756 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 27, 1895. 
weight in tons of roots per acre. The 
maximum weight ever produced was forty 
tons per acre; but Sir Henry naively re¬ 
marked that to a Scotchman that would be 
nothing. About half that weight or 
slightly moie would be a general maximum. 
An increase of luxuriance goes with the 
nitrogen, but potash is necessary for the 
production of sugar. 
The rain-gauges were next inspected, but 
most interest centred in that which had a 
collecting area equivalent to the one-thou¬ 
sandth of an acre. Here the rainfall is 
measured and analysed to ascertain the 
amount of combined nitrogen from the 
atmosphere brought down by the rain. The 
average is about five pounds per acre. 
Three drain-gauges, with depths of 20 in., 
40 in., and 60 ins., respectively, of the 
natural soil, excited considerable attention. 
The experiments with these were com¬ 
menced in 1870, and carried on to the 
present time, during which period the soil 
in its natural state of consolidation has 
been unmanured and uncropped. The 
water collected in the drainage shows what 
is lost from the land by this means alone. 
Analysis of the drainage water for a year 
shows that there is a loss of nitrogen, 
reckoned as such, equivalent to 35-44, 30-75, 
and 33-88 pounds per acre per annum from 
the three gauges in the above respective 
order. The results would be rather high 
for the natural soil not exposed to the action 
of the air beneath as well as above, as is 
the case with the soil in the drain-gauges. 
At this point of the circuit of inspection 
Sir Henry Gilbert had to leave the party, 
but not before he was warmly thanked for 
his services, generous and elucidatory ex¬ 
planations. His assistant, Mr. Willis, 
kindly took Sir Henry’s place as guide, 
philosopher, and friend. He immediately 
conducted the party over the estate of Sir 
John Lawes to the old pasture field above 
mentioned. So far as is known, no seeds 
have been sown here for the past 150 to 200 
years, and on the unmanured plot about 50 
different species of grasses and other plants 
are growing harmoniously together. On 
that manured with 275 pounds of nitrate of 
soda per acre there was a good crop, with 
much leafy matter; but where potash and 
phosphates were used there were fewer 
weeds and more maturity evidenced in the 
crop. Another plot was treated with 500 
pounds of nitrate of soda per acre, but after 
a time this was stopped and mineral 
manures applied instead, the result being 
more Clover. An application of 500 pounds 
of nitrate of soda with minerals gave 57 
cwts. of hay, consisting of 29 species of 
plants, but the hay was coarse and included 
several bad weeds. Phosphates and ammo¬ 
nium salts gave a very poor herbage with 
no Clover. Ammonium salts alone tend to 
soil exhaustion with very poor herbage. 
Another plot, otiginally a duplicate of the 
last, treated with mineral manures latterly 
gave 20 per cent, of leguminous plants, the 
change commencing the second year. Many 
other plots were shown, the results amply 
demonstrating that the quality and char¬ 
acter of the herbage of a pasture can be 
determined by the application of certain 
manures, and the number of species reduced 
from 50 to 15 or less, the latter by heavy 
applications of ammonium salts, which thin 
out the plants to the coarse growing kinds, 
thus spoiling the pasture and indirectly the 
cheese and other products of the dairy. 
Applications of kainit and basic slag are 
best for pastures. Kainit and all mineral 
manures are applied in the first week in 
January, and ammonium salts in February. 
After this the party partook of luncheon 
kindly provided for his guests by Sir John 
Lawes. In a post-prandial speech the 
Mayor of Maldon—himself a farmer—and 
another, proposed and seconded a vote of 
thanks to Sir John Lawes, Sir Henry 
Gilbert and Mr. Willis for their esteemed 
services to the party. Professor King, of 
the Agricultural Experiment Station, Wis¬ 
consin, United States of America, then 
gave a lucid description of the work being 
carried on in the way of experiment by our 
cousins on the other side of the Atlantic. 
The march was again resumed and a field 
was visited in which the experiments were 
even more numerous and of a highly inter¬ 
esting character. Here were crops of 
Wheat, Barley, and a large number of 
luguminous crops and Potatos. The 
interest in these trials was not only sus¬ 
tained, but roused to keenness, when un¬ 
fortunately, a heavy downpour of rain 
following in the wake of a thunderstorm 
made it impossible for the audience to hear 
the explanations of the guide, independently 
of the great inconvenience otherwise caused. 
After a little delay for shelter the Potato 
trials were examined. The ground here 
has been continuously cropped with Potatos 
for the last twenty years. One plot has 
received no manure whatever, and as might 
be expected the Potatos are very stunted 
and the return poor owing to soil exhaus¬ 
tion. Mineral manures give a return of 
over two tons per acre. Fourteen tons of 
farmyard manure alone gives 4 tons 
14 cwts. of Potatos. Ammonium salts and 
mineral manures gives the best crop (about 
6 tons 5 cwts. year after year). This plot 
certainly looks the best at present. The 
potash applied fosters the production of 
starch and renders the Potatos mealy when 
boiled. Nitrogen enables them to appro¬ 
priate the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere 
and encourages growth generally, but tends 
to make the Potatos, when boiled, soapy 
and watery. This recalls the case of Beet 
and the production of sugar. 
Interest was again greatly aroused when 
a plot of ground previously cropped with 
Wheat, but allowed to lie waste since 1882, 
was shown. Here wild nature has been 
allowed to assert herself, and the gradually 
degenerating Wheat was finally ousted by 
native vegetation after a period of five 
years, thus proving that it was an exotic 
and unable to hold its own in this country. 
