CO 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
[ April, 
days compels my absence from home, at intervals, 
of from two to three weeks in succession, and 
not having aid to which I could trust my plants 
through such a process, I did not dare re¬ 
sort to it until my return home in November, 
after the setting-in of the severe frost I have 
already referred to. 
Late, however, as was the time, and inter¬ 
rupting as was the frost, locking up the plants 
continuously for ten or twelve days succes¬ 
sively, I promptly got some slowly fermenting 
material together, and utilised every hour of 
open weather, even into the new year, in lift¬ 
ing and potting, until I had filled my whole 
means of protection ; and though for several 
weeks, during which the plants were frozen 
through and through, the stock had a very 
different look to that which in most winters 
had gladdened my eye, yet with the earliest 
return of better, brighter weather, its improve¬ 
ment was marked, almost marvellous ; and at 
the period of my writing, March 20tli, exact¬ 
ing as is my requirement, I could not desire a 
better plant. 
In future, assuming any lack of root-action in 
the layers due to be removed in October, I 
shall, so long as I am spared, resort to my old 
pi’actice, and, I doubt not, not only as the re¬ 
sult of my own experience, but also of that of 
others, experienced growers, with happy results. 
Finally, the whole stock, in the case of cul¬ 
tivators suffering from a vitiated atmosphere, 
and having to contend with the evils of smoke 
and dirt and dust, should be under glass at 
latest by the first week in November, or at an 
earlier date, should heavy rains be falling. 
Grievous as have been the evils endured, 
florists are not weakly dwelling upon them. 
No men more practise the sound maxim, “ Let 
the dead past bury it’s dead,” and from all 
sides I hear notes of high expectation, and have 
evidence of active preparations for a bustling 
season. From the bottom of my heart, I cor¬ 
dially hope that at its close we may have only 
happy reminiscences to dwell upon.—E. S. 
Dodwell, 11 Chatham Terrace , Larkhall Rise. 
LIQUID MANURE FOR POT 
PLANTS. 
S E have to thank Mr. Baines for the 
accompanying information respecting 
the manure-water used for pot plants 
by the growers for the London market, and to 
the use of which doubtless the wonderful vigour 
obtained in plants growing in small pots is 
mainly due. 
As might naturally be supposed, liquid 
manure is largely employed by all market 
growers, for without its aid, it would not be pos¬ 
sible to produce the comparatively large fully 
furnished plants that are produced by them in 
comparatively very small pots. In describing 
the practice of the Messrs. Beckwith, of 
Tottenham, he states that the stimulant most 
used by them is urine from the cowsheds. 
To obtain this, they arrange with some half- 
dozen dairymen in the neighbourhood to have 
the urine in an undiluted state, for which pur¬ 
pose a cesspool is made inside the sheds, the 
contents of which are removed once a week. 
For most things it is used at the strength of 
about a pint to two gallons of clean water ; 
though gross feeders, like chrysanthemums, 
will bear it as strong as one part to six of 
water. This is the most effective of all liquid 
manures, not only for soft-wooded plants, but 
also for hard-wooded stove subjects, and such 
of the cooler or greenhouse section as grow 
moderately fast. Its effects are almost magical, 
and have been found to be so by the many 
who have been advised to try it. It should, 
however, be got in its pure state, not mixed 
with soakings from the manure-heap. The 
plants to which this manure is applied, either 
hard or soft-wooded, do not run to excess of 
leaf, as they do when most other liquid stimu¬ 
lants are given, but have a disposition to flower 
almost in excess of the growth they make, 
although the latter is of the stoutest possible 
description. Neither do the plants on which 
it has been used show any inclination to stop 
after a time, as is often noticed to be the case, 
when other things of a highly stimulating- 
nature have been applied. Like all other 
manurial agents, it needs to be used with care 
and discrimination, so as not to give it dis¬ 
proportionately strong to any particular kind 
of plant ; and what is of almost as much 
importance, its use must be regulated, by giving 
more or less according to the particular stage 
of growth the plant may be in. It is by attentive 
observation as to the treatment which par¬ 
ticular varieties of plants require, or can be 
made to conform to, that the market grower 
obtains this larger measure of success than 
the general cultivator.—T. Baines. 
