156 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  16,  1900. 
The  Value  of  ITuts. — It  is  said  that  the  Nut  trees  of  the  world 
alone  could,  if  necessity  arose,  provide  food  all  the  year  round  for  a 
total  population  three  times  greater  than  the  present.  It  has  been 
pointed  out  to  the  Washington  Department  of  Agriculture  that  Brazil 
Nuts  around  Para  grow  in  such  profusion  that  thousands  of  tons  of 
them  are  wasted  every  year  ;  with  Cocoanuts  it  is  the  same  in  many 
centres. 
A  Bishop  on  Blgglng. — After  distributing  the  prizes  to  the 
successful  scholars  of  the  Hampton  Grammar  School  on  Wednesday, 
the  Bishop  of  London  said  he  always  thought  it  would  be  a  good  thing 
that  every  boy  should  have  some  definite  manual  work.  He  was  not 
sure  that  digging  would  not  be  a  good  thing — digging  hard  for  one  hour. 
Our  first  parents  had  to  perform  that  very  primitive  pursuit.  It  was 
one  that  had  to  be  done  in  the  primary  tussle  with  Nature,  in  which, 
after  all,  we  were  engaged,  and  whibh  civilisation  had  produced. 
Everyone  ought  to  know  what  hard  manual  labour  meant,  and  he  should 
be  glad  to  see  its  application  take  a  place  side  by  side  with  the  more 
highly  developed  curriculum  of  which  we  were  so  proud. 
Potato  Spraying. — In  the  experiments  with  Potato  spraying 
mixtures  carried  out  last  year  by  Mr.  Moss,  on  behalf  of  the  Koyal 
Dublin  Society,  that  gentleman  found  that  the  Burgundy  mixture 
(made  with  sulphate  of  copper  and  soda  crystals)  possessed  distinctly 
greater  adhesive  properties  than  the  Bordeaux  mixture  (made  with 
sulphate  of  copper  and  lime),  and  that  it  might  therefore  be  found 
a  better  preparation  for  use  in  wet  weather  than  the  ordinary  Bor¬ 
deaux  mixture.  Mr.  Moss’s  conclusions  in  this  connection,  says  a 
contemporary,  are  very  strikingly  confirmed  by  the  experiments  at 
Glasnevin,  as  certain  drills  of  the  field  there,  which  were  dressed 
with  the  Burgundy  mixture  (the  weather  became  very  wet  and  unsettled 
after  the  operation  was  performed)  are  distinctly  greener  and  show 
much  less  trace  of  the  disease  than  an  adjoining  set  of  drills  of  the 
same  variety  which  were  dressed  with  the  Bordeaux  mixture. 
When  Is  Growth  hXost  Active.  —  Most  people  imagine  that 
plants  perform  all  their  growth  during  the  daytime,  and  that,  like  the 
great  majority  of  human  beings,  they  largely  suspend  active  working 
operations  after  nightfall.  We  have  it  on  the  authority  of  a  well 
known  naturalist,  however,  that  growth  in  the  case  of  plants  is  much 
more  active  at  night  than  in  the  daytime.  This  gentleman  conducted 
an  exhaustive  series  of  experiments  on  the  subject,  and  found  the 
relative  percentages  of  growth  at  different  periods  of  the  day  to  be  as 
under  : — From  6  A.M.  to  9  a.m.,  8  2  3  per  cent.,  of  growth  ;  from  9  a.m^ 
to  mid-day,  1  1'3  per  cent.  ;  mid-day  to  3  p.m.,  no  growth  ;  3  p.m.  to 
6  P.M.,  no  growth  ;  6  P.M.  to  9  P.M.,  I  1'3  per  cent. ;  9  p.m.  to  midnight^ 
3  2‘3  per  cent.  ;  midnight  to  6  a.m.,  85  per  cent.  From  these  figures 
it  is  concluded  that  more  than  90  per  cent,  of  growth  is  made  during 
the  night.  Numerous  plants  were  used  for  these  experiments,  and  the 
amount  of  growth  at  the  different  periods  varied  according  to  the 
different  kinds. 
