212 
Supplement  to 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
'Afarch  10,  1904. 
grasses.  Basic  slag  is  useless  to  soils  lacking  liumns  matter 
or  potash.  It  may  be  used  in  jireference  to  superphosphate  on 
all  wet,  peaty,  and  rich  garden  soils  on  account  of  it  contain¬ 
ing  free  caustic  lime,  which  neutralises  the  organic  acids  of 
the  soil.  It  contains  from  14  to  20  per  cent,  of  phosphoric 
acid.  It  may  be  mixed  with  nitrate  of  soda  and  potash,  hut 
not  with  sulphate  of  ammonia. 
Potash  Fertilisers. 
Potash  Manures. — Four  kinds  of  potash  manures  are  to  he 
found  upon  the  market — kainit,  sulphate  of  potash,  muriate  of 
potash,  and  niti-ate  of  potash.  Kainit  i.s  a  crude  f)otash  salt, 
and  the  commone<it  form  in  M’hich  potash  is  now  employed  as 
manure.  It  contains  about  12  per  cent,  of  potash,  25  per  cent, 
of  magnesia,  and  35  per  cent,  of  common  salt.  This  manure  is 
particularly  suited  for  the  growth  of  Potatoes,  as  it  increases 
the  weight  and  improves  the  quality  of  the  tubers.  It  may 
be  used  for  Vines,  fruit  trees,  tiowem,  lawns,  Asparagus,  and 
Mushroom  culture.  It  may  he  mixed  with  suijerphosiihate, 
nitrate  of  .soda,  or  ammonia  salts. 
Sulphate  op  Potash  supplies  about  double  the  amount  of 
potash  to  that  of  kainit ;  it  is  especially’  helpful  to  all  leguminous 
crops,  such  as  Peas,  Beans,  Scarlet  Runners,  and  similar  i^lants. 
Vines,  fruit  trees,  Roses,  and  Chry.santhemums  will  develop 
sturdily  and  bloom  efficiently  with  an  available  supply’  of  potash 
combined  with  .some  phosphatic  manure. 
Muriate  op  Potash  is  now  largely  used  as  an  effective  carrier 
of  potash,  but  it  should  not  be  employed  on  soils  lacking  in 
lime.  Nitrate  op  Potash  gives  both  nitrogen  and  potash  ; 
it  is  a  useful  manure  for  supplying  garden  plants  in  a  combined 
form  with  the  necessary  quantity  of  readily  assimilable  potash, 
and  of  easily  available  nitrogen. 
Application.  Phosphatic  manures  may  be  used  at  the  rate 
of  bib  to  81b  per  square  rod  when  the  land  is  trenched.  Kainit 
at  the  rate  of  51b,  and  sulphate  or  muriate  of  pota.sh  at  31b  to 
41b  per  square  rod  every  .second  year,  preferably  putting  it  on 
in  winter  or  early’  spring.  In  some  gardens  dung  cannot  be 
obtained ;  in  such  casps  use  fi.sh  guano,  rape  cake,  or  dried 
blood,  at  the  rate  of  81b  to  101b  per  .square  rod  ;  with  these 
should  go  from  41b  to  Gib  per  square  rod  of  a  phosphatic 
manure,  and  potash  every  year  or  so.  And  as  the  plants  begin 
to  grow  a  little  active  nitrogen  in  the  shape  of  nitrate  of  soda 
or  sulphate  of  ammonia  may  be  used. — J.  J.  Willis,  Harpenden. 
- - 
Foxglove.s  in  the  Garhen. — Simple  .subiects,  to  be  sure,  are 
Foxgloves,  but  there’s  a  heap  of  interest  about  Giem,  and  their 
beauty'  is  majestic.  Graceful,  tall,  stately,  with  a  prodigality  of 
floraison,  their  shining,  but  inwardly  hirsute,  bells  are  the  homes 
of  fairies — at  least,  the  storybooks  and  folklore  say  so,  and  need 
we  rashly  turn  away  these  cherished  fictions?  Let  us  have  the 
Foxgloves,  with  white,  and  pink,  and  purple,  and  spotted  cheeks 
— a  pennyworth  of  seeds  will  give  us  dozens — and  place  them  in 
bold  groups  among  the  ferns  and  the  Primroses  that  grow  in  the 
glades.  A  photograph  by  Messrs.  Carter  is  on  tlie  preceding 
page. 
