The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-11-20 00:00:00

and bleh- —ne lime, the pulverulent mass will bi
spread over the surface, and incorporated with the fallow
This process will be very effectual in reducing stubbori

ided with

wrought in a certain degree .before it can be accomplished,
when very considerable attention will be required. The
quantity of ashes must be sufficient to cover the whole
surface of the ground, when the heaps are spread ; if less,
the application may be worth little. The ultimate pro-
ducts are a mixture of finely reduced and pulverised sub-
stances, to be blended and incorporated with the soil, on
which acquisition so very much of the fertility of the
earth depends. .1. .1)., Nov. 6.—. Agricultural Gazette.
Soil for Orchids in Pots.—More diversity of opinion
obtains upon this point than in any other items of their
culture. and it is certainly one deserving of attention ;
for although it may be of little or no importance to an
air plant whether it is grown in rich or poor soil, so far
as nutriment is concerned, still it is necessary to know
whether the soil, or whatever its roots may be surrounded
by (some use nothing but broken potsherds in very small
pieces), is retentive or not of moisture, and whether it
parts freely with the same to the surrounding atmosphere
when required. The best material is that which is not
retentive of moisture, n9r liable to become stagnant, or
what is termed sour, and that which, under the influence
of a damp and warm atmosphere, resists decay longest.
It will therefore be found, that very fibry peat, obtained

fresh from the common, freed from all small particles of
peaty matter, is most suitable for the purpose. The lat-
ter process may easibly bo accomplished by beating it
when it is dry. The fibre should be left a few days to dry
before it is used, and afterwards, when required, it should
be mixed with a few half-decayed leaves, which must be
quite dry and free from any small pieces of stick that rot
and breed fungi. The soil of plants in pots, when placed
upon the smooth surface of slate shelves, is apt to become
too moist during winter, owing to the water Rot being
able to pass off freely through the hole in the bottom of
the pots, or from their absorbing moisture from the
shelves : this evil is, however, easily obviated by placing
small square pieces of lathwood under the pots, which
allows the superfluous moisture to pass off freely. From
Mr. Gordon's Paper in the Journal of the Horticultu-
ral Society.

THE VICTORIA REGIA AT,CnATswonTs.—This extra-
ordinary and gigantic Water Lily, the existence of which

was for a long time considered problematical, is at length
growing vigorously in this country, and promises at no
distant period to produce its large and deliciously scented
flowers. It is a native of Guiana, where the natives call
it Irure, from the shape of its leaves, which resemble the
broad dishes used in that country, and the lids of their
large round baskets. The plant at Chatsworth was re-
ceived from the Royal Gardens at Kew, on Friday, Aug.
3rd ; it had then only four leaves, the largest of which was
51 inches across, or 16} in circumference ; and a fifth leaf
opened in a day or two afterwards. The box which con-
tained it was 131 inches square, and about S inches deep,
which was ample for the purpose. In the beginning of
August, a tank of 13 feet square, and 3 feet 4 inches deep,
was prepared for its reception. In this was placed about
I five one-horse cart loads of soil; and on August 10th, the
plant was turned out of its pot into this mould. So rapid
has been its daily growth since that time, that by the
latter end of September, 19 leaves had been formed, the
largest of which measures 3 feet 6 inches across, or about
11 feet round. The tank became so crowded, that it was
found necessary to again enlarge it to double its former
size. The present extent is now found insufficient. Al-
though the plant has only 13 leaves, yet the dimensions
of each measure from 4 feet to 4 feet 6 inches across, or
from 16 to 18 feet round ; and so strong as to be able to
bear the weight of a young person upon their surface.
This has been proved at Chatsworth, by an actual experi-
ment, showing that Homer's fabulous story of Venus
floating on the water-lily leaf, might be repeated as a
practical fact, instead of remaining merely a poetical
fiction.—Derbyshire Courier.