October  18,  1110(1. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
:55i 
Ammoniacal  or  8as  Liquor  as  a  Manure. 
{^Concluded  from  page  243.) 
Many  gardeners  are  in  need  of  something  to  kill  the  moss  on  lawns 
and  render  the  turf  deep  green.  Gas  liquor  will  generally  do  both, 
brown  the  grass  for  a  time  and  then  induce  it  to  become  greener  and 
thicker.  It  will  also  kill  wireworm^,  rosechafer  grubs,  slugs,  and 
worms.  The  time  to  use  it  is  about  the  middle  of  February,  choosing 
a  period  when  the  family  is  from  home,  on  account  both  of  the  smell 
and  of  the  brownuess  of  the  grass.  If  used  in  autumn  the  grass  looks 
brown  most  of  the  win  er,  hence  it  is  not  recommended  after  early 
September,  and  even  then  the  gra.=s  may  grow  so  late  as  to  have  the 
tender  blade<  nipped  by  frost.  There  are  occasions,  however,  when 
gas  liquor  may  be  advantageously  applied  to  lawns  in  summer,  such  as 
when  grubs  are  playing  havoc  with  the  roots  of  the  grasses.  A 
thorough  wateiing  with  gas  liquor  solution  will  end  such  pests,  and 
the  grass  will  thrive  all  the  better  for  the  riddance  and  manure.  The 
liquid  is  easily  distributed  by  Boulton  &  Paul’s  hand  water  cart  with 
spreader. 
Flower  Beds  and  Borders. 
About  the  middle  of  February  a  good  watering  with  gas  liquor, 
diluted  with  five  times  its  bulk  of  water  and  distributed  through  a 
rose,  will  do  much  good,  killing  any 
slugs  then  feeding  on  the  tender 
buds  and  root.s,  also  other  pests.  I 
do  not  know  of  any  plants  in  a 
dormant  state  it  will  injure.  Young 
tender  growths  are,  however,  like 
grass,  liable  to  be  browned ;  and 
also,  like  it,  spring  again  all  the 
stronger,  for  it  cannot  react  except 
as  a  manure.  Pour  the  liquid 
between  plants  where  it  is  not  con¬ 
sidered  advisable  to  wet  the  shoots, 
and  look  (or  it  again  in  invigorated 
growth  and  finer  flowers.  Use  it 
over  bulb  quarters  when  the  bulbs 
are  dormant,  but  shortly  in  advance 
of  their  starting  iuto  growth.  It 
kills  root  miles,  basal  rot  fungus 
and  bacteria,  dipterous  fly  maggots, 
and  grubs  of  all  sorts;  better,  it 
enriches  the  soil,  stimulates  root 
action,  and  nourishes  top  growth.  It 
will  not  hurt  any  kind  of  plant  or 
shrub,  unless  very  delicately  hair¬ 
like  rooted,  such  as  American  plants. 
Before  planting  beds  or  borders 
previously  water  with  a  solution  of 
gas  liquor,  for  that  is  the  way  to  kill 
or  drive  out  vermin,  and  to  enrich  the  soil  with  ammonia.  Be  careful 
to  let  the  soil  fix  the  ammonia,  the  microbes  to  seize  it,  and  convert  it 
into  nitrates  of  lime,  potash,  soda,  or  even  alone  into  nitrate  of  ammonia. 
Orchards  and  Fruit  Quarters. 
Gas  liquor  has  a  peculiar  fitness  for  mossy,  dead  bottoms,  and  coarse 
grass.  It  kills  the  moss,  rots  the  bottoms,  browns  the  coarse  grass, 
and  if  there  be  any  grubs  or  pests  in  pupm  form  their  fate  is 
sealed.  Try  an  application  in  February,  diluted  two-thirds  if  very 
rank  in  moss  and  coarse  stuff,  if  short  and  bare  dilute  with  five  parts 
of  water.  It  would  have  been  better  if  10  cwt.  per  acre  of  basic  slag 
had  been  used  in  early  winter  on  heavy  land  (or  if  light,  bonemeal 
5  cwt.),  and  kaiuit  5  cwt.  per  acre,  or  if  heavy  land  2^  cwt.  of  double 
sulphate  of  p  itash  and  magnesia,  then  the  gas  liquor  solution  at  the 
middle  of  February.  No  harm  will  be  done  if  the  dressing  be  repeated 
in  June,  only  do  not  u.e  the  liquor  stronger  than  five  times  diluted. 
In  fruit  quarters  as  in  orchards  early  February  is  a  good  time  to 
apply  gas  liquor  diluted  with  five  times  its  bulk  of  water,  for  as  there 
are  no  weeds,  or  ought  not  to  be  many,  there  is  nothing  for  the 
“  vinegar”  to  act  upon  ;  still  the  acetate  will  yield  up  its  ammonia  to 
the  microb  e,  and  the  acid  acts  in  their  behoof  in  furnishing  them 
with  lime,  potash,  and  other  rock  substances.  It  is  not  wise  to  apply 
gas  liquor  solution  to  trees  after  they  have  started  into  growth,  at 
least  not  when  they  are  pushing  their  young  rootlets,  for  they  are 
then  very  tender  and  soon  injured.  After  the  crop  is  set  and  swelling 
watering  with  the  liquor  still  more  diluted — about  ten  times — is  of 
essential  service;  but  I  do  not  consider  it  advisable  to  use  gas  liquor 
after  the  fruit  is  half-grown.  It  may,  however,  be  applied  to  stunted 
trees  early  in  July,  as  there  is  little  danger  of  inducing  a  late  growth. 
