August 15, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
699 
Hyacinths, which might be described as an arrangement suit¬ 
able both for spring and summer gardening. 
The bed is elevated, as may be noticed, and surrounded with 
a line of short supports, on the back of which, short crooked, 
forked, and twisted branches are nailed on, so as to give the 
whole a rustic appearance. The bed is wide, at both ends, and 
narrowed to the middle, where a suitable handle is worked up 
with similar twisted and forked branches. This might or 
might not be covered with plants of some kinds, as we have 
seen both ways practised. For instance, climbing Roses can 
be trained over the handle, or Clematis, Honeysuckle, or any 
other hardy climber, according to inclination. This would, of 
course, hide the rustic character of the handle to a great 
extent; and if the operator has taken some pains to build up 
an ornamental device, he is loth to hide his handiwork. 
A bed of this character could be planted in the autumn with 
any hardy subject that would stand the winter in the district 
where the planter lives. In this case Hyacinths were thinly 
planted all over the bed, and t-he intervening space thickly 
tilled up with Pansies. In a mild climate, like that of Dorset, 
the Pansies would practically keep growing all the winter, and 
the bed would be well filled up before spring. This is prac¬ 
tically what has happened at Canford Manor in the bed under 
notice. The Hyacinths are passing out of bloom, and it must 
be admitted that the Pansies have fairly taken possession of 
the surface of the ground, and would continue to make a fine 
display all through the summer, unless the latter happened to 
be a dry one, in which case the Pansies would be liable to pass 
into the fruiting stage, and be less floriferous. We may, in 
passing, remark that any other class of hardy plants can be 
utilised in the same way, and pleasant and tasteful combina¬ 
tions produced by the use of a few simple and easily-grown, 
plants. 
Something about Plant Food. 
By J. J. Willis, Harpenden. 
(Continued from jiage 598.) 
In our previous articles we have considered the chemical com¬ 
position of certain garden products, such as kitchen vegetables, 
fruits, and the wood of fruit trees. We now follow on with 
the consideration of a few garden flowers. 
In agriculture the farmer has to do with a. comparatively 
small number of different kinds of plants, but in horticulture 
the gardener meets with far greater difficulties, because he has 
to 1 do not. only with a far larger number of genera and species, 
but kitchen vegetables. The finer kinds of fruit and flowers 
are, as a rule, much more delicate and sensitive than are the 
usual farm crops. 
Flowers, fruit and vegetables require manuring, asi do all 
plants, but the art of feeding these garden crops is too often 
practised in a careless and unrational manner. Dr. A. B. 
Griffiths says: “ If the chapter on manuring in text books 
on fruit and garden cultivation is studied, one is amazed, and 
questions how it can be possible that the sphere of garden 
culture has been so completely excluded from all influence of a 
scientifically systematised scheme of manuring.” Fortunately, 
this state of things is gradually being altered. We now have 
the experimental fruit farm at Wobum, under the direction 
of 'Mr. Spencer Pickering, F.C.S., with Mr. L. Castle as 
assistant, and the valuable experiments on the manuring of 
vegetable and fruit crops, carried out by Dr. Bernard Dyer, with 
the co-operation of Mr. F. W. E. Shrivell, at Hadlow, Ton- 
bridge. 
Chemical Composition of Flowers. 
For the benefit of our readers who are mere learners in 
chemistry, it may be stated that when the chemist burns a 
plant a greyish-white ash remains. This ash contains the 
whole of the mineral constituents of the plant which it has 
taken up from the soil. Onlv about 5 per cent, of a plant 
consists of these mineral substances, but they are extremely 
important, and play a most essential part, in the nutrition and 
growth of crops. For example, if a chemist analyses the ashes 
obtained by burning a plant of Mignonette', he will find 
that they contain about 38 per cent, of potash and 7 pen cent, 
of phosphoric acid ; while the ashes of a plant of Musk will 
contain 32 per cent, of potash and 20 per cent, of phosphoric 
acid. Irises, on the other hand, contain less than 3 per 
cent, of potash, and only about 5 per cent, of phosphoric acid, 
because these plants contain 34 per cent, of lime and 36 per 
cent, of silica. Again, Chrysanthemums consist of 16 per 
cent, of potash, 19 per cent, of phosphoric acid, and about 
26 per cent, of lime, and so we might goj cn. All this teaches 
us the nature of the ingredients which the various plants, absorb 
from the soil; consequently, if the soil we cultivate is deficient 
in any of these important constituents, it. is impossible that 
really good plants can be grown, or that perfect blooms can 
be obtained. 
