52 
JOURNAL  "OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
July  20,  1899. 
The  Chairman  was  toasted  by  Monsieur  Mark  Micheii,  who  like 
the  rest  of  the  foreign  delegates  spoke  in  English. 
Sir  Trevor  in  making  his  acknowledgment  snoke  of  the  failing 
of  Englishmen  to  learn  foreign  languages,  and  said  that  at  horti¬ 
cultural  gatherings  upon  the  continent  most  Englishmen  had  to  ask 
to  be  allowed  to  speak  in  their  mother  torgue. 
Early  in  the  evening  a  photograph  was  taken  of  the  assembly  by 
Messrs.  Tradelle  &  Young,  of  Regent  Street,  and  a  print  was  taken, 
mounted,  framed,  and  placed  in  the  President’s  hands  before  ten 
o'clock.  To  use  Mr.  Webber’s  own  words,  “it  could  not  have  been 
■xione  more  smartly  in  America.” 
Although  the  official  meeting  was  broken  up  soon  after  ten, 
conversation  was  busy  in  a  number  of  groups  for  some  time  after,  so 
all-absorbing  did  the  subject  of  hybridisation  prove.  The  opinion  was 
genera’ly  expte-sed  that  this  Conference  should  be  followed  up  by 
•others  in  the  near  future,  and  Aneln-Saxon  and  foreigner  only  parted 
after  a  series  of  hearty  handshakes  and  a  chorus  of  mutual  good 
■wishes. 
PEAT  MOSS  LITTER  AND  GARDEN  CROPS. 
As  large  quantities  of  peat  moss  are  used  for  beddieg,  not  only  in 
town  stables,  but  also  in  the  couutry,  the  question  of  its  value  as  a 
manure  for  garden  and  field  crops  is  important.  Peat  mmss  litter  was 
not  used  generally  until  after  the  scarcity  of  straw  in  1893,  in  conse¬ 
quence  of  the  drought,  and  since  that,  time  its  use  has  continued  on  a 
larger  scale  than  previously.  Among  the  advantages  claimed  for  peat 
moss  may  bo  named  its  great  power  of  absorption  of  mo  stare  and 
ammonia.  The  atmosphere  of  stables  where  it  is  used  is  thus  largely 
treed  from  the  smell  of  ammonia,  and  rendered  more  healthy. 
The  three  principal  litters  used  for  horses  are  wheat  straw,  sawdust, 
and  peat  moss.  They  have  different  absorbent  powers.  Wheat  straw 
will  absorb  three  times  its  weight  of  liquid,  sawdust  four  times,  and 
■peat  moss  eight  times.  The  litters  have  also  diverse  compositions, 
which  as  mamre  arc  expressed  in  contained  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid, 
and  potash.  A  ton  of  wheat  straw  contains  ICR  lbs.  of  nitrogen, 
61  lbs.  of  phosphoric  acid,  and  124  U  s.  of  potash.  One  ton  of  sawdust 
contains  G  lbs.  of  nitrogen,  G  lbs.  of  phosnh  ric  acid,  and  12  lbs.  of 
potash.  A  ton  of  peat  moss  contains  17£  ibs.  of  nitrogen,  G  lbs.  of 
phosphoric  acid,  and  12  lbs.  of  potash. 
rlhe  estimates  take  no  account  of  the  other  elements,  miscalled 
“  minor,  ’  for  aie  not  sedn,  lime,  magnesia,  iron,  sulphuric  acid,  silica  or 
silicic  acid,  and  chlorine  essential  to  the  health  of  the  plant?  The 
subjoined  analyses  by  Dr.  Emil  Wolff  are  suggestive  of  the  intrinsic 
value  of  the  minor  constituents  : — 
Wheat  straw. 
Pinewood 
sawdust. 
Sphagnum 
moor  moss. 
Potash.  KgO  . 
.  13-18  ... 
...  17  14  .. 
....  1692 
Soda,  N a  „  0  . 
...  2  02  ... 
....  8.10 
Lime,  CaO . . . 
...  30-38  .. 
....  11-51 
Magnesia.  MgO  . 
...  12-36  .., 
Iron,  Fe„0.)  . 
Phosphoric  acid,  PO, _ 
_ 
....  17-53 
.  4-22  ... 
..  7-55  .., 
....  654 
■Sulphuric  acid,  H.,SO,  .... 
...  534  .. 
....  636 
Silica,  SiO . 
2-38 
1(513 
Chlorine,  Cl . 
....  6-06 
Prom  a  plant  point  of  view  Wheat  straw  manure  is  the  sweetest. 
It  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  lime,  meaning,  with  sulphuric 
acid,  not  of  the  manure  or  straw7,  but  of  the  soil,  sulphate  of  lime — a 
well  known  comctive  of  sourness;  the  straw  also  contains  the  opener 
of  soil  and  the  strengihener  of  tissue — the  much  abused  silica  or  sand. 
