256 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  25,  1897. 
make  for  the  Turnip  pulp  and  run  away  from  the  chalk.  Thus  the 
lowly  Plasmodiophora  “smells  out”  its  food. 
Finally  give  a  Plasmodiophora  brassicse  plasmodium  no  choice,  but 
place  before  it  a  dish  of  air-slaked  chalk  lime,  and  note  how  quiescent 
it  becomes;  then  watch  the  lime  diffuse  in  the  film  of  moisture  till  it 
embraces  the  plasmodium,  and  observe  how  the  organism  gets  “smaller 
by  degrees  and  beautifully  less,”  nothing  at  last  remaining  but  a  dark 
stain — organic  matter  resolved  into  inorganic — the  essential  food  of 
chlorophyll-possessing  plants. 
Now  “  think,”  and,  taking  a  lesson  from  the  sense  of  the  plant,  act  in 
favour  of  the  crop  by  applying  a  dressing  of  lime  to  land  on  which 
Cabbages  club  and  Turnips  fiuger-and-toe,  using  sufficient  to  bring  that 
in  the  soil  up  to  2  per  cent.,  apply  at  the  rate  of  10  tons  per  acre,  1]  cwt. 
per  rod,  of  best  chalk  or  land  lime  freshly  burned,  placing  in  little  heaps 
convenient  for  spreading,  covering  with  a  little  damp  soil  till  fallen, 
then  spread  evenly,  leaving  for  a  few  days,  and  then  ploughing  in, 
which  being  about  5  inches  deep  amounts  to  about  2  per  cent,  of  lime, 
therefore  in  digging-in  lime  do  not  place  it  deeper.  Choose  a  dry  time 
for  operating,  July  being  a  proper  time  if  Turnips  or  Brassicas  are 
taken  after  Potatoes  or  other  early  crops,  or  in  the  spring,  say  March, 
for  summer  crops,  always  with  ground  in  good  working  order. 
Mr.  Thomson’s  practice  with  the  Vines,  and  getting  them  full  of 
“  fruit  inside,”  is  that  of  affording  them  a  healthy  rooting  medium,  supply¬ 
ing  suitable  nutrient  elements  and  proper  moisture,  allowing  ample 
foliage,  kept  clean  and  exposed  to  light  and  air  for  the  elaborating  and 
storing  of  nutrient  substances  in  the  Vines — to  wit,  Grapes  in  embryo  ; 
then  they  are  sure  to  come  out  where  wanted,  with  an  occasional 
freak  sufficiently  strange  to  cause  people  to  “  think,”  as  clearly 
plants  do  in  their  way,  if  there  be  any  meaning  in  their  ways.  Even 
roots  run  after  sweet  wholesome  food,  and  will  not  go  where  soddenness 
and  sourness  prevail  if  choice  be  given.  In  culture  the  plants  have 
often  only  “  Hobson’s  choice,”  the  thinking  on  their  part  being 
precluded,  and  in  many  cases  there  are  no  Grapes  on  the  stem,  because 
there  are  not  any  “inside”  the  Vines  to  come  out,  or  perhaps  only  a 
few  for  shanking,  if  before  that  they  do  not  twist  and  twirl  in  any  direc¬ 
tion  other  than  of  bunches.  The  “metamorphosis”  rests  with  the 
cultivator,  some  Vines  having  so  much  “inside”  that  they  will  even 
turn  incipient  tendrils  on  laterals  into  bunches,  that  often  give  Grapes 
of  excellent  colour  and  bloom. 
What  a  plain  gardener  would  term  the  following  I  do  not  know ;  but 
there  is  sense  in  it,  and  a  confirmed  habit,  no  mere  freak  of  Nature. 
The  antherozoids  of  Ferns  are  small  slender  bodies,  coiled  up  in  two  or 
three  turns  and  provided  with  a  tuft  of  fine  hairs  at  one  end.  They  are 
the  male  organs  in  matter  of  fertilisation  and  contained  in  cells,  which 
in  water  or  on  a  film  of  it  on  soil,  absorb  moisture,  swell,  and  burst,  thus 
liberating  the  antherozoids,  which  move  actively  about  in  water,  and 
then  always  manage  to  reach  the  archegonia  or  female  organs,  and  effect 
fertilisation.  That  is  Nature.  Decidedly  ;  but  let  us  take  a  few  of 
these  antherozoids,  and  give  them  choice  of  something  sweet— say,  a 
weak  solution  of  sugar  and  something  acid,  such  as  diluted  vinegar. 
Place  the  antherozoids  equidistant  between  the  two  solutions,  letting 
them  have  water  to  move  about  in,  and  if  they  make  for  that  consisting 
of  sugar  and  water,  leaving  the  vffiegar  and  water  severely  alone,  what 
is  that  but  sense  in  choosing  the  sweet  and  refusing  the  sour  1  Oh,  it  is 
Nature  !  Why,  everything  is  ;  and  it  works  by  undeviating  law,  so  that 
“ think  ”  has  no  place  therein,  but  all  is  matter  of  fact.  Nothing  else  is 
evidence 
Plants  have  a  certain  power  of  selection  in  matter  of  food,  and  we 
like  to  make  them  harmonise  with  our  views  ;  but  there  is  no  analogy 
whatever  between  these  and  those  of  plants,  those  resemblances 
frequently  advanced  having  no  existence  but  in  the  imagination,  and 
belong  only  to  the  creature  of  all  the  intellects,  whose  “  think  ”  often 
reaches  the  vanishing  point  when  brought  face  to  face  with  the  stubborn 
realities  of  disease  ;  then  real  fact  alone  is  of  any  service,  and  the  more 
of  it  the  better. 
