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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  22,  1898. 
only.  That  good  Apples  are  produced  in  good  gardens  goes  without 
saying  ;  but,  Ire  it  understood  also,  under  what  most  cannot  hut 
regard  as  unfavourable  climatic  conditions  ;  hence  there  is  much  of 
delving  and  root-pruniug  in  spite  of  the  conserved  warmth  afforded 
by  their  walled-in  surroundings — advantages  which  are  extraneous  to 
our  small  farmers.  As  for  the  cottagers,  cottage  gardening  on  parallel 
lines  to  the  humble  homes  of  England  is  conspicuous  by  its  absence. 
l>ut,  again  to  the  point,  we  have,  thanks  to  your  facile  correspon¬ 
dent,  seen  what  has  been  done  in  Roscommon,  a  not  unduly  favoured 
locality,  and  what  has  been  done  there  can,  we  may  reasonably  sup¬ 
pose,  be  done  elsewhere  in  the  Sister  Isle.  I  trust  it  may  be  so,  and 
more  also,  until,  in  fact,  every  ragged  gossoon  who  now  views  the 
imported  forbidden  fruit  through  the  shop  windows  of  the  Milesian 
metropolis  may  share  in  the  feast  doubtless  enjoyed  by  the  young 
lions  of  the  Editorial  menage,  and  shout  Bravo  (Mr.)  Bardney  and 
Bramley’s. — K.,  Dublin. 
•CHEMISTRY  IN  THE  GARDEN. 
(.Continued  from  page  392.) 
Farmyard  manure,  being  composed  chiefly  of  vegetable  matter 
and  the  waste  material  voided  by  the  animal,  is  an  organic  substance, 
and,  like  nearly  all  organic  bodies,  it  will  soon  decay  if  the  conditions 
surrounding  it  are  favourable.  Practice,  in  her  slow  but  sure  way, 
has  taught  gardeners  the  advisability  of  using  farmyard  refuse  in  a 
more  or  less  decomposed  state.  Science  then  steps  in  and  tells  us 
that,  fungi  excepted,  organic  substances  are  of  no  direct  value  to 
plants  as  food  ;  the  organic  must  become  inorganic  (earthy)  before  crops 
make  use  of  them,  hence  the  necessity  of  decayed  manure  in  gardens. 
It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  when  farmyard  manure  is  thrown  into 
a  heap  the  latter  becomes  very  hot.  The  heat  is  devt  loped  owing  to 
the  chemical  changes  which  take  place,  due  to  the  action  of  myriads 
of  minute  living  organisms  called  bacteria,  which  cause  fermentation. 
During  the  fermentation  the  bacteria  change  highly  organised 
substances  like  albuminoids  and  urea  into  simpler  compounds  like 
water,  carbonic  acid  gas,  and  ammonia. 
We  have  often  noticed  how  much  better  Mushroom  beds  yield 
when  put  up  during  very  cold  weather,  than  do  those  made  in  months 
like  August  and  September.  We  know  that  the  Mushroom  fungus 
lives,  grows,  and  develops  on  the  organic  constituents  of  manure — in 
tact,  we  must  feed  Mushrooms  just  the  same  as  we  should  feed  cattle. 
They  must  have  organic  substances  to  live  upon,  substances  which 
have  lived  and  not  decayed  lar  enough  to  have  become  earthy.  When 
a  heap  of  manure  gets  very  hot,  like  it  would  last  summer  and  early 
autumn,  much  of  its  organic  nature  will  be  destroyed,  and  conse¬ 
quently  there  will  be  little  left  for  Mushrooms  to  feed  upon.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  we  prepare  manure  for  Mushroom  beds  in  cold  weather, 
we  get  sufficient  heat  to  sweeten  it  w  ithout  destroying  or  changing 
those  compounds,  which  are  essential  to  the  life  and  development  of 
this  fungus. 
