156 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 20, 18S5. 
l o the effect that it would “ show ab >ve my head ; ” and as I am about 
5 feet 9 inches in height, that Wheat straw is quite long enough ; neither 
will the yield, so I was informed, be at all “ short.” “ How about the root 
crops ? ” is the next question, and the reply was that he had twenty acre? 
of Swedes and Mangolds in a highly satisfactory condition, and about the 
■same extent very patchy indeed, and might not be preserved, transplanting 
being out of the question. In the former case the land had been laid up 
roughly in time for the cold drying winds to penetrate thoroughly, and 
soaking rains enabled the surface cultivation to be properly carried out. 
The other breadth was a failure, simply because it was occupied with 
Vetches during the winter, and could not be subsequently got into good 
working order; it was “ nubbly ” in fact, and “ nubbly ” ground, no 
matter how deep it may be, is bound to quicklv lose its moisture by 
evaporation. 
■Coming near the centre of horticultural advancement, we have further 
stronger proofs of the necessity of good surface preparation a3 a pre¬ 
caution against drought. Near Rainham in Essex a large deeply ploughed 
and heavily manured breadth of land was cropped with Runner Beans, 
and these early in the season looked very promi.dng, the owner confidently 
anticipating a much earlier and better crop than would be obtained in a 
“notchey” breadth of the same vegetable owned by a friend of mine. 
The latter sent 160 bushel sieves of Beans to market before either the 
Rainham grower or many other growers, and realised double the price 
for his “sendings.” Of course I asked how he managed this, and he 
at once made use of much the same expression as the farmer above men¬ 
tioned ; his ground was well manured and thoroughly broken down, 
whereas the Rainham growers’ was “ nubbly.” 
It does not follow that because I do not recommend trenching as a 
panacea for all evils I am encouraging thriftless or lazy habits ; on the 
contrary, if my advice is followed and more pains are taken in the matter 
of improving the surface soil, nearly as much labour will have to be ex¬ 
pended on it as in the case when trenching is resorted to. The free work¬ 
ing of heavy soils will not often be improved by the addition to it of a 
portion of the subsoil, though the latter may increase the fertility, and I 
have no.great fa’th in the effiiaev of a deep root run. Burnt clay, garden 
■xefuse, including the accumulations from the potting bench, coal and 
wood ashes, leaf soil, peat, sand, and any other available fine material 
freely added to, and well mixed with, the surface will serve to render it 
more open and fertile, as well as increase the depth. If the subsoil can be 
improved by draining, or be gradually rendered fit for bringing to the 
surface by the addition of various decaying matter, so much the better, 
but in many cases it is best left alone. Shallow light soils usually rest on 
a subsoil of a nature totally unfit for bringing to the surface, and in most 
cases I should prefer to increase the depth of fertile soil by adding various 
accumulations, marl, roal trimmings, and solid manure. 
This bringe me to my text again—viz , “Not enough manure.” H w 
many gardens.in the country get sufficient solid manure, more especially 
that formed in a farmyard ? Not one in fifty, I should say, hence the 
many failures in hot weather, as well as numerous disappointments in all 
seasons. We ought not to be asked to make bricks without straw, or, in 
other words, we ought not to be expected to produce heavy crops of 
superior vegetables and fruits without proper supplies of manure, soli 1 or 
artificial, as the case may be. Good farmyard manure is considered by 
all authorities, I believe, to be unrivalled in its composition, its decay 
■when it is mixed with the soil being chemically and mechanicallv effective, 
nearly or quite restoring the whole that the soil has been robbed of by 
almost any crop. That this is strictly the case is very evident, or the 
market farms, where trenching is not thought of, would have long since 
.become unfertile. It is no uncommon occurrence for the proprietors of 
these to manure the land at the rate of fifteen to twenty-two horse loads of 
manure, or, say, at the rate of twenty-five to forty tons to the acre, with 
perhaps nearly or quite as much for the succeeding crops. They manure 
.heavily and they crop heavily, and one condition must in every case 
accompany the other, or failure will invitably result. I have known cases 
where the land was heavily manured for Runner Beaus, and the next 
season similarly treated for Potatoes, and the crops of the latter have not 
‘Only paid, a9 far as weight was concerned for this outlay, but the quality 
wa3 also good. Poisoned land is an unknown experience with them, as 
they take out all they put in, and sometimes more. 
It must be remembered that the manure they use is not a mass of 
mouldy semi-decayed straw, nor a heap of solid hotbed manure devoid of 
nearly every constituent that goes to form a perfect manure, and which 
J am sorry to say is the kind of manure most plentifully used in the 
majority of gardens. Market growers use nearly fresh, moist, and fre- 
> quently steaming hot manure with but little straw in it, but from which 
little or any valuable properties have been evaporated, or else washed 
away. Strawy half-decayed manure, such a9 gardeners get from the well- 
■kept stables of the well-to-do classes, may improve heavy land in that 
it renders it more finely divided, but there is no stability in it, and it 
must be supplemented with special manures if the laud is to be made the 
most of. The mass of humus that passes for manure, and which we get 
from the old hotbeds, may serve to preserve the moisture in any soil, and 
therefore assist in the disintegration of other manures added to or con¬ 
tained in the soil, but it is most deficient in phosphates, salts, potash, and 
other ingredients contained in a perfect manure, and these must be added 
or failure is certain. Land is more often poisoned by this imperfect 
manure than it is by good manure, and in this case an addition of a small 
quantity of subsoil to the surface, or a dressing of quicklime, nitrate of 
soda, or other remedies may prove effective in that they either restore or 
liberate the required ingredients. Given plenty of manure such as the 
market growers get I would undertake to succeei with vegetables and 
most kinds of fruit in almost any fairly well situated garden and during 
all seasons, and that, too, without trenching. Better have 1 foot of well- 
worked and freely manured ground than double that depth of partially 
manured, and which is almost unavoidably “nubbly.” For the uninitiated 
I may add that by “ nubbly ” land I mean such as consists principally of 
hard lumps which refuse to separate when the ground is dug or surface- 
stirred, and which during dry weather quickly part with what little 
moisture it contains. Even mulching with manure or litter is of little 
avail in this case.— W. Iggulden. 
