Nov. 1st, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
135 
A. ghandiflorus.— A fine species, 2 ft. high, with 
rigid, hispid branches; leaves oblong-linear, rough; 
flower-heads large, solitary on each branchlet, with 
long violet-purple rays. 
A. Novae-Anglias.—A handsome species, one of the 
best, 4 ft. to 8 ft. high, and very leafy; leaves lanceo¬ 
late, pubescent; flower-heads large and numerous, 
with rich deep-purple rays. It is often cultivated as 
var. pulchellus. The variety koseus is equally beauti¬ 
ful, and differs in having deep rose-coloured rays; it 
is also generally taller. 
A. oelongifolius.—G rows to 2 ft. or 3 ft. high, very 
leafy ; leaves oblong to linear, a little rough ; flower- 
heads medium-sized, with long bright-violet rays. 
Very similar to the last. ■ 
A. patens.—A pretty species, 2 ft. to 3 ft. high, with 
slender, rigid, spreading branches; leaves oblong to 
lanceolate, rough; flower-heads solitary with long 
deep-violet rays. 
A. Seortii.—A n elegant late-flowering species, 4 ft. 
high; leaves lanceolate, slightly pubescent ; panicle 
large and branching; flower-heads numerous, with 
long and narrow pale violet rays. 
A. uxdulatus.—B ranches somewhat rough and 
rigid ; leaves oblong to lanceolate with clasping base, 
the lower ones cordate on slender petioles ; flower- 
heads numerous, racemosely arranged, with pale or 
bright violet rays. 
A. cordifolius.—A tall species, 3 ft. to 5 ft. high; 
leaves cordate-ovate below, lanceolate above ; panicle 
much branched ; heads small and very numerous, with 
pale violet or whitish rays. 
A. tubbinellus.—A most effective late-flowering 
species, 3 ft. to 5 ft. high, with slender, wiry, almost 
naked branches ; leaves oblong to narrow lanceolate ; 
panicle much branched; heads medium-sized, with 
large bright bluish-violet rays. 
A. l.evis. —One of the best of late-flowering species, 
and existing in gardens under various names, as 
A. formosus, A. Archer Hind, and A. lEevigatus, but 
A. lievis is the correct name. The plant figured as 
A. lsevigatus in Bot. Mag., t. 2995, is really this 
plant, while the true A. laevigatus is A. novi-belgii. 
A. laevis grows from 3 ft. to 5 ft. high ; leaves lanceo¬ 
late, smooth; panicle large and much branched; 
flower-heads medium sized, with long bright blue rays. 
A. versicolor.—A beautiful species, sometimes met 
with under the names A. bicolor and A. discolor. It 
varies from a few inches to 3 ft. high; leaves oblong- 
lanceobte, smooth; panicle dense, corymbose ; flower- 
heads medium sized, rays white at first, changing to 
rose or -violet. We have seen a form under 6 ins. high, 
a little gem on the rock-work. 
A. poLYrHVLLus.—A showy early-flowering species, 
4 ft. to 5 ft. high ; leaves narrowly lanceolate; panicles 
ample; flower-heads medium sized, with numerous 
white rays. 
A. ebicoides.—A pretty species, often nearly 3 ft. 
high and much branched; leaves narrowly lanceolate ; 
panicles much branched; flower-heads small and 
very numerous, with white rays. The variety Reevesii 
is a little gem of about 8 ins. high. 
A. multiflorus.—A free-flowering species, about 4 ft. 
high ; leaves linear and very small; panicles much 
branched, flower-heads very small but exceedingly 
numerous, rays white. 
A. Dunosus.— A densely branched species, 1ft. Gins, 
high; leaves narrowly lanceolate, smooth ; panicle 
corymbose, with very numerous medium-sized flower- 
heads, rays slaty-blue. 
A. diffuses.—A free-flowering species, 4 ft. high, 
with spreading branches ; leaves lanceolate, smooth ; 
panicles racemosely disposed ; flower-heads very small 
and numerous, with white rays. The variety hobizox- 
talis is dwarfer, with very spreading branches, very 
floriferous, and with more conspicuous white rays. A 
beautiful variety. 
A. Tradescanti.—V aries from 3 ft. to 5 ft. high; 
branches erect; leaves lanceolate ; panicles ample ; 
flower-heads small and very numerous ; rays white, 
or sometimes tinged with lilac. 
