606 
P 
THE GARDENING WORLD. May is, 1901. 
other suitable plants. And here we find a few 
specimen Cape Heaths, the culture of which Mr 
Millar evidently understands perfectly, for they are 
in excellent health, well grown and trained. To see 
these old friends must be a relief to many gardeners, 
from the spiritualised nature of many of the modern 
phases of plant culture. At all events we think the 
almost extinct art of Heath culture should be restored 
to our gardens. 
A range of fruit houses is in the vicinity of the 
conservatory, and it is comprised of three vineries 
and two Peach houses. Two of the vineries have 
been recently replanted and one of them is carrying 
its first crop, and promises to give a good account of 
itself. The crops in both vineries and Peach houses 
are showing well and indicate the cultural treatment 
they receive. 
There is a good plant stove in another department 
of the premises, wherein we find remarkable evidence 
of Mr. Millar's proficiency in the culture of Crotons. 
Some very fine pieces are here, and among others we 
very specially noted C. Reidii and C. Russellii, 
whose brilliant foliage is a charming break in the 
multitudinous collection. Mr. Millar has also a 
collection of Orchids, but we were just too late to 
see the best of them in flower. They, however, look 
vigorous and at home, inferring from the fine breaks 
some of the Cattleyas are throwing up. The centre 
of the stove is filled up mostly with Palms in variety, 
and the usual representatives of other stove plants 
are also well in evidence. 
A Rose house lately added to the establishment is 
worthy of notice on account of the vigorous growth 
they have made and the profusion of Roses they bear. 
The best climbers are of course only grown. We 
infer from the success here that lovers of early 
Roses can invest very judiciously in a Rose house. 
It may be stated that the house was only built 
about two years ago. The usual accommodation in 
pits, ferneries, Tomato house, &c., also is here, and 
not least of any a Pine pit in which a fine lot of 
fruiting Pines are showing their heads. Everything 
that is taken in hand here, we must say, is dealt 
with in no half hearted manner. From the most 
trivial class of plant to that which calls for the 
utmost skill, we find the same evidence of the 
careful and unremitting attention that is bestowed. 
The young gardeners are not even forgotten 
They have been accommodated lately with a new 
bothy of a very handsome nature. The mansion 
house as well as all the establishment is lighted with 
electricity. The magnanimous proprietor, Mr. 
Russell, obviously considers the comforts of his 
servants a matter of prime importance. 
Mr. Millar is a thorough gardener, and is one of 
three brothers who also hold important posts as head 
gardeners. He is an exceedingly courteous man and 
spares no trouble to entertain whoever is a visitor to 
his well kept gardens, and besides is a very prominent 
prize taker at the principal flower shows in the West 
of Scotland. We wish him a long connection with 
the liberal family he now serves, and renewed suc¬ 
cesses in every enterprise he may undertake.— 
Hamiltoniensis. 
-—i-- 
CROSS FERTILISING BY BEES. 
I was much interested in the note which appeared 
in The Gardening World some weeks ago from 
the pen of “ Brightspade,” p. 521. His friend, who 
saved and sowed seeds of the fine Brussels Sprout, 
was more fortunate than a farmer of my acquaint¬ 
ance, some good few years ago. This farmer used 
to save his own Turnip seed, making a plantation in 
spring of any particular variety he wanted to furnish 
the next crop, a twelvemonth hence. Usually he 
made the plantation in the corner or sharp angle of 
a field where the plough could not well be managed 
to till the ground. This plan generally answered 
admirably, seeing that the Turnips were isolated 
from every other crop of the same kind. This might 
be described as the result of accident rather than 
carefully considered design, as an accident with less 
happy results will demonstrate. 
ODe year no suitable corner of a field being avail¬ 
able the kailyard in front of the bee seeps suggested 
the place where the “ neeps ” would at least be out 
of the way of other crops, and perhaps more under 
the eye of the farmer in case the sparrows should 
prove troublesome. But if the farmer took these 
precautions designedly, in another respect he was 
like the stag in the fable, that was blind of one eye, 
and turned that towards the sea so that he could 
keep the other open towards the land and so guard 
against his prospective enemies or probable pursuers, 
forgetting or not knowing that human enemies could 
use boats to get within gunsnot of him. The 
“ neeps ” which happened to be Swedes were planted 
alongside cf Curly Kail, not intended for seed, but 
merely negligently allowed to flower after the spring 
leaves had been picked for use in the farm house. 