There are now on this plot about seventy 
species of native plants of which we deter¬ 
mined the names of thirty-six during a 
hasty investigation ; but must defer details 
concerning them till a more convenient 
time. The farmers and others with some 
reluctance left this field and returned to 
London on the homeward journey after 
warmly thanking Mr. Willis for his services 
and information so freely tendered. 
-- 
Mi'. J. C. Moore, late of the Royal Gardens, Kew, 
has been sent from that establishment to take the 
post of curator of the Botanic Gardens, at St. Lucia, 
West Indies. 
Another Nurseryman as Magistrate. —Mr. John 
Watkins, the well-known proprietor of the Pomona 
Farm Nurseries, at Withington, near Hereford, was 
appointed a Justice of the Peace for the County of 
Hereford by the late Lord Chancellor. 
A Bouquet for the Queen.— Lord Edward Pelham 
Clinton, Master of the Household, is desired by the 
Queen to convey Her Majesty's thanks to 
Messrs. Eckford for the beautiful bouquet of Sweet 
Peas sent by them from the flower show held at 
Windsor on June 29th. 
The Victoria regia has been in fine condition and 
flowering well for some time past at Kew. The 
tank is well filled with large leaves very much 
turned up at the edges, and in robust health. The 
bright sunshine that has prevailed for many weeks 
past has been favourable to the development of the 
royal Water Lily. 
The Lark is the only bird that sings while flying, 
and the nightingale is the only one that sings by 
night. 
Red Clover and bees.—The tongue of the native 
Australian bee is too short to reach the nectar in the 
Red Clover of Europe, and when the latter was 
introduced to Australia it never produced seeds until 
its old friend the humble bee was taken there and 
let loose. 
Parks atTokio, Japan.— Tokio is more like a large 
group of villages than a city. Between the several 
portions are beautiful wooded parks, some of them 
as wild as nature left them while others have been 
laid out in the quaint Japanese manner. 
The general yield of wheat on the Continent will 
be as large this year as last though the acreage 
sown is less. 
A Strawberry Picker in the neighbourhood of 
Chatham said she had to be off at two in the morn¬ 
ing to get to work in the Strawberry garden by 
three, getting off to breakfast at eight, nearly all the 
picking being done in the morning. 
A Red Marechal Niel Rose has been produced in 
Germany by Dr. Mueller, who crossed Marechal 
Niel with General Jacqueminot. The habit of the 
plant is that of the seed parent, but the flowers are 
red. A short time ago we recorded a white Marechal 
Niel Rose. 
Rainfall.—In London and the neighbourhood last 
Sunday there was a rainfall of ij in. in the course of 
twenty-four hours. Nothing like it has occurred 
since last October. Two thunderstorms passed over 
the city during the day, and in the southern sub¬ 
urbs hail of the size of Peas covered the ground. 
The thunderstorm with rain was repeated on Mon¬ 
day, so that to all appearance the great drought is at 
an end. 
The Fruit Crop in Perthshire. —The early Straw¬ 
berry crop is now almost over. A few late ones have 
been pulled, but gathering will not be general until 
this week. In consequence of the drought and late 
frosts there are in some fields scarcely any fruit. 
The gathering of Raspberries will be in full swing 
this week. In low-lying parts of the Muir o’ Blair 
the crop is severely frosted. Prices for Strawberries 
are quoted at from £10 to £16 per ton, and Rasp¬ 
berries at from £28 to £29 on rail. 
Royal Horticultural Society, Aberdeen. — The 
acting directors of this Society met in the secretary’s 
office on Saturday afternoon, ex-Baillie Lyon in the 
chair. It was agreed to engage the Artillery 
Engineer, and Rifle bands to play at the fete, and to 
ask the services of the Oakbank boy pipers. Messrs. 
Brock and Co., London, were appointed to carry out 
the illuminations, decorations, and fireworks. 
Messrs. Shirras and Sons’ offer to light the marquees 
was accepted. The question of entertainments was 
then discussed, and the directors agreed to meet at 
the park on an early day to mature the arrangements. 
A number of special prizes were intimated. 
National Chrysanthemum Society.—The members 
of this Society and their friends to the number of 
140, had their annual outing on the 22nd inst. They 
arrived at Boxhill Station at twelve noon, and had a 
stroll over the beautiful hill, after which they went 
to the Burford Bridge Hotel, where th°y partook of 
an excellent and well-served luncheon. They then 
paid a visit to the far-famed Orchid houses of Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart., Burford Lodge, Dorking, 
with which they were highly interested and delighted. 
The party afterwards partook of tea at Burford 
Lodge, as the guests of Sir Trevor and Lady 
Lawrence. After tea there was some speech-making 
and Mr. R. Ballantine, the late chairman of the 
Society was presented with a Silver Ink-stand as a 
mark of appreciation for his services from the 
National Chrysanthemum Society. The members 
then had another ramble upon Boxhill,and afterward* 
returned to London by the 8.23 and 8.37 pm. trains, 
after having spent a very enjoyable day, in fact, one 
of the best outings the Society has had. 
Shirley Gardeners’ and Amateurs’ Association — At 
the monthly meeting held on the 15th inst., Mr. R. 
D. Spencer gave an interesting lecture on “ British 
Herbs and their Uses.” There was a fair attendance 
of the members, and at the close of the lecture a 
cordial vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Spencer. 
On the 17th inst. a large number of the members 