A. paniculatus.—C losely allied to the last, but with 
larger flower-heads ; usually rather taller ; panicles 
large and freely branched; rays white, varying to 
purplish. 
A. longifolius.—A fine, early-flowering species, 
about 2 ft. to 3 ft. high; leaves lanceolate; panicle 
corymbosely arranged; flower-heads medium sized, 
with purplish-lilac rays. 
A. Novi-Belgii.—A very variable species, usually 
rather dwarf ; leaves linear-lanceolate ; panicles much 
branched; flower-heads medium sized, with bluish- 
violet rays. The variety laevigatus (often grown as 
A. Ifevigatus) is more common in gardens, differing 
chiefly in the shorter involucral bracts. The var. 
minimus (often grown as A. lavigatus var. minimus) 
is a dwarf and very floriferous plant with rosy-purple 
rays. 
A. puniceus.- —A pretty late-flowering species, 5 ft. 
to 8 ft. high ; leaves lanceolate, large; panicle large 
and much branched; flow T er-heads medium sized, 
with large purplish-blue rays. 
A. linariifolius.— A lovely species, often cultivated 
as A. pulcherrimus. It grows from 1 ft. to 2 ft. high ; 
branches straight and leafy; leaves narrowly linear ; 
panicles corymbose ; heads medium sized, with large 
violet rays. 
A. ptarmicoides. — A very -*neat early-flo-wering 
species, 1 ft. to 14 ft. high ; branches rather rigid ; 
leaves linear to lanceolate; panicles corymbose; 
flower-heads small, with broad white rays. 
A. Chapmanni. —A fine species, 3 ft. to 4 ft. high; 
stems bearing a few slender branches at the summit; 
leaves linear; flower-heads large, solitary on the 
branches, with long violet-blue rays. 
A. Bigelovii.— A robust species, 1J ft. high ; stems 
rough and branched above; radical leaves large, 
spathulate-laneeolate, stem leaves oblong, with broad, 
clasping base; flower-heads large, solitary on the 
branches, with long and very deep violet-purple rays. 
In conclusion we may say that there are some others 
besides the foregoing in our gardens, which are well 
worthy of cultivation in large collections. Respecting 
the size of the various species it is well known that it 
varies considerably, not only in different seasons and in 
different soils and situations, but between the varieties 
of any given species; thus forms of A. versicolor grown 
together will vary from 6 ins. to 3 ft. high. A con¬ 
siderable range of variation, too, is seen in the colour 
of some of the species. Indeed, considering this 
variation, it would appear possible by selection to 
to obtain some exceedingly beautiful varieties of the 
more sportive species.— X. 
— at-_^ — 
HOME MANURES FOR THE 
GARDEN. 
(Continued from p. 119.) 
Farmyard Manure, its Effect on Soils and Plants. 
•—In the present article we propose to deal with the 
question of the apfilication and effect of farmyard 
manure upon the working condition of the soil, and 
the growth of cultivated plants. In the first place the 
gardener is accustomed to look upon this substance as 
the natural manure for all his crops, and without 
plenty of “muck” the practical gardener is aware 
that the supply of vegetables, fruit, and flowers, 
would run comparatively short. The old adage is, 
“ the more ‘ muck’ the more Rhubarb,” and the same 
thing we find holds good with many other plants 
besides Rhubarb. 
Farmyard manure not only conveys to the land a 
supply of every ingredient which is essential to plant- 
food, but it provides very much more of every chemical 
constituent that can possibly be taken out of the soil 
by the growth of crops; thus, wdien the application of 
dung has extended over a series of years, as is the 
case with an old-established garden, the accumulation 
of plant-food in the soil is very great indeed. 
