November  16,  1899.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
421 
plants,  and  well  worthy  a  more  extended  use  in  gardens  where  effect  is 
a  desideratum. 
Following  the  above,  we  had  Asters  competing  with  Helianthus, 
Japanese  Anemones,  Rudbeckias  (glowing  yellow  and  black),  Tritomas 
in  scarlet  and  gold,  Salvia  patens  (true  blue),  and  a  little  host  of  other 
flowers.  Nothing  is  more  delightful  than  the  Viminalis  group  of 
Asters,  of  which  White  Queen  and  Cassiope  are  among  the  best. 
A.  pulcher  is  also  nice,  habit  perfect,  with  flowers  of  a  pretty  tint  of 
blue.  The  white  forms  of  A.  novi-belgii  are,  I  think,  finer  than 
usual,  the  plants  are  certainly  less  straggly.  Of  these  Purity,  though 
not  the  earliest,  is  the  best.  A  good  form  of  A.  acris  is  also  greatly  to 
be  desired  among  the  finer  hardy  plants  of  the  season.  We  are  still 
waiting  for  a  dwarfer  habited  variety  of  A.  novae-angliae  roseum, 
something  analogous  to  the  purply  Robert  Parker,  which  is  indis¬ 
pensable  at  this  time  of  year.  A.  amellus  bessarabicus  continues  to 
hold  a  foremost  place,  and  one  feels  surprise  that  the  common  type 
should  still  be  cultivated  in  gardens  when  this  immensely  superior  form 
has  been  so  long  in  cultivation. 
These  and  other  Asters,  in  conjunction  with  Chrysanthemums  of 
the  border  class,  C.  uliginosum,  and  quite  a  number  of  other  flowers 
still  blooming  profusely,  bid  fair  to  make  this  one  of  the  finest  autumns 
for  flowers  that  we  have  experienced. — R.  P.  Brotherston. 
NOTES  ON  FIGS. 
Early  Forced  Trees  in  Rots. 
The  trees  in  pots  that  are  intended  for  forcing  to  afford  ripe  fruit 
at  the  close  of  April  or  early  in  May  should,  if  they  have  been  in  the 
open  air,  be  taken  under  cover  to  protect  them  from  the  cold  autumnal 
rains.  The}7  will  require  to  have  the  wood  brushed  over,  using  a 
solution  of  caustic  soda  and  pearlash,  £  oz.  each,  to  3  quarts  of  hot  water, 
applying  carefully  with  a  brush  at  a  temperature  of  130°  to  135°.  The 
dressing  is  intended  to  give  red  spider  and  scale  their  quietus  without 
damage  to  the  young  fruit.  Very  little  pruning  will  be  necessary  if 
the  trees  have  been  regularly  stopped  during  the  growing  season.  The 
house  in  which  the  trees  are  to  be  forced  must  be  quite  clean. 
Forcing  to  have  fruit  at  the  time  mentioned  need  not  begin  until 
the  middle  of  November,  and  not  later  than  the  beginning  of  December. 
Early  Violet,  St.  John’s,  Pingo  de  Mel,  and  Brown  Turkey  are  excellent 
varieties.  A  mild  bottom  neat  is  essential  to  a  successful  swelling 
and  perfecting  of  the  earliest  crops.  The  pots,  therefore,  must  be 
raised  on  loose  bricks,  in  pedestal  fashion,  and  the  pit  be  filled  with 
Oak  or  Beech  leaves  firmly  pressed.  If  the  pit  be  not  more  than  3  feet 
deep,  a  third  of  sweetened  stable  litter  may  be  added.  Do  not  allow 
the  heat  about  the  pots  to  exceed  65°  until  growth  takes  place.  The 
house  should  be  kept  close  and  moist  by  sprinkling  twice  a  day  in 
bright  weather,  employing  fire  heat  to  maintain  a  temperature  of  50° 
at  night,  55°  by  day,  and  with  sun  60°  to  65°.  If  the  soil  in  the  pots 
be  dry,  enough  water  must  be  supplied  to  bring  it  into  a  moist  condi¬ 
tion,  but  do  not  make  it  very  wet,  as  this  hinders  rather  than 
accelerates  root  action. 
Early  Forced  Planted-out  Trees. 