Nothing appeared amiss till next summer when 
the Swedes or what should have been Swedes were 
ready for thinning with the hoe. The farmer’s sur¬ 
prise and consternation were great when he found 
the seedlings turned out neither *'Swadish Neeps 
nor Curly Kail,” but as he said" a kin' o' Kail,” the 
coarsest he ever saw. They had the blue colour of 
Swedes but the leaves were more cuily than usual, 
and the plants were rising up on plain kail shanks. 
Taking counsel of his neighbours and assuring them 
that he had not mixed the seed, they suggested the 
bees as the cause of all the trouble. The unfore¬ 
seen occurrence was a great loss to him, as it was too 
late in the season to re-sow the Swedes. To com¬ 
promise the matter he ploughed down the worst of 
the mongrel kail and re-sowed the ground with a 
white, quick growing variety of Turnip of small 
feeding value, and so tender that it had to be used 
in autumn because unfit for storing. Where a per¬ 
centage of good Swedes was present he left them 
and allowed the blanks to be occupied with the 
mongrel Kail. It was a lesson he never forgot, and 
he came to the conclusion that it was not always 
good policy to save his own seed.— J. Mcl. 
CHEMISTRY FOR THE GARDEN. 
XV.— Manures, continued. 
Where pigeon's dung can be procured no better 
substitute for the good old Peruvian guano can be 
had, and its application to all kinds of crops is 
attended with the highest results. It ought to be 
thoroughly cleaned from every bit of foreign matter, 
such as wood, straw, &c., that may find its way into 
the dovecot. It must also be kept dry, and when it 
is elected for mixing with potting soil it should be 
grated fine against the meshes of, at least a J-in. 
riddle, the riddlings to be preserved for making a 
liquid manure. If carefully used in potting it gives 
excellent results, and we think in a special way to 
Cyclamens. 
The excreta of sheep constitutes another valuable 
manure, and when easily procured should always be 
one of the gardener's fertilisers. This, when con¬ 
verted into a liquid, is far richer in nitrogen than 
either horse or cows’ urine, and withal it does not 
partake so much of the burning acidulous nature of 
those, and does not contaminate the atmosphere of 
glass structures. All things which are benefited 
by stimulants can be with impunity subjected to 
treatment by the manure. 
Horse and cow urine are valuable manures, but 
we always thought their application to indoor vege¬ 
tation, a species of coarse gardening. At one time 
the intermittent dosing of vinery borders with this 
liquid almost amounted to a religious rite. No doubt 
ignorance of its nature led many to use it indiscrimin¬ 
ately, which often resulted in burning up, or perhaps 
a more preferable term, rotting out the more delicate 
root fibres. We have, on more than one occasion, 
turned out Vines which were regularly manured 
with this wash, and found them almost destitute of 
roots, and on mentioning this matter to one of our 
ablest Vine growers of the time, he substantiated 
our suspicions. Whatever benefits may be derived 
from its use directly, it undoubtedly has a tendency 
ultimately to prove a death-warrant to Vines. For 
other garden purposes, such as vegetables, nothing 
can suit better. 
Blood and offal manure is another high class 
fertiliser for all kinds of vegetables. If the blood is 
got by itself and dried, and then ground down fine, 
the preparation can be used for potting, like any 
other artificial manure. Of course, we are aware 
that these natural fertilisers incur a little unpleasant 
labour to reduce them to this handy state, but we 
have no doubt whatever that the unpleasantness and 
the labour too will be amply repaid by the results. 
There are various other manures used by the 
gardener which have little or no nitrogen worth 
noting. These, perhaps, act more as vermin killers 
than as fertilisers. Gaslime, soot and gas water are 
in favour with many. Neither of these are of very 
great manurial value, still, when any of them is easily 
got, it certainly ought not to be ignored. All of them 
contain a small percentage of amrroDia. 
