102 
February  1,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
THE  TULIP  TREE. 
Considering  the  highly  ornamental  character  and  hardy  nature  of 
Liriodendron  tulipifera,  it  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  there  are  com¬ 
paratively  few  epecimens  to  be  found  in  the  British  Isles.  Possibly  the 
scarcity  arose  from  a  mistaken  notion  by  would-be  planters  that  the 
tree  would  not  flourish  in  this  clime;  also  that  nurserymen  found  it 
more  difficult  to  propagate  than,  for  instance,  the  Oriental  and  Occi¬ 
dental  Planes,  and  which  are  so  extensively  used  as  town  trees.  It  is 
for  this  latter  purpose  that  my  present  remarks  are  chiefly  intended, 
and  it  would  be  interesting  to  learn  if  there  is  any  specific  objection 
to  the  Tulip  Tree  for  the  purpose  indicated.  My  own  limited  experience 
of  its  adaptability  favours  its  adoption,  and  I  am  cognisant  of  a  few  speci¬ 
mens  flourishing  well  within  the  smoky  atmosphere  of  Birmingham, 
and  the  foliage  of  no  other  tree  keeps  clearer  of  sooty  or  other  sub¬ 
stance.  Moreover,  the  highly  glabrous  surfaces  of  the  leaves,  changing 
from  a  bright  green  to  an  intensely  bright  golden  yellow  in  the 
airtumn,  afford  a  diversity  of  colouration  not  possessed  by  the  otherwise 
desirable  and  elegant  “  town  ”  Planes.  It  would,  however,  be  somewhat 
presumptuous  to  expect  the  street  or  boulevard-planted  Tulip  Tree — 
unless  in  exceptional  situations-  to  produce  its  beautiful  flowers,  and 
even  then  not  until  it  had  attained  an  age  of  from  twenty  to  thirty 
years. 
The  tree  is  perfectly  hardy,  as  proved  by  numerous  fine  specimens 
in  different  parts  of  the  country  fully  exposed  to  the  roughest  winds 
and  sharpest  frosts  incidental  to  the  British  Isles.  The  flowers  are 
sweetly  scented,  and  the  petals  six  in  number,  and  the  three  sepals 
forming  the  calyx  are  prettily  coloured  with  orange,  yellow,  and  red. 
The  leaves  are  truncate  at  the  point,  four-lobed,  and  similar  to  a  saddle 
in  shape.  Hence  the  tree  is  also  known  as  the  Saddle  Tree.  The  Tulip 
Tree  is  a  native  of  chiefly  the  Western  States  of  North  America,  where 
in  the  deep  alluvial  soils  on  the  banks  of  rivers  it  attains  to  magnificent 
dimensions,  reaching  a  height  of  from  120  feet  to  140  feet,  with  boles 
girthing  up  to  20  feet  in  circumference  at  5  feet  and  6  feet  from  the 
ground.  It  was  introduced  into  Europe  upwards  of  200  years  ago,  and 
there  are  specimens  of  it  in  England  100  feet  high,  notably  at  Longleat, 
in  Wilts.  Some  thirty  years  ago  the  writer  had  the  pleasure  of  viewing 
the  trees  in  October,  when  they  were  enriched  with  a  mantle  of  golden 
hued  foliage.  The  Longleat  strong  loamy  soil  evidently  suited  the 
Tulip  Tree,  though  it  will  also  flourish  in  light  soils. — W.  Gardiner. 
STUMP-ROOTED  CARROTS. 
Most  Carrot  growers  have  some  favourites  among  the  large  list 
-which  every  seed  catalogue  furnishes,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
many  persons  are  attracted  by  the  models  therein  illustrated,  while 
others  are  fascinated  by  the  splendid  examples  that  are  exhibited  at 
summer  shows  by  the  leading  vegetable  growers,  and  order  those  which 
are  thus  represented.  Some  may  obtain  roots  almost  a  counterpart  of 
those  seen  the  previous  season,  while  others  are  disappointed  because 
the  crop  does  not  realise  their  ideal.  There  are  some  soils  that  will, 
with  ordinary  cultivation,  produce  beautiful!?  shaped  Carrots,  and 
there  are  gardens  in  which  it  is  almost  impossible  to  grow  shapely 
roots  at  all.  Such  cases  demand  special  preparation  of  the  soil,  or 
provision  made  for  exhibition  purposes,  especially  for  the  long  and 
intermediate  types. 