Inherent  tendencies,  such  as  plants  twining  round  sticks  in 
accordance  with  the  sun,  others  doing  the  exact  contrary  ;  some  plants 
growing  from  gloom  into  light,  others  fleeing  from  sun  into  shade, 
together  with  such  variations  of  forms  and  adaptation  to  circumstances 
so  that  no  part  of  the  earth  s  surface  is  without  some  form  of  vegetation 
are  wonderful  things  to  “  think  ”  about,  but  whoso  knoweth  anything 
for  certain  about  any  of  these  forms  of  life  has  attained  unto  a  good 
thing,  the  “reason  why.”  Then  all  is  “  plain  and  easy,”  and  needs  no 
“  metamorphosis  ”  any  more  than  a  parasitic  fungus  of  an  endophytic 
nature  requires  leaves  or  roots,  but  dispenses  with  such  means  as 
absolute  hindrances  and  of  utter  inutility  to  its  mode  of  life 
— G.  Abbey. 
LWe11  done.  Mr-  Abbey  ;  nothing  is  too  great  or  too  small  for  him  • 
but  does  he  know  that  those  wonderful  organisms,  Myxomycetes,  are  not 
as  much  animals  as  plants  in  the  “  creeping-like-a-snail  ”  stage?  This, 
however,  does  not  affect  the  general  question  of  the  sentiency  of  plants.'] 
Chrysanthemum  and  Strelitzia.— I  have  enclosed  a  bloom  of 
Chrysanthemum  Mrs.  E.  W.  Clarke,  which  I  think  is  good  for  so  late 
in  the  season.  Also  a  flower  of  Strelitzia,  which  is  not,  so  far  as  my 
experience  goes,  found  in  many  gardens.  —  E.  E.  Webber  St. 
Cat h  vine's,  Worcester.  [The  Chrysanthemum  is  undoubtedly  ’good 
for  the  time  of  the  year,  though  other  flowers  are  now  so  abundant 
that  autumn  beauties  are  scarcely  wanted.  The  Strelitzia  is  curiously 
beautiful,  and  might  be  more  grown  for  adding  the  desirable  diversity.] 
YOUNG  GARDENERS’  EXAMINATIONS. 
Vines— Setting  and  Thinning. 
Acting  upon  the  Editor’s  suggestion  in  the  Journal  of  February  12th 
I  enclose  sketches  of  unthinned,  also  of  properly  and  improperly 
thinned  bunches  of  Grapes.  In  each  case  the  drawing  was  made  from 
a  Black  Hamburgh  Vine.  To  enable  the  flowers  of  the  Vine  to  set  it 
is  necessary  that  the  “  cap  ”  which  covers  the  stamens  be  removed  to 
allow  the  pollen  to  disperse.  Shaking  the  Vines  every  day  when  they 
are  in  flower  materially  helps  to  achieve  this  object.  In  the  case  of 
shy-setting  varieties  the  hand  may  be  drawn  lightly  down  each  bunch. 
A  dry,  warm,  and  buoyant  atmosphere  is  very  essential  at  this  period. 
As  soon  as  the  berries  are  set  all  superfluous  bunches  ought  to  be  cut 
off.  Do  not  leave  more  than  one  bunch  on  a  shoot.  The  quantity  of 
Grapes  to  be  left  on  the  Vine  should  be  regulated  by  the  amount  of 
healthy  foliage  it  has.  When  the  berries  are  almost  the  size  of  peas 
they  are  ready  for  thinning.  A  small  forked  stick  is  useful  for  holding 
the  bunches,  to  av&id  touching  them  with  the  hands.  Be  careful  also 
not  to  rub  the  neighbouring  bunches  with  the  head  or  arms,  as  this  often 
causes  them  to  rust.  The  shape  of  the  bunch  varies  in  different  kinds  of 
Grapes,  and  when  thinning  this  should  be  considered.  Some  have  large 
drooping  shoulders,  which  require  tying  up  lightly  with  matting.  First 
dislodge  all  remains  of  the  stamens,  by  tapping  gently  with  the  Grape 
scissors  on  the  stick  employed  to  hold  the  bunch  ;  then  remove  the 
seedless  berries,  and  those  situated  near  and  turning  in  towards  the 
main  stalk.  The  remaining  berries  may  afterwards  be  thinned,  so  as  to 
allow  each  one  room  for  its  proper  development. — H.  H. 
[Sketches  very  creditable.  It  will  be  seen  in  the  well  thinned  bunch 
that  berries  are  left  on  the  upper  side  of  the  shoulders,  so  that  in 
swelling  they  will  be  pressed  back  to  the  stem,  as  they  should  be.  The 
berries  are  also  uniform  in  size.  In  neither  respect  is  it  the  same  with 
the  improperly  thinned  example,  while  in  this  the  workmanship  is 
obviously  inferior.] 
Tuberous  Begonias. 
It  is  now  time  to  see  about  starting  these  most  useful  summer  flower¬ 
ing  plants  which  look  so  charming  in  our  conservatories  during  the 
summer  mouths. 
Begonias  are  of  easy  culture,  and  can  be  produced  from  seed  and 
by  cuttings,  tubers  forming  either  way,  and  they  will  retain  their 
vitality  for  several  years  if  they  are  stored  away  in  a  warm  cellar  or  a 
frost-proof  shed. 
The  tubers  should  now  be  taken  from  their  storing  place  (if  not 
already  done),  and  placed  in  shallow  boxes,  covering  the  bottom  of  the 
boxes  with  leaf  mould,  then  placing  the  tubers  on  it,  and  partly 
burying  them  with  more  leaf  mould.  After  this  has  been  done  they 
may  be  placed  on  a  shelf  near  the  glass  in  a  cool  house  where  ventila¬ 
tion  is  afforded  daily  in  mild  weather.  If  the  leaf  mould  is  fairly 