German  Zrlses  Dying  Off. — My  attention  was  recently  drawn 
to  a  large  bed  of  German  Irises  in  a  somewhat  low  position  in  the 
extensive  pleasure  grounds  of  a  noted  residence  near  Birmingham,  and 
in  which  here  and  there  portions  of  the  plants  had  assumed  a  very 
sickly  appearance.  The  bed  was  planted  some  few  years  ago,  and  has 
become  massed  with  the  plants.  The  gardener  in  charge  had  not 
observed  a  similar  failure  in  previous  years.  I  suggested  that  possibly 
the  rhizomatons  roots  had  become  too  deeply  buried,  but  inspection 
proved  that  where  the  rhizomes  were  fully  exposed  the  plants  were  also 
affected,  otherwise  the  bulk  of  the  plants  were  in  a  flourishing  con¬ 
dition.  Some  of  the  affected  plants  were  growing  on  the  edges  of  the 
bed,  thus  overcrowding  could  scarcely  be  a  contributory  cause  of  the 
disease.  Coincidently,  on  the  same  day,  in  another  large  garden  in  the 
same  neighbourhood,  the  gardener  pointed  out  to  me  a  similar  case ; 
but  in  this  instance  it  occurred  to  a  single  plant  of  one  of  the  choicest 
varieties  of  the  German  Iris  which  had  been  planted  about  two  years 
ago  in  close  proximity  to  an  ornamental  pond,  and  while  only  a  portion 
of  the  plant  was  diseased,  the  remainder  was  in  vigorous  health  and 
producing  strong  flower  stems.—  W.  G. 
The  Sustaining  Power  of  Bananas.  —  One  of  the  most 
courageous  marches  ever  taken,  was  that  of  Colonel  Willcocks  to 
Kumasi.  We  hear  that  during  the  march  from  Kumasi  the  whole 
party  lived  on  Bananas.  On  one  occasion  they  even  waded  shoulder 
high  through  a  river  for  two  hours.  Does  anyone  want  a  higher  test  of 
endurance  on  a  vegetable  diet  than  this  ? 
Kensington  Gardens. — “  L.  K.”  writes  in  a  contemporary  ; — 
“  I  desire  to  call  attention  to  the  deplorable  state  of  the  quaint  summer¬ 
house  in  Kensington  Gardens,  near  the  magazine.  The  roof  tiles  are 
slipping  off,  and  I  am  sure  the  old  building  will  not  stand  the  snows 
and  winds  of  another  winter.  It  seems  a  pity  that  such  a  relic  of  old 
Kensington  Gardens  should  be  suffered  to  perish  when  it  could  be 
preserved  at  a  very  trifling  cost.” 
Hints  to  Hay  Growers. — The  hay-growing  experiments  by  Sir 
John  Lawes  at  Rothamsted  Park  have  had  interesting  results.  On 
land  which  bas  had  no  manure  for  forty-five  years  the  weight  of  hay 
secured  is  12^  cwt.  per  acre ;  the  plot  receiving  a  mineral  manure  has 
given  27  cwt.  per  acre  ;  while  the  plot  receiving  a  mixture  of  minerals 
and  ammonium  salts  has  yielded  38  cwt.  ;  and  the  plot  receiving 
minerals  and  nitrate  of  soda  has  given  49J  cwt.  The  heaviest  manured 
plot  produced  60^  cwt.  per  acre,  while  the  same  plot  on  a  portion  of 
the  land  which  has  received  a  dressing  of  chalk  in  addition  to  other 
manures  gave  65^  cwt.  per  acre. 
Plaglanttaus  Byalll. — Though  an  ally  of  the  Hibiscus,  and  belong- 
ing  to  the  same  natural  order  (Malvaceae),  this  plant  has  not  much  in 
common  with  them,  the  growth  being  more  graceful  and  the  flowers 
smaller,  and  produced  much  earlier.  A  native  of  New  Zealand,  it  is 
only  hardy  in  the  more  favoured  climate  of  the  south  and  west  of 
England,  though  in  the  London  district  it  has  grown  and  flowered 
freely  in  a  sheltered  situation  for  the  last  three  years.  Farther  north 
it  would  require  the  protection  of  a  wall,  or  to  be  grown  indoors.  It 
forms  a  large,  distinct-looking  shrub  about  8  or  10  feet  high,  with  long, 
arching  branches  which  in  July  and  August  are  covered  with  flowers. 