A\  hen  a  heap  of  farmyard  manure  decays  under  certain  conditions 
acids  are  formed.  Examples  of  these  are  carbonic  acid,  ulmic  and 
humic  acid.  In  an  early  article  ave  pointed  out  how  readily  acids 
combined  with  bases  to  form  salts.  During  the  decomposition  of  urea 
and  the  albuminoids  ammonia  is  formed,  and  ammonia  is  a  base. 
V  hen  the  straw  decays  potash  and  lime  are  liberated,  and  these 
two  bodies  are  also  bases  ;  and  all  or  either  of  these  bases  may  unite 
with  the  acids  to  form  carbonates,  ulmates,  and  humates  of  ammonia, 
potash,  or  lime. 
These  changes  must  not  be  looked  upon  as  actually  taking  place 
as  represented  here  because,  although  we  may  find  free  ammonia  in  a 
manure  heap,  we  should  never  expect  to  find  either  potash  or  lime. 
The  changes  take  place  in  so  intiicate  a  manner  as  to  be  almost 
indescribable,  and  it  is  not  our  intention  to  describe  changes  which 
become  bewildering  except  to  chemists. 
The  following  very  pertinent  remark  once  appeared  in  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture'. — “If  a  heap  of  manure  is  so  wet,  and 
remains  till  dark  coloured  liquid  runs  from  it,  you  may  be  sure  that 
the  very  essence  of  the  manure  is  gone  ;  its  very  soul  and  spirit  have 
departed,  and  though  the  body  remains  still,  it  is  a  dead  one.”  This 
passage  is  indeed  good,  and  should  find  a  place  in  the  memory  of  all 
gardeners. 
The  dark  coloured  liquid  we  find  running  away  from  the  exposed 
manure  heaps  is  water  containing  ulmates  and  humates  of  ammonia, 
potash,  and  lime.  Woolf  analysed  a  sample  of  this  dark  liquid  and 
found  100  lbs.  of  it  contained  98  lbs.  3£  ozs.  of  water,  10g-  ozs.  of 
organic  matter,  and  1  lb.  2  ozs.  of  ash.  The  organic  matter  contained 
3  ozs.  of  ammonia,  and  the  ash  ozs.  of  potash,  oz.  of  phosphoric 
acid,  4  oz.  of  lime,  and  §-  oz.  of  magnesia. 
Ji  a  manure  heap  is  allowed  to  get  too  hot  and  dry,  a  great  deal  of 
the  ammonia  will  be  driven  off  into  the  atmosphere.  Not  only7  is 
ammonia  given  off, but  alsopliosphorcted  hydrogen,  and  vre  thereby  lose 
nitrogen  and  phosphoric  acid  ;  both  valuable  plant  foods. — W.  Dyke. 
CTo  be  continued.) 
ARRANGING  ORCHIDS. 
If  in  staging  Orchids  we  had  only  the  effect  to  study,  ihe  operation, 
whether  in  the  flowering  house  or  the  growing  quarters,  would  be  far 
simpler  than  it  is,  but,  especially  in  the  latter,  the  health  of  the 
plants  is  more  to  be  considered  than  their  appearance.  A  frequent 
mistake  made  in  staging  small  plants  in  low  span-roofed  houses  is 
placing  the  back  rows  much  higher  than  those  nearest  the  path.  In 
this  avay  a  better  appearance  is  the  only  advantage,  and  a  worse  plan 
can  baldly  be  conceived  for  the  plants  themselves.  Culturally  con¬ 
sidered,  the  plants  nearest  the  paths  should  be  higher  than  those  at 
the  back,  as  by  this  means  all  get  an  equal  share  of  light. 