Tufted  Pansies. — Seedlings  or  rooted  cuttings  which  have 
been  wintered  in  sheltered  places  outdoors  have  grov  n  and 
rooted  .so  freely  in  the  light  fertile  material  afforded  them,  that 
they’  are  now  ready  to  lift  and  plant  in  permanent  places,  being 
liardier  than  those  in  frames.  The  latter,  however,  may  be 
fully  hardened  now  by  withdrawing  the  lights  from  over 
them  entirely,  gradually’,  of  course,  subjecting  them  to  the 
exposure.  They’  will  soon  then  be  ready  to  lift  with  abundant 
roots  to  jilant  and  give  an  early  crop  of  flowers.  A  generous 
soil  well  dug  and  enriched  witli  leaf  soil  and  decayed  manure  is 
the  best  for  both  Pansies  and  Violas.  Seeds  may  be  sov  n  in 
pans  or  boxes  under  glass,  or  in  a  cold  frame,  the  seedlings 
being  pricked  out  singly  to  strengthen.  On  page  216  we 
illustrate  a  thrifty’  and  very’  floriferous  tufted  Pansy’,  which  was 
photographed  in  Me.ssrs.  Kelway  and  Son’s  nursery,  the  firm 
cultivating  the.se  Pansie.s  very  largely. 
School  Gardening. — Our  pages  have  been  the  frequent 
medium  of  information  with  reference  to  English  school  garden¬ 
ing  during  late  years.  In  last  week’s  i.ssue  it  was  shown  that 
“  classes  in  horticulture  are  being  conducted  in  various  evening 
schools  in  Yorkshire  ”  (page  180),  and  that  the  teachers  in  Board 
schools  themselves  are  being  trained  so  as  to  be  able  to  suffi¬ 
ciently  guide  a  class  in  the  commoner  duties  of  the  garden. 
Messrs.  James  Carter  and  Co.,  of  High  Holborn,  London,  have 
kindly  given  us  the  use  on  this  occasion  of  an  illustration  which 
will  very  forcibly,  we  trust,  bring  home  to  the  minds  of  all  our 
readers  the  fact  that  good  work  is  being  done  in  parts ;  for 
nothing  is  more  likely  to  keep  the  rising  generation  in  touch 
with  gardening  and  the  country  than  a  knowledge  of  both, 
secured  in  youth.  At  the  Council  School,  Lowestoft,  there  is  a 
practical  gardener  as  instructor  in  co-operation  with  the  school 
teacher. 
The  Board  of  Agriculture  and  Fisheries. 
Its  Officers,  Work,  and  Management. 
■’EYOND  the  information  supplied  through  such  publica- 
1  tions  as  “  Hazell’s  Annual,”  and,  to  a  less  extent,  other 
year  hooks,  the  agricultural  and  horticultural  public 
have  few  opportunities  of  learning  anything  of  the  comprehen¬ 
sive  business  that  is  transacted  by  this  Department  of  the 
British  Government.  The  facts  that  are  summarily  given  in 
this  article  may,  therefore,  help  somewhat  to  lessen  this  pre¬ 
vailing  unenlightenment.  To  quote  from  “  Hazell’s  Annual  ”  : 
“  The  Board  of  Agriculture  for  Great  Britain  was  established 
in  1889,  and  consi.sts  of  the  Lord  President  of  the  Council,  Hi.s 
Maje.sty’s  principal  Secretaries  of  State,  the  First  Commis¬ 
sioner  of  the  Treasury,  the  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer, 
the  Chancellor  of  the  Grand  Duchy’  of  Ijancaster, 
and  the  Secretary  for  Scotland,  with  such  other 
persons  as  His  Maje,sty  may  from  time  to  time  think  fit  to 
appoint  during  his  pleasure.  The  powers  and  duties  of  the 
Privy  Council  under  the  Di.seases  of  Animals  Acts,  of  the  Land 
Commissioners  for  England  under  the  Tithe  Acts,  the  Copyhold 
Act,  the  Inclosure  Acts,  the  Metropolitan  Commons  Acts,  the 
Drainage  and  Improvement  of  Land  Acts,  or  under  any  other 
Act;  and  of  the  Commissioners  of  Works  under  the  Survey 
Act  of  1870,  were  transferred  to  the  Boaid  by  the  Act  of  1889. 
The  expression  ‘  agriculture  ’  is  defined  to  include  ‘  horti¬ 
culture.’  ” 
THE  CHIEF  OFFICER.S  OP  THE  DEPAPa'MENT  ARE 
The  President,  :  the  Right  Honourable  the  E  irl  of  Onslow,  G.C..M.0 
Private  Secretaries  ;  Alexander  Godd  ird,  Arthur  Pakenham. 
The  Permanent  Secretary:  Sir  Thomas  Henry  Elliott,  K.C.R.  Piivate 
Secretary  :  Arthur  G.  L.  Rogers. 
Assistant  Secretaries:  Major  Patrick  Geo  Craigie,  C.R.  ;  William  Somer¬ 
ville,  H.Glc.,  D.Sc.;  Arthur  tt'ellesley  Anstruther  ;  and  Walter  Ed.  Archer. 
