June 9, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
641 
Europe it is perfectly hardy and may be grown in 
any garden soil that is not too heavy and retentive. 
Although it may be grown in the front line of the 
border, it appears to better advantage when elevated 
a little on rockwork. The individual flowers are 
about the size of a shilling with broad and pure 
white petals. It may be propagated by cuttings of 
the flowerless shoots under a hand-light in summer 
or by division. 
Polygonum sphaerostachya. —The flower heads 
of this Bistort are oval or ovate, and consist of 
densely packed carmine flowers. The leaves are 
lanceolate and the lower ones have moderately long 
stalks. The plant grows i 2 in. to 15 in. high, is 
very pretty, and never becomes a nuisance by throw¬ 
ing up suckers; increase is comparatively slow 
when P. Bistorta or P. afflnis are taken into con¬ 
sideration. 
- - 
IVY-LEAVED PELARGONIUMS. 
Great improvements have been affected amongst 
this class of Pelargoniums within relatively a few 
years past. One of the leading improvements in our 
opinion is the dwarfing of the stems, so that the 
plants can be utilised for conservatory purposes 
with a minimum of staking. Another improvement 
is the doubling of the flowers, a state which makes 
them both more showy and more durable. The 
shades of colour are also very pleasing and effective. 
A box of a dozen varieties, all of his own raising 
and some of them not yet in commerce, has been 
sent us by Mr. Robert Owen, Castle Hill, Maiden¬ 
head. The semi-double flowers of Beauty of Castle- 
hill measure about 2 J in. across and are of a beauti¬ 
ful shade of rose, washed with scarlet in the centre. 
The plant is of dwarf habit. Similar in most 
respects is Edith Owen, but the flowers are of a rich 
rosy purple. Both are highly effective on account 
of the large size of both flowers and trusses. For 
want of a better definition we may say that the 
flowers of Robert Owen are soft scarlet washed with 
rose; they are almost fully double and resemble a 
cluster of Polyantha Roses, at least in the condition 
we received them. The plant is of climbing habit and 
must be handsome when in full bloom. The darkest 
flower of all is Liberty ; it is neither so large nor so 
full as those above named, but the petals are of a rich 
dark purple, tinted with scarlet in the centre. Miss 
Ryder is curiously imitative of a scarlet Pelargonium 
of the zonal class. By way of contrast with the 
other kinds it is very desirable. 
Mr. Owen has raised a number of seedlings not 
yet in commerce, and to which a name has not yet 
been given. One of them has flowers of a bright 
rose, and semi-double. It is of climbing habit as is 
a beautiful white variety, the first we remember 
having seen with semi-double white flowers; the 
latter and the trusses are of good average size. The 
blooms of a bright pink one constitute a great 
improvement in point of size, breadth of petal and in 
the doubling. It is of medium height. A silver-pink 
flowered seedling is also very choice and in our 
opinion should, like the previous one, find a good 
many admirers, but if anything we should give the 
preference to the pink one. A fifth seedling with 
purple-magenta flowers is also choice in its beautiful 
shade of colour, and is the darkest of the five 
unnamed kinds. There are others in the collection 
such as Souvenir de Charles Turner and Prince of 
Wales now getting pretty well known. 
-- 
ACTION OF NITRATES ON CROPS. 
On Monday, on the invitation of Colonel North and 
the Nitrate Committee, a party of gentlemen visited 
Sir John Lawes' Experimental Farrasat Rothamstead, 
in order to investigate the action of nitrates on crops. 
The party took train at Moorgate Street, being 
received by Sir John Lawes and Sir Henry Gilbert 
at Harpenden Station, from whence, says a daily 
paper, an adjournment was made to the laboratory 
on the farm. Here Sir Henry Gilbert gave an 
explanation of the various experiments and diagrams 
which were exhibited. Some people had said, he 
remarked, that if only farmers would grow sufficient 
leguminous crops they would be independent of 
nitrates. He, however, did not agree with this, and 
he showed by experiments how the judicious addition 
of nitrates to the soil increased crops. Again, a 
great loss of nitrogen was always going on through 
drainage. An apparatus had been constructed by 
means of which for a series of years the drainage 
water of plots of land, 20 in., 40 in., and 60 in. in 
depth had been saved and analysed. From this it 
appeared that the annual loss per acre through 
drainage at the first depth was nitrogen equal to 
234 lb. of nitrate of scda, at the second 203 lb., and 
at the third 223 lb. Again, it was shown by the 
same methods that the proper time to sow nitrates 
was in spring, the loss at that time being 178 J lb. 
per acre per annum, against 388 lb. in the winter 
months. 
