58 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  .  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  January  i6,  1902. 
Use  of  owing  to  the  fact  that  different  classes  of  plants  exhaust 
the  soil  in  varying  degrees.  Some  have  delicate  appetites,  and 
require  but  little  ;  others,  more  robust,  like  the  Cabbage  tribe 
{perfect  gounnands  of  vegetables,  these),  are  gross  feeders,  and 
impoverish  the  soil  to  a  much  greater  extent.  The  Cabbage,  too, 
being  shallow  rooting,  is  content  to  ramble  about  near  the 
surface  for  its  food,  and  so  is  best  followed  by  a  deep-rooting 
crop,  like  the  Parsnip,  for  instance,  which  finds  its  way  down 
into  the  soil,  and  takes  up  the  food  constituents  previously  un¬ 
touched.  Another  important  point  is  that  one  plant  will  utilise 
largely  one  essential  ingredient  of  the  soil,  and  another  plant 
another  ingredient.  Thus  Potatoes,  while  requiring  phosphates 
and  nitrogen,  are  particularly  partial  to  potash,  and  absorb  it  in 
large  quantities.  Turnips  and  Parsnips  glory  especially  in 
phosphorus,  and  will  not  flourish  in  a  soil  deficient  in  phos¬ 
phates,  while  nitrogen  is  as  the  breath  of  life  to  the  Cabbage, 
Cauliflower,  and  Brussels  Sprout  family. 
Leguminous  plants.  Peas,  Beans,  &c.,  are  not  benefited  to 
•such  an  extent  by  nitrogen,  and  some  authorities  go  so  far  as  to 
say  that  leguminous  crops  should  have  a  place  in  all  rotations, 
because  they  not  only  require  no  application  of  nitrogenous 
manure  themselves,  but  actually  enrich  the  soil  in  this  important 
■constituent.  They  are  certainly  not  so  susceptible  to  the 
application  of  nitrogenous  manures  as  other  crops,  and  theorists 
will  discourse  learnedly  of  the  nodules  on  the  roots,  of 
Hellreigel’s  theory,  and  the  absorption  of  the  free  nitrogen  of 
the  atmosphere,  and  declare  that  any  nitrogenous  manure  given 
them  is  wasted,  though  plenty  of  gardeners  of  many  years’  prac¬ 
tical  experience  can  be  found  who  will  maintain,  in  spite  of  all 
arguments,  that  such  a  manure  as  sulphate  of  ammonia  has  a 
marked  effect  on  Peas  and  Beans,  and  will  cite  numerous 
•examples  from  their  own  experience  to  prove  it. 
When  circumstances  render  it  possible  it  is  a  good  plan  to 
leave  a  piece  of  ground  bare  for  the  winter  and  throw  it  up 
roughly  into  ridges,  exposing  as  great  a  surtace  as  possible,  so 
that  the  action  of  the  frost  may  disintegrate  it,  permeating  it, 
and  setting  free  and  making  available  for  plant  food  important 
constituents  previously  in  an  insoluble  state,  notably  potash. 
Geologists  tell  us  that  frost  played  a  great  part  in  breaking  up 
the  rocks  originally  forming  the  earth’s  crust,  and  causing  the 
globe  to  become  fit  for  habitation,  and  its  effect  on  the  soil  now 
is  no  less  beneficial.  The  desirability  of  losing  as  little  time  as 
possible,  and  not  indulging  in  unnecessary  labour,  hardly  needs 
mentioning.  Cabbages  planted  in  autumn  for  spring  cutting, 
for  instance,  which  do  best  and  stand  the  winter  in  a  firm  soil, 
well  consolidated,  could  be  put  in  immediately  after  a  crop  of 
Carrots  had  been  cleared ;  the  ground  would  be  fairly  solid,  and 
would  merely  want  raking  over,  and  no  time  would  be  lost. 
Potatoes  delight  in  a  loose,  open  Soil,  and  early  varieties  might 
be  set  on  a  piece  that  had  been  thrown  up  into  ridges  for  the 
winter,  after  just  levelling  down. — A.  W.  D. 
L  = 
- - 
1  :  • 
Jottings  on  Pines. 
