283 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, February 2, 1858. 
Being situated some dozen miles from any good bog soil, 
and having an extensive rookery close at hand, where the 
surface of the ground had not been disturbed for years, I 
found there, to the depth of about nine inches, a nice light 
soil, or manure, composed of soil from the rooks and rotten 
leaves. I then had the surface shovelled, and laid in heaps. 
Two years ago I planted 200 Rhododendrons, Azaleas, &c., 
in the above soil, about four spadefuls to each plant; and it is 
really astonishing how well they have thriven. The Rhodo¬ 
dendrons made a vigorous growth during the last two summers, 
and have now a beautiful dark-green foliage, and all thickly 
set with flower-buds. Of the two, I prefer the soil in question 
to bog soil for flowering Rhododendrons, Azaleas, &c. I now 
use it for potting American plants for forcing ; likewise Roses, 
in which all flower beautifully. I have also found it to answer 
well for flowering Geraniums, Fuchsias, &c. 
This is the proper season for collecting the above soil, when 
all herbage is dormant. Lay it in heaps on the ground, or 
cart it at once to the compost ground, where it will be found 
a most valuable light material for general use.—I.T., Gardener 
to Sir It. W. V. 
PHOTOGRAPHY AND GARDENING. 
The arts of Photography and Gardening are intimately 
associated. In these days of competition, the cobbler who 
sticks to his last, and neglects scientific information bearing 
on his business, finds himself ere long in the background. 
The market gardener, as he earths up his Celery, or ties in his 
Lettuces, performs unwittingly a photographic experiment. 
In the one case he deprives the juices of the plant of the 
colouring influence of the actinic rays of light by encouraging 
growth in darkness. In the other, he encloses the heart of 
the Lettuce in an envelope of green leaf, which permits the 
passage of but little photographic energy. 
In “Photography for the Many” we have attempted to 
show the distinction between light, heat, and actinism, which 
all exist in a ray of light. 
N ow, it is Actinism which produces the development of the 
plant from the seed: Light causes its progression: and Heat 
communicates colour and perfection. Hence, a seed sown 
under a bellglass, with a blue shade, will come up rapidly, for 
blue allows the free passage of the actinic rays. lAxeprogressive. 
power of light is obtainable chiefly from the yellow rays ; and 
heat (producing colour and perfection), is communicated with 
greater rapidity from a red medium. The relative proportion 
of light, heat, and actinism in spring, summer, autumn, and 
winter is best explained by the following diagram : — 
Actinism 
Spuing. 
Summer. 
Autumn. 
Winter. 
or 
Chemical poAA'er. 
( Development .) 
12. 
6. 
5. 
10. 
Light 
or 
Luminous poAver. 
( Progression .) 
0 . 
15. 
8. 
10. 
IIeat 
or 
Colouring power. 
( Perfection.) 
9. 
9. 
17. 
10. 
The question then arises, Can w r e not, by a careful conside¬ 
ration of these properties of light, produce finer fiovrers and 
vegetables? What would be the effect of raising seeds in 
blue light, continuing their growth under the influence of the 
yellow rays, and perfecting their colour and form in a red 
atmosphere ? This may be considered very artificial; but do 
wo not now produce our finest flowers by unnatural processes ? 
We may certainty theorise at great length, and produce no 
good effects; but by practically working out our scientific 
convictions, we may expect great successes. The celebrated 
engineer, George Stephenson, an eminently practical man, 
owed much of his success to careful consideration of theory. 
Mr. Stephenson was staying at Sir Robert Peel’s; and while 
talking with Dr. Buckland on the terrace of the mansion, a 
train flashed along in the distance. “ Now Buckland,” said 
Mr. Stephenson, “ I have a poser for you. Can you tell me 
what is the power that is driving that train?” “ Well,” said 
the other, “ I suppose it is one of your big engines.” “ But 
what drives the engine?” “01i, very likely a canny New¬ 
castle driver.” “ What do you say to the light of the sun ?” 