Sawdust,  still  keeping  to  a  plant  view7,  appears  sweeter  than  even 
Wheat  straw  from  containing  more  lime,  but  this  is  counterbalanced 
by  the  magnesia,  sulphuric  acid,  and  the  small  proportion  of  silica  or 
sand.  Still  I  have  used  sawdust  manure  for  loose  boxes  extensively  and 
satisfactorily  in  the  production  of  crops  on  light,  dry,  gravelly  soils  ; 
peat-loving  plants  growing  well  in  it. 
Peat  moss  contains  much  less  lime  than  either  Wheat  straw  or 
sawdust,  meaning  more  ammonia  “held,”  or  less  evolv.  d  into  the  air  ; 
it  has  also  greater  tendency  to  smrness  in  the  soil,  unless  lime  l  o 
present  to  modify  the  sulphuric  acid  and  correct  organic  acidity. 
Another  factor  in  the  way  oi  sourness  is  the  iron,  and  in  the  wav  of 
hindering  the  growth  of  useful  vegetation  the  chlorine,  especially 
where  the  soil  is  of  a  retentive  na'ure. 
The  foregoing  briefly  cavers  the  ground  as  regards  the  difference 
in  articles  named  as  litters  and  manures.  On  light,  sandy  or 
gravelly  sails  peat  moss  manure  answers  admirably,  for  the  nitrifying 
micro-organisms  obtain  the  essential  nitrogen  or  organic  matter 
needful  lor  conversion  into  nitrtes  from  ammonia,  and  thence  back 
(not  forward)  into  the  all-important  nitrates  with  bases,  such  as  lime, 
potash,  and  soda.  The  organic  matter  in  a  light  soil  tends  to 
ammoniate  the  iron  and  render  it  useful,  and  as  for  the  chlorine  the 
rains  w7ash  it  away.  On  a  heavy  soil,  or  one  with  a  wet,  cold  bottom, 
peat  moss  manure  acts  the  exact  opposite.  The  lime  is  not  sufficient 
to  prevent  the  tendency  to  sourness,  the  iron  and  the  chlorine  cling 
to  the  land,  and,  as  your  correspondent  states,  poison  it  by  imparting 
to  the  land  the  sourness  of  the  bog,  which  is  only  fitted  for  growing 
Sedges  and  Rushes. 
What  is  the  corrective?  Lime.  What  form:  Basic  slag  phos¬ 
phate  for  damp,  or  heavy,  or  retentive  soils,  good  limestone  with 
some  magnesia  in  it  for  vegetable  earths  ;  chalk  lime  for  loams  ;  and 
bonemeal  for  light  land’s.  A  ton  of  the  resp  ctive  sort  is  not  too  much 
to  mix  with  15  tons  of  peat  moss  manure,  and  that  quantity  of  it  thus 
prepared  per  acre  is  worth  25  per  cent,  more  than  straw  manure. 
Peat  moss  manure  has  a  had  character.  A  farmer  used  it  for  Peas 
in  the  raw  state  at  the  rate  of  40  tons  per  acre,  and  simply  soured  the 
land  for  that  crop,  and  even  Cabbage  afier  it.  But  the  land  grew 
splendid  Celery  after  the  Cabbage  and  grand  Vegetable  Marrows. 
Soil  a  calcareous  gravelly  loam  with  a  rather  stiff  subsoil.  Too  much 
peat  moss  manure  had  been  used,  because  easily  obtained  near  a  town, 
and  the  cultivator  neglected  to  use  lime  or  gypsum. 
A  gardener  has  this  summer  used  peat  moss  manure  for  growing 
Cucumbers,  but  took  the  precaution  to  “sweat”  it  by  throwing  it  into 
a  heap,  and  when  hot  turning  the  outs  de  into  the  inside  of  the  pile. 
This  was  done  on  the  advice  of  his  employer — a  nun  of  science,  who 
did  not  mind  sacrificing  some  ammonia  for  securing  sweet,  next  to 
weedless  and  disease  germless  manure.  Raw  meat  requires  a  strong 
stomach,  and  so  it  is  with  raw  rank  manure.  “Cook”  it,  and  then 
most  soils  will  appreciate  liberal  doses — say  15  tons  per  acre  of  peat 
moss  manure.  This  is  equal  to  20  tons  of  well  rotted  stable  manure, 
and  neither  need  cramming  into  the  soil  in  large  quantities,  as 
science  has  taught  us  of  handy  substances  that  will  compensate  in 
value  for  the  reduced  bulk  applied.  The  substance  used  in  this  case 
was  mineral  superphosphate,  high-grade,  34  to  37  per  cent,  phosphate5. 