FL0RA.L DE00RA.TI0NS IN LONDON HOUSES. 
While in London for ten days lately I had many opportunities of 
seeing these, and the results were charming. The garden papers 
have often contained reports of the carpet, Calceolaria, and other 
beds in the various London parks, but in my opinion details of how 
some of the best decorations are executed during the London season 
would be more interesting, and an agreeable change. The flowers 
U3ed in June and July might be of a different class to what would 
be in season at other times of the year, but the arrangements could 
be carried out on much the same lines. Very often in the winter 
time we country folks have tables to decorate for large shooting 
parties, and by substituting Camellia blooms for Rose blossoms and 
other flowers then in season the tables might easily be arranged after 
the London season style. A great many flowers are not so much 
wanted in cases of this kind as graceful arrangement, and it is in this 
that the London florists excel. That my remarks may be as practical 
as possible 1 will confine them to one house at present—this is 
5, Grosvenor Square, the London residence of W. C. Brooks, Esq., 
M P., where on the 8th of July I saw some magnificent decorations. 
They were carried out by Messrs. Nieman & Cornish, of Orchard 
Street, Portman Squ ire, and charmed everyone who saw them. In 
the front hall there was a bank of Palms, including tall Seaforthias 
and Chamaedoreas, with bright flowering plants underneath, the 
principal of these being Liliums in great variety, Crassulas, and 
fancy Pelargoniums—a rich and elegant group, and the whole was 
fringed with Isolepis gracilis. A little further on some window 
recesses were adorned with graceful plants of Cocos Weddelliana, 
Hydrangea paniculata, Crotons, white Lilies, and the tall feathery 
Chamaedoreas drooping gracefully over the whole. Outside on the 
balcony, which also formed a promenade, there were banks of green 
moss, containing masses of crimson and white Roses, which had a 
grand appearance. 
The drawing-room was especially attractive. The mantelpieces 
and side tables were occupied with many choice Orchid blooms,. 
Cattleya Mendelli and Odontoglossum Alexandra being very con¬ 
spicuous amongst them. Pink Carnation blooms were plentifully 
used, and long spikes of the white Tuberose and Gladiolus The Bride 
were displayed on a groundwork of sprays of Adianlum farleyense. 
The recess of one of the fireplaces was faced with a large mirror, 
bordered with rustic work, and garni-hed with long sprays of 
Asparagus tenuissimus, Caladiums, small Ferns, and the whole was 
most artistically^ embellished with rare Orchid blooms. 
The back windows of the drawing room were taken out, platforms 
erected outside, and large blocks of ice were built up on these, the 
margins being fringed with tall reeds, wild grasses, and common 
Ferns ; coloured lamps (amber, green, and blue) were lighted behind, 
and the effect was splendid. Long trays full of water were placed 
underneath the tables, and these were filled with aquatic leaves and 
Water Lilies. In the boudoir there was an immense Kentia, with a 
tall stem and large spreading leaves, and seats underneath Another 
large mantelpiece was surrounded with Orchids, Liliums, &c., and 
the fireplace was converted into a little dell of green moss and Rose 
buds. The corners of the rooms were tastefully filled with Palms, 
Ferns, and Lilies, and the appearance of the whole was attractive in 
the extreme. The rooms were cool, and the atmosphere delicately 
laden with the fragrance of many flowers. 
A day or two previous to the date named above I saw some 
exceedingly beautiful dinner tables there. Over thirty sat down, and 
being a large table scope was given to the florists’ art, and it was 
taken full advantage of. The massive gold bowls which stood 
between the candlesticks were filled with the choicest of Orchid 
blooms, fresh fronds and sprays of the finer forms of Asparagus. 
An undulating line of Stag’s-horn Moss was laid on the cloth all 
round the table, and this wa3 studded with crimson Roses. The 
moss just named is excellent for the purpose, and is brought from 
one of Mr. Brooks’ estates in the north of Scotland. Each of the 
candlesticks and flower vases along the centre of the table were 
surrounded at the base with huge wreaths of splendid Roses, and 
small plants of Caladium argyrites, Palms, and Ferns. The 
Roses were chiefly scarlet and pink. These were obtained by the 
thousand from some of the chief Rose nurserymen, and I am sure 
all Rose growers would have been delighted with the magnificent 
results obtained by the tasteful and profuse introduction of the queen 
of flowers.—M. 