There can be little doubt that many plants suffer from 
disease' simply for the want of proper nourishment, as we 
know is the case with animals and men. In fact, imperfect 
or unsuitable manuring is at the root of many of the gar¬ 
dener’s troubles. 
Essential Conditions of Flower Culture. 
We may, therefore, ask, What are the essential conditions of 
successful flower culture? The soil is. an all-important con¬ 
sideration where choice can, be made. A sandy loam of 
moderate consistency is always preferable. This under-cul¬ 
ture, when of a goodly depth, gives the best results. Not only 
does such a soil possess the requisite fertility, freedom for 
root action, and mechanical cobesiveness, but it is: also, char¬ 
acterised by more warmth in winter, without excess of latent 
moisture at any season. A sufficient supply of water is in¬ 
dispensable, also the mineral elements of potash, lime and 
phosphates in an available form are 1 essential. For the quickly 
growing and succulent vegetables, the element nitrogen is the 
main, factor, to be assisted by mineral food ; but for flowering 
plants, when we want not, so much luxuriance as sturdiness and 
maturation—in other words, bloom production—then the 
mineral ingredients are the requisite requirements, and nitro¬ 
gen, although necessary, is needed in much smaller quantity. 
In order to give some idea, of the importance of mineral 
elements in the growth of plants raised mainly for their 
flowers, we' give some analyses by Dr. A. B. Griffiths, quoting 
the more essential constituents only : — 
Description of 
Flower. 
Potash. 
Phosphoric 
Acid. 
Lime. 
Soda. 
Magnesia. J 
Per cent. 
Per cent,. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Per cent 
Clematis 
30-6 
26-8 
16-2 
6-9 
6-4 
Nemophilas - 
48 6 
13-4 
15-3 
5-4 
8-2 
Verbenas 
28-2 
42-7 
lo-3 
5*1 
5*0 
Daturas - 
20*2 
34-7 
41 
14-2 
17-6 
Echeverias 
26-9 
32 1 
16 *2 
5*2 
6 9 
Mimulus 
32 * 1 
20-7 
15-0 
6-2 
11-3 
Godetias 
30-0 
33-1 
12-3 
3-7 
6-2 
Marigold 
39-3 
14-1 
30-8 
6-0 
9 6 
Auricula 
1(5-6 
33-9 
14-2 
8-5 
8-9 
Gladiolus 
18-9 
28-2 
132 
9 0 
12-2 
Chrysanthemum 
162 
19 5 
26-3 
10-4 
10-2 
Mignonette - 
38'6 
7*5 
8 - 0 
3*5 
10*3 
Cacti 
7-8 
7-2 
10-7 
36-1 
7-8 
In. the foregoing list Nemophilas are the largest consumer 
of potash, nearly one-half (48*6 per cent.) of the ashes of this 
plant, being composed of potash, while the smallest user of 
this element is the Cacti, which requires but 7’8 per cent. In 
regard to phosphoric acid, Verbenas head the list with 42'7 
per cent., the Mignonette and Cacti plants yielding but little 
over 7 per cent. Lime is required in greatest amount by the 
Marigold, which shows 30\8 per cent., while the Daturas are 
contented with 4 per cent. The elements soda and magnesia 
run together, upon the whole, very regularly until we come 
to the Cacti family, which gives on, analysis 36*1 per cent. 