Fruiting  plants  and  starters  should  now'  have  a  mean  tem¬ 
perature  of  about  70deg,  varying  it  5deg  according  to  external 
conditions,  admitting  air  at  80deg  with  sunshine,  but  not  lower¬ 
ing  the  temperature,  allowing  the  heat  to  rise  to  85deg,  closing 
the  house  at  80deg.  Syringe  all  surfaces  twice  a  day,  but  do 
not  sprinkle  the  bed  between  the  plants ;  also  avoid  dense  steam 
produced  by  syringing  highly  heated  hot-water  pipes.  The  plants 
should  be  syringed  occasionally  early  in  the  afternoon,  when  the 
axils  of  the  leaves  become  dry.  Examine  the  plants  about  once 
a,  w'eek,  and  supply  clear  guano  or  soot  w'ater  to  such  as  need 
water  at  the  roots,  always  at  the  same  temperature  as  that  of 
the  bed. 
About  the  commencement  of  February  more  plants  of  Queens 
should  be  started  to  supplement  the  supply  of  fruit  from  those 
w'hich  are  already  introduced  for  affording  it  early  in  summer. 
Beds  having  hot-w'ater  pipes  beneath  them  can  soon  be  pre¬ 
pared  for  the  reception  of  the  plants,  but  it  is  not  the  case  where 
fermenting  materials  alone  are  used,  hence  the  subject  is  men¬ 
tioned  in  advance,  so  that  the  needful  preparation  may  be  made 
at  once,  and  85deg  to  90deg  of  bottom  heat  secured  by  the  time 
required.  When  plants  w'hich  have  heen  kept  somewhat  drier 
are  started,  see  that  the  balls  of  soil  are  made  properly  moist,  so 
that  Avith  the  extra  warmth  root  action  may  commence  at  once. 
A  night  temperature  of  GOdeg.  to  65deg,  and  5deg  less  in 
severe  weather,  will  be  suitable  for  the  successional  plants,  and 
5dg  to  lOdeg  higher  in  the  daytime,  according  to  external  con¬ 
ditions.  Keep  the  plants  rather  dry  at  the  roots,  but  not  ex¬ 
cessively  so,  and  where  w'ater  is  necessary  give  it  thoroughly,  at 
a  temperature  of  about  80deg,  ahvays  wdth  some  substantial  food 
elements  contained  in  solution.  Suckers  .should  have  a  tempera¬ 
ture  of  o5deg  to  GOdeg,  GOdeg  to  G5dog  by  day  from  fire  heat,  and 
lOdeg  more  from  sun  heat. — Practice. 
Obitaarj. 
The  Late  Mr.  Edward  John  Beale,  J.P.,  V.M.H. 
One  by  one  the  original  Victorian  Medallists  of  Honour  in 
horticulture  are  passing  away.  The  latest  death  from  the  ranks 
is  that  of  Mr.  Edw'ard  John  Beale,  senior  partner  of  the  firm 
of  Carter  and  Co.,  High  Holborn,  London.  Mr.  Beale  died 
somewhat  suddenly  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  January  8, 
in  his  sixty-seventh  year.  The  late  gentleman  joined  Mr.  James 
Carter  (now  also  departed)  while  he  was  a  young  man,  and  by 
the  qualities  that  compose  a  good  man,  lie  eventually  gained  the 
highest  position  in  that  influential  firm.  Mr.  Beale’s  figure  w'as 
w^ell-known  in  London  horticultural  circles,  but  he  was  too 
retiring  to  be  prominently  acquainted  out  and  about.  Mr. 
Gilbert  Beale  and  Mr.  Dunnett  will  now  assume  the  manage¬ 
ment  of  the  business,  the  working  of  which,  we  are  officially 
informed^  will  be  continued  as  hitherto.  Besides  his  very  high 
position  in  the  seed  trade,  Mr.  Beale  had  gained  honour  from 
his  fellow-citizens  outside  of  business  acquaintanceship,  for  he 
was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  Middlesex.  The  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  conferred  on  him  the  Victoria  Medal  of  Honour 
for  eminence  in  horticulture,  and  the  French  Government 
aw'arded  the  distinction  of  the  Merite  Agricole.  Mr.  Beale  was 
also  a  Fellow'  of  the  Linnean  Society,  and  a  member  of  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Society.  We  extend  our  sympathy  to  the 
relatives  w'ho  mourn  his  all  too  early  decease. 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  under  Glass. 
Earliest  House. 
