July 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
and is apparently identical with animal fibrin, and 
OATt parts of starch: while the same quantity 
grown on soil manured with urine yielded the maxi¬ 
mum of gluten, namely, 35T per cent., or nearly 
three times the quantity. Human urine has greater 
manuring value than that of the cow, horse, or sheep : 
its salts contain above 8 per cent, of phosphates, which 
are entirely absent in the urine of animals, except¬ 
ing that of the pig, which contains phosphoric acid. 
These facts are much in favour of the occupier of 
a small garden or farm, and such we suppose 
the cottager to he, as it is frequently a question of 
difficulty to decide what shall he done with the house 
sewage; whilst on the other hand, solid manure being 
sought after by the farmer is expensive, and to a 
certain extent difficult to he obtained. In some 
cases in England, and very generally in Holland, it 
has been found profitable to collect the whole of the 
refuse of the house together, and thus the dilution, 
which will he found necessary in using urine, will he 
effected. The fat contained in the water which has 
been used for culinary purposes contains carbon, 
which in vegetable substances used as food (when in 
the dry state) amounts by weight to nearly half the 
whole together. Soapsuds after washing, as well 
as water used for personal ablution, are also valuable 
on account of the alkali they contain, which, although 
its proportions are smaller, is nevertheless a necessary 
element in the formation of plants. As to the con¬ 
dition in which urine should lie applied, there is some 
difference of opinion; the application of chemistry, 
however, shows that a loss of some of its most 
valuable constituents is sustained by allowing it to 
ferment, as sulphuretted hydrogen is generated as 
putrefaction proceeds, and when this gas is emitted, 
a large quantity of ammonia is also given off with 
it, which, of course, is objectionable. There is, 
therefore, a good reason for the use of fresh urine as 
a manure, in order that the more volatile parts may 
he given in their full proportion to the ground, and 
not dissipated in the atmosphere. I am informed 
by a gentleman in Suffolk, that he has made experi¬ 
ments with house sewage, and also with the drainage 
from his farm-yard buildings, and he finds that for 
grass, mangold wurtzel, and other green crops, the 
former is decidedly the best; this he very justly 
considers to he attributable to the quantity of am- 
moniacal salts contained in human urine. It now re¬ 
mains only necessary to bring these cursory remarks 
to a practical conclusion, by suggesting the import¬ 
ance of every one possessing over so small a farm or 
garden providing some kind of receptacle for liquid 
manure. Let not the cottager he laughed out of the 
purpose once formed of preserving every drop of 
liquid which may he valuable as a fertilizer. There 
will no doubt he some to ridicule, as was the case 
with respect to a small hut wise farmer in Surrey, 
who was for a time the butt of his neighbours be¬ 
cause he collected all manner of “ nasty stuff” in an 
old barrel in one corner of his yard; hut ridicule 
soon gave way to surprise, not unmixed it may ho 
with envy, when the . results of the distribution of 
the contents of the obnoxious cask were seen.— 
E. E. W., Kentish Town. 
SCRAPS. 
Beautiful British Plants. — Viola odorata (Sweet 
Violet).—This fragrant gem, which adorns our dry 
hedge hanks in early spring, should he grown in 
quantity in every garden for the sake of its flowers, 
OOl 
L 
being in great request for their fragrancy. The 
double flowered, as well as the white variety, are 
also general favourites. 
Viola hirta (Hairy Violet).—A very interesting 
plant, with pale blue flowers; occasionally met with 
in dry gravelly woods. 
Viola car.ina (Dog Violet).—This plant is noticed 
on account of a white variety of it being in cultiva¬ 
tion, of great merit as a rock plant, with small dark 
green foliage, and abundance of beautiful white 
flowers: 
Viola lutea (Yellow Violet).—Another of those in¬ 
teresting little plants which should find a place 
wherever good rock plants are grown. 
Viola tricolor (Heartsease or Pansy).—An insigni¬ 
ficant weed met with in dry gravelly cornfields. No¬ 
ticed on account of all those splendid varieties which 
adorn our gardens and plant exhibitions having 
originated from it. When the parent and offspring 
are contrasted, the skill of the florist is exhibited to 
surprising and triumphant advantage. 
Tamarix anglica (Tamarisk).— A spiral growing 
shrub, found on the south-west coast of England, 
with beautiful spikes of pink flowers. No shrubbery 
should he without it. We are informed that on the 
Lizard, in Cornwall (from which we have specimens), 
that it is plentiful.—S. Durham Advertiser. 
Narrow Turf Edgings. —Mr. Duncan, gardener 
to J. Martineau, Esq., of Basing Park, Hants, has 
adopted, and recommends, in forming a geometrical 
flower garden, that the edges of the beds, to separate 
them from the gravel walks around, should have 
these edgings. The best turf for the purpose, he 
says, is that composed by the finer grasses, such as 
is found on sheep walks, and the Hampshire chalk 
downs. The width of the strips only one inch, cut 
regularly and uniformly by holding firmly upon the 
turf a lath of that width, and passing a sharp knife 
down each side. The soil beneath the edging should 
he sterile to keep the grass dwarfish. Beat the turf 
only slightly when laying it down, and keep it clip¬ 
ped with the garden shears on each side, so as to 
keep it pyramidal. Mr. Duncan says he has had 
these edgings for thirteen years, and says he knows 
none equaling it in neatness, appropriateness, free¬ 
dom from trouble, and from insects; to which he 
might have added cheapness.— Hurt. Soc. Jo urn., iv. 
190. 
Permanent Studs for Wall-tree Training.— 
Mr. Fleming, gardener to the Duke of Sutherland, 
at Trentham Hall, recommends these as much pre¬ 
ferable to the old system of nails and shreds. For 
studs he uses the common cast iron nails with square 
heads, and ties the shoots to these with shreds of 
hast mat. For fan-trained trees he places the studs 
eight or nine inches apart in every course of bricks, 
hut for pear trees trained horizontally he places the 
studs in every second course. To prevent corrosion, 
the nails before using are heated red-hot, and in that 
state thrown into boiled oil; and for the sake of ap¬ 
pearance the studs are put, in quincunx order, a stud 
in each row being opposite the middle of the space 
between two studs in the row above and in the row 
below it. The advantages of this system, Mr. Flem¬ 
ing says, ai*e avoiding all harbour for insects, eco¬ 
nomy, saving of time, and neatness. 100 square 
yards of wall require 5000 cast iron nails, which are 
equal to 50 lbs weight, at l id per pound. (Journ. 
Hort. Society, iv. 193.) A correspondent, without 
appearing to he aware of Mr. Fleming’s plan, writes 
to us as follows:—“ I beg to give you a piece of in¬ 
formation as to my mode of nailing my wall trees, 