Trees  in  borders  intended  to  afford  ripe  fruit  at  the  end  of  May  or 
early  in  June,  being  started  at  the  new  year,  should  now  be  untied 
from  the  trellis  and  pruned.  Those  with  the  roots  restricted  to  small 
borders  will  require  little  more  pruning  than  thinning-out  the  shoots 
where  too  crowded,  but  those  not  having  the  roots  restricted  will 
require  a  hard  pruning  at  the  upper  part  of  the  trellis.  Fork  the 
surface  of  tbe  border  lightly,  remove  the  loose  material,  and  apply  a 
dressing  of  fresh  turfy  loam,  not  more  than  2  inches  thick. 
The  roots  can  be  fed  through  this  by  mulchings  of  sweetened  manure, 
top-dressing  of  fertilisers,  or  liquid  manure  when  the  trees  are  swelling 
their  crops.  Ventilate  the  house  fully  at  all  times  except  when  frost 
prevails,  and  at  such  times  heat  should  be  used  to  exclude  it,  or 
nearly  so. 
Succession  Houses. 
The  trees  started  in  February,  to  afford  a  first  crop  of  fruit  at  the 
latter  part  of  June,  and  a  second  crop  of  Figs  in  September  and 
October,  should  be  pruned,  the  house  cleansed,  and  everything  put 
into  thorough  order.  Dress  the  trees  with  the  solution  of  caustic  soda 
and  pearlash  before  named.  Complete  root-pruning  and  lifting.  Any 
unfruitful  trees  must  be  somewhat  severely  root-pruned,  and  the  roots 
restricted  to  moderate-sized  borders,  depending  more  upon  active 
feeders  near  the  surface,  encouraged  by  mulching  and  fertilisers,  than 
a  large  extension  of  roots.  Make  the  soil  firm,  employing  one-sixth 
of  old  mortar  rubbish  and  a  similar  proportion  of  road  scrapings  where 
the  soil  is  deficient  of  calcareous  matter  and  grit.  To  succeed  with 
planted  out  trees  it  is  necessary  to  restrict  the  roots  to  a  limited  area, 
and  keep  the  growths  well  exposed  to  light. 
Late  Houses. 
By  late  houses  is  meant  those  in  which  the  trees  are  not  started 
before  March,  affording  a  first  crop  in  July,  and  a  second  during  late 
September  or  early  in  October,  the  structures  being  well  heated.  Late 
is  also  a  term  applied  to  unheated  houses  or  wall  cases  which  provide 
one  crop  in  August  and  September.  Trees  in  either  of  these 
that  show  a  tendency  to  over-luxuriance  should  be  lifted  and  root- 
pruned  as  soon  as  the  leaves  give  indications  of  falling,  providing 
good  calcareous  loam  of  a  gritty  nature  over  thorough  drainage,  and 
firming  the  soil  well.  This  is  an  excellent  remedy  for  trees  casting 
their  fruit.  Immediately  the  leaves  fall  the  trees  must  be  detached 
from  the  trellis,  pruned  and  carefully  dressed,  and  the  house  cleansed, 
attending  also  to  the  border.  In  the  case  of  unheated  houses  the 
branches  of  the  trees  should  he  tied  together  in  convenient  bundles 
and  made  secure  against  severe  frost  with  some  dry  straw  or  fern 
amongst  and  over  them,  or  matting.  The  collar  also  of  the  trees,  and 
for  a  little  distance  from  the  stem,  should  be  protected  with  dry 
litter.  Frost  must  be  excluded  in  heated  houses,  or  nearly  so,  the 
trees  sometimes  being  killed  to  the  ground  against  walk  when 
unprotected. — Grower. 
FARMYARD  AND  STABLE  MANURE. 
(' Continued  from  page  356.) 
In  continuation  of  our  subject,  we  must  say  a  word  before  coming 
to  the  question  of  manure  on  the  composition  of  soils.  All  fertile 
soils  contain  two  classes  of  constituents,  known  as  organic  or  volatile, 
and  inorganic  or  mineral.  The  organic  portion  of  a  soil  is  that  which 
has  been  formed  by  the  decay  of  plants,  the  inorganic  that  which  has 
been  the  result  of  the  disintegration  and  partial  decomposition  of  the 
original  rock  masses. 
Organic  Constituents. — As  the  decay  of  vegetable  matter  proceeds 
in  the  soil  there  results  a  black  or  brownish-black  substance  destitute 
of  organic  structure,  which  is  known  as  humus. 
