April  30,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
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their  root  force  by  the  finest  varieties  that  experience  shows  can  be 
grown  in  the  locality,  for  many  districts  a  competence  if  not  a  fortune 
may  be  earned  by  this  simple  diversion  of  living  force  into  more 
profitable  channels. — D.  T.  F. 
In  the  midlands  fruit  prospects  are  of  the  most  promising  descrip¬ 
tion.  Apple  trees  which  bore  a  full  crop  last  year  are  flowering 
profusely  this  time  ;  Cherries  are  literally  wreaths  of  blossom,  so  are 
Pears  and  Plums ;  Apricots  are  thinned  ;  Peaches  on  the  open  walls  have 
been  covered,  and  bees  have  done  their  part,  for  they  were  busy  enough 
on  them  ;  Gooseberry  and  Currant  bushes  are  full,  and  Currants  on  walls 
are  many  of  them  more  than  half  grown.  The  frost  on  Thursday  and 
Friday  last  has  certainly  affected  some  trees  and  bushes,  and  some  of 
the  neighbours,  whose  bushes  are  fully  exposed,  are  complaining  that  the 
fruit  is  falling.  Raspberries  and  Strawberries  promise  well. — W  W,  C. 
CHOROZEMA  CORDATUM  SPLENDENS. 
This  is  the  name  of  the  plant  of  which  "Tyro”  sends  specimens. 
Amongst  beautiful  decorative  plants  this  Chorozema  ranks  very  high 
with  its  distinct  pretty  Pea-shaped  flowers.  It  is  ea9y  of  cultivation, 
and  admirably  adapted  for  the  conservatory,  small  plants  being  also 
suitable  for  the  embellishment  of  rooms,  and  a  well-grown  specimen  is 
very  attractive  in  the  exhibition  tent.  It  is  also  suitable  for  planting 
out  either  against  pillars  or  to  cover  walls  in  cool  houses,  but  when 
employed  for  this  purpose  good  drainage  must  be  provided,  or  failure  is 
almost  sure  to  be  the  result.  Propagation  is  effected  by  means  of 
cuttings,  which  root  readily,  or  from  seed,  which  some  consider  the 
better  mode.  Having  raised  plants  both  ways,  we  have  never  found  much 
difference,  the  seedlings  being  perhaps  a  little  more  robust.  As  a  rule 
the  seed  sets  freely,  and  should  remain  upon  the  plant  until  thoroughly 
ripened,  then  sow  it  at  once  in  a  pan  filled  with  fine  peat  and  sand.  The 
seeds  should  be  well  covered  with  similar  compost,  watered,  and  placed 
in  moderate  heat,  and  in  a  short  time  they  will  germinate.  The 
woodcut  (fig.  67)  portrays  this  charming  plant. 
THE  FOOD  OF  CROPS.® 
Never  before  has  so  much  thought  been  given  to  this  important 
subject  as  during  what  may  be  termed  the  present  educational  period, 
nor  has  so  much  been  written  on  it  both  in  press  communications  and 
more  or  less  pretentious  works.  The  minds  of  men  connected  with  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil  appear  to  he  more  than  usually  active  in  the  search 
for  knowledge  of  a  more  exact  scientific  nature  than  formerly,  and  an 
increasing  number  of  persons  who  are  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil 
desire  to  become  more  intimately  acquainted  with  its  origin,  derivation, 
and  crop-producing  constituents.  It  is  very  desirable  they  should  gain 
all  the  information  they  can  on  these  and  cognate  subjects,  and  much 
that  is  useful  is  plainly  conveyed — no  small  merit — in  Dr.  Aikman’s 
handbook.  As  is  stated  in  the  preface  this  work  is  intended  as  a  guide 
to  the  elementary  principles  involved  in  the  application  of  fertilisers, 
and  in  no  sense  claims  to  be  a  treatise  on  manures.  We  like  it  the  better 
for  that,  for  some  treatises  on  manures  are  largely  padded  out  productions 
from  which  it  is  no  light  task  to  separate  whatever  of  solid  grain  they 
may  contain  from  the  flimsy  chaff.  There  is  too  much  proneness  on  the 
part  of  certain  book-making  scientists  to  over-extol  the  virtues  of 
artificial  or  chemical  fertilisers  and  to  undervalue  the  effects  of  the 
familiar  medium  known  as  farmyard  manure.  The  author  does  not  fall 
into  that  error,  but  clearly  recognises  the  relative  values  of  the  various 
kinds  of  soil-enriching  materials  with  which  he  deals.  We  think  an 
extract  will  show  this  and  it  may  well  come  under  the  heading  we 
give  it : 
Common  Sense  in  Manuring. 
It  is  not  likely  that  farmyard  manure  will  ever  be  superseded  by  artificial 
fertilisers.  The  proper  and  economical  use  for  these  latter  consists  in 
judiciously  supplementing  the  former.  Farmyard  manure,  we  must  remember, 
only  returns,  as  a  rule,  to  the  soil  what  has  come  off  it ;  and  that  minus  a 
certain  varying  quantity  which  is  lost  in  the  transition.  No  doubt,  under 
certain  circumstances,  where  purchased  foods,  such  as  linseed  cake,  are  largely 
used,  this  loss  may  be  largely  made  good ;  but  it  is  rarely  entirely  made  good. 
It  is,  therefore,  to  supplement  farmyard  manure  that  artificial  fertilisers  should 
be  used.  The  nature  of  their  action  is  in  many  respects  so  dissimilar  that  they 
may  be  regarded  as  complementary  to  one  another. 
