422 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  1G.  lsnu. 
Without  losing  sight  of  the  many  secondary  advantages  to  he 
derived  from  farmyard  manure — advantages,  as  we  have  seen,  both 
chemical  and  mechanical  in  their  nature — the  value  of  this  source 
of  plant  food  must  be  recognised  primarily  as  depending  on  th  ■ 
amounts  of  nitrogen,  potash,  and  phosphoric  acid  it  contains  and 
supplies,  and  it  is  from  this  standpoint  that  we  must  consider  it.  At 
the  same  time  it  may  be  well  to  repeat  in  concise  form  that  the  various 
useful  and  important  functions  of  farmyard  and  stable  manures  within 
the  soil  are — 1,  in  supplying  plant  food;  2,  in  liberating  inert  or 
unavailable  plant  food  ;  3,  in  the  improvement  of  tilth,  and  thereby 
regulating  the  soil’s  absorptive  capacity  for  moisture  and  warmth  ; 
and  4,  in  furnishing  food  for  and  fostering  the  development  of  certain 
useful  microscopic  plants  know  as  microbes. — J.  J.  Willis,  Harpendev. 
(To  be  continued.) 
ASPARAGUS  DAVURICUS. 
There  is  quite  a  large  number  of  species  of  Asparagus  that  are 
well  suited  for  growing  in  hanging  baskets,  all  of  which  have 
their  special  merits,  but  for  gracefulness  and  beauty  none  comes  bet<>r|j 
the  one  under  notice.  In  general  appearance  it  resembles,  to  a  certain 
degree,  the  ubiquitous  A.  officinalis,  but  is  more  elegant  in  habit  than 
that  plant.  During  the  first  three  or  four  years  of  its  life  it  makes 
slender,  arching  shoots  2  to  3  feet  long,  covered  with  pretty  light 
green  foliage.  After  this  age  the  growths  become  coarser,  and  the 
plant  is  better  transferred  to  a  border. 
To  obtain  the  best  possible  results,  seeds  should  be  sown  in  spring, 
and  the  young  plants  grown  in  rich  soil  for  twelve  months.  When 
growth  commences,  two  or  three  plants  from  5  or  6-inch  pots  must 
be  placed  in  wire  baskets  18  inches  across,  which  have  previously  been 
lined  with  good  fibrous  loam  or  peat.  The  compost  used  should  consist 
of  good  loam,  with  decayed  manure  and  sand.  After  planting,  the 
baskets  should  be  placed  in  heat  until  the  shoots  are  growing  well  ; 
after  this  an  intermediate  or  cool  greenhouse  will  suit  them  admirably. 
As  soon  as  the  baskets  are  well  filled  with  roots,  liquid  manure  or 
some  good  fertiliser  may  be  given  irequently. 
By  this  means  beautiful  baskets  of  greenery  3  feet  deep  and  3  feet 
through  can  be  had  up  to  the  end  of  October,  when  the  foliage  turns 
to  a  pretty  jellow,  lasting  in  this  stage  for  several  weeks.  The  best 
results  are  obtained  by  renewing  from  seeds  every  two  years;  by  this 
means  coarse  shoots  are  avoided,  and  the  plants  are  handier  to  deal 
with. — W.  D. 
ARBUTUS  UNEDO. 
At  this  season  of  the  year,  when  deciduous  plants  are  bare  and 
leafless,  evergreens  of  any  sort  are  more  prominent  than  in  the 
summer,  when  they  are  apt  to  be  somewhat  overlooked  in  favour  oi 
their  showier,  but  more  ephemeral,  allies.  Of  evergreens  Arbutus 
unedo  and  its  varieties  are  worthy  of  more  extended  cultivation  than 
they  receive,  both  for  forming  backgrounds  for  other  plants  and  for 
single  specimens  in  places  where  a  bold  plant  is  desired.  As  a  rule 
they  have  very  little  to  recommend  them  in  a  small  state;  it  is  only 
when  they  have  attained  a  good  size  that  they  begin  to  show  their 
real  worth. 
The  flowers  open  any  time  between  November  and  February, 
according  to  the  season,  and  Arbutus  am  practically  the  only  shrubs 
that  bloom  at  that  time,  which  makes  them  doubly  welcome,  though 
the  pendulous  racemes  of  flowers  would  command  attention  at  any 
time.  Arbutus  cannot  be  transplanted  with  any  certainty  of  success, 
and  should  be  kept  in  pots  until  they  can  be  placed  in  their  permanent 
quarters. 
A.  unedo,  the  Strawberry  Tree,  is  a  native  of  south  and  south¬ 
west  Europe,  and  is  also  found  wild  in  small  numbers  in  some  parts  of 
west  Ireland.  It  forms,  when  well  developed,  a  dense  rounded  tree 
12  to  20  feet  high,  with  numerous  branches  clothed  with  thick  dark 
green  shining  leaves,  about  2^  inches  long  by  1  inch  broad,  coarsely 
serrated  on  both  margins.  The  flowers  are  small,  tubular,  aud  white, 
and  are  borne  in  dense  drooping  terminal  racemes.  It  is  a  variable 
plant,  and,  apart  from  the  varieties  named,  a  considerable  amount  ol 
variation  can  be  seen  in  these  which  may  be  termed  typical  plants. 
In  some  the  leaves  are  longer  and  narrower  than  in  others,  and  while 
the  young  wood  of  some  is  glabrous  and  shining,  in  others  it  is  quite 
hairy. 