Then came the experiments relating to the growth 
of roots, by which it was shown that nitrogen and 
ammonia were absolutely necessary for their growth. 
The yield per acre of an unmanured plot last year 
was 8 J cwt., of a plot manured with mineral super¬ 
phosphates II tons 6 cwt., and of a plot dressed with 
minerals and nitrogenous manures 24 tons 18 cwt. 
A visit was then paid to the fields, where Sir Henry 
Gilbert pointed out that a root crop was a sugar 
crop. Sugar contained no nitrogen, yet the amount 
of sugar in the root crop depended upon the amount 
of nitrogen added to the soil. Taking an acre of 
Mangels to which no nitrate had been applied, the 
weight of sugar in the crop was 1,136 lb. The 
addition of a proper quantity of nitrates brought the 
weight of sugar per acre up to 3,093 lb. In other 
words, the addition of i lb of nitrates per acre 
increased the sugar by 22-8 lb. Experiment had 
been shown that a crop would take up 60 per cent, 
of the nitrate applied. An adjournment was then 
made to the interesting series of grass plots, which 
have been manured in every conceivable way during 
the past thirty-nine years. In these it was shown 
that the quality of the grass as well as its quantity 
could be varied by judicious manuring. Certain 
manures increased the leguminous plants, certain 
other the graminaceous plants. Sir Henry’s final 
word on this point was that the bast manure for 
pasture was rich farmyard manure. 
The company then proceeded to Rothamstead 
House for luncheon. After which Colonel North 
gave the healths of Sir John Lawes and Sir Henry 
Gilbert. Sir John Lawes, in thanking the company 
for their attendance, said they had been able to judge 
that day the great value of nitrates as a manure. 
He hoped that their use would extend to the whole 
world.—Sir Henry Gilbert also bri’efly responded.— 
In response to tbe toast of his health, proposed by 
Mr. Fleming, Colonel North said he was pleased to 
inform them that the use of nitrate was becoming 
more and more universal, so much so that the nitrate 
producers had hard work to keep up with the 
demand.—The experimental Wheat plots were after¬ 
wards visited, where crops of Wheat were shown 
grown on land which had been cropped with Wheat 
for fifty-one successive years—without manure, and 
with all kinds of manures. It is remarkable that the 
yield of vVheat for the past forty years on the 
unmanured plot has been thirteen bushels an acre, 
which is higher than the average yield per acre for 
the whole world at the present day. The party soon 
afterwards returned to town. 
-. 1 ^ 
VERBENAS AS ANNUALS. 
We do not meet with these old favourites in garden 
beds so frequently as used to be the case. Only a 
very few years back they were one of the chief 
features in bedding out, nor can I see in what way 
they have been surpassed. My taste may be bad, but 
a mass of glowing colour does not satisfy my eye so 
much as the old bed of Verbenas did. Firefly, 
Scarlet Defiance, Lustrous, and others gave us in¬ 
tense colours without the glare too conspicuous in 
the bright bedding plants of to-day. Prevalence of 
the Verbena disease has probably caused their 
absence from many gardens, but as they are easily 
raised from seed, and may be depended upon to 
come fairly true to colour, this ought not to banish 
them. Seedlings are seldom affected by the disease, 
and may be raised during the same season they are 
needed, treated as half hardy annuals in fact. 
Shutting them up tco closely in houses or pits is 
not good for these flowers. 
