January  16,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAOt  GARDENER. 
61 
are  several  good  ones  advertised  in  this  Journal  which  may 
be  depended  upon  to  give  good  results.  In  many  private 
gardens  where  only  small  quantities  are  required,  it  is  con¬ 
venient  to  buy  them  ready  mixed,  but  for  commercial 
purposes,  and  in  other  cases  where  strict  economy  has  to  be 
studied,  the  cultivator  should  mix  his  own  manure,  and 
thus  secure  the  various  constituents  at  their  proper  unit 
values.  I  have  often  used  mixed  manures  with  the  best 
results,  but  I  obtained  equally  good  results  last  year  at  less 
cost  by  mixing  my  own,  and  tne  following  is  a  mixture  I 
•can  confidently  recommend: — Fish  guano,  8lb ;  super¬ 
adding  a  shovelful  of  soot  to  each  barrowload.  Of  course 
the  soil  should  be  in  a  fairly  dry  condition,  so  that  it  will 
work  freely  without  becoming  sticky.  If  the  loam  is  some¬ 
what  light  it  is  wise  to  tread  it  moderately  firmly,  and  finish 
off,  loosening  the  surface  with  a  rake,  but  when  fairly  heavy 
no  treading  is  needed,  it  will  usually  go  down  close  enough. 
In  the  case  of  inside  borders,  a  thin  layer  of  horse  droppings 
helps  to  afford  additional  food,  as  well  as  to  prevent  the 
surface  from  becoming  too  close  and  hard.  On  outside 
borders  a  thicker  coating  is  beneficial. 
Before  concluding,  I  want  once  more  to  draw  attention 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS  IN  LONDON  j  The  Collection  of  G.  R.  Peerless,  Esq.,  Clapham. 
phosphate,  6lb  ;  sulphate  of  potash,  lib;,  and  sulphate  of 
ammonia,  ^Ib.  Mix  all  the  ingredients  thoroughly,  and  rise 
at  the  rate  of  4ozs  per  yard  before  applying  an  inch  or  two 
of  fresh  compost.  In  the  case  of  borders  inclined  to  be  wet 
and  sour,  use  basic  slag  five  parts  and  nitrate  of  potash  two 
parts.  Then,  after  the  Vines  have  started  into  gi’owth, 
give  one  dressing  of  nitrate  of  soda,  ^oz  per  yard. 
Li^ht  Dressings  Advised. 
A  suitable  covering  of  fresh  compost  may  be  formed  by 
mixing  six  parts  of  good  loam  with  one  of  horse  droppings. 
to  the  unwisdom  of  placing  too  thick  a  layer  of  soil  on  the 
roots  during  any  one  year,  because  in  some  cases  5in  or  6in 
of  old  soil  has  to  be  removed.  It  is  often  the  practice  to  lay 
on  a  similar  thickness  of  fresh  soil  to  bring  up  the  border 
to  its  original  level.  The  result  frequently  is  that  the  roots 
do  not  work  into  it,  whereas  if  only  a  couple  of  inches  of 
fresh  soil  is  added,  a  network  of  roots  is  found  in  it  by  the 
following  season,  and  that,  according  to  my  experience,  is 
one  of  the  secrets  of  keeping  Vines  in  a  satisfactory  condi¬ 
tion.  Thin  layers  of  soil  and  active  roots  go  hand  in  hand  ; 
burv  roots  deeply,  and  they  either  go  deeper  still  or  further 
afield,  if  they  do  not  become  “  inactive.”— 11.  D. 