A.  u.  rubra  (syn.  A.  Croomi)  is  a  good  companion  to  the  type, 
having  flowers  of  a  bright  reddish  hue  ;  the  young  wood  is  also  red 
and  quite  glabrous.  It  differs  also  from  A.  unedo  in  having  the 
leaves  more  coarsely  toothed.  A.  u.  microphylla  has  leaves  much 
smaller  and  narrower  than  the  others ;  the  white  flowers  are  also 
smaller,  and  it  does  not  grow  more  than  about  6  feet  high. 
A.  u.  quercifolia  has  irregularly  toothed  leaves,  which  have  a  certain 
resemblance  to  those  of  an  Oak ;  in  other  respects  it  resembles 
microphylla. — C . 
ALLINGTON  REVISITED. 
About  five  years  ago  the  Allington  Nurseries  of  Messrs.  G. 
Bunyard  &  Co.  were  visited  by  a  stranger,  who  was  immensely 
interested  in  what  was  to  be  seen.  A  few  weeks  ago  came  the 
opportunity  for  a  second  pilgrimage,  and  with  memories  of  the  first 
still  lingering,  the  tide  was  taken  at  the  flood.  A  moderately  early 
start  enabled  me  to  reach  Barming  station,  which  is  practically  within 
the  confines  of  the  nursery,  by  10.30,  and  under  the  immediate 
Fig.  77.— Apple  Ben’s  Bed. 
guidance  of  Mr.  Geo.  Bunyard,  V.M.H.,  fruit  treesjwere  immediately" 
under  inspection.  Here  are  not  a  few  hundreds  of  trees  of  various 
kinds,  shapes,  and  sizes,  but  very  many  thousands,  and  it  would  be 
beyond  the  power  of  any  ordinary  person  to  traverse  the  whole  of  the 
ground  and  see  the  entire  stock  in  a  day.  We  therefore  did  what  was 
undoubtedly  the  wisest  thing  under  the  cfrcumstances,  and  that  was 
going  completely  under  the  direction  of  our  .guide/which  led  on 
highways  and  byways,  over  many  acres  of  ground,  through 
innume'able  quarters  of  standards  and  dwarfs,  pyramids  and  bushes, 
fan-trained  and  espaliers,  cup-shaped  and  gridirons,  some  young,  some 
old,  but  all  strong,  healthy,  and  perfectly  clean. 
The  very  protracted  period  ot  drought  had  scarcely  passed  when 
Allington  was  seen,  and  close  watch  was  kept  as  progress  was  made 
for  traces  of  poor  growth  in  the  several  quarters.  This  was,  however, 
conspicuous  only  by  its  absence,  for  the  growth  on  maiden  Plums, 
Pears,  Apples,  and  Cherries  was  nothing  short  of  remarkable,  and  of 
the  whole  the  last  named  was  the  most  striking.  The  secret  was  not 
far  to  reek,  and  was  found  in  thorough  cultivation  by  the  aid  of  a 
pony-drawn  hoe,  which  passes  and  repasses  down  the  alleys  through¬ 
out  the  summer  months.  The  persistence  in  this  practice  insures  the 
surface  of  the  ground  being  kept  constantly  loose,  thus  arresting  to  a 
large  degree  the  evaporation  from  the  soil  of  the  little  moisture  it 
contains.  It  is  probable  there  is  no  firmer  believer  in  such  surface 
tillage  than  Mr.  Bunyard,  who  has  long  since  realised  that  it  invariably 
means  good  results.  There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  observance 
of  this  detail  plays  a  most  important  part  in  the  production  of  the 
splendid  trees  for  which  the  Maidstone  firm  is  so  celebrated  the 
country  over.  Not  only  do  the  tops  derive  benefit,  but  the  roots  also, 
there  being  simply  masses  of  those  fibrous  feeders,  which  ramifying 
close  to  the  surlace  are  constantly  finding  fresh  and  good  food  for  the 
benefit  of  the  stems,  leaves,  and  buds  above.  The  admirable  character 
of  both  top  and  bottom  growth  can  easily  be  seen  as  the  work  of 
lifting  proceeds. 
Apples  alone  would  provide  abundant  material  for  a  long  article, 
but  a  paragraph  only  can  be  devoted  to  them.  Needless  to  say  prac¬ 
tically  every  known  variety  is  to  be  found  at  Allington,  and  these  are 
trained  in  all  the  most  popular  forms.  Standards  are  there  in  immense 
numbers,  and  it  is  a  striking  fact  that  none  of  these,  with  the  excep¬ 
tion  of  a  few  varieties  that  are  recognised  as  notoriously  bad  growers, 
is  ever  staked.  None  the  less  the  stems  are  straight  and  clean,  and 
carry  beautifully  balanced  heads.  It  would  be  superfluous  to 
enumerate  varieties  of  standing,  but  we  may  refer  to  Ben’s  Red,  a- 
new  variety  which  promises  to  become  exceedingly  popular  as  a 
market  Apple.  It  is  a  small,  flatfish  variety,  bright  red  in  colour,  and 
a  heavy  bearer.  The  flavour  is  moderately  good,  but  the  flesh 
is  firm  and  juicy.  This  is  well  represented  in  the  woodcut  (fig  77). 
Then  of  comparatively  new  ones  there  are  Jas.  Grieve,  Foster’s 
Seedling,  and  the  now  enormously  popular  Allington  Seedling.  This 
Apple  will  ere  long  become  one  of  the  favourite  varieties,  as  it  is  a 
persistent  bearer,  and  grows  equally  well  in  any  soil.  On  Tuesday, 
November  7th,  Messrs.  G.  Bunyard  &  Co.  sent  to  the  Drill  Hall  a 
new  Apple,  of  Mr.  C.  Ross’  raising,  named  Mrs.  Phillimore.  This  is- 
