July  30,  1903. 
JOURNAT.  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
93 
ESTABLISHED  1832. 
No  connecticn  with  any  other  firm  of  a  similar  name 
Successors  to  the  late  BARON  VAN  PALLANDT. 
&S0NS 
CELEBRATED 
—  FOR  — 
Early  Forcing;. 
ROMAN  HYACINTHS, 
ROMAN  NARCISSUS, 
PAPER-WHITE  NARCISSUS 
&c.,  &c< 
The  above  are  now  ready  for  delivery,  and  for  full 
descriptive  details  of  these  and  other  SPI.F.NDID 
BULBS  for  forcing,  see  our  CATALOGUE  for 
1903,  which  will  be  fent  free  on  application  to  our 
Offices  at  OVERVEEN,  HAARLEM,  HOLLAND, 
or  to  our  General  Agents — 
Messrs.  MERTENS  &  CO., 
3,  CROSS  LANE,  LONDON,  E.C, 
ROMAN  HYACINTHS 
Pure  White ;  deliciously  fragrant. 
We  handle  hundreds  of  thousands  of  these 
bulbs  annually;  that  they  give  satisfaction 
is  evident  by  the  following : — 
“  H.vruogate,  .June  3rd,  1903.. 
“Bulbs  supplied  by  you,  especially  the  Roman 
Hyacinths,  turned  out  excellent,  and  were  much 
admired  by  visitors  to  the  hotel.” 
“Co.  Limerick,  May,  1903. 
“Having  grown  for  several  seasons  a  good  quan¬ 
tity  of  early  white  Roman  Hyacinths  supplied  by  you, 
I  feel  it  my  duty  to  say  I  always  found  them  of  first- 
rite  quality.  I  have  often  counted  as  many  as  five 
and  six  spikes  on  a  single  bulb.” 
“  Leeds.  June  4th,  1903. 
“The  Roman  Hyacinths  supplied  the  last  two 
years  have  been  very  fine  indeed.  They  were  admired 
by  everyone- who  saw  them.” 
“  Warkivorth,  May  25th,  1903. 
“The  Roman  Hyacinths  supplied  by  you  last  year 
were  entirely  satisfactory,  as  I  have  invariably 
found  them  to  be.” 
Prices  on  AppUcationm 
MANCHESTER  &  ALTRINCHAM 
THUR.SDAY,  JULY  30,  1903. 
Soil  Nitrogen. 
h' - 
Clean  Healthy  Plants  at  Low  Prices. 
Always  worth  a  visit  of  inspection.  Kindly  send  for  Catalogue. 
NEW  LIST  NOW  READY. 
FRUIT  FARMING  FOR  PROFIT. 
Price  2/9,  Post  Free, 
A  Practical  Treatise  embracing  Chapters  on  all  the  most 
Profitable  Fruits,  with  Detailed  Instructions  for  successful 
Culture  on  the  Kent  System. 
Ay  C3!-. 
iTJlW 
JocBNAL  OF  Horticulture  Office,  12,  Mitre  Court 
Chambers,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
Exotic  Nurseries,  CHELTENHAM. 
LONDON  FERN  NURSERIES, 
Loughboro’  Junction,  London,  S.W.— Stove  and  Green¬ 
house  Ferns,  large  and  small,  in  var.,  Aralias,  Grevilleas, 
Cyperus,  Ficus,  Ericas,  Palm’s,  Dracaenas,  Aspidistras,  Roses, 
Azaleas,  Carnations,  Crotons,  Camellias,  Chrysanthemums, 
Cyclamen,  Bouvardias,  Aspara-gus,  Araucarias,  Solanums, 
Aspidistras,  Cinerarias,  Genistas,  Marguerites,  Geraniums, 
Primulas,  Orange  Trees,  &c.  Trade,  send  for  Wholesale 
List.  Special  Retail  Catalogue,  free.— J.  E.  SMITH. 
