Nov 5 1903 
porosity of the pots in which plants are 
.commonly grown ; for on a hot day, the pot 
becoming heated, the moisture in the soil 
passes through and is lost by evaporation, 
thus drying the adjacent soil, and, as a 
matter of course the roots, of which the 
youngest are generally at the circumference 
of the ball, to their injury and that of the 
whole plant. As a matter of course the 
experienced cultivator takes ineasures” to 
reduce these drawbacks to a minimum by 
various means, one of the most obvious 
being to plunge the pots in some substance 
that will, at any rate, lessen the fluctuations 
of temperature and moisture; but that can- 
not be anywhere, or even generally accom- 
plished, He also practises shading and 
frequent watering with the same object. In 
the majority of cases, however, plunging the 
pots cannot be practised; and this only 
ought to be done in the cases of plants while 
standing on the ground in sheltér sheds or 
frames, but plants on greenhouse stages or 
shelves must take their chance, though 
stoves are frequently designed so that the pots 
may be plunged, which must be the case 
where plants, such as pine apples, that 
require bottom heat are cultivated; but 
where plants have to stand on benches 
plunging is impracticable, and other means 
must be resorted to for maintaining them in 
health and vigour. One useful method is 
to place one pot within another, and if a 
packing of soil or moss can be placed 
between, it would have a good effect. 
The exhaustion of soil by the roots of 
plants is one of the greatest evils attendant 
on pot culture, the organisable matter con- 
tained in a garden pot being soon exhausted 
by the numerous roots’ crowded into a 
narrow compass, and continually feeding 
upon it. By way of remedy, the cultivator 
applies liquid manure, which produces a 
good, though partial effect, as it does not 
contain the whole of the ingredients which 
go tomake up the constituents of plants. 
Freyuent shifting is, however, the most 
effectual means of maintaining the health 
and vigour of plants, by enabling the roots 
to continue their advance into unexhausted 
feeding ground. Experiments have been 
tried with pots having hollow sides to hold 
water; but these are too expensive, and 
besides, unless glazed, the evaporation from 
their sides cools the soil, and that worst in 
the middle of the day, when an increase of 
warmth might be most beneficial. The 
same occurs when it is attempted to keep 
the pots moist by syringing or in a damp 
atmosphere. tt 
NOTES ON GROWING DAHLIAS. 
These plants make such an excellent dis- 
play in the garden that the grower is justi- 
fied in giving them generous treatment.. 
Rooted cuttings generally grow iito the 
best plants, though old tubers, if properly 
treated, are satisfactory. When the latter 
are planted several young shoots grow, and, 
unless they are thinned out in due’ time, 
the branches become very crowded, and the 
subsequent flowers are undersized. 
All of the sections of Dahlias are beauti- 
ful and useful; for filling large beds in the 
flower garden thef dwarf-growing sorts are 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. _ 
very effective. A bed of Cactus Dahlias, 
either of one variety or a judicious mixture, 
is very telling, and when the plants consist 
of tall growing sorts, the shoots may be 
pegged down, when they will quickly cover 
the whole surface of the bed with a dense 
mass of foliage and flowers. 
Plants grown several feet apart at the 
back of wide borders are fine as a back- 
ground to dwarfer plants. Strong stakes 
should be fixed firmly in the ground near to 
the main stems of these plants, and the 
latter neatly secured against injury. All 
side branches which need support may be 
fastened to the central stake near to the top 
of the plant, and to shorter and slenderer 
stakes placed around the base. 
If size of bloom is not material, all stems 
bearing buds may be allowed to grow natu- 
rally ; but if exhibition flowers are required, 
then the number on each branch must be ™ 
reduced by disbudding. The outside shoots 
should be removed while they are quite 
small, and the central or crown bud re- 
tained. This course must be adopted 
generally ; sometimes the crown bud does 
not give the best bloom at the right time, 
then it is advisable to rely upon a terminal 
bud, disbudding the others in the usual way. 
In dry soils a top-dressing of half-decayed, 
manure should be applied before the sur- 
face soil has dried up. Only when the 
plants are grown in poor land and during 
a very hot, dry season should frequent 
waterings of liquid manure be given. But 
when the case is reversed healthy plants 
make fine progress without the aid of much 
liquid manure. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
A committee of the National Horticul- 
tural Society of Frauce was appointed to act 
with a similar committee of the 
French Society of “Chrysanthemists,” 
to ascertain by practical experiment 
what are the best artificial manures to ein- 
ploy in the culture of Chrysanthemums. 