“ How can that be,” asked the doctor. “ It is nothing else,” 
said the engineer: “ it is light bottled up in the earth for tens 
of thousands of years—light, absorbed by plants and vege¬ 
tables, being necessary for the condensation of carbon, during 
the process of their growth, if it is not carbon in another 
form. And now, after being buried in the earth for long ages 
in fields of coal, that latent light is again brought forth and 
liberated—made to work, as in that locomotive, for great 
human purposes.”* i 
When a working engineer, George Stephenson was famed 
for his “gigantic Leeks ” and “astounding Cabbages.” To 
scare away the birds, he invented a “fley-craw:” and to his 
garden door was attached a piece of apparatus which pre¬ 
vented anyone but himself from opening it. When a rich 
man, his love of gardening continued. He then had immense 
houses, his Grapes and Pines taking good prizes at home and 
abroad. He was very particular as to the regulation of heat 
and light in his houses ; and “ bothered ” his Cucumbers 
with glass tubes. He took the strain off the steins of bis 
fruit by suspension in Avire gauze baskets : hence producing 
magnificent specimens. 
Your correspondent “ S. P.” has written on the subject of 
Photography in its common-sense aspects. Since his article 
Avas published, the researches of science have added some most 
interesting facts to this study. The statement Ave made as to 
the distinction betAveen light and actinic force has received 
abundant confirmation. M. Chevreul has presented to the 
Academy of Sciences an account of various experiments by 
that indefatigable observer, M. Niepce, some of Avhich will be 
interesting to our photographic readers. 
An engraving, kept for many days in the dark, is brought 
out into the full glare of sunshine, and one half only exposed 
to the light. On its AA’ithdrawal to the dark room, it is placed 
in contact with photographic paper of extreme sensibility; 
and, after some hours, a negative copy of the exposed part of 
the engraving is produced in the dark. 
The same engraving applied in the same manner, without 
previous exposure, produces no effect Avhatever. 
If a sheet of glass be placed between the energised en¬ 
graving and the prepared paper, no eflect is produced : but 
absolute contact is not necessary to produce an impression. 
M. Niepce describes his accumulator as a metal tube closed at 
one end, the interior surface being covered with white paper. 
The tube is then placed in the sun for an hour, its open end 
being uppermost. It is then removed to the dark room. 
The sheet of prepared paper is laid on a table ; over it, an 
engraving on thin paper, face doAvmvards : then the tube, the 
closed end uppermost. The boxed-up actinic force (or light 
power), produces a copy of the engraving. Hermetically 
sealed, a tube of actinism can be preserved indefinitely. 
A piece of unprepared cardboard Avas placed in the camera 
frame, Avhere it remained three hours exposed to the image 
produced by the lens. 
It was then removed, and placed on sensitive paper; and 
after some time the subject focussed Avas produced. 
From these experiments we learn that actinic light is 
absorbed by some bodies which give it off in darkness. En¬ 
gravings kept in darkness, and exposed to sunshine, become 
charged Avith photographic poAver. This power may be ex¬ 
tracted from the sun’s rays, and kept stored up ready for use 
at a future time. Hence there is a scientific possibility of 
importing the power of sunshine into this our muggy climate. 
Truly Ave live in an age of wonders. 
We conclude with a few ideas borrowed from Professor 
Hitchcock.f Light travels at the rate of 200,000 miles a 
second. A flash from a cannon fired on our earth would not 
arrive at the sun till .eight minutes afterwards ; and it Avould 
be four thousand years in arriving at a star of the twelfth 
magnitude. Suppose an inhabitant of the last-named star, 
Avith sight allowing him to observe distinctly what occurs on 
the surface of our Avorld, he would be a spectator of what was 
happening here 4000 years ago. Hence, from the various 
heavenly bodies is obtainable an illustrated history of this our 
i 
i 
I 
* Smile’s “ Life of G. Stephenson.” 
t “Religion of Geology,” pp. 344, 345 
