142 
THE FLORIST’S JOURNAL. 
eight hours, acquired a colour considerably deeper than that of 
porter, and in this state was drawn off clear, and employed to 
feed trees of the vine, the mulberry, peach, and other plants. 
A second quantity of water was then applied, and afterwards 
used in the same manner; when the manure was changed, and 
the same process repeated. The vine and mulberry tree, being 
gross feeders, Avere not likely to be soon injured by this treat¬ 
ment, but I expected the peach tree, which is frequently injured 
by excess of manure in a solid state, to give early indications of 
being over-fed. Contrary, however, to my expectations, the 
peach tree maintained, at the end of two years, the most healthy 
and luxuriant appearance imaginable, and produced fruit in the 
last season in greater perfection than I had ever previously been 
able to obtain it. Some seedling plants had then acquired at 
eighteen months old (though the whole of their roots had 
been confined to half a square foot of mould) more than 11 ft. 
in height, with numerous branches, and afforded a most abun¬ 
dant and vigorous bloom, which set remarkably well ; and those 
trees which had been most abundantly supplied with manure 
displayed the greatest degrees of health and luxuriance. A 
single orange tree was subjected to the same mode of treatment, 
and grew with equal comparative vigour; and appeared to be as 
much benefited by abundant food as even the vine and mulberry 
tree. 
An opinion generally, though I think somewhat erroneously, 
prevails, that many plants, particularly the different species and 
varieties of heaths, require a very poor soil in pots: but these 
might, I conceive, with propriety be said to require a peculiar 
soil, for I have never seen the common species of this genus 
spring with so much luxuriance as from a deep bed of vegetable 
mould, which had been recently very thickly covered with the 
ashes of a preceding crop of heaths, and other plants that had 
been burned upon it; and I believe, if the branches and leaves 
of the common species of heath were placed to decompose in 
water, and such water were afterwards given to the tender ex¬ 
otic species, that these, how heavily soever the water may be 
loaded with organisable matter, would be found as little capable 
of being injured by abundant food as the vine or mulberry tree, 
though the species of food which would best suit those plants 
might prove to every species of heath destructive and poisonous. 
(Knight's Physiological and Horticultural Papers .) 
