July  23,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
69 
S1>ECIAL  jg^OTICE. 
EARLY  WHITE  ROMAN  HYACINTHS 
Paper- White  and  Double  Roman  Narcissus, 
FREESIAS,  AND  OTHER  EARLY  BULBS. 
received  their  consignments  in  the  finest 
w¥  ill  ■  V-/ O  A  Om  0V/1»  possible  condition,  and  can  execute  orders 
immediately.  It  is  necessary  to  order  as  soon  as  possible,  as  good  bulbs  are  scarce  this  season. 
General  Bulb  Catalogue  Ready  in  a  Few  Daysm 
HIGHGATE  NURSERIES,  LONDON,  N.;  AND  BARNET,  HERTS. 
ORGHIDS-ORGHiDS 
QUANTITY  IMMENSE. 
„  ^  Inspection  of  our  Range  of  Houses 
TO  His  Majesty 
The  King  cordially  invited  by 
HUGH  LOW  &  CO., 
TULIPS  I  DAFFODILS! 
GROWN  IN  VIRGIN  LOAM. 
Lowe$t  price  conHHent  with  highest  quality.  Catalogues  free. 
ALEX.  M.  WILSON,  Bulb  Grower,  East  Keal,  Spilsby. 
CABBAGE  SEEDS 
The  Best  and  Hardiest  Variety  is 
Dicksons  Perfection,  ed.  pkt.,  i/e  oz. 
Also  highly  recommended  — 
DICKSONS  NONSUCH,  4d.  per  pkt.,  1/-  per  oz. 
ELLAM’S  EARLY  SPRING,  4d.  per  pkt.,  lOd.  oz 
MEIN’S  No.  1,  3d.  per  pkt.,  9d.  per  oz. 
WHEELER’S  IMPERIAL,  3d.  per  pkt.,  9d,  per  oz. 
MYATT’S  EARLY  OFFENHAM,  3d.  pkt.,  9d.  oz. 
PRICKD  CATALOGUE  Post  Free  of  all  other  Seeds 
for  present  and  later  sowing. 
The  best  test  of  quality  is  “  Repeat  Orders."  These 
we  have  had  from 'many  customers  for  the  last  twelve  to 
eighteen  years  in  many  cases  annually.  60  Gold  and 
Silver  Medals,  including  the  R.H.S.  Gold  Medal  for 
Begonias  only.  Our  Speciality  Collection  :  Double, 
30,'-  per  dozen;  Single,  24/-  per  dozen  ;  named  or  hybrid 
Seedlings.  Descriptive  Catalogue  free. 
DICKSONS 
SEED  nTTirornTNn 
GROWEBS,  UlllilO  1  JLil 
B.  R.  DAVIS  &  SONS,  Begonia  Specialists,  VeoYil,  Som. 
By  Special 
Appointment 
WEST’S 
WEST’S 
WEST’S 
SLUG  KILLER  POWDER 
ANT  KILLER  POWDER 
WOODLICE  KILLER  POWDER. 
Test  a 
FREE  SAMPLE 
and  yourse  f 
decide 
on  its  merits. 
will  cost  you  nothing,  and  prove  to  you  that 
WEST’S  PATENT 
GARDEN  SUNDRIES 
Plants  Protect, 
Money  Save, 
and 
Labour  Ease. 
CATALOGUE,  containing  50  large  pages,  with  100  Illustrations,  with  Hints  on  Horticulture,  post 
free.  No  Trade  Terms  possible  off  these  low  prices. 
Buy  from  the  Manufacturer  of  all  Horticultural  Sundries— 
C.  E.  WEST,  Roundhay.  Higham  Hill, 
Mo  Agentsm  Sufficient  Addresses.  LONDON,  N.E. 
No.  1204.— VoL.  XLVIL,  Third  Series. 
Joui[ii!il  4  ^0rt«[ttltoiie. 
THURSDAY.  .JULY  23,  1903. 
Poverty. 
half  of  the  ills  our 
^  plants  are  heir  to  is  directly 
traceable  to  poverty,  and  an 
additional  percentage  indirectly 
to  the  same  cause.  This,  apart 
from  the  fruit  bearers  of  which, 
in  spite  of  the  gospel  of  feeding 
so  vigorously  preached  of  late  years, 
glaring  examples  in  the  way  of  im¬ 
poverished  orchards  and  garden  starvelings 
are  still  common.  From  such  time  as  a  re¬ 
action  set  in  against  the  use  of  those  heavily 
rich  composts  our  forefathers  delighted  to 
humour  their  pet  plants  with,  and  the  intro 
duction  of  highly  concentrated  chemical  com¬ 
pounds  in  lieu  of  them,  there  has  been,  and  is, 
judging  from  appearances  not  infrequently  met 
with,  a  good  deal  of  unhappiness  in  plant  life, 
and  that  not  wholly  within  the  confines  of  the 
glass  department.  Probably  past  masters  in 
plant  culture  were  prone  to  carry  the  great 
muck  doctrine  to  extremes,  like  one  who 
Spreads  of  manure  a  waggon-load  around. 
To  raise  a  puny  Daisy  from  the  ground. 
But  possibly  we  of  latter  days  have  gone  to 
extremes,  too,  in  the  other  direction,  deceived 
by  the  appearance  of  loams  obtained  locally, 
the  bulk  of  which,  as  removed  from  worn  out 
pastures,  is  but  a  hungry  medium.  That  the 
popular  Chrysanthemum  has  not  suffered  from 
poverty  goes  without  saying  ;  gouty  stems,  fat 
foliage,  and  bilious  blooms  have  too  often 
shown  a  surfeit  of  the  good  things  of  plant 
life,  but  that  rather  emphasises  the  hungry 
look  characterising  many  stove  and  greenhouse 
plants,  even  in  some  of  the  high  places  of  the 
great  gardening  world.  Too  much  margin  has, 
perhaps,  been  left  for  the  application  of  liquid 
stimulant  or  chemical  fertilisers,  which,  unless 
judiciously  and  persistently  applied,  have 
rather  a  spasmodic  action  on  growth  and 
health  sustenance  than  more  lasting  nutriment 
combined  with  the  potting  compost. 
Readers  are  requested  to  send  notices  of  Gardaning 
Appointments  or  Notes  of  Horticultural  Interest, 
intimations  of  Meetings,  Queries,  and  all  Articles  for 
Publication,  officially  to  “  THH  BDITOR,”  At 
12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.,  and  to  no  other  person  and  to  no  other 
address. 