Kitchen  Garden. 
On  bare  land  the  gas  liquor  may  be  used  after  the  crop  has  been 
cleared  and  before  digging  at  any  time  of  year,  for  the  ammonia  does 
Fig.  98.— Apple  Rival. 
not  run  away.  Its  use  for  winter  ci ups  is  not  advisable,  as  tne  auimonia 
makes  them  tender,  and  even  to  growing  crops  its  use  after  July  is 
not  commendable.  I  got  a  lesson  by  watering  Brussels  Sprouts  with 
it  up  to  late  summer,  it  being  poured  between  the  rows.  They  were 
splendid  in  growth  and  “  button,”  but  the  heads  and  the  sprouts  were 
blackened  by  the  first  severe  frost.  Use  it  in  spring  on  land  before 
sowing  seeds  or  setting  plants.  It  will  cleanse  the  land  from  filth  and 
benefit  the  crop  in  its  growth.  There  may  be  cases  where  it  is  desirable 
to  use  it  during  the  growth  of  the  plant,  then  pour  it  on  the  soil,  not 
over  the  tops,  or  if  over  these  dilute  twelve  times.  It  must  be  kept 
from  all  things  that  have  shortly  to  be  used  for  food.  Application  to 
the  soil  is  quite  a  different  affair,  and  even  there  may  taint  some  things 
in  dry  periods. 
As  an  Insecticide. 
For  American  blight  gas  liquor  is  a  perfect  cure,  applying  diluted 
two-thirds  with  a  brush  as  soon  as  the  leaves  have  fallen.  If  the 
trees  are  affected  at  the  roots  remove  the  soil,  dress  them  and  return 
the  soil.  The  liquor  has  been  used  on  the  foliage,  about  half  a  pint 
to  three  gallons  of  water.  On  older  or  fully  developed  leafage  a  pint 
may  be  added  to  a  three  gallon  can  of  water  and  syringed  in.  This 
acts  well  on  red  spider  and  other  pests  on  forest  trees  and  shrubs,  but 
I  do  not  consider  gas  liquor  very  desi  able  for  application  to  fruit  trees 
unless  dormant  or  at  least  early  in 
the  season,  so  that  the  rains  may 
wash  off  any  settlement. 
Ammoniacal  liquor  may  be 
mixed  with  charcoal  dust,  sawdust, 
or  peat,  then,  after  decomposition, 
dissolved  bones  being  added,  an 
excellent  manure  is  made  for 
Potatoes,  to  be  used  at  the  rate  of  a 
handful  to  a  good  run  of  drill.  At 
times  strawy  material  accumulates, 
and  though  it  may  be  rotted  in 
time  it  has  no  great  fertilising  value. 
If  such  material  be  saturated  with 
gas  liquor,  about  a  gallon  being 
required  for  3  lbs.  of  litter,  and  the 
heap  covered  with  sods  or  peat,  a 
rich  compost  will  result,  as  violent 
oxidation  takes  place,  the  heat 
rising  to  over  212°,  so  the  debris  of 
haystacks  and  haylofts  and  chaff 
give  no  trouble  as  regards  weed 
seeds,  and  the  heap  in  a  month  may 
be  carefully  turned  over  with  a  fork 
aad  again  covering  the  heap  with 
loam.  When  the  fermentation 
ceases  and  has  been  well  managed  a 
rich  compost  will  be  the  result,  as 
the  chief  substances  evolved  and  given  off  are  carbonic  acid  and 
watery  vapour.  In  about  four  months  the  mass  will  have  the 
appearance  of  about  half-rotted  black  manure. — G.  Abbey. 
Apple  Rival. 
In  the  autumn  of  last  year  Mr.  Chas.  Ross,  gardener  to  Captain 
Carstairs,  Welford  Park,  Newbury,  presented  to  a  meeting  of  the  Roybl 
Horticultural  Society  the  excellent  new  Apple  Charles  Ross,  which 
received  an  award  of  merit  and  subsequently  a  first-class  certificate. 
At  the  great  show  at  the  Crystal  Palace  Mr.  Ross  again  came  forward 
and  showed  in  the  any  other  variety  dessert  class  Apples  The  Houblon 
and  Rival.  Both  of  these  were  again  staged  at  the  Drill  Hall  on  the 
9th  inst.,  and  the  latter  was  recommended  for  an  award  of  merit  by 
the  Fruit  and  Vegetable  Committee.  Apple  Rival  (fig-  98)  is  said 
to  be  from  a  cross  between  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch  and  Cox’s  Orange 
Pippin,  and  its  exceptionally  handsome  appearance  should  insure  for 
it  a  ready  welcome  for  market  purposes.  The  flesh  is  creamy  white, 
soft  in  texture,  and  of  moderately  good  flavour  ;  in  this  respect  it  has 
favoured  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch  more  than  we  could  have  wished.  The 
eye  is  large,  wide  open,  with  broid  sharply  pointed  segments  that 
reflex  abruptly  at  the  tips ;  it  is  set  in  a  wide,  very  deep,  and  puckered 
basin.  The  tube  is  funnel  shaped,  and  the  stamens  median.  The 
stalk  is  half  an  inch  long,  and  very  deeply  inserted  in  a  broad 
green  lined  cavity.  The  colour  is  bright  red  splashed  with  crimson  on 
the  sun  side  and  rich  yellow  on  the  shaded  side. 
