November  22,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
457 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
MOST  IMPORTANT  BEST  RESULTS 
should  make  a  start  with  good,  strong,  healthy,  country-grown  Cuttings  and  Plants. 
W.  J.  GODFREY’S  displays  at  the  principal  London  and  Provincial  Exhibitions  are  admitted  to  have 
been  the  most  attractive  trade  exhibits  of  any,  containing  as  they  did  the  largest  number  of  well- 
grown  blooms  and  by  far  the 
BEST  AND  MOST  DISTINCT  NOVELTIES; 
the  whole  of  which  were  grown  in  the  Exmouth  Nurseries. 
The  Finest  Set  of  Novelties  of  the  Season,  including  some  magnificent  Australians,  will  shortly  be  sent 
out  from  the  Exmouth  Nurseries. 
PRELIMINARY  CATALOGUE  NOW  READY  AND  POST  FREE. 
'W.  J.  G-OI>mE5Y,  BXlVtOXJTII,  I^EVOIV 
A  FRUIT  OF*  UNIQUE  VALUE. 
THE  LOGANBERRY. 
A  true  Hybrid  between  the  Red  Raspberry  and  the 
Blackberry. 
Price  :  Strong  Plants,  2/-  each  ;  18/-  per  dozen. 
Descriptive  Circulars  and  Priced  Lists  free  on  application. 
WILLIAM  FELL  &  CO., 
Nurserymen  &  Seedsmen  to  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales 
XX  £2  X  XX -A.  IVC  . 
WARE’S 
NURSERIES 
Over  60  Acres  devoted  to 
HARDY  PLANTS 
NEW  DESSERT  CHERRY 
“noble.” 
FC.C.  July  25th,  1899  (unanimous). 
GEOWERS  SHOULD  NOT  MISS  THIS 
Superb  varieties  of  HYACINTHS',  TULIPS, 
DAFPODILS,  LILIES,  &c. 
WARE’S  HARDY  PERENNIALS 
OAENATIONS,  PAIONIES,  OLIMBEES, 
TEEES  &  SHRUBS,  EOSES,  &c. 
WARL’S  BEGONIAS 
STERLING  NOVELTY 
Prodigious  Cropper. 
Remarkable  Size.  Sweet  Rich  Flavour. 
Attractive  and  very  Firm  Flesh. 
T  amongst  thelate  dark 
varieties,  either  for 
Market  or  Private  Gardens, 
THIS  VALUABLE  NOVELTY  IS  NOW  BEING 
DISTRIBUTEO. 
Price  List  with  Illustrations  Post  Free. 
AEE  WITHOUT  EQUAL. 
CATALOGUE  incluai-s  many  Novelties  end  Rare 
Plants,  such  as  LREMURUS,  IRIS,  &c  ,  and  may 
be  had  free  up  <n  application. 
THOS.  S.  WARE, Ltd, 
HALE  FARM  NURSERIES, 
I  Feltham,  Middlesex. 
"W.  RATSr  €*&  oo.. 
Mount  Pleasant  Nurseries, 
TEY3VXXA3VI,  XiXSPiTT. 
REENHOUSRS  from  >/-;  VINERIES, 
V  T  CONSEBVATOKIES,  FRAMES,  SUMMER  HOUSES,  &C. 
Illustrated  List  Free.  .Makers  to  H.M.  the  Queen  and 
H.R.H.  THE  Prince  of  Wales. 
B.  HAWTHORN  &  CO.  Ltd.,  London  Works 
READING.  (Name  Paper.) 
JOHN  lATERER  &  SONS,  Ltd., 
AMERICAN  NURSERY, 
BAGSHOT,  SXJBBEY, 
Beg  to  call  attention  to  their  magnificent  stock  of 
HARDY  RHODODENDRONS.  AZALEAS. 
eOKIFERS,  EVEROPEKS,  DEF'DROOS  TREES,  &t. 
Intending*  Planters  would  do  well  to  Inspect  the  Nurseries. 
CATALOGUES  ON  APPLICATION 
o,  1065.— VoL.  XLI.,  Third  Series, 
Joupal  jjf  gartti[ultur^i*. 
THURSDAY,  NOVEMBER  22,  1900. 
Plant  Elements. 
^  HERE  are  four  chemical  elements 
^  of  plant  food  that  are  especially 
valuable  and  necessary  in  the 
growth  of  all  crops,  wi  ether 
cultivated  in  the  open  garden,  the 
orchard,  or  the  conservatory.  These 
are  nitrogen,  potash,  phosphoric  acid, 
and  lime.  It  i.®,  therefore,  extr  mely 
important  that  the  horticulturist  should 
know  what  these  elements  are,  and  what  they  will 
do  for  the  plants  he  wishes  to  raise. 
The  first  of  these  fertilising  ingredients — namely, 
nitrogen — is  an  essential  component  of  ail  plants  ; 
not  the  minutest  species  of  moss  or  the  tiniest 
Fern  spore  can  grow'  unless  nitrogen  in  some  form 
is  available  to  it.  Nitrogen  in  its  free  state  is 
a  permanent  gas,  and  is  one  of  the  most  widely 
distributed  elements  of  which  we  have  any  know¬ 
ledge,  comprising  as  it  does  about  four-fifths  of  the 
earth’s  atmosfihere  This  vast  store  of  nitrogen  is, 
however,  of  no  direct  value  to  plants,  since  these 
are  unable  to  use  it,  except  when  combined  with 
the  elements  oxygen  or  hydrogen,  in  which  con¬ 
dition  it  forms  nitric  acid  or  ammouia. 
Recent  research  has,  however,  revealed  to  us  the 
fact  that  certain  species  of  plants,  those  that  belong 
to  the  leguminous  family,  and  possibly  aerial 
Orchids,  are  indirectly  able  to  build  up  their  cell 
structure  from  the  free  nitrogen  of  the  air,  through 
the  medium  of  microscopic  plants,  called  bacteria, 
which  are  intimately  associated  with  the  host 
plants  by  means  of  the  tubercles  or  nodules  that 
are  formed  on  the  roots. 
Nitrogen  is  present  in  the  soil  either  as  nitr.ites 
or  ammonia,  or  it  may  be  as  organic  nitrogen  ;  the 
tatter  is  known  es  humus,  and  must  be  converted 
by  the  process  of  nitrification  into  nitrates  bi  t  ire 
the  plant  can  make  use  of  it.  This  accounts  for 
the  slow  action  of  farmyard  or  stable  manure, 
because  the  larger  part  of  the  nitrogen  in  these 
materials  is  in  the  form  of  organic  nitrogen,  and 
During  FIFTY-TWO  YEARS  the  “  JOURNAL  OF 
HORTICULTURE”  has  been  written  by  Gardeners  for 
Gardeueiw,  and  in  its  principles,  its  practice,  and  its 
price  it  still  rem.iins  the  same.  One  alteration  is  per¬ 
haps,  however,  neces.sary.  Our  modern  methods  of 
production  have  rendered  the  price  old  •  fashioned, 
and  hence  in  order  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the 
present  generation  of  Gardeners  the  “  JOURNAL 
OF  HORTICULTURE"  will  hereafter  be  sold  for 
TWOPENCE  instead  of  Threepence. 