Furthermore,  in  the  application  of  artificial  fertilisers  the  nature  of  the 
fertiliser  should  be  taken  into  account — that  is  to  say,  whether  it  is  quick¬ 
acting  or  slow-acting.  Nitrate  of  soda,  for  example,  should  only  be  applied  as 
a  top-dressing.  Such  a  fertiliser  as  bones,  on  the  other  hand,  should  be  applied 
some  considerable  time  before  the  plant  is  ready  to  make  use  of  them.  Ammonia 
salts,  while  less  speedily  available  for  the  plant’s  uses  than  nitrate  of  soda,  is 
much  more  so  than  the  nitrogen  in  such  a  manure  as  dried  blood.  So  also  with 
the  different  forms  of  phosphates,  soluble  phosphates  being  much  more  speedily 
available  than  insoluble.  With  regard  to  potash,  it  is  a  common  experience 
that  this,  although  applied  invariably  in  a  soluble  form,  is  best  applied  a  con¬ 
siderable  time  before  it  is  likely  to  be  used  by  the  crop.  Hence  we  find  that 
fertilisers  may  be  divided  broadly  into  two  classes — those  which  should  be 
applied  in  autumn,  and  those  which  should  be  applied  in  spring.  To  the  former 
class  belong  manures  containing  undissolved  phosphate,  basic  slag,  nitrogen  in 
an  organic  form,  shoddy,  and  potash  manures  ;  while  to  the  latter  class  belong 
soluble  nitrogenous  fertilisers,  nitrates,  ammonia,  salts,  guano,  and  soluble 
phosphates. 
Generally  speaking,  soils  poor  in  organic  matter  are  those  which  are  most 
likely  to  be  benefited  by  the  application  of  nitrogenous  fertilisers.  Soils  of  a 
dry,  light  character  require  less  phosphates  than  they  do  of  nitrogen  and  potash. 
A  soil  rich  in  organic  matter  generally  requires  phosphates  or  potash. 
With  regard  to  the  application  of  phosphatic  manures,  a  point  of  considerable 
importance  in  their  choice  is  the  nature  of  the  soil  to  which  they  are  to  be 
applied.  Where  the  soil  is  poor  in  lime  there  is  a  certain  risk  in  applying  acid 
phosphate.  In  such  a  soil  it  is  preferable  to  use  a  pbosphatic  manure  of  the 
nature  of  bones  or  slag  or  guano.  If,  however,  there  is  a  sufficiency  of  lime  in 
the  soil,  the  dissolved  phosphate  is  to  be  preferred.  The  nature  of  the  season 
is  also  a  matter  of  importance.  For  instance,  in  a  very  wet  season  it  has  been 
found  that  such  a  manure  as  sulphate  of  ammonia  has  a  better  effect  than 
nitrate  of  soda.  A  soil  liberally  treated  with  farmyard  manure  is  especially 
benefited  by  the  application  of  artificial  nitrogenous  fertilisers.  The  effect  of 
most  fertilisers  is  chiefly  seen  on  the  crop  to  which  they  are  directly  applied. 
FIG.  67.—  CHOROZEMA  CORDATUM  SPLENDENS. 
Some,  however,  exert  a  more  lasting  influence.  As  manures  which  have  no 
influence  beyond  the  first  year  of  application  may  be  mentioned  nitrate  of  soda 
and  sulphate  of  ammonia.  On  the  other  hand,  bones,  slag,  and  potassic  manures 
may  exercise  an  influence  for  several  years  following  their  application. 
That  is  what  we  regard  as  practical  teaching  based  on  scientific  facts. 
We  are  tempted  to  make  one  or  two  more  citations. 
The  Value  of  Analyses. 
It  cannot  be  too  clearly  emphasised  for  the  guidance  of  the  agriculturist 
that  the  value  of  a  fertiliser  as  a  commercial  article  depends  on  the  per-centage 
of  nitrogen,  phosphates,  and  potash  it  contains,  as  well  as  the  chemical  condition 
of  these  different  fertilising  constituents.  Since  these  facts  can  alone  be 
determined  by  a  chemical  analysis,  it  is  obvious  that  manures  should  always  be 
purchased  on  this  basis.  It  is  an  unfortunate  fact  that  a  chemical  analysis, 
even  when  procured,  is  not  always  very  intelligible  to  one  ignorant  of 
chemistry.  Discarding,  then,  all  other  constituents  except  the  nitrogen, 
phosphates,  and  potash  as  not  affecting  the  commercial  value  of  a  fertiliser,  a 
word  or  two  may  be  said  on  the  different  forms  in  which  nitrogen  may  be 
present — viz.,  as  organic  nitrogen,  as  ammonia,  and  as  nitrates.  Now,  obviously 
the  fact  of  first  importance  is  to  ascertain  what  the  per-centage  of  nitrogen  in 
a  fertiliser  is.  This  should  always  be  stated,  whatever  chemical  form  it  is  in — 
whether  as  nitrates,  ammonia,  &e. — and  no  doubt  in  the  future  this  will  be  the 
case.  Unfortunately,  however,  in  the  past,  it  has  been  common  to  state  the 
nitrogen  as  ammonia,  irrespective  of  the  fact  of  whether  it  is  present  in  the 
manure  in  that  form  or  not.  In  a  statement  of  analysis  a  manure  was  often 
*  0.  M.  Aikman.  London :  Vinton  &  Go.,  Now  Bridge  Street. 