A report was presented to the National 
Horticultural Society by M- Georges ‘Truffaut 
giving the principal results of the experi- 
ments carried out forthese objects. 
Nine cultivators, scattered over as many 
districts of France, ‘first all submitted for 
analysis samples of the soil they intended 
to use, po manure of any kind being added, 
Each of the nine growers experimented: 
with a single variety, ‘‘Madame Gustav 
Henry,” a variety of moderate vigour, and 
with pure white flowers. M. Nonin alone 
chose two varieties, viz., Madame Gustav 
Henry, and Mdlle. Laurence Zédé, a more 
vigorous variety. 
The plants were all grown in thiree differ- 
ent ways — 1, plants allowed to form three 
stems; 2, plants with six stems; 3, plants 
grown without any disbudding. ‘Iwenty- 
four plants were grown in each of these three 
ways. Each grower thus had_ seventy-two 
plants under observation, the total number 
being about one thousand. 
Of the twenty-four plants observed by 
each cultivator in each of the three sections, 
four received no manure, and served as con- 
trol plants; four received a complete manure; 
four a similar manure, but in double 
ee 
quantity; four a complete manure with no 
nitrogen; four a complete manure with no 
potash; foura similar manure from which 
the phosphoric acid was eliminated. 
The principal objects of these experi- 
ments was to show by growing in sterile soil 
(white sand), the influence of nitrogen, 
potash, aud phosphoric acid respectively. 
The object of the other experiments was: 1, 
to show the influence of the complete man- 
ure in soils of varied character, but of known 
composition ; 2, to study the influence of 
climate or season on the action of the ma- 
nures, aud the cultivation of one and the same 
variety. 
We cannot give the full details of this 
most interesting and important series of 
experiments. Suffice it to say, that the most 
successful result, as tested at the end of the 
experiment, was obtained where a double 
dose of the manure was employed ; then came 
the plants treated to a single dose of 
complete manure ; next in descending order, 
plants grown without potash, without 
nitrogen, aud the worst of all (except, of 
course, the unmauured plants), were those 
plants which had no phosphoric acid. 
Phosphoric acid is thus shown to be of 
great importance to Chrysanthemums, and 
as necessary to the formation of chlorophyll. 
Plants deprived of this ingredient had yellow 
foliage and a weak habit. 
Without potash, the plants produced long, 
weak stems, broad, thick, but flabby leaves, 
falling off fron: the least cause. The flower- 
stems were large, hollow, but limp, the 
flowers large, but of bad shape. 
When nitrogen is absent the plants are 
’ feeble, chlorotic, the leaves small and thick, 
the stems of small diameter, the flowers few 
innumber, hollow in the centre, and of small 
size. 
M. ‘Truffaut, insumming up the results of 
this graud series of experiments, advises 
cultivators to prepare a gvod compost of 
two-thirds sandy loam mixed with leaf-mould. 
Nitrogenous manures, it is found, should 
only be applied in small proportions, as plants 
grown with an excess of nitrogenous manure 
are more subject to the attacks of rust. 
Nitrogen is most conveniently applied by 
means of dried blood, or guano in the re- 
quisite proportions; potash is best applied in 
the form of sulphate ; and bone phosphate 
yields. the necessary phosphoric acid. Soluble 
manures are requisite in the case of plants cul- 
tivated in pots. 
We have accumulated a good deal of know- 
ledge of the chemical composition of the soil, 
and also of the dead plant when cremated. 
What we want now is a tuller and clearer 
knowledge of what the living plant doesin the 
several stages of its carecr, and to. this end 
an analysis of the plant as grown under varied 
conditions, aud at different periods in its life 
history, is requisite.—“ Gardeners’ Chron- 
icle.” 
SMITH & MENZEL 
Aldgate, South Australia, 
Specialty Growers. 
We grow three or four specialties in very large 
quantities for mail orders, and these lines carry 
to any part of Australia safely by post. See 
advertisement elsewhere. SMITH & MENZEL. 
