486 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
•*une 6, 1903. 
are to be obtained. Even the richest soils contain only small 
amounts of such plant-food that is readily assimilable, and hence 
the necessity for the presence in the soil of a large quantity 
oi manure that will easily yield up its fertilising ingredients. 
This is found to be the case more particularly when the rain¬ 
fall during the growing season, is below the average. Then it 
is that the benefit of good liquid manure or of assimilable 
chemical manures is apparent. 
The question of liming garden soils from a physiological 
standpoint is one of great importance, and should by no means 
be neglected ; but what soils need lime, and how much of the 
lime or lime compounds to be applied, must stand over for a 
separate article. 
All this teaches us that to feed plants intelligently implies 
possession in a fair degree of two kinds of information—namely, 
a knowledge of the special wants of the plants under cultivation, 
and a familiarity with the composition and general physical 
proportions of the different kinds of manorial matter at com¬ 
mand. Also the particular form in which we apply the various 
articles of plant-food, as well as the special associations in which 
they are applied, exerts quite a decided influence not only on 
the quantity of the crop, but. also on. the quality, which latter 
is a most important matter for consideration. Many a. failure 
in. horticulture may be ascribed to an indifferent system of 
manuring. 
Manurial Requirements of Vegetable Crops. 
All cultivated plants, whether in the garden, the orchard, or 
in the conservatory, contain the' same elementary constituents, 
yet no two- of them are in the same absolute amount and 
relative proportions. Each plant lias its especial wants at dif¬ 
ferent. stages of development. Succulent and rapidly-growing 
vegetables require an abundant supply of nitrogen in an, avail¬ 
able form during their early periods- of growth ; flowers and 
fruit trees require phosphatic food when blooming and develop¬ 
ing seeds or fruits. Grape Vines need a large amount of avail¬ 
able potash during the formation and maturing of the Grapes 
for the production of a rich and sugaiy juice ; while Potato's 
require nitrogen and potash for the production of starch in the 
tubers. 
The following table gives the amount of selected constituents 
taken from the soil by the growth, of 1 ton of various descrip¬ 
tions of vegetables, in their fresh condition. 
Selected chemical constituents in 1 ton of various de¬ 
scriptions of vegetables in fresh condition. Quantities 
in LBS. 
CL> 
O 
Q-g 
W 
Nitrogen. 
C h 
< 
y. 
O 
rM 
Phosphoric 
Acid. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
lb. 
Green Cabbage:— 
Heads . 
•224 
6 
21 
10 
4 
Stems . 
246 
5 
35 
13 
3 
Potatos :— 
Tubers . 
515 
8 
21 
13 
4 
Haulms 
1,919 
11 
44 
22 
8 
Carrots :— 
Roots . 
336 
5 
18 
7 
3 
Leaves . 
399 
ii 
54 
6 
2 
Peas 
Seed and Pods 
1,919 
80 
52 
23 
19 
Vines . 
1,881 
23 
97 
22 
8 
Onion Bulbs ... 
314 
6 
17 
5 
3 
Celery ... 
356 
5 
39 
17 
5 
Asparagus 
150 
7 
11 
3 
2 
Lettuce 
134 
5 
18 
8 
2 
We. see from the above figures that the range of food re- 
quirements is exceedingly wide, and the small amount, of dry 
substance in, many of the products shows the necessity for an 
abundant, supply of water. To- take the Lettuce as. an example, 
in 1 ton weight of this plant there is. but 134 lb. of diy sub¬ 
stance, showing that 2,106 lb. consists of water. In fact, taking 
vegetables as a, whole, it. may be said that in order to produce 
1 ton of dry substance, 3 in. of rain, or about 300 tons of water 
on each acre of land, is required. 
One great point of interest brought out by the foregoing 
diagram is that, the refuse portion-of vegetables—the steins and 
haulms—abstract from the soil a very much larger amount of 
plant-food constituents, weight for weight, than do the market¬ 
able parts, teaching us the advisability of returning to the soil 
all the unsaleable portions of a crop. 
. Taking the average result of many analyses of garden refuse, 
including Potato' haulm, Pea vine, Bean stems, Carrot and 
Turnip leaves, Cabbage' roots, stems and leaves, rotten fruit, 
and leaves of trees, we find they contain about 31 per cent, of 
dry substance, about, 2 per cent, of ash, which includes-the 
potash, phosphoric acid and lime, and about, six-tenths of a per 
cent, of nitrogen. This shows us that, in each ton weight of 
such refuse dug into the soil there are added 694 lb. of organic- 
matter, 14 lb. of nitrogen, and 45 lb. of ash constituents. 
We must leave tile further consideration of this subject to 
our next article. 
The Herbaceous Border. 
PLANTS IN FLOWER. 
Ranunculus aconitifolius fl. pi. 
The double form of this Crowfoot has long been known in 
gardens under the name of White Batchelor’s Buttons, or Fair 
Maids of France. The flowers are both more showy and 
durable than the ordinary single form. In northern gardens, 
where the climate is cool and moist, the plant succeeds ad¬ 
mirably, even in the ordinary herbaceous border, whereas, in 
drier districts, the vicinity of water or a naturally damp border 
is necessary to enable this plant to' look happy during the 
summer. At present, however, it is in full beauty. 
Symphytum caucasicum. 
Most of the species of Comfrey are rather coarse-growing 
plants, and suitable chiefly for the wild garden, but several of 
the early-flowering species are dwarfer and well worthy of a 
place in the border at a time when flowers are not over plentiful. 
The flowers are produced in crozier-like cymes, and are rela¬ 
tively of large size and richer blue than usually obtains amongst 
species of this genus. The plant is about 18 in. high, and 
clothed with lanceolate, wrinkled, deep green leaves. 
Mertensia pulmonarioides. 
Thei above is better known in gardens under the name of 
Pulmcoaria virginica,, and is one of the earliest of the Merten¬ 
sia,s to* bloom in the open air. The soft blue or rosy tints of 
the flowers are very pleasing in combination with the deep 
glaucous blue foliage. The hue of the leaves would lead one 
to suspect its being a Mertensia, and if one examines the struc¬ 
ture of the flowers, it can easily be seen that, this, is the proper 
genus in which to place it. The plant just named is a much 
taller growing subject than the Oyster Plant, and much more 
easy to cultivate under artificial treatment. During the un¬ 
seasonable spell of cold weather in April, the plant, had a very 
Dying time, and was more or less damaged in very exposed 
places, but, as a rule, it shows up bravely during April and 
May. 
Megasea cordifolia 
The above plant will grow under almost any conditions, 
being very robust and hardy, though the herbaceous border 
if flat may not, be the most suitable position for it. It may, 
however, be. planted in bold clumps on banks near drives, oi 
even on elevated places of the herbaceous border near walks 
and other places, where its bold, evergreen foliage tell- to 
advantage at every pieriod of the year. When obtainable m 
its best form the flowers are of a deep rose-purple, and pio- 
duced in a dense thyrse, having a, massive appearance. I ro- 
pagation is of the easiest, either by division of the clumps, or 
by taking off the crowns and rooting them in the form 0 
cuttings. 
r 