We may just, in concluding, be allowed to say a 
few words in reference to the inexhaustible variety of 
artificial manures. It is not our intention here to 
praise cr condemn any one cf them. Some, of 
course, will stand extolling, and, of course, others 
will perhaps not merit any special tribute of that 
description. The whole of them, however, are far 
too dear for their value. We could never be con¬ 
vinced that a ton of any compound manure is worth 
£ 20. It is certainly an enormous price, considerably 
more than the value, bulk for bulk, or for that matter 
weight for weight, of any product the farmer grows. 
Compare price per ton of Wheat, corn, Potatos and 
Turnips, with price of fertiliser, and one can form 
an idea of their relative values. Our Sugar, even 
under the pressure of the new tax, is cot so dear. 
Farmers, we believe, do not pay so much for the 
same material as the gardener If the farmer has 
a difficulty in making ends meet we think the market 
gardener should have immensely more (of course the 
squire's gardener is not in the reckoning) for he, as a 
rule, pays very much dearer for his land, and 
besides, his whole plant is of a more expensive nature 
to keep up. His profits we have nothing to do with. 
They are truly the effects of his assidious exertions,, 
the fruits of his sweat. Supposing he nets a profit 
£2 per cwt. on Strawberries, he may not net 3s. on 
Gooseberries, Currants or Plums. As for vegetables 
they must be sold as near the wind as any yacht 
must ever sail, which aims to redeem the now famous 
Challenge Cup. Everyone must have his own 
favourite manure, as we suspect everyone has, and 
whether it does good or net, if the individual thinks 
so half of the work required is accomplished — 
Oxygen. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The undermentioned awards were made by the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the 7th inst. 
Orchid Committee. 
Laeliocattleya digbyano-Mendelii. — Of the: 
several bigeneric hybrids in which Laelia digbyana 
has been one of the parents, we think this the largest 
and most finely formed flower of all. The sepals 
and petals are blush-coloured, the latter being 
slightly fringed at the edges. The lip is of huge size,and 
blush-coloured with a very large lemon blotch on the 
disc, these colours being in keeping with the delicate 
hues of Cattleya Mendelii. The lamina of the Up 
and the side lobes are deeply friDged at the edges. 
(First-class Certificate.) The Hon. Walter Roth¬ 
schild (gardener, Mr. Hill), Tring Park, Tring. 
Laeliocattleya Mrs Gratrix Tring Park var. 
— The flowers of this variety are larger than usual, 
with orange sepals and petals. The lip is most 
conspicuous for its size, and is orange-yellow, with 
deeper veins, making a fine contrast to the other 
segments; it is also fringed at the margin. (Award 
of Merit.) The Hon. W. Rothschild. 
Odontoglossum crispum Confetti.— An Award 
of Merit was accorded to this beautiful variety at the 
last Temple Show, and on this occasion being much 
finer, it was granted a First-class Certificate. The 
sepals are lanceolate, and the petals ovate, all being 
white, suffused with rose, and thickly marked all over 
with purple-brown spots, those on the petals being 
darker. A more or less conspicuous line of spots 
encompasses both sepals and petals just within the 
margin. The lip is small, white at the apex, with a 
Chestnut-red blotch in front of the yellow base-. 
J. Leeman, Esq. (gardener, Mr. A. Edge) West. 
Bank, Heaton, Mersey. 
Brassocattleya nivalis. —This bigeneric hybrid 
was derived from Brassavola fragrans and Cattleya 
intermedia. The sepals and petals are lanceolate-, 
pointed and white. The lip is white, with a lemon 
tint on the disc, and the side lobes are folded over 
the blush column as in Cattleya. (Award of Merit .) 
J. Leeman, Esq. 
Cattleya Schroderae heatonense. —The sepals 
and petals are soft blush-rose, as is the lip, except a 
very large, soft lemon blotch in the throat. These: 
delicate markings make it a choice variety. (First- 
class Certificate.) H. T. Pitt, Esq. (gardener, Mr. 
T. W. Thurgood), Rosslyn, Stamford Hill. 
Odontoglossum Hallii King Edvyard VII.— 
The flowers of this noble variety are of great sub¬ 
stance, with broad, somewhat incurved segments. 