Sow the seed in February, using a compost of leaf 
mould, sand, and loam. Prick them off when about 
2 in. high, using boxes or pans; stand them on a 
bench or shelf in a moist temperature of 55 ® to 66 °, 
and pinch out the tips as soon as new growth is 
active. When they break from the sides and are 
growing freely, pinch out the tips again, and after 
about a week plant them out into a spent hot-bed. 
having placed some 3 in. or 4 in. of loam and short 
manure over the bed. An early Cucumber frame 
comes in just right at this period, as the little heat 
left after the crop is secured is quite sufficient for 
the Verbena, provided a little judgment be used in 
giving air and water. Four inches apart each way 
will secure good plants for placing into the outside 
beds early in June. They lift well and may be 
transplanted with scarcely any check if well watered 
previous to lifting, and safer still if dull weather can 
be chosen. 
Verbenas need a deep, rich soil, and if pinched or 
pegged down occasionally, will soon cover a bed at 
little expense. Place them 12 in. to 15 in. apart in 
the beds. Greenfly attacks them rather persistently, 
but a very slight fumigation will stop this. Tobacco 
fumes do not harm these flowers so much as many, 
and I have heard it advocated that they even enjoy 
a dusting of Tobacco powder. With Verbenas a 
show can be made from the early part of July until 
frosts appear, and with hardly any attention when 
once planted. Should the summer be a very dry one, a 
thorough soaking once a week will be well repaid.— 
Experie7ice. 
- I *- 
THE YOUNG GARDENER 
AT KEW. 
In a paper on Kew and its work read at one of the 
meetings of the Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ Mutual 
Improvement Association by Mr. Alfred Tucker of 
Messrs. Robert Veitch & Son’s Nursery, Exeter, and 
formerly a student at Kew, the author gave some 
information with regard to the everyday life at that 
establishment which may be usefully published for 
the information cf young men who may be desirous 
of going there. Said Mr. Tucker, a young man 
seeking employment at Kew must not be under 
twenty-one years of age, nor more than twenty-five, 
and before making application must have served for 
not less than three or four years in a nursery or good 
private garden. His character must bear strict 
investigation, and his testimonials be signed by one 
or two leading practical men. On entering he is 
liable to be placed in any part of the grounds 
wherever there may be a vacancy, but after having 
served his first three or four months he can by 
.asking get a change to any of the other departments 
the officials may think fit to remove him to providing 
he attends the lectures then being given. There are 
within the houses and connected with the herbaceous 
ground, rockery, and arboretum between forty and 
fifty young gardeners hailing from all parts of the 
British Isles, indeed, from all parts of Europe. The 
time allowed at Kew is two years for Englishmen 
and twelve months for foreigners. The hours of 
labour are from six to six in summer, from light till 
dusk in winter. The first season is a very busy one 
for the young gardener, and fairly tests the stuff he 
is made of. 
Ten hours and a quarter of each day is spent in 
the houses, if in the glass department, and then he 
has to attend one hour’s lecture two evenings and 
two mornings a week, taking notes and subsequently 
writing them up in a book, which has to be handed 
in every fortnight for examination in order to obtain 
the necessary number of marks which qualifies for 
the Royal Garden Certificates, of which there are 
four, viz., for geographical, economic, and systematic 
botany, and physics and chemistry. During the 
long winter evenings the extensive library gets its 
full share of visitors. I mean young gardeners, 
because it is devoted exclusively to them, and on 
outsiders are admitted. The name of each one is 
entered in the attendance register, so that the officials 
may know who are those who accept this advantage 
offered to them. There are printed rules hung up, 
and these are in charge of the library clerk, who has 
to see them enforced should it be necessary, because 
he is fully responsible for all books and men when on 
duty. The position is an honorary one, and young 
fellows are told off each in their turn every week, 
Thursday nights are set aside for the meetings of the 
Mutual Improvement Society, when essays are read 
and discussed on some subject bearing upon horti¬ 
culture, and prizes are offered for the three best 
papers and one for the best debate or speaker. 
The session usually lasts from October ist until 
the end of March, when the winding up meeting 
settles cricket matches, and rambles or excursions of 
the British Botany Club for the ensuing season and 
the many other little matters connected with the 