For  household  purposes— and  Carrots,  it  may  be  said,  are  in  request 
almost  every  day — I  have  for  some  time  held  that  the  stump-rooted  or 
Horn  varieties  are  better  than  the  long  roots,  and  this  opinion  has  been 
gaining  greater  prominence  for  the  past  two  or  three  hot  summers.  I 
am  of  the  opinion  that  they  are  more  easily  prepared  and  less  wasteful 
when  they  pass  to  the  kitchen,  and  though  their  culture  needs  the 
same  detail,  lifting  and  storing  of  the  matured  crop  are  much  less 
arduous  than  the  deeper-rooted  Carrots  demand. 
The  long  Carrots  are  in  most  cases  grown  for  winter  use,  the  stump- 
rooted  types  flnding  favour  for  the  summer  months  only,  and  often 
these  are  sown  in  small  quantities,  so  that  the  roots  may  be  drawn  in 
a  young  and  tender  state.  Thus  treated  many  fail  to  learn  to  what  a 
large  size  they  attain  when  they  are  sown  fairly  early  and  allowed  to 
develop  their  true  character.  It  is  curious  how  one  clings  to  old 
customs  and  old  favourites  in  the  matter  of  vegetables.  So  many 
gardeners  follow  the  same  course  year  after  year,  and  are  nervous  in 
making  new  departures  for  fear  they  should  not  equal  the  old.  I  believe 
this  to  be  the  case  with  the  crop  under  notice.  Although  Carrots  may  be 
said  to  be  au  everyday  vegetable,  it  is  only  in  isolated  cases  where  there 
is  a  difficulty  in  maintaining  a  regular  supply,  and  they  are  so  accom¬ 
modating  that  periodical  sowings  may  be  continued  for  six  months 
•outdoors. 
Many  seedsmen  have  their  own  specialities  in  both  long  and  short 
Carrots.  There  is,  however,  a  preponderance  of  the  latter,  and  ample  to 
supply  the  four  seasons  of  the  year  in  every  household  from  the  smallest 
to  the  largest.  The  Early  Nantes,  which  is  such  a  favourite  for  summer 
use,  makes  an  excellent  winter  Carrot,  and  grows  to  a  size  sufficient  to 
meet  every  cooking  purpose,  and  in  suitable  soils  assumes  a  colour  and 
sliape  that  can  scarcely  be  surpassed  by  any  other.  Williams’  Match¬ 
less  is  another  beautiful  variety,  either  for  summer  or  winter.  Early 
em,  Model,  Guerande,  Summer  Favourite,  Improved  and  Champion 
Scarlet  Horn,  are  only  a  few  that  occur  as  one  writes,  and  from  which 
growers  may  easily  suit  themselves  if  they  so  wish.  These  remarks, 
it  will  be  observed,  are  directed  towards  the  more  general  adoption  of 
the  stump-rooted  varieties  for  winter  purposes,  and  in  so  doing  I  am 
persuaded  that  if  these  were  compared  culturally  and  economically 
with  the  long  roots,  there  would  be  found  a  favourable  balance  in  their 
favour. 
Carrots,  like  Parsnips  and  Beetroot,  are  better  stored  in  the  soil 
outdoors,  and  in  lifting  and  laying  them  in  during  the  late  autumn 
months,  proof  can  easily  be  obtained  bearing  on  the  question  of  labour. 
Such  sorts  as  Long  Red  Surrey  and  Altrincham  are  quite  uncalled  for 
in  domestic  uses,  and  those  who  adhere  to  them  for  winter  storing 
would  be  surprised  if  they  took  the  trouble  to  compare  them  point  by 
point  with  the  smaller  stump-rooted  section. — R.  Ashton. 
SOIL  FERTILITY. 
Garden  Experiments  versus  Laboratory  Analyses. 
