
stances ; the crop would also show a corresponding improvement. That 
being so, it is reasonable to suppose that a dressing of manure would 
again be required. 
Referring to the use of nitrate of soda, Mr. M. Goombe convej’S to 
the general reader the impression that 1 have advocated the use of this 
stimulant to a greater extent than is the case. What I really pointed’ 
out was that a few doses had the effect of bringing sickly-looking plants 
into health again, and that when hard water had to be used for plants of 
Ericas and Ep.acrises, a little dissolved in the water given them would 
keep them in perfect health, and this anyone can prove for themselves.. 
We all know that wdiatever plants market growers take in hand they 
grow well, because they make a specialty of them, and in order to bring 
them to such a state of perfection they require a course of very stimu¬ 
lating food. That the food given them is suitable the results show, but 
why they so often become candidates for the rubbish heap when they 
pass to the private grower 1 will at present leave an open question. It. 