EYERLASTINO 
DOUBLE  GRIP  STAKES. 
Fop  Instantly  Staking  all  Plants. 
From  5/-  per  CLross,  Carriage  Paid. 
Send  P.C.  for  a  FREE  SAMPLE,  and  yourself 
decide  on  its  merits.  It  will  cost  you  nothing, 
and  prove  to  you  that 
’371 
GARDEN  SUNDRIES 
WEST’S  PATENT 
FUMIGATOR, 
Complete,  Post  Free,  9d. 
See  Catalogue  for 
WEST’S  EXTRACT  OF 
NICOTINE. 
^  HE  element  nitrogen  so  absolutely 
essential  for  plant  growth  occurs 
in  the  soil  under  several  dif¬ 
ferent  conditions,  and  is  derived 
from  many  sources.  The  air  of 
the  soil  is  impregnated  with  free 
nitrogen,  and  in  this  state  it  is  of 
especial  importance  to  the  life  of  certain 
micro-organisms,  which  seize  upon  it 
as  food  for  themselves,  and  in  the  course  of 
their  work  transform  it  into  an  available  form 
for  the  nourishment  of  higher  plants. 
In  the  first  instance,  nitrogen  exists  in  the 
soil  as  ammonia  gas,  but  this  rapidly  passes 
iuto  the  nitrous  forms  through  the  agency  of 
the  microbes.  lu  fact,  it  has  been  found  in 
the  Piothamsted  experiments,  where  large 
quantities  of  sulphate  ammonia  have  been 
applied  as  manure,  that  in  three  days  nearly 
every  trace  of  ammonia  has  disappeared,  all 
of  it  having  been  converted  into  nitric  nitrogen, 
in  which  form  most  of  the  higher  plants  derive 
their  nitrogenous  food. 
By  far  the  larger  part  of  the  nitrogen  of 
soils  is,  however,  stored  up  in  the  material 
known  as  humus.  This  humus  matter  through 
the  processes  of  decomposition  aud  of  nitrifi¬ 
cation  is  gradually  made  available  to  plants 
by  the  action  of  bacteria  ;  this  is  Nature’s 
way  of  providing  food  for  new  vegetable  life 
from  the  debris  of  preceding  life.  Thus  the 
decaying  roots  of  growing  crops  and  of  vege¬ 
table  debris  incorporated  iuto  the  soil  as 
manure  contribute  in  no  small  degree  to  the 
stores  of  organic  humus  matters  in  a  soil,  and 
as  this  becomes  soluble  it  greatly  assists  in  soil 
fertility. 
Sources  of  Soil  Nitrogen. 
In  the  greater  number  of  ordinary  soils  the 
proportion  of  both  carbon  (humus  matter)  and 
of  nitrogen  become  less  and  less  as  we 
penetrate  below  the  surface  soil,  which  shows 
Plants  Protect,  Money  Save,  and  Labour  Ease* 
CATALOGUE,  containiDg  50  large  page.s,  with  100  Illustrations,  with  Hints  on  Horticulture,  Post  Free.  No  Traile 
Terms  possible  off  these  low  prices.  Buy  from  the  Manufacturer  of  all  Horticultural  Sundries. 
HIGHAM  HILL, 
LONDON  N.E. 
C.  E.  WEST,  ROUNDHAY, 
OR  DIRECT  FROM  THE 
WORKS, 
NO  AGENTS-  (SUFFICIENT  ADDRESSES). 
No.  1205.— VoL.  XLVII.,  Third  Serils. 
Readers  are  requested  to  send  notices  of  Gardening 
Appointments  or  Notes  of  Horticultural  Interest, 
intimations  of  Meetings,  Queries,  and  all  Articles  for 
Publication,  officially  to  “  THE  EDITOR,”  at 
12,  Mltro  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Streat, 
London.  E.C.,  and  to  no  other  person  and  to  no  other 
address. 
