December  11,  1902.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
553 
PLAN  FOR  A  MAZE  (H.  H.). — In  the  Journal  of  Horti¬ 
culture,  April  17,  1872,  page  323,  is  given  a  plan  of  a  maze.  As 
you  may  not  have  this  number,  and  it  is  probably  out  of  print, 
we  may  in  a  future  number  reproduce  the  plan. 
VINES  FOR  LATE  VINERY  (F.  L.  D.).— As  you  require 
seven  A  ines,  and  will  probably  require  to  commence  cutting  in 
November  onward  to  April,  we  advise  Madresfield  Court,  Muscat 
of  Alexandria,  Black  Alicante,  Alnwick  Seedling,  Mrs.  Pearson, 
Gros  Column,  and  Lady  Downe’s ;  but  if  you  do  not  want  to 
commence  cutting  before  Christmas,  then  we  advise  two  Black 
Alicante,  two  Alnwick  Seedling,  one  Mrs.  Pearson,  and  two  Lady 
Downe’s,  which  are  all  of  good  quality.  As  the  border  must  be 
flat  provide  extra  diminage,  and  do  not  make  a  deep  border ;  24in 
to  30in  is  quite  deep  enough.  Crushed  bones  are  the  best,  using 
at  the  rate  of  a  twentith  of  the  loam,  and  well  incorporating 
them  therewith. 
STEAMED  BONE'  FLOUR  (T.  R.). — This  is  the  result  of 
grinding  bones  that  have  had  the  fat  and  a  portion  of  the  ossein 
melted  out  of  them  by  being  subjected  to  steam  pressure  and 
powerful  heat  in  a  close  boiler.  When  the  bones  are  thus  dried 
they  can  be  ground  into  finer  particles  than  new  bones  can,  and 
the  action  of  the  manure  is  quicker  in  consequence,  notwith¬ 
standing  that  the  finer  and  drier  flour  may  contain  a  little  less 
nitrogen.  Perhaps  your  best  plan  will  be  to  dissolve  them  by 
either  of  the  following  methods,  as  may  be  most  convenient  :  — 
1,  Place  oewt  (or  twelve  bushels)  of  bone  on  an  earthen  floor, 
surrounded  by  a  rim  of  ashes;  pour  on  as  much  water  as  the 
bones  will  suck  up,  and  then  pour  on  2cwt  of  sulphuric 
acid ;  it  will  boil  somewhat  violently  for  a  while.  When 
this  has  subsided,  it  will  get  tolerably  solid,  and  the  ashes  and 
all  may  be  shovelled  up  together,  and  will  be  fit  for  use  in  a  day 
or  two.  2,  Take  a  large  watertight  hogshead  and  cover  the 
bottom  with  about  Gin  deep  of  dry  soil ;  on  this  put  a  layer  of 
bones  of  the  same  depth,  and  cover  them  entirely  with  wood 
ashes;  on  these  another  layer  of  bones,  then  ashes,  and  so  on 
till  the  hogshead1  is  full,  placing  a  good  thickness  of  ashes  on  the 
top.  Leave  it  exposed  to  the  rains  all  summer  and  winter  till 
spring.  Then  on  removing  the  contents  of  the  hogshead  the 
bones  will  crumble  to  powder  under  a  slight  pressure,  and  form 
one  of  the  most  valuable  manures  ready  for  immediate  use. 
NAMES  OF  FRUITS. — Correspondents  tcliose  queries  are  un¬ 
answered  in  the  present  issue  are  respectfully  requested  to  consult  the 
following  number.  (Dr.  Appleton.). — 1,  Boston  Russet ;  2,  Reinette 
Lithuanienne — it  is  very  pretty  and  very  similar  to  Yorkshire  Beauty ; 
3,  Cathlin  Pippin — a  very  good  variety  that  should  be  more  largely 
cultivated ;  4,  Mere  de  Menage — exceptionally  good  so  far  north  ;  5, 
Belle  de  Pontoise — very  fine ;  6,  Flanders  Pippin — excellent ;  7, 
Egremont  Russet — a  splendid  sample.  All  the  fruits  are  large,  clean, 
and  would  be  highly  creditable  to  a  southern  grower.  (H.  W.,  Mon.). 