Humus  has  been  called  “  the  soil’s  storehouse  of  nitrogen.”  The 
chemical  element — nitrogen — is  one  of  the  essential  forms  of  plant 
food,  and  when  bought  in  commercial  fertilisers  is  the  costliest.  It 
must  be  pointed  out  that  the  nitrogen  in  humus,  which  may  be  termed 
organic  nitrogen,  is  not  directly  available  to  crops,  but  is  rendered  so 
by  nitrification,  a  process  resulting  from  the  activity  of  certain 
microscopic  plants  or  microbes  within  the  soil  which  live  on  and 
decompose  the  organic  matter  there  present. 
Recent  research  has  shown  that  soil  fertility  is  largely  dependent 
on  the  presence  of  these  microbes.  Warmth,  moisture,  and  air  are 
primarily  necessary  for  the  development  and  reproduction  of  these 
micro-organisms;  in  other  words,  for  the  nitrification  of  the  humus. 
Certain  chemical  bases  also,  such  as  lime  and  potash,  must  be  present 
in  the  soil,  so  that  as  a  result  of  this  process  nitrates  may  be  formed — 
inorganic  compounds  which  crops  absorb  by  their  rootlets  for  the 
supply  of  nitrogen.  Farmyard  and  stable  manures  introduce  into  the 
soil  those  microscopic  organisms  in  large  quantities,  a  quality  not 
possessed  by  commercial  fertilisers. 
Analysis  has  shown  that  the  amounts  of  humus  and  nitrogen  are, 
generally  speaking,  closely  related,  and  that  the  former  is  a  measure 
of  the  latter.  A  soil  poor  in  humus  is  likely  to  be  deficient  in 
nitrogen.  Fertile  soils  in  temperate  zones  are  always  characterised 
by  richness  in  humus  and  nitrogen.  The  colour  of  a  soil  frequently 
indicates  its  quality  in  this  respect,  dark  brown  and  black  soils 
possessing  large  percentages  of  these  constituents.  There  are,  how¬ 
ever,  exceptions  to  this,  as  the  presence  of  much  red  oxide  of  iron  (as 
in  some  sandy  soils)  may  mask  the  colour  of  the  humus. 
The  sources  of  humus  in  cultivated  soils  are  practically  three — the 
decaying  roots  of  crops,  farmyard  manure,  and  green  crops,  such  as 
Clovers  or  vegetable  refuse,  ploughed  or  dug  in.  In  addition  to 
nitrogen,  humus  contains  certain  small  quantities  of  inorganic  plant 
food,  such  as  lime,  potash,  and  phosphoric  acid.  These  are  liberated 
by  the  decay  of  the  humus  in  forms  most  useful  to  plant  nutrition. 
Inorganic  Constituents. — In  furnishing  or  replacing  in  the  soil 
mineral  or  inorganic  plant  food,  practice  has  shown  that  as  a  rule  it 
suffices  to  supply  three  elements — potash,  phosphoric  acid,  and  lime. 
Other  constituents  are  required  by  crops,  but  the  amounts  used  are  so 
small  that  the  soil’s  store  of  them  is  not  seriously  diminished  by 
cultivation.  Potash,  phosphoric  acid,  and  nitrogen  are  known  as  the 
essential  elements  of  plant  food,  and  have  been  termed  the  “  Golden 
tripod  of  plant  life,”  from  the  fact  that  it  is  continually  necessary  to 
return  them  in  available  forms  if  soil  fertility  is  to  be  maintained  and 
increased.  For  many  soils  lime  must  be  added  to  this  list,  especially 
old  and  rich  vegetable  garden  soils,  which  have  a  tendoncy  to 
become  sour. 
The  potash,  phosphoric  acid,  and  lime  in  farmyard  and  stable 
manure  have  once  been  present  in  the  soil.  Absorbed  by  plants,  and 
the  product  used  for  the  nourishment  of  animals,  these  elements  are 
to  be  found  in  the  excreta,  minus  small  quantities  which  have  been 
abstracted  by  the  aoimal  for  the  formation  of  bone.  It  is  obvious, 
therefore,  that  they  can  be  replaced  in  the  soil  by  applying  the  solid 
and  liquid  manure  of  the  farmyard  or  stable. 