Continue  to  fertilise  the  blossoms,  using  a  camel’s-hair  brush, 
feather,  or  rabbit’s  tail,  mounted  on  a  small  stick;  these  are 
better  and  more  effectual  than  shaking  the  trellis.  When  the 
fruit  is  w'ell  set  syringe  the  trees  occasionally  in  the  morning  or 
early  part  of  fine  afternoons,  to  assist  casting  off  the  remains 
of  the  flowers.  In  bright  weather  syringing  may  be  practised  in 
the  morning  and  afternoon,  but  in  dull  weather  have  recourse  to 
it  in  the  morning,  this  and  damping  the  house  in  the  afternoon 
being  -  sufficient.  The  w'ater  employed  must  be  of  the  same 
temperature  as  that  of  the  house,  and  the  inside  border  should 
be  duly  supplied  with  it. 
Disbudding  will  soon  require  to  be  attended  to,  but  it  must 
be  done  w'ith  discretion  at  this  early  .season,  it  being  better  to 
remove  a  few'  shoots  daily  from  a  tree  than  many  at  a  time  at 
distant  intervals.  The  night  temperature  may  now'  be  main¬ 
tained  at  55deg  to  GOdeg  on  mild  nights,  GOdeg  to  GSdeg  by  day, 
5deg  less  as  the  minimum  w'hen  the  w'eather  is  severe  and  dull, 
admitting  a  little  air  at  G5deg,  not  allow'ing  an  advance  over 
70deg  w'ithout  full  ventilation,  ahvays  excepting  a  little  left  at 
the  top  of  the  house  constantly. 
Second  Early  Forced  Trees. 
When  the  blossoms  shoiv  colour  on  the  trees  started  with  the 
new  year,  syringing  must  cease,  but  every  available  surface 
should  be  damped  in  the  morning  and  afternoon.  Supply  w  ater  as 
necessary  to  keep  the  border  in  a  thoroughly  moist  state.  Keep 
a  sharp  look-out  for  aphides.  If  there  be  any,  fumigate  the 
house  on  two  or  three  consecutive  evenings  moderately,  w'hich 
w'ill  be  sufficient,  if  effectively  administered,  to  keep  the  pests 
under  until  the  fruit  is  set.  In  case  of  an  excess  of  blo.ssom 
buds,  and  they  are  abundant  this  season,  also  promising,  draw 
the  hand  contrary  ivay  of  the  growth  aiding  the  under  side  or 
back  of  the  trellis,  so  as  to  reduce  the  number  of  bloom  buds, 
which  will  increase  the  vigour  of  tho.se  left,  and  be.st  situated, 
thereAvith  tending  to  a  more  even  and  better  sAvelling  of  the 
fruit  after  setting. 
Succession  Houses. 
Push  forAA'ard  the  pruning  of  the  trees,  cleansing  the  house, 
dressing  the  trees  AA'ith  an  insecticide,  and  readjusting  them  oo 
the  trellis,  leaving  plenty  of  room  in  the  ligatures  for  the  SAvelling 
of  the  branches.  The  surface  of  the  border  may  be  pointed  over 
wdth  a  fork,  but  not  disturbing  the  roots,  the  loose  soil  removed, 
and  fresh  loam  supplied,  sprinkling  in  it  4oz  basic  slag  phosphate 
per  square  yard. 
This  is  particularly  valuable  on  account  of  the  lime,  about 
50  per  cent.,  it  contains,  as  Avell  as  phosphorus,  Avith  other 
essential  food  elements,  for  Peaches  and  other  stone  fruits, 
especially  Avhere  the  soil  is  of  a  close  nature,  rich,  and  full  rf 
organic  matter  or  humus.  In  other  cases  steamed  bonemeal  and 
double  sulphate  of  pota.sh  and  magne.sia,  tAvo  parts  bonemeal  and 
one  part  .sulphate,  in  mixture,  may  be  applied,  at  the  rate  of 
4oz  per  square  yard,  with  advantage. 
If  the  borders  are  at  all  di'y  they  should  be  given  a  thorough 
Avatering.  Houses,  hoAvever,  that  have  moveable  roof-lights,  and 
these  being  off,  AA'ill  not  require  any  AA'ater,  the  soil  being 
thoroughly  moist  from  rain  and  snow.  The  shoots  are  thus  kept 
in  a  condition  by  the  air  moisture  unfavourable  to  evaporation, 
so  that  the  trees  not  only  have  thorough  rest,  but  the  buds  are 
prevented  falling. — Pomona. 
