February 5, 1898. 
THE^GARDENING WORLD 
857 
WEBBS PEA. 
New Pioneer. 
A remarkably handsome blue wrinkled 
Marrow, growing from 3 to 3J feet in 
height; it is hardy in constitution, and 
very early in coming to maturity. The 
pods contain from 8 to 10 fine Peas of 
most excellent quality. 2s. 6d. per 
pint, post free. 
WEBB’S TOMATO. 
New Sovereign. 
A very handsome golden-yellow variety, 
of vigorous habit of growth, and an 
abundant cropper. The fruit is of large 
size, flatfish round in shape, solid, and 
most delicate in flavour. Is. 6d. and 
2s. 6d. per packet, post free. 
WEBB’S LETTUCE. 
New Paragon. 
A compact-growing new variety, with 
smooth, light green leaves. It forms 
large solid heads, which are remarkably 
crisp. Is. 6d. per packet, post free. 
WEBB’S BEET. 
New Satisfaction. 
Root of medium size, long and taper¬ 
ing in shape, of deep b)cod-red colour, of 
fine grain, sweet and delicate in flavour. 
Is. per packet, post free. 
The Queen's Seedsmen, 
WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
CHOICE FLOWER SEEDS. 
BARR’S “ PRIZE STRAIN ” SINGLE BEGONIA. 
Saved from the finest colours and best formed flowers. 
Per packet, is. 6d.. 2s. 6d., and 3s. 6d. 
BARR’S “ PRIZE STRAIN ” DOUBLE BEGONIA. 
Saved from the highest quality flowers. Per packet, 2s. 6d. 
and 3s. 6d. 
BARR’S “FIRST PRIZE” CALCEOLARIA. 
Saved from the finest selected flowers and richest colours. 
Per packet, 2s. 6i. and 3s. 6d. 
BARR’S EXTRA CHOICE MIXTURE OF CAR¬ 
NATIONS AND PICOTEES. 
Saved from'the finest double flowers of the highest class. 
Carnations and Picotees, per packet, 2s. 6d. 
BARRS “FIRST PRIZE” CINERARIA. 
A select, comparatively dwarf strain, saved from largest 
flowers of finest form and best distinct colours. Per 
packet, 2s. 6d. and 3s. 6d. 
BARR’S SUPERB MIXTURE GLOXINIA. 
Saved from the finest sorts. Per packet, is. 6d., 2s. 6d. and 
3s. 6d. 
BARR'S Choicest Strain PRIMULA. 
A very select strain, flowers of the finest colours, and of 
good substance. Per packet,, is. 6d. and 2s. 6d. 
BARR'S SEED GUIDE. 
Contains a Select List of the best Vegetable Seeds and 
most beautiful Flower Seeds. It is full of Practical 
Hints, and will be found of great value to Gardeners 
Amateurs and Exhibitors. 
Sent free on application. 
BARR and SONS, 
12 413 KING ST., COYEST GARDES, LOBDOS. 
THE 
NEW MELON 
For 1898. 
ROYAL JUBILEE. 
A new Green-fleshed Seedling Melon, raised 
at the Royal Gardens, Frogmore, by Mr. Owen 
Thomas, Gardener to Her Majesty the Queen 
This magnificent new Melon is worthy of its 
origin and its associations. Fruits large, 
handsomly netted, possessing deep rich green 
desh of the most superb flavour. The plant is 
robust in constitution, and sets freely. 
Per Packet, 2s. 6d. and 3s. 6d. 
POST FREE. 
GENUINE ONLY DIRECT FROM 
SUTTON & SONS, READING. 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man."— Bacon. 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 5 th, 1898. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Tuesday, February 8th.—Royal Horticultural Society; meet¬ 
ing of committes at 12 o’clock; annual general meeting at 
3 P-m. 
Sale of American shrubs and hardy plants by Messrs. 
Protheroe and Morris. 
Wednesday, February gth.—Sale of Liliums, Roses, and 
hardy perennials by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris. 
Friday, February nth.—Sale of Imported and Established 
Orchids by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris. 