— 1,  Marie  Louise  d’Uccle ;  2,  Deux  Sceurs.  (J.  M.  W.). — We  do  not 
recognise  Apple. 
- - 
Gardeners’  Provident  and  CharitatPe  Institutions. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. — Secretary, 
Mr.  G.  J.  Ingram,  175,  Victoria  Street,  S.W. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society. — 
Secretary ,  Mr.  W.  Collins,  9,  Martindale  Road,  Balham,  London,  S.W. 
Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund. — Secretary,  Mr.Brian  Wynne, 
8,  Danes  Inn  Strand,  London,  W.C. 
- - 
Publications  Received. 
“  The  Canadian  Horticulturist.”  Special  features :  The 
Triumph  Pear,  Summer  Treatment  of  San  Jose  Scale,  Hints  to 
Apple  Shippers,  Apples  in  the  Georgian  Bay  District,  and  A 
Study  in  Fruit  Blossoms.  *  *  “  Garten  Flora,”  November  lo, 
1902.  *  *  “  L’Horticulture  Nouvelle,”  November  10.  Sum¬ 
mary :  New  Cannas  for  1903,  The  new  Roses  Lyonnaises.  Pre¬ 
servation  of  Legumes  during  Winter.  *  *  ‘‘Trees  and  Shrubs 
for  English  Gardens,”  by  E.  T.  Cook  ;  Country  Life  Library, 
12s.  6d.  net.  *  *  “  Cassell’s  Dictionary  of  Practical  Garden¬ 
ing,”  by  W.  P.  Wright,  2  vols.,  30s.  net.  Cassell  and  C’o., 
Limited.  *  *  “The  Tropical  Agriculturist,”  November,  1902. 
Some  of  the  articles  are  entitled  :  Cocoanut  Water,  Artificial 
Manuring  for  Tea,  Ceylon  Tea  in  Australia,  Foliar  Periodicity  in 
Ceylon,  African  Oil  Palm,  Fauna  of  British  India,  Chinchona 
Bark  and  Quinine,  Some  New  Species  of  Rubber,  Fixation  of 
Nitrogen  by  Algae,  Gardening  on  Tea  Estates,  The  Indiarubber 
Tree,  Cultivation  of  Pineapples,  and  Pineapples  as  an  Aid  to 
Digestion.  *  *  “  Cassell’s  Dictionary  of  Gardening,”  Part  19 
(7d.  net).  The  part  takes  us  from  Terraces  to  Vitis.  Another 
issue  completes  the  work,  which  already  has  been  sent  to  us 
completed  and  bound  in  two  volumes.  *  *  '  “  Natural  Law  in 
Terrestrial  Phenomena,”  by  William  Digbv,  C.I.E. ;  London : 
W.  Hutch  inson  and  Co.,  Trafalgar  Buildings  Charing  Cross, 
1902.  *  *  “The  New  Zealand  Farmer,  Stock  and  Station 
Journal,”  October,  1902.  /  , 
Trade  Catalogues  Received. 
Dicksons,  Chester. — General  Nursery  Stock. 
Hogg  &  Robertson,  22,  Mary  Street,  Dublin.— Forest  Trees,  Conifers, 
Roses,  &c. 
\  ilmorin,  Andrieux>  &  Co.,  4,  Quai  de  la  Megisserie,  Paris. —  Scedsi 
Trees,  and  Slmibs. 
More  about  Nitragin. 
Readers  must  first  be  warned  against  confusing  this  sub¬ 
stance  with  nitrogen,  which,  although  it  is  also  used,  and, 
in  fact,  is  indispensable  as  a  fertiliser,  is  of  a  very  different 
nature.  Nitrogen  is  a  chemical  substance,  whereas  Nitragin 
is  a  concentrated  mass  of  bacteria ;  one  is  an  inert  mass,  the 
other  is  pregnant  with  activity.  Professor  Hellriegel  first 
discovered  that  the  nodules  on  the  roots  of  leguminous 
plants  were  inhabited  by  myriads  of  minute  bacteria  which 
had  the  power  of  absorbing  nitrogen  from  the  atmosphere 
of  the  soil ;  that  is,  from  the  small  air  spaces  it  contained. 