In  this  class  of  house  the  operation  of  watering  plants  when 
arranged  as  described  is  difficult,  and  in  order  to  reach  those  at  the 
back  the  operator  will  need  to  stand  upon  something,  and  even  a  pair  of 
steps  may  be  needed.  But  it  is  worth  being  at  this  trouble  on  account 
of  the  plants.  A  medium  plan  is  often  followed— that  is,  to  stage  the 
plants  at  a  level,  and  though  this  greatly  facilitates  watering  and 
examination,  it  is  obvious  that  those  plants  nearest  the  edge  do  not 
get  so  much  light  as  those  at  the  back,  where  they  are  nearer  the 
glass.  Where  small  and  large  plants  have  to  be  grown  on  the  same 
stage  the  latter  may  be  thinly  disposed  near  the  edge,  thus  doing 
away  with  the  difficulty  to  a  certain  extent,  because  by  their  height 
they  are  brought  nearer  the  glass. 
When  there  is  width  enough  in  the  house  for  a  central  as  well 
as  side  stages  the  work  is  greatly  simplified,  as  both  dwarf  and 
taller  specimens  can  be  given  the  position  they  like  best.  For 
instance,  take  the  cool  house.  Here  are  grown  the  usual  class  of 
small  Odontoglossums  and  Oncidiums,  Masdevallias,  Pleurothallis, 
and  the  like.  These,  of  course,  will  be  accommodated  on  the  narrow 
side  stagrq  while  plants  of  a  larger  habit,  such  as  Cymbidiums  of  the 
Lowianum  and  giganteum  class,  and  some  of  the  larger  growing 
Lycastts,  Oncidiums,  and  cool  Epidendrums,  will  find  suitable  quarters 
on  the  central  stage.  _ 
In  all,  or  nearly  all,  bouses  there  arc  different  parts  that  are 
shadier  than  others  ;  while,  again,  in  the  warm  structures  there  are 
places  where  the  hot-water  pipes  converge  and  cause  a  drier  atmosphere. 
Near  the  doors  of  cool  houses,  and  of  warmer  ones  where  these  open  to 
the  entrance  air,  will  be  found  places  much  cooler  than  the  body  of  the 
house.  All  these  points  must  be  taken  into  consideration  when 
arranging  the  plants,  and  all  those  species  or  genera  that  prefer  such 
temperatures  or  atmosphere  must  be  there  placed.  In  this  connection 
a  few  comparisons  may  be  made,  but  they  will  naturally  differ  in 
every  collection,  and  can  only  be  decided  on  the  spot. 
Two  well  known  kinds  of  a  very  similar  habit  are  Vanda  suavis 
and  Angrsecum  sesquipedale.  Both  like  heat,  but  the  foimer  may  be 
given  a  much  shadier  house  than  the  latter,  while  the  Angrtecums 
may  be  well  grown  in  a  far  drier  position  than  the  Vanda.  Odonto- 
glossum  grande  and  Lselia  anceps  both  like  a  temperature  slightly 
above  that  of  the  cool  house,  but  they  cannot  be  bracketed  for  treat¬ 
ment,  the  Odontoglossum  being  found  in  deep  shady  ravines  near 
Guatemala,  and  therefore  liking  a  moist  shady  position,  while  the 
Mexican  plant  is  fond  of  bright  sunshine. 
1  Many  such  instances  may  be  given,  but,  as  mentioned  above,  they 
must  vary  according  to  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  so  no  good 
purpose  would  be  served  by  multiplying  examples.  Respecting  the 
method  of  arranging  Orchids  when  in  flower,  there  is  room  for  much 
improvement.  Orchid  exhibits  at  our  provincial  shows  are  in  most 
cases  a  crowded  bank  of  flowers, and  in  too  many  cases  this  is  imitated  at 
home  by  gardeners.  A  more  natural  and  pleasing  mode,  where  the 
convenience  exists,  is  to  place  the  Orchids  as  they  flower  in  a  perma¬ 
nent  or  planted  out  fernery,  the  pretty,  soft  greenery  of  the  Fern 
setting  off  the  Orchid  flowers  to  advantage,  and  the  ssmi-moist  condi¬ 
tion  of  such  house  is  better  than  the  dry  flowering  house  of  many 
establishments. — H.  R.  R. 