^ssex Field Experiments. —During the 
past two years the Technical Instruc¬ 
tion Committee of the Essex County 
Council has been conducting experiments 
with manures at a number of places in the 
county. The experiments were of four kinds, 
and a report of the same has been compiled 
by Mr. T. S. Dymond, F.I.C., staff-lecturer 
in chemistry. The particulars given below 
relate to the “ Manurial trials on Beans 
followed by wheat.” Beans constitute agar- 
den crop, while they are also akin to Peas, 
French Beans and Scarlet Runners in their 
manurial requirements. It is the custom in 
Essex to dress the land with farmyard 
manure previous to sowing Beans, and 
reasoning from the fact that leguminous 
crops can avail themselves of the free nitro¬ 
gen of the air, it was considered probable 
that the farmyard manure could be more 
economically applied to other crops ; while 
Beans might be stimulated with artificial 
manures to make a more vigorous growth 
and thereby store up a greater quantity of 
atmospheric nitrogen to the advantage of 
the succeeding crop. It is well known that 
the stubble of a Clover or other leguminous 
crop leaves the soil richer in nitrogen than 
it was before. The experiments were con¬ 
ducted at six centres so as to have the 
various classes of soil in Essex fairly well 
represented. 
The ground under trial was laid out in 
seven plots at each of the places, and differ¬ 
ent manures or mixtures of them were used 
on each, with the exception of a check plot, 
which was left unmanured. The wheat 
that followed the Beans the succeeding year 
received no manure whatever, so that the 
results depended entirely upon the single 
application. The first plot was supplied 
with farmyard manure at the rate of 12 tons 
per acre and at a cost of 60s. The results 
showed no very marked advantage over the 
plot which was unmanured except in the case 
of wheat at Gosfield and Tendering. This 
might have been due to the nature of the 
soil at the two places named, and the fact 
that the early part of the season during both 
years of the experiments was very dry when 
the crops were making their growth. The 
second plot received 3 cwt. of superphos¬ 
phate in addition to the farmyard manure, 
raising the total cost to 67s. 3d. The 
increase of crop in almost every case was 
well marked, and more than repaid the 
additional cost of the superphosphate. The 
great increase of the wheat is considered to 
be due to the enrichment of the land by the 
vigorous growth of the Bean crop, resulting 
in a greater storage of nitrogen in the soil. 
The residue of the superphosphate from the 
previous season could scarcely have ac¬ 
counted for the results. 
Twelve tons of farmyard manure, 3 cwt. 
of superphosphate and 3 cwt. of kainit per 
acre were applied to the third plot, and the 
results we must admit were very puzzling. 
With one exception the weight of both 
Beans and wheat has been reduced simply 
by the addition of the kainit. The total 
cost of the manures was 73s. nd. and the 
value of the increase was only 29s. 9d 
above that of the unmanured plot. In plot 
two the value of increase was 46s. 6d. The 
only explanation that the report offers is 
1 that the kainit may have prevented the 
fermentation of the manure or promoted 
“ denitrification” and loss of nitrogen. 
Superphosphate of lime was employed alone, 
to the extent of 4 cwt. per acre, on plot five, 
at a cost of 9s. 8d.; and the resulting crop 
was equal or slighly better in most cases to 
the harvest produced by the much more 
expensive application of farmyard manure 
in the first plot. Basic slag, at the rate of 
5 cwt. per acre, was applied to plot six, at 
a cost of 12s. id. The results in this case 
are of a mixed and uncertain character, 
though in several instances the crops were 
better than those produced by farmyard 
manure. One outcome of this trial is that 
the lime in the basic slag added materially 
to the weight of the crop at Tendering, 
where the soil is naturally but ill supplied 
with lime, and consists of a heavy loam 
overlying brickearth. On plot seven 4 cwt. 
each of superphosphate and kainit produced 
varying results, but on the whole scarcely 
superior to the harvest obtained after an 
application of superphosphate alone. The 
Beans derived the greater advantage from 
the kainit, the most important ingredient 
of which is potash, of leading inportance 
to all leguminous crops. 
The most unsatisfactory results, perhaps, 
in the above trials, were obtained from the 
use of farmyard manure and kainit. No 