That  discovery  has  since  been  turned  to  practical  use  by 
Professor  Nobbe.  It  had  been  noticed  that  on  certain 
fields  the  nodules  on  Clover  roots  were  much  more 
numerous  than  in  other  fields,  and  that  in  the  latter  the 
growth  of  Clover  was  much  less  vigorous.  The  application 
of  a  dressing  of  soil  from  the  former  fields  upon  the  latter 
was  found  to  have  a  marked  effect  in  increasing  the  number 
of  nodules  and  the  vigour  of  the  plants.  The  success  of  this 
inoculation  led  to  the  systematic  culture  of  the  bacteria, 
and  cultures  in  very  concentrated  form  can  now  be  pur¬ 
chased  under  the  name  of  Nitragin.  This  can  be  applied 
to  the  soil  in  various  ways,  the  most  successful  one  being 
that  termed  seed  inoculation.  The  Nitragin  is  moistened, 
then  mixed  with  very  finely  powdered  ashes  or  soil,  then 
again  mixed  with  the  seed,  which  is  immediately  sown. 
On  some  soils  on  which  Clover  does  well,  Nitragin  has 
absolutely  no  effect,  the  bacteria  being  already  present  in 
sufficient  numbers ;  but  on  sandy  or  gravelly  Clover-sick 
soils  it  has  a  marked  effect.  In  Canada  organised  experi¬ 
ments  with  Nitragin  have  been  carried  out  with  encouraging 
results,  and  there  is  certainly  a  prospect  that  the  substance 
will  take  a  permanent  and  important  place  in  the  economy 
of  agriculture.  It  has  one  drawback,  it  will  not  keep  more 
than  five  or  six  weeks,  and  is  easily  destroyed  by  being  sub¬ 
jected  to  a  heat  of  lOOdeg  Fahrenheit  or  above. 
If  it  is  difficult  to  keep  in  concentrated  form,  however, 
there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  be  cultivated  in  a 
heap  of  compost,  to  be  afterwards  spread  on  the  land  when 
convenient.  That  would  be  a  practical  way  of  storing  it,  for 
it  will  not  bear  much  light,  and  in  a  limy  compost  heap 
there  would  be  no  danger  of  an  undesirable  heat. 
It  is  a  matter  of  common  knowledge  amongst  farmers 
that  nothing  improves  herbage  and  encourages  the  growth 
of  Clovers  more  than  a  top  dressing  of  turf  from  a  roadside. 
The  use  of  limestone,  slag,  and,  to  a  smaller  extent, 
granite,  in  repairing  roads  has  encouraged  the  growth  of 
Clovers  on  the  grass  roadsides  through  the  constant 
spreading  of  road  scrapings  on  the  grassy  surface.  Of 
course,  we  are  referring  to  country  roads  and  primitive 
methods  of  road  management.  When  the  grass  at  the  side 
became,  by  constant  additions  of  scrapings,  higher  than  the 
surface  of  the  road,  a  farmer,  usually  the  occupier  of  the 
adjacent  land,  would  be  requested  to  plough  up  the  road¬ 
side  and  cart  away  the  soil  so  moved.  This  roadside  stuff, 
as  before  stated,  is  most  valuable  as  a  top  dressing  to 
pastures  of  all  descriptions,  and  we  venture  to  suggest  that 
the  source  of  its  action  is  Nitragin  in  a  natural  state,  which 
has  been  accumulated  in  the  roadside  Clover  plants. 
In  the  experiments  during  1897,  1898,  and  1899  at  the 
State  experimental  farm  at  Ottawa,  one  field,  part  of  which 
had  been  nitraginised  for  Clover,  was  allowed  to  stand  for 
a  second  Clover  crop,  when  the  difference  between  the 