The  Cucumbers  are  doing  splendidly,  but  in  the  absence  of  the 
fermentation  of  the  peat  moss  and  mineral  superphosphate  they  wrould 
have  failed.  A  good  handful  of  the  latter  per  square  yard  mule  all 
the  difference,  and  it  is  the  same  as  applied  to  the  outdoor  crops  of 
flowers,  fruits,  and  vegetables.  The  practice  recorded  may  be  suggestive 
to  “  W.  M.”  (page  G,  July  6th),  who  deserves  thanks  for  introducing 
a  very  interesting  and  important  question. 
But  I  must  not  omit  to  mention  that  in  a  corner  of  the  garden  alluded 
to  are  certain  heajis.  These  represent  the  debris  of  crops,  weeds,  and  other 
refuse.  Somcare  tine  mould,  others  half  decayed,  others  again  quite  raw7. 
There  are  also  two  heaps  of  gas  lime,  oi.e  fresh  and  the  other  stale. 
The  fresh  gas  lime  was  used  for  sprinkling  on  the  garbage  if  the  garden, 
including  Cabbage  stumps,  flowering  plant  trimmings,  and  primings 
of  fruit  trees,  in  layers.  After  a  time  th;s  heap  is  turned  over, 
woody  matter  and  Cabbage  stumps  thrown  aside,  and,  when  dry, 
burned,  adding  the  ashes  to  the  heap,  with  a  fifth  of  the  gas  lime,  and 
as  a  similar  quantity  was  used  in  the  first  instance  of  fresh  gas  lime, 
the  compost  practically  contains  ten  parts  (consi  'cably  more  by 
reduction  of  the  vegetable  matter)  of  sulphate  ol‘  lime  or  gypsum.  The 
stale  gas  lime  was  also  used  lor  mixing  with  the  peat  moss  manure,  after 
being  heated,  as  before  described,  about  a  filth  part  being  employed. 
Thus  the  man,  with  the  aid  of  the  master,  kuew  how  to  prepare  manure 
— even  peat-moss  litter — and  garden  reiuse. — G.  Abbey. 
I  was  interested  in  reading  the  note  of  “  W.  M.”  on  peat  moss 
litter  as  manure  (page  6),  in  that  it  corresponds  so  thoroughly 
with  mv  own  experience.  Some  few  yeats  ago  I  had  charge  of  a  large 
garden,  where  there  was  an  unlimited  supply  of  straw  manure  from 
a  large  stud  of  hunters,  w7ith  the  consequence  that  the  garden  was 
very  fertile.  Then  came  a  change,  and  peat  moss  was  used  for 
bedding,  arid  in  due  course  for  manute. 
During  the  first  year  everything  went  on  ns  usual.  But  (and  this 
is  a  big  “  But,”  for  most  of  the  land  hid  been  dressed  with  peat  moss) 
the  following  spring  crops  began  to  lo'-k  unhealthy,  one  after  another 
showing  signs  that  s  unet hi ng  was  wrong ;  in  fact,  every  crop  except 
Aspiragus  suffered  aJue.  Where  j>e*at  nmss  had  been  used  for 
manurin'  and  mulching  Strawberry  b.ds  or  fruit  trees  the  same 
unhealthy  appearance  was  observable. 
In  the  early  part  of  June  a  bed  of  young  Strawberries  was  the  first 
to  be  thoroughly  exam  ned.  Dining  the  first  lew  months  of  using 
this  material  I  mixed  some  with  soil  to  fill  piots  in  wlrch  to  layer 
Strawherry  runners.  These  took  to  the  compost  very  quickly,  and 
soon  filled  the  pots  with  roots.  At  the  end  ot  July  they  were  planted 
in  well  prepared  land  manured  witii  the  material  in  question.  They 
grew  as  well  as  one  could  wish,  and  the  following  spring  set  their 
fruit  well  ;  but  when  the  fruits  wete  about  half  grown  a  plant  began 
to  flag  here  and  there,  the  collapse  spreading  until  nearly  all  dried  up. 
On  searching  for  the  cause  the  small  ball  of  soil  that  was  planted  from 
the  pot  was  found  full  of  fungus.  There  was  the  source  of  the  evil. 
And  this  fungus  injured  all  crops  sive  one.  Peach  trees  that  had 
been  mulched  lost  all  their  top  fibrous  roots,  and  an  outside  Vine 
border  that  was  mulched  was  found  on  examination  to  be  permeated 
with  the  fungus  to  a  depth  of  several  inches. 
It  appeared  to  me  that  when  peat  moss  had  been  in  the  ground 
I  sufficient  time  for  all  urine  apd  other  plant  foods  to  be  washed  out, 