It follows, therefore, that from the slow decom¬ 
position of dung, and the tardiness with which a large 
proportion of its nitrogen becomes available for the 
use of plants, three or four times more plant-food in 
the form of dung, than in active artificial manures 
must be applied to produce the same effects upon the 
immediately succeeding crop; hence the advisability 
of digging in stable dung in the autumn, where the 
land is intended for the growth of vegetables required 
for early summer use. On this account also, fresh 
strawy manure is inferior to rotten dung in the rapidity 
of its action, for the simple reason that it requires 
time to decompose and decay, its operation, therefore, 
does not commence until these processes of decom¬ 
position are in full career, whereas rotten dung has 
already passed through these preparatory stages, and 
consequently containing a part of its fertilizing 
constituents in that condition which plants require 
for their immediate nourishment. Fresh stall manure 
is accordingly better suited to plants of lengthened 
duration—perennials or hardy species for instance— 
than to those which require only a few months for 
their full development—that is to say, rather to 
winter than to summer crops. 
In order to illustrate the slowness with which farm¬ 
yard manure comes into action, and the reason why 
its application should precede by some months the 
crops for which it is intended, we may quote some 
valuable results obtained by Sir J. B. Lawes, at 
Rothamsted, Hertfordshire, upon the growth of various 
field crops. 
In the first year of experiments with Potatos, the 
produce without any manure at all was 77 cwts. per 
acre ; and in the same year, and in the same field, by 
the application of 14 tons of farmyard dung, the 
produce of Potato tubers was 85 cwts., being an 
increase of only 8 cwts. per acre from the use of the 
dung. During the next five years, however, the 
average increase of the farmyard dung over that 
without manure was 69 cwts. per acre. 
Again, in the first year of experiments with wheat, 
the produce without manure was 15 bushels of dressed 
grain and 10 cwts. of straw per acre ; and in the same 
season, by the application of 14 tons of farmyard 
dung, the yield of dressed grain was 20 bushels with 
13 cwts. of straw, being an increase of but 5 bushels 
of wheat grain and 3 cwts. of straw from the manurial 
constituents supplied by the 14 tons of dung. Whilst 
in the next thirty years in which wheat has been 
grown during the whole period in the same field, and 
with the same description of manures, farmyard dung 
applied at the rate of 14 tons per acre every year, gave 
an average increase of 20 bushels of dressed wheat and 
21 cwts. of straw over the unmanured plot. With 
Barley, grown year after year on the same land for 
thirty successive years, the results are very similar and 
equally significant. 
Dung possesses two very important properties, one 
mechanical, and the other chemical. By reason of 
its bulk and the quantity of organic matter it contains 
it serves to render the soil more open and porous, and 
so enables it not only to retain more water in a 
favourable condition, but also to absorb and retain 
more of the valuable fertilizing properties of the dung, 
and so to arrest the passage of them in solution below 
the range of the rootlets of plants. The extent to 
which farmyard manure may increase the water¬ 
holding powers of soil is strikingly shown by one of 
the Rothamsted experiments. During a very wet 
winter (January, 1869) samples of soil were taken 
from several plots of the experimental wheat field. 
On analysis three of the soils were found to contain 
the following amount of water, expressed in tons per 
acre, to the depth of 3 ft. from the surface. 
Plot 2. 
Plot 3. 
Umnanurecl. 
Plot 8. 
Farmyard 
Dung. 
Artificial 
Manures. 
tons. 
tons. 
tons. 
Water in satu- 
rated soil. 
1,610 
1,396 
1,549 
The soil of Plot 2, thus contained when saturated, 
214 tons more water than the soil of Plot 3, and 61 
tons more than the soil of Plot 8; quantities corre¬ 
sponding to 2-12 and 060 ins. of rain respectively. 
Further, by the gradual decomposition of the 
organic matters of dung, the pores of the soil become 
filled with carbonic acid, which probably serves to 
retard the conversion of ammonia generated from the 
dung, into the more soluble forms of nitric acid, in 
which shape the valuable properties of all manures 
are found to be most liable to be washed away by 
heavy rains, and lost by drainage. 
Wherever vegetable matter exists, and is under¬ 
going decay in the soil, the falling rain makes its 
way to the roots of the growing plants, more or less 
laden with carbonic acid. Any material, therefore, 
that hastens the decomposing and dissolving of those 
substances that are necessary to healthy growth of 
cultivated plants, whether they belong to the floral 
or to the horticultural department, must be a boon to 
the gardener. For this reason it is that lime (upon 
which we propose to say a few words upon a future 
occasion) judiciously used is such an invaluable agent 
for bringing into useful activity the other-wise sluggish 
ingredients of garden refuse and of farmyard manure. 
(To he continued.) 
