Gardening Notes.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2621, 11 June 1887, Page 2

Gardening Notes.

WiipE plenty ofslablemanureis to bo obtained, tliero is not a pressing necessity for making this subject a matter of earnest study; but in situations where this safest and best of all manures cannot be got in sufficient quantities, it behoves. : tlie cultivator to seriously consider how to make the most of the means he already possesses; and secondly what in- his case would be the most suitable material to proem e to make up the deficiency, As regards economy of means,- there is, in too many instances much need for reform. l \

Much is burnt, or wholly wastod tha should have gone to augmont Hie sizi of the manure heap. Much, also, o the strength of the manure heap i; allowed to be washed away by thi rains. Ashes, the product of the burn ing of the rubbish heap, are exceilen manure being very valuable forcer tain purposes in garden economy where plenty of stable or farm manure can be readily obtained, or where the soil is already surcharged with vegetable or other organic matter, thi burning in question is not a bad prao tice; but where these conditions, 01 ane or the other of them do not obtain then, wo must regard the burning ol anything that can be converted inti manure by fermentation as bad econ>my, for burning dissipates the nitrogen—a most valuable mammal element Humus, the product of fermentation )f organic matter, the materials for thi production of which burning destroys jesides improving plant foot icts .' beneficially iu improving Jie raeohanical position of soils, I iorwets the hardness of course,- sandy ir gravelly soils, improves their luoiaure retaining properties, and also thi >ower of {holding the soluble pbn bodirom being washed away by the aiu. Stiff lands it divides and opem ip. pormittlmj a-more ready access o tir, and it also improves its moisture otaining properties. Weeds, those :ontauiing seeds and those with pcren lial roots—cabbago stumps, bean ant lower stalk, etc, should be put to jether in a heap, with tho dung ant itttrfrom tho stable (when the kttei s not wanted for a special purposo) tc erment, Tho heat generated in the mentation, will, if the job bi H'operly dono, be sufficient to destro; leeds, roots and vermin, with thei ;ggs. After laying a week or so thi leap should bo turned, putting in tin middle what was before on the outside [n another week it will be fit for us> tor mulshing, or for digging into stif land, but for burying in light land i should remain in the heap a consider tble time longer or it \M cause tin land to lie.hollow, and render it liable to become dried up, if dry weather fol low. In finishing the heap, the'to] should be sloped, that the ruins ma; run off, and a layer of earth put ou loj to keepin the manurialgasses. Manure like those yiolded from the farmyard stable ov rubbish heap, are called general manures, because they all con tain, all or many of the elements re quired to build up the structure o; plants. Special manures are tlios which in each case respectively ar capable of those supplying but ouc par ticular manure element only, o whore a particular crop require! an especially large proportion o one element, a npocial manure cat bo economically employed. To ascer tain tho absolute and relativs amount! of different kinds of plant food iu soil, recourse is sometimes bad lo'chem ical analysis. This'to be of any prac rical value to tho cultivator, shouli furnish him- with a distinctioi between the soluble and • insolubh quantities of each particular raamiria element. lam of opinion that t-li-best way for him would be to ascertaii for himself, by trial and experiment what is, in bis own case, the niosl appropriate manure to 1 provide for < rarticula." soil or crop Phosphorn and nitrogon are the two element that can, in tho greatest number o cases, be advantageously applied to thi soil. We rarely find a case when nitrogen applied to the soil does no gi-e marked r<«<iilia. A few years agi I read in the Times, the results o experiments conducted- to ascertain tin relative fertilising power of differeu kinds of manures in their action on th yield of the potato crop. It was fount that the nitrogen produced highei results than any other manure. Potasl produced but little effect. Many yean ago I made an experiment to ascertaii the values of potash and nitiwi as potato manure. The potasl gave no positive results, whil where tho nitrogen was -placet in the shape of nitrate of soda; the yiel. of tubers was doubted, These result appear rather surprising, as potash ex ists largely in the composition of thi potato tuber, while nitrogen is present in but a small proportional quantity, Scientific agriculturalists reckon the value of animal excrement to be in direct proportion in each instance to the amount of nitrogen consumed by the animal. Nitrate of soda, nitrate of potash (saltpetre) sulphate and chloride of ammonia, and soot are special nitrogenous manures, Sootowesitsfortilizing properties to tho sulphateofammonia it contains. Poruviau guano is a nitrogenous manure, but as it is also rich in phosphorous, and generally contains a small per oentage of potash, it is reckoned with the general manures. These nitrates act chemically on the soil by reducing to a soluble state a portion of its insoluble constituents. Suit exists in tho ashes of plants, and is, therefore, a plant food. It is said that sea spray, wafted by strong winds manures the laud with this material for a long distance inland, aud affords a sufficient supply for the wants of most plants, Lime, which exists in the composition of plants, is a valuablo manure, J tacts chemically on the soil by promoting the decomposition of vegetable matter, and mechanically by improving the texture of both stiff "id light soils, silica, soda, Chlorine, sulphur and magnesia also sxist in tho composition of plants, but »ro seldom specially applied us manures to tho- land. A green crop ; dug into :he land, acts the part of a* valuable uanuroand furnishes to the succeeding MP, in an improved and available ■orm, the food that it pxtracted from ,lfi soil and atmosphere, and as a )lant has but a certain amount of 'pgotablo energy, limited by its supplies >f light and heat and the state of its wganic and molecular arrangomeitf, ■ny amount of expenditure of this nei'«y that it is relieved from, leaves t more to expend iu other directions.