The  alternate  leaves  are  cordate  in  shape,  3  to  4  inches  long,  on  rather 
slender  petioles  of  about  the  same  length,  deeply  crenate,  of  a  dull 
green  above,  paler  and  more  glossy  beneath.  The  flowers  are  pure 
white,  in  shape  and  size  somewhat  resembling  those  of  a  Philadelphus, 
and  are  borne  chiefly  on  short  lateral  spurs  on  the  main  branches. — C. 
Nature  In  Miniature. — “Anything  more  ridiculously  quaint  than 
a  typical  Chinese  garden  can  hardly  be  imaginedy”  said  the  wife  of  a 
missionary  who  with  her  husband  has  penetrated  far  into  the  “  Middle 
Kingdom.”  “  It  is  landscape  gardening  run  mad.  Here  in  one  corner 
you  have  a  miniature  forest  of  Oaks,  Elms,  Chestnuts,  and  Cedars, 
all  at  least  thirty  years  old,  but  all  under  3  feet  high,  being,  of  course, 
artificially  stunted  by  the  Chinese  method.  Then  there  is  a  tiny  river, 
5  or  6  inches  across,  trickling  into  a  miniature  lake,  in  which  swim 
miniature  gold  fish,  for,  of  course,  full-sized  gold  fish  would  be  out  of 
proportion  !  Over  the  lake  is  a  wee  bridge,  and  close  by  stands  a 
Chinese  temple,  strongly  reminding  one  of  the  picture'  on  a  willow- 
pattern  plate.  Then  there  are  mimic  rocks  and  hills  and  roadways. 
The  whole  thing  is  a  model  of  Chinese  industry  and  minuteness.  Yet 
somehow  the  effect  is  more  amusing  than  impressive ;  for  the  design 
is  too  laboured  and  mechanical.  With  all  his  capacity  for  delicate 
work,  the  Chinaman  is  not  an  artist — at  any  rate,  in  our  estimation — 
and  his  garden  is  a  curiosity  rather  than  a  thing  of  beauty.” 
Nitrogen  and  Electricity. — Tesla  says  it  will  yet  be  feasible  to 
procure  nitrogen  from  the  air  in  a  form  suitable  for  fertilising  purposes 
by  means  of  electricity.  By  transmitting  electric  power  great  distances 
without  wires,  Tesla  also  thinks  that  power  will  be  made  so  cheap  that 
it  will  pay  to  pump  water  for  irrigating  lands  that  cannot  be  otherwise 
utilised.  Yet  such  a  source  of  cheap  nitrogen  would  be  no  more  remark¬ 
able  and  not  as  practicable  as  the  method  by  which  every  intelligent 
farmer  now  extracts  nitrogen  from  the  air  instead  of  paying  for  it. 
Leguminous  crops  have  the  power  to  extract  nitrogen  from  the  soil’s 
atmosphere  by  means  of  nitrifying  organism  or  bacteria.  These  crops 
will  thrive  on  poor  land  if  dressed  with  a  little  potash  and  phosphoric 
acid,  and  then  if  ploughed  under  (in  whole  or  in  part),  the  nitrogen 
thus  obtained  is  added  to  the  soil’s  supply  of  plant  food.  The  wonderful 
function  of  bacteria  is  just  beginning  to  be  realised  in  agriculture  as  in 
other  industries.  In  this  and  other  ways  Nature  will  help  intelligence  as 
applied  to  farming,  more  readily  and  efficiently  than  to  idly  wait  some 
transcendant  discovery  for  the  artificial  extraction  of  atmospheric 
nitrogen. — (“American  Agriculturist”). 