Some  modern  scientific  authorities  who  have  made  the  soil  in  its 
relation  to  the  production  of  plants  and  crops  a  special  study,  and  who 
do  not  conduct  analyses  as  a  matter  of  business,  appear  to  attach 
much  less  importance  to  ordinary  analyses  of  soil  in  the  laboratory 
than  to  practical  experiments  in  the  garden  for  determining  what 
particular  ingredients  the  soil  lacks  for  the  proper  support  of  different 
kinds  of  crops.  Mr.  Herbert  H.  Cousins,  M.A.,  Lecturer  in  Chemistry 
at  the  South-Eastern  Agricultural  College,  Wye,  has  some  trenchant 
remarks  on  the  subject  of  soil  analyses  in  his  Primer,  “The 
Chemistry  of  the  Garden.”'^ 
While  he  admits  the  modern  “  fertility  analysis,  by  which  is 
determined  the  “  available  ”  plant  food  in  the  soil,  is  sound  and  reli¬ 
able,  he  does  not  hesitate  to  brand  the  old  so-called  “complete*' 
analyses,  based  on  the  determination  of  the  ash  found  in  plants,  as 
utterly  fallacious.  He  goes  so  far  as  to  say  that  those  well-intentioned 
persons  who,  after  consulting  Profesfor  'Wolff’s  table  of  ash  analyses 
of  various  plants,  and  founding  thereon  manure  formulae  for  the 
different  plants,  are  “  blind  leaders  of  the  blind.” 
Mr.  Cousins  bases  his  conclusions  on  stated  “facts.”  1,  The  ash 
of  a  plant  depends  directly  on  the  manures  with  which  its  roots 
come  in  contact,  2,  That  as  a  root  is  obliged  to  absorb  any  different 
salt  in  the  soil  the  mineral  substances  of  any  kind  of  plant  must  be 
variable.  3,  The  unknown  and  highly  variable  proportions  of  good 
constituents  in  a  soil  is  a  serious  disqualification  of  the  presumptions  of 
the  “plant  ash  oracle.”  6,  A  large  or  small  quantity  of  plant  food  in 
the  ash  ot  a  certain  plant  does  not  preclude  the  possibility  of  the  plant 
with  the  small  proportion  requiring  as  much,  or  even  more,  assist¬ 
ance  from  a  particular  fertiliser  than  another  plant  containing  a  far 
larger  proportion  of  the  ingredient  in  question. 
He  goes  on  to  say  “  A  careful  series  of  field  (or  garden)  experi¬ 
ments  will  teach  a  farmer  (or  gardener)  more  about  the  profitable 
manuring  of  his  crops  than  all  the  analyses  which  have  ever  been 
made.”  After  those  strong  pronouncements  our  author  concludes 
thus : — “  Ancient  fallacies  die  hard ;  and  it  is  urgently  needed  that 
some  high  authority,  such  as  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  or  the 
horticultural  institutions  connected  with  County  Councils,  should 
approach  this  extremely  crucial  problem  of  the  profitable  and 
rational  manuring  of  garden  plants  by  the  only  sound  and  certain 
method  possible — namely,  careful  and  scientific  experiments  on 
actual  cultivations  year  by  year.”  ‘ 
If  those  views  were  not  largely,  if  not  entirely,  held  by  the 
accomplished  Principal  of  Wye  College,  Mr.  A.  D.  Hall,  he  would 
scarcely  have  circulated  the  following  instructions  under  the  head¬ 
ing  of 
Experiments  on  Manuring. 
The  following  suggestions  are  intended  for  gardeners,  teachers,  and 
others  who  wish  to  illustrate  the  principles  of  manuring,  or  to  test  by 
experiment  what  sort  of  manuring  is  likely  to  answer  best  on  their 
own  soil. 
Size  op  Plot. — A  piece  2  rods  (11  yards)  by  4  rods  (22  yards)  is  a 
convenient  size,  larger  or  smaller  according  to  the  number  of  trial 
plots. 
Situation. — Choose  as  uniform  and  level  a  piece  of  ground  as 
possible,  which  has  all  been  cropped  in  the  same  way  in  the  previous 
year.  It  is  preferable  that  the  long  side  of  the  plot  should  run  across 
any  slope  in  the  ground  that  may  exist,  and  the  drills'  should  run  the 
long  way  of  the  plot.  If  the  land  is  level  the  drills  should  run  N.  and 
S.,  rather  than  E.  and  W. 
Cultivation. — The  artificial  manures  used  require  just  as  much 
cultivation  of  the  soil  as  dung;  the  whole  plot  should  be  dug  and 
bastard  trenched  in  the  winter  or  early  spring.  This  ought  to  be  done 
in  one  operation’;  if  part  is  done  at  one  time  and  part  at  another, 
variations  may  be  set  up  in  the  crop.  If  tho  divirin" 
*  MacMillan  &  Co.,  St.  Martin’s  Street,  London, 