Amongst  the  other  chief  officers  under  this  division  are  the  legal 
advisers,  chief  veterinary  officer,  agricultural  analyst,  and  the  chief 
clerks  of  the  Whitehall  and  St.  James’s  Square  offices.  Over  260  per¬ 
sons  are  engaged  in  the  offices  of  the  Board,  exclusive  of  Kew  Gardens, 
the  Ordnance  Survey,  and  the  local  inspectors  and  commissioners. 
The  work  of  the  Board  is  divided  into  branches  as  follows  :  — 
4,  WHITEHALL  PLACE. 
1—  Chief  clerk’s  branch  and  indoor 
branch  of  animals’  division 
2—  Outdoor  branch  of  animals’  division 
3—  Veterinary  department 
4 —  Intelligence  f)ranch 
6— Eduoatio.'i  branch 
3,  ST.  JAME.S’S  StJUARE. 
1 —  Chief  clerk’s  and 
commons  branch 
2—  Copyhold  and  tithe 
3—  .Statistical 
inclosuve  and 
4— Survey,  land  improvement,  an.i  L 
drainage  branch 
!)— Law  branch 
6 — Accounts  branch 
BEL.fllAY  STREET. 
1 — E’isheries  branch. 
ROYAL  BOTANIC  GARHEXit,  KEW, 
The  sections  at  Kew  comprise  the  head 
office  (Sir  W.  T.  d'hiselton-Dter, 
K.C.M.G.,C.LE.,F.R.S..  Director) 
The  executive  office  (W.  Watson, 
Curator) 
Mr.  J.  Bean,  Assistant  Curator 
The  herbar.um  and  library,  with  the 
following  staff  :— 
W.  B.  Hemsley,  F.R.S.  (Keeper) 
G.  Massee,  F.L.S.,  and  Dr.  O.  Stapf, 
F.L.,S.  (Principal  Assistants) 
Twenty-three  police  are 
J.  F.  Duthie,  B..Sc.,  F.L.S.  (A3sist:int 
for  India) 
X.  E  Brown.  A.L.S..  R.  A.  Rolfe, 
A.L  S.,C.  H.  Wright.  A.L.S.,  S.  A. 
.'skan,  and  T.  A.  Sprague,  B  Sc. 
(Assistants) 
Miss  M.  Smi  h  (Artist) 
JoDRELL  Laboratory. — Dr.  D.  H.  Scott, 
F.R.S.  (Honorary  Keepei) 
Mcseum.s. — J,  M.  Hillier  (Keeper) 
.1.  H.  Holland,  F.L.S.  (.Assistant) 
employed  in  the  garden.s. 
The  Ordnance  Survey  op  the  United  Kingdom,  with  its 
headquarters  at  Southampton,  is  under  the  Board  of  Agri- 
ctilturo,  and  employ’s  an  aggregate  of  2,575  persons.  The 
Ordnance  Survey  has  twelve  field  divisions,  each  with  its  head¬ 
quarters  in  some  prominent  city  or  county  town,  as  Edinburgh, 
Belfast,  Carlisle,  Derbv,  ShroM’sbury,  York,  Cork,  and  Red  Hill 
(Surrey). 
The  Animals  Division  admini.sters  and  watches  the 
Diseases  of  Animals  Acts,  1894  to  1903 ;  Markets  and  Fairs 
(Weighing  of  Cattle)  Acts,  1887  and  1891;  all  orders  of  the 
Board  relating  to  disea.se'.s  and  transit  of  animals  (including 
the  Swine  Fever  Order  of  1894) ;  the  importation  of  Dogs 
Order  of  1901,  and  .superintends  the  imspection  of  railway 
.stations,  market.s,  .sale-yards,  and  cattle  trucks.  Also  the 
general  supervision  of  all  regulations  of  local  authorities, 
county  and  borough,  under  the  Acts  and  Orders  above  referred 
to,  and  advising  local  authorities  in  this  connection.  The 
Inspectors  of  the  Division  report  on  all  matters  coming  under 
their  observation  which  concern  agriculture  generally,  and 
disea.ses  among  animals  in  particular. 
In  like  manner  the  Veterinary  Department  applies  itself  to 
the  iiLspection  of  foreign  animals  landed  at  ports,  and  inquires 
into  or  investigates  outbreaks  of  certain  di.sea.ses  in  animals  in 
Great  Britain.  The  Fisheries  Division,  amongst  many  other 
duties,  lays  before  Parliament  an  annual  report  from  in.spGctor.s 
regarding  sea,  salmon,  and  freshwater  fisheries.  The  same 
Division  carries  out  inve.stigations  into  the  natural  history  and 
di.se.ases  of  fishes;  has  fish-hatcheries  and  laboratories;  and 
