428 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 21. 1904, 
in proportion as* root® of the higher plants are left there. 
The various acids in decaying vegetable matter, and known 
as humic acids, are chemically active, owing to the micro¬ 
organisms which feed on humus. Three ferments are needed, 
but always present in humus. One of these sets free ammonia., 
then another produces nitrite®, and the latter are converted 
into nitrates, which are readily soluble in water, and therefore' 
in a, condition to be taken, up by plants. In t he preparation 
of manure this valuable constituent is lost if the manuie is 
allowed to ferment too violently, so that the nitrogen is given 
off into the atmosphere in the form of ammonia. Some at¬ 
tempts are made to fix this ammonia by the addition of ceitain 
sub stances, but they are of little value unless care is. taken 
to prevent the access of air. Farmyard manure should be 
kept in a water-tight shed and trodden down by animals which 
prevents rapid fermentation. 
In .speaking of micro-organisms our minds are chiefly occu¬ 
pied with the usual purpose and effect of those microbes which 
produce diseases, but we must remember that there are 
poisonous plants amongst, the higher ones, and that many of 
these low organisms are highly beneficial in bringing about the 
various necessary chemical changes in soils to enable plants 
to make healthy growth, while they are harmless both to the 
plants and to human beings. 'Some of these microbes take up 
their stand on the surface of rocks and even iron if kept, moist., 
and higher plants, with their assistance, such as lichens, moss, 
herbs, etc., are enabled to live, and by depositing their decayed 
remains there gradually prepare a soil of greater and greater 
depth in which higher plants can live. 
In dealing with worms the author does not go much beyond 
what. Darwin tells us in his book on “ Vegetable' Mould and 
Earth Worms,” but lie shows how beneficial these are to plant 
life., and that the surface of the. soil has all passed through the 
intestines of worms in the course, cf generations, and thereby 
been rendered more suitable for plant growth. The amount 
of work performed by worms can be determined in a measure 
by the rapidity with which stones, ancient, buildings, and even 
ancient cities are buried under the surface very largely by their 
action. 
Transplanting Trees at Night. 
At first sight this might seem an unnecessary business to 
continue the work of the planter' all night. By inquiry into 
the subject, however, it will be seen that a. very useful purpose 
is, effected. Very frequently the gardener and planter are called 
upon to plant or transplant, trees late in spring, and even again 
early in the autumn, before the leaves have dropped from the 
trees. If the weather is dry when this work is performed there 
is sure to be a great loss amongst the trees and shrubs trans¬ 
planted, and which is often unavoidable. 
According to experiments this may be largely avoided by 
planting at night, because, then the atmosphere is cool and 
moist, and the trees and shrubs do not suffer much loss of water 
because of the reasons we have already given, and also because 
transpiration ceases with sunset. 
Our American contemporary, “ Gardening,” gives an account 
of some experiments of this nature carried out by M. Rene 
Ronalt, a nurseryman at Rennes. He had a large plantation 
to make late in the season, and commenced with a, fivei-year-old 
Lime tree. He planted this at night, watered it copiously, and 
syringed the whole tree well. Even although some of the 
young shoots were 6 in. or 7 in. long, the tree showed no> signs 
of check. Acting upon this experience, he transplanted the 
whole of the trees between May 21st and June 5th, losing only 
two, which had poor roots. By August, a, tree of Rohinia had 
made shoots 2| ft. long, while a Walnut even retained its nuts 
although both had been transplanted thus late. Some Limes' 
lifted had a spread of 7 ft., while the stems were 4 in. or 5 in. 
in diameter. 
In like manner this same progressive nurseryman trans¬ 
planted Limes at the end of August during the night-time, and 
in the course of six weeks these had produced such an, a,bun- 
dance of roots that they were well established before winter. 
Some trees and shrubs were transplanted in July, including 
Grapes, and their growth continued with very little check. 
He even transplanted a, Rohinia, twice in succession at an in- 
terva.1 of fifty days. 
The observations made show that deciduous trees should not 
be moved while their growth is quite soft, but after it has com¬ 
menced to. harden. Conifers generally may he treated like do 
ciduous trees, with the exception of the species of Abies, wlio-e 
growth ought to be completed a month before transplanting. 
Moreover, evergreen shrubs may be lifted at any time and 
transplanted successfully during the growing season, hut more 
particularly when the shoots have become partly hardened. 
The work should be accomplished between ten o’clock in the 
evening and two in the morning. 
The soil is settled about the roots by means of copious water¬ 
ing, instead of treading, and the transplanted trees and shrubs 
should he regularly syringed for a fortnight after moving until 
young roots again become active. This experiment seems well 
worthy the attention of planters who wish to establish their 
trees quickly in the new quarters without much danger or loss. 
Galega officinalis albiflora. 
(See Supplement.) 
The species of Galega or Goat’s Rue are not numerous; 
nevertheless we have had many names attached to G. officinalis. 
The ordinary form of the plant has light blue flowers and is a 
very handsome subject, as seen in gardens, particularly in cot¬ 
tage gardens, where it only reaches a, moderate height, hut 
flowers with great profusion and certainty every year. 
The white variety, G. o. albiflora, has often been named G. 
persica in gardens. The ordinary form is a native of south 
Europe, and was brought, to this country in 1568. It also 
extends into western Asia, from whence G. p. albiflora. was 
introduced, under the name of G. persica,, having been brought 
from Persia in 1823. 
A close examination of the plant would show that it does not 
differ from G. officinalis except in the colour of the flowers. 
Mostly all flowers that are normally blue, purple, red, or some 
shade of those colours give rise to a, white-flowered variety 
often spoken of as an albino. In a, great many cases the.se 
albinos have light, green foliage by comparison with the typical 
forms, so that when found in a. wild state their distinctness'is 
well marked. The white variety, which we figure in our supple¬ 
ment, is a,S' floriferous as the type' and usually grows only 2* ft. 
to 3 ft, high. 
In cottage gardens the first, named, being the usual height, 
is due no doubt to the poverty of the soil, or to the fact, that 
the plant lias been left untransplanted for a great, many years. 
This dwarfness is no drawback to the flowering of the plants, 
and may indeed suit the smaller gardens better than if it were 
made to grow more strongly. By occasional propagation, how¬ 
ever, and by enriching the soil, larger blooms and longer 
racemes wouljl be obtained, and this would be an advantage in 
the case of those who use the plant for exhibition purposes. 
For ordinary garden decoration, however, the dwarf plant 
is highly ornamental indeed, and this fact leads us on to the 
consideration that the plant may be very successfully grown 
in pots, when it will be even dwarfer than in the open ground, 
but, still very profusely flowered. Propagation may be effected 
by seeds or by division. Usually, this latter method is suffi¬ 
cient, to provide the number of plants necessary, as it is a 
long-lived plant, and does not require frequent renewal. 
Blairgowrie Berrypicker Qvestiox.—A public meeting was 
held at Blairgowrie on the 9th inst. to receive the report of 
the committee appointed at, a previous meeting regarding the 
housing and general management of the berrypickers. Provost 
Smith presided ever a large attendance. The report was unani¬ 
mously adopted, and a committee was appointed to carry out 
such reforms as might seem practicable and in the best interests 
of the community. 